Film and Literature Essay Example for Free

Film and Literature Essay Literature and film feed at the same breast, considering the affinities between them. Since its very beginning, Hollywood has used works of fiction as source material for films. One of the most discussed adaptations is Francis Ford Coppola’s Film Apocalypse Now (1979) based on Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness (1902). This paper compares and contrasts these works of art, arguing that while there are obvious differences, the film generally general remains true to the core meaning of the novel. One can say that Coppola’s film is a thematic and structural analogue to Conrads novel. Differences On the surface it seems that Apocalypse Now deviates largely Heart of Darkness. The differences can be seen in settings, events, characters, and other snippets of information such as quoted lines and strange actions of the major characters. The settings of the two stories are different and written in different periods of time. The setting of Conrads late nineteenth century novel is the Belgian Congo in the 1890s. By contrast, Coppolas 1979 film takes place in Southeast Asia in the 1960s during the Vietnam War. In addition, the novel centers on Charles Marlow, a British sailor employed by a European trading company as captain of one of their steamboats, whereas the film focuses on an American army officer, Benjamin Willard. Another major difference is that the ivory traders are in the Congo of their own greed and free will, whereas the American soldiers are drafted into Vietnam and engage in the war against their will. At the first glance, there seem to be character differences in the novel and film – Copollas Willard is nothing like Conrads Marlow. In the novel, Marlow is very eager to meet Kurtz and perhaps gain knowledge about the secrets of the ivory trade in the former Zaire. On the other hand, Willard seems to have a death wish. Copolla portrays Willard as a depressed human, having a soldiers killer instinct, throughout the entire film. The effectiveness of point of view also differentiates the novel and the film. While it is true that Willard remains on the screen more than anyone else in Apocalypse Now, and his comments are often heard on the films sound track, viewers still do not see others completely from his perspective as readers do in Heart of Darkness. Hence, the film is robbed of some of the emotional intensity that one feels when one reads the novel. This is simply because the narrator in the novel communicates his subjective reaction to the episodes from the past. In the film, the audience does not grasp the extent to which the narrator is profoundly affected by Kurtzs tragedy. Many of Marlows sage reflections about Kurtzs life and death are absent in the film. Moreover, while Coppola successfully creates a staggering experience of the wars madness, he seems to confuse the moral issues. This is perhaps because of his view of personalizing the novel. The director identifies so strongly with Kurtz that he modifies the issue of power and disturbs the delicate balance between Conrads story and the subject of Vietnam. Apocalypse Now succeeds in making its viewers experience the horror of the war and to realize their own complicity in it, but it fails to highlight the nature of Kurtzs horror illuminated in Heart of Darkness. Coppolas failure to combine Conrads story and the Vietnam War in this respect points largely to The films adaptation of Kurtz. In the novel, Kurtz is corrupted by his isolation in the wilderness, resulting in an obsession with power and unfolding frightening truths about himself: I think it had whispered to him things about himself which he did not know, things of which he had no conception till he took counsel with his great solitude-and the whisper had proved irresistibly fascinating. It echoed loudly within him because he was hollow at the core. (133) in the film, Coppola tries to resonate Kurtz’s â€Å"hollowness† by having the character recite The Hollow Men by T. S. Eliot. But this can be seen as more of an emblematic solution that does not somewhat applies in the Vietnam War context. Parallels While the settings, backgrounds, characters, and approaches of the novel and film are somehow different, the narration, structure, and that theme are similar. The following paragraphs summarize some of the essential parallels between Conrads Heart of Darkness and Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. In the novel, Marlow introduces his narrative with a passage about â€Å"devotion to efficiency†, the idea behind how the ivory trade makes profit, justifying cruel exploitation (Kinder 16). This statement is also applicable to the Vietnam War context as they are both in the stages of Western imperialism: The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much. What redeems it is the idea only. An idea at the back of it; not a sentimental pretence but an idea: and an unselfish belief in the idea-something you can set up and bow down before, and offer a sacrifice to. (70) Coppola does not retain this speech in the film, but it becomes the groundwork for the dramatic events that unite Kurtz and Williard: the former’s recounting of the inoculation story and the latters murder of a wounded Vietnamese woman. The two are driven into a situation in which â€Å"military efficiency is totally undermined, yet they have been trained to worship it and to internalize it as the source of their own personal pride† (Kinder 16). In the novel, although Kurtz embodies all of Europe, he can be viewed as a â€Å"universal