Existentialism and Film Noir Essay Example for Free

Existentialism and Film Noir Essay Existentialism and its worldview are believed to have derived from Nietzsche’s provocative and controversial statement â€Å"God is dead†. The underlying meaning to Nietzsche’s controversial statement is that empirical natural science has replaced metaphysical explanations of the world. As a result of this, according to Nietzsche we no longer have any sense of who and what we are as human beings. He concludes that no foundation exists anymore for the meaning and value of things. Nietzsche’s philosophy shines light on what film noir is. That is, an artistic response to, or recognition of, this alteration in our understanding of the world. To emphasize the existentialist attitude in film noir, various stylistic and thematic techniques are used. Common techniques or characteristics of film noir that we see in both The Maltese Falcon and The Killers include: unconventional or non-classical narrative patterns, opposition of light and shadow, disorientation of the viewer, incoherent plot lines, inversion of traditional values and its corresponding moral ambivalence, non-chronological ordering of events, and characters whose actions are not motivated or understandable in any rational way. The similarities of characteristics between existentialism and film noir are prominent; for example, Siodmak and Huston distinguish the alienation and disorientation of a post-Nietzschean world, one without transcendent meaning or value. The constant opposition of light and shadow as seen in The Maltese Falcon and The Killers, helps communicate the dark characteristics of a post-Nietzschean world. For instance, when the swede peacefully awaits his assassins, we get a sense of estrangement and lack of sense and meaning. This lack of sense and meaning is further emphasized when the room goes dark and you see him from the neck down in light, but the face is in total shadow. A sense of despair is created through this camera technique by showing that no one else is in the room, leaving him hopeless to escape. A common characteristic of film noir that we see in both The Maltese Falcon, and The Killers, is the use of unconventional or non-classical narrative patterns. The use of non-classical narrative patterns emphasizes the cynical characteristics of a post-Nietzschean world. For instance, in The Maltese Falcon, Miss Ruth Wonderly initially claims to Spade and Archer to be searching for her sister, however her true intentions were to implicate Thursby her unwanted accomplice by killing Archer. Miss Ruth Wonderly’s contemptuous behavior coincides with the pessimistic view about the nature and purpose of human life. Non-classical patterns are established through various stylistic techniques. Such as the non-chronological ordering of events, often achieved through flashbacks. An example of this technique is seen in The Killers, when flashbacks are used to tell the story leading up