genius† who shows what lies ahead for those who take the challenge to look into the abyss. Despite the shortcomings in the handling of Kurtz, Copollas conception of film remains a masterful work that complements the power of Conrads vision. The novel and the film embody the theme of insanity and madness and insanity caused by the evil of imperialism. Madness in the novel is the result of being removed from ones normal environment and how people cope with their new environment. The same theme is explored in the film. Many soldiers who are drafted into Vietnam are barely 18 or 19-year-olds. Their mental stability is shaken when they are thrown into a harsh environment, where their lives hang on by the minute. Soldiers such as Lance and Chef are ready to snap at any moment due to the shock and realization of what kind of situation they are in or what is the purpose of fighting fellow men. They also fear the fact that they do not know where they are headed. Copolla and Conrad literally and metaphorically confront the madness and insanity brought about by Western imperialism and colonialism. Through Kurtz and the American soldiers, Copolla is able to portray what war is like for them, and why so many of them suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. The film suggests that wars are an imperialist tool that drives the weak into their destruction. On the other hand, Conrad exposes how the imperialist agenda leads to the exploitation of foreign lands and its people, leaving the imperialist agents themselves deranged and empty (Papke 583). Both the novel and the film also give rise to a race discussion. Conrad and Coppola portray White men as the dominant. They not only rule over their respective crews; they also dominate the local peoples. Marlow and Willard look at the native people as if are the savage culture and White men are the civilized one. But it is interesting to note that each of the two main characters see a little of himself in Kurtz, a degenerated savage White man. Coppola’s take on Conrad’s Heart of Darkness has gained much attention from film scholars. In â€Å"The Power of Adaptation in Apocalypse Now†, Marsha Kinder states that â€Å"Coppola rarely hesitates to change Conrads story-setting, events, characters-whenever the revision is required by the Vietnam context. † (14) Moreover, the dialogues in the film, especially Willards voice-over narration, have been attacked by several film critics for sounding more like a parody of author Raymond Chandler than an adaptation of Conrads novel. But a deeper look suggests that Willards character and tone are not intended to be Marlows. To suit the Vietnam context, Willard has been totally transformed into a trained assassin, whose life has been drained of all meaning. Coppola retains Conrads focal image of the river. In the film, just as in the novel, each of the main characters embarks on a literal and metaphoric central journey. Marlows description of the Congo is an enormous snake uncoiled that fascinates him as a snake would a bird. The films structure is controlled by the image of the river â€Å"that snaked through the war like a main circuit cable,† carrying Willard to Cambodia. The novel and the film begin with the protagonists explanation of how they got the appointment which necessitated their excursion upriver. Marlow is dispatched to steam up the Congo in to find Mr. Kurtz, while Willard is mandated to journey up the Mekong River in a navy patrol boat to find Col. Kurtz. Moreover, while they travel up a primeval river to fulfill their respective assignments, they speculate about the character of the man they are seeking, with the help of the information they have pieced together about him. In both novel and film, the river eventually leads Marlow and Willard to Kurtz and his dying words of horror (Kinder 15). This final destination for both men is their soul-altering confrontation with Kurtz. Overall, it is an expedition of discovery into the dark heart of man. It is also a close encounter with mans capacity for evil. Coppola agrees with this observation and stated that he also saw Willards voyage upriver as a representation for the journey of life that people take within themselves and during which they decide which side to take: good or evil. The horror of the world dominated by hollow men is at the center of both Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now. Kurtz, in his god-like acousmatic voice and morally terrifying manifestation, is invested with much greatness: He fully understands existence in all its repugnance. Repelled and terrified Kurtz pushed himself to go into the very heart of darkness, to fully engage in the dualism (good and evil) of Being. To call Kurtz heroic or rapacious or good or evil, is to miss the point entirely. He is forever shaped by a dark satori, by an understanding of the omnipresent nature of darkness. Marlow and Willard are arguably Kurtzs spiritual sons, and they experience the same realization. Both of them look full face at the great condemnation, at the dark obscurity of Being. Each of them faces moral terror in the shape human conduct forced beyond decent limits; and each of them is profoundly transformed by this experience. In her book, Double Exposure: Fiction Into Film, Joy Could Boyum states that â€Å"in substituting Willard for Marlow, a madman for a sane one,† Coppola creates a character incapable of â€Å"any shock of recognition,† a man unable to â€Å"know evil when he sees it† (114). Boyum also argues that there is no discovery for Willard; he is a â€Å"murderer confronting a murder, a madman face to face with madness-it amounts only to a tautology. † Thus, Copollas Apocalypse Now can be argued as a movie that has no moral center. Unlike Willard, Marlow returns from the river experience with intact moral perspective and sanity, inviting the readers trust and identification. But one can also say that, like Apocalypse Now, Conrads Heart of Darkness, itself, is a novel that has no moral center. The book suggests that Marlows great realization is that existence itself has no moral heart. The character has not sustained the river journey with his intact moral perspective unchanged. Towards the end of the novel, Marlow is a transformed man, largely isolated and very different from those people aboard the Nellie. He is alienated forever in his wisdom. Willard, too, in the end, is vastly separated by his new knowledge. While many critics see Willard as immoral, insane, and unchanging, Kurtzs view of him is more fitting. In the film, Kurtz describes Willard when he sees him for the first time as â€Å"an errand boy sent by grocery clerks to collect a bill. † But in the end, Willard becomes wiser. He has been transformed, humbled by his face-to-face confrontation with the darkness natural in Kurtz, in himself, in existence. Therefore, the separate stories of Willards and Marlows river experiences follow a similar narrative pattern and arrive at a similar truth. Apocalypse Now is a thematic and structural analogue to Heart of Darkness. This is perhaps because, Copolla, in his authorial wisdom, fully understood that theme and technique, meaning, and structure are inseparable entities. To tell a story differently is to tell a different story. It seems that, ultimately, Copolla and Conrad tell the same story. Conclusion This paper looks at the differences and parallelisms between Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. In comparing and contrasting the novel and the film, this paper suggests that the film has some significant deviation from the novel. Despite this, however, Apocalypse Now generally remains true to the core of Heart of Darkness. Both the novel and the film follow the same story line but Conrad and Copolla have different ways of presenting this story. This results in surface differences. But a deeper and closer reading of both the novel and the film reveals that they complement each other. This is one of the most important things in adapting a work of literature into a film. Works Cited Boyum, Joy Gould. Double Exposure: Fiction Into film. New York: Universe Books, 1985. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: New American Library, 1950. Kinder, Marsha. â€Å"The Power of Adaptation in ‘Apocalypse Now’†. Film Quarterly 33. 2 (1979-1980): 12-20. Papke, David Ray. â€Å"Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness: A Literary Critique of Imperialism. † Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce 31. 4 (2000): 583-592.

Disease and Native American Demise During the European Conquest of the

Disease and Native American Demise During the European Conquest of the New World The European conquest of the new world was most commonly attributed to the superiority of the Europeans in all the facets of their confrontation. They had the superior weaponry, and were thought to have a superior intellect. After all, they were just bringing "civilization" to the new world, right? It sounds nice when you are learning about Columbus in grade school, but the traditional story is pretty far from the truth. The truth is that the Europeans, when they discovered this was a brand new world and not the spice islands, sought to rape the land for its gold and natural resources and enslave the Amerindians (native Americans), who were regarded to be less than human. One has to wonder why it was so easy for the Europeans to impose their will on the Amerindians. Was it solely because the Europeans were superior technologically and intellectually? Unfortunately the answer is not that simple. The Europeans were superior in those areas, but the bulk of the disaster they imposed was not what they knew, but what they brought with them, disease. Disease, on the epidemic level, is thought to be the major factor in the decline of the Amerindians during the age of discovery. Before I go any further, I feel that I should clarify the difference between the terms epidemic and endemic disease. An epidemic disease is a disease that enters into a population and completely ravages it. Epidemics are particularly destructive because they are usually diseases that have never been introduced into that specific population. A good example of an epidemic is the bubonic plague, or smallpox. Smallpox uncontrollably ravaged Europe for more than two hundred years.... ... the disease that accompanied an average race of people that made the difference in the conquest of the Americas Bibliography Crosby, Alfred W. Ecological Imperialism The Biological Expansion of Europe 900-1900. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1986. ---. The Columbian Exchange. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Company, 1972. McNeil, William H. Plagues and People. Garden City: Anchor Press, 1976. Verano, John, and Douglas Ubelaker. Disease and Demography in the Americas. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992. Cowley, Geoffery. "The Great Disease Migration." Newsweek Fall/Winter 1991: 54-56. Snow, Dean, and Kim Lanphear. "European Contact and Depopulation in the Northeast: The Timing of the First Epidemics." Ethnohistory Winter 1988: 15-33. Diamond, Jared. "The Arrow of Disease." Discover October 1992: 64-73.

Comparative Research on Cross-Cultural Families Essay

1. Reference or bibliographic entry of your selected article in APA style (see example in the first assignment guidelines): Toro-Morn, M., & Sprecher, S. (2003). A cross-cultural comparison of mate preferences among university students; the united states vs. the people’s republic of china (PRC). Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 34(2), 151-170. 2. What are the aims and/or research questions of the study? The research of the cross-cultural study aims their question at comparing mate preferences of young adults in the People’s Republic of China and those young adults of the United States. This study correlates to the research done in 1998 by Goodwin, which examine the political and economic structure in a particular culture and the effect it had on relationships, in particular mate preferences. 3. What concepts or ideas did the authors want to study? How were they defined in the study? Read through the literature background or the introduction part. The article states the researchers have three concepts they wish to obtain from the study. One, within each culture analyzes gender variation in mate preferences. Second, differentiate the two cultures in which they are satisfied with gender differences in mate preferences. Third, differentiate the two cultures of the significance of diverse partner characteristics. The concepts were outlined and explain through a questionnaire to 648 university students in the United States and 735 university students in the People’s Republic of China. The United States questionnaire contained 422 females, 219 males, and 7 did not specify their gender. The People’s Republic of China questionnaire contained 343 females, 352 males, and 40 did not specify their gender. The questionnaire contained a section called â€Å"Traits Desired in a Mate.† Through the results, researchers could determine which traits were least and most important. Also the differences and similarities within each culture, including the mate preferences of women versus males within each culture. 4. Describe the participants of the study. Since you are supposed to choose an article of a cross-cultural study on families, the participants for this study should have different cultural backgrounds. What are these cultural backgrounds? What are the demographics of the participants? This study contained two different participants, our very own young adults from the United States and young adults from the People’s Republic of China. In the late 1970s, The People’s Republic of China began having social and economic reforms. Not only did they began having reforms, but these reforms stimulated the growth of social science research. Which as a result, allowed researchers to research the mate preferences of young adults in the People’s Republic of China. The People’s Republic of China is recognize as the largest country in the world. Thus, having an immense population. These people live in a country were social and historical forces play an important role in their expectations of their potential partner. In addition they live in a country were government enforces family polices. This study contain people who were currently in a university; thus their age would range from eighteen to twenty three. 5. What is the authors’ methodology? How did the authors collect their data? What are the measurements or research tools that they used? The author’s methodology is based on a method, a procedure, measurements of the procedure, and results. The author collected their data by a questionnaire given to university students in the United States and the People’s Republic of China. The measurements the researchers used were in a section on the questionnaire called â€Å"Traits Desired in a Mate† which determine what characteristics they found important in a potential mate. 6. What kind of analytical procedures did the authors use? Describe each as to how they can answer the research questions or achieve the aims of the study. The author uses three types of analytical procedures. They first gather their research by determining which of the twenty-five traits were most and least favored overall. They put this data into a table, which  portrays the importance rating for the total sample. Secondly, they compared the similarities and differences within each culture. As a result, they are able compare each culture traits that hold high or low importance and see if any of them are the same. Third, they compare the mate preferences for women and men in each culture. 7. What are their general findings and conclusions? The study concluded that participants would rather have a mate who is honest, kind, healthy, and have an energetic personality. Researchers found that participants felt that intrinsic personality traits were more important then status characteristics. Males were more entranced with attractiveness as a role in finding their mate. Well women in both culture were looking for men with earning potential and wealth. The major difference between the United States and Chinese cultures was the importance of having children to both parties. As you could imagine, it was important to the American culture and was fairly unimportant to the Chinese counterparts. 8. After the findings and conclusions, what recommendations were made by the researchers? I don’t know if there were recommendations made as much as thoughts for the future. The researchers though that the past has shaped both countries enough that what they look for in a potential mate will stay true. These differences between the two countries should still hold true, disregarding the fact that the Untied States culture is widely accepted in China. If anything they came to the conclusion that China’s one-child policy has a major effect on how the Chinese look for a mate. 9. What learning did you gain from this assignment or from reading this kind of a paper? I definitely enjoyed reading this particular article because it compared the United States culture (which is the country I lived in) to another culture, the People’s Republic of China. Through the researchers questionnaire, I was able to see the comparisons between the two cultures in their mate  preferences. I felt it was interesting to see how important social and economic factors are in other cultures.

How Long Is Medical School M.D. Degree Timeline

A typical medical school program takes roughly 4 years to complete. However, the timing can vary depending on the institution, if you elect to take additional courses or a leave of absence, or pursue additional training like a Master’s of Public Health (MPH) degree. While obtaining an M.D. degree will take only 4 years, physicians are also required to complete training in a residency program, which can last up to 7 additional years, depending on the specialty. Even after completing a residency program, many also go into subspecialty fellowship training programs, which may take a couple of additional years to complete. With required continuing medical education courses and ongoing skill training, the educational journey of a doctor never really ends. The following information summarizes the M.D. degree timeline and what happens during each year of medical school.   Years 1 and 2: Pre-Clinical Coursework The first two years of medical school will be spent focused on science training. The time may be split between listening to lectures in the classroom and hands-on learning in the lab. During this time, in-depth education will explore the basic sciences, like anatomy, microbiology, chemistry, and pharmacology. Lectures will review the detailed knowledge of body structures, how functions manifest through physiology, and the interplay of different systems. Knowledge of medical concepts, diagnoses, and treatments for a wide variety of medical conditions will be built on this foundation. Much of the high-level knowledge obtained from these science and lab courses will be applied in practice patient interactions, like obtaining medical histories or conducting physical examinations.   The structure of the medical school curriculum can look different depending on the specifics of the program. In some schools, there may be a singular focus on one topic for 4-6 weeks before moving on to the next. Other medical schools may arrange 4 to 5 different courses to occur all at once, extended over a longer period of time. The structure of the curriculum and personal learning styles and preferences may be important to consider when choosing a medical school.   During the second year of medical school, students begin preparing for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1. This exam is one of three tests that must be taken to demonstrate basic competence in the scientific disciplines and clinical practice of medicine. It is necessary to be well-prepared for questions on the concepts and mechanisms behind health, disease, and therapies. Most medical students take the Step 1 exam near the end of the second year, before starting clerkship rotations. Aside from coursework, the first two years are spent getting accustomed to the new pace of medical school, developing friendships and study groups, and learning more about medicine and long-term professional interests. The last official summer break for medical students, who ultimately spend decades in education and training, happens between the first and second years of medical school. Many students use this time to relax a bit and have fun. Some take vacations, get married, or even have children during this summer. It is also quite common for students to pursue research opportunities or volunteer work. This time may also be used as a preview to clinical rotations. Students may choose to seek out externships offered by the school, or they might reach out to faculty in a specialty of interest. Foreign language classes or other extracurricular interests may also be engaged. Year 3: Clinical Rotations Begin The hands-on training—called clinical rotations or clerkships—begins in the third year of medical school. This is when the real fun of medicine begins! Instead of spending most of the day in a lecture hall, classroom, or lab, the medical student transitions to time spent in the hospital or clinic. During these rotations, exposure to general patient care as well as a variety of specialties across a wide range of patient populations occurs. In most medical school programs, there are a core set of standard rotations required of every student. The following are some of these common basic or core clerkships:   Family Medicine: Delivery of comprehensive, generalized healthcare, usually in a clinical setting, to men, women, and children.Internal Medicine: Focused on disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment among adults, possibly with both a clinical and hospital practice, often used by medical students and residents as a foundation to specialty training (cardiology, pulmonary, infectious disease, gastroenterology, etc.).Pediatrics: Responsible for the delivery of comprehensive healthcare to infants, children, and teenagers, usually in a clinical or hospital setting.Radiology: Specializes in using various modalities of medical imaging for the diagnosis of diseases and treatment planning.Surgery: The application of surgical techniques in an operating room to treat or manage a variety of surgical conditions impacting any part of the body as well as post-operative care of hospitalized patients and those seen after discharge.  Neurology: Specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of disorde rs of the brain and nervous system.Psychiatry: Specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of patients dealing with mental disorders.Obstetrics and Gynecology: Specializes in delivering healthcare to women, diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting the female reproductive organs, and managing pregnancies, deliveries, and postpartum care.   Depending on the medical school, its location, and the surrounding hospitals and resources, there may be some very unique experiences and opportunities. For example, if you are in a more urban city, you may have rotations in emergency or trauma medicine.   By the end of the third year, it is possible to find a niche and select a specialty area for ongoing training with rotations during fourth year. Clinical rotations are a good time to consider interests as well as values, and develop skills that will help to select the types of residency programs to pursue.  It is also a great time to do things that may never be done again, but the memories and experiences shall persist. During the third year of medical school, it is also important to prepare for the USMLE Step 2 exam which is usually taken at the end of the year or early in the fourth year. The test assesses the knowledge acquired during general internal medicine rotations, the understanding of the principles of clinical science, and basic clinical knowledge and interpersonal skills, like communicating with patients or conducting physical examinations. This exam is split into two categories: Step 2 CS (Clinical Sciences) and Step 2 CK (Clinical Knowledge). Year 4: Final Year and Residency Matching   Clinical rotations will continue during the fourth and final year of medical school. It is common to pursue electives that fit long-term career interests and strengthen an application to residency programs. This is a typical time to complete sub-internships, also called â€Å"audition rotations.† During these clinical rotations, performance in a preferred specialty may be scrutinized and evaluated. It may help to strengthen a future letter of recommendation or even secure a position in the specialty program for continued training after graduation. These rotations can also happen at any institution in the country, allowing for an audition to an outside program that may be appealing for residency training.   While clinical rotations continue, it is also time to prepare the residency applications. Similar to how medical school applications are submitted through AMCAS, residency programs of interest are selected and applications are submitted through ERAS. The application typically opens around September 5, and residency programs can begin receiving applications around the 15th of September. In compiling the application, a medical student will choose residency programs of interest and rank them. After in-person interviews are completed, which usually occurs between October and February, these programs will submit their own ranking of desired applicants.   Based on a computer algorithm that compares these two sets of rankings, it will be possible to determine the best match between a candidate and an open residency position. During the Match Day ceremony, which typically occurs in March, medical students across the country open an envelope to learn their residency match and where they will spend the next years of their lives completing the required medical training.   After Medical School   Most residency programs begin at the start of July, with orientation in late June. Newly minted medical doctors may have some time off to transition to their new programs. Many choose to take a little vacation time before starting the next phase of their education and training.   During the first year of residency, time will be dedicated to prepare for the last USMLE exam, known as Step 3. This final exam must be passed in order to obtain an official medical license, useful to become recognized by a state medical board, and will grant the ability to practice medicine without supervision. Clinical medical knowledge, and how it is applied in an outpatient setting, is the last component of this required 3-step testing. This exam is the least difficult of the tests and is usually taken at the end of the first year, or during the second year, of the residency program. Sources and Further Reading Association of American Medical Colleges. ERAS ® for Medical Schools: Timeline.Association of American Medical Colleges. What to Expect in Medical School.  United States Medical Licensing Examination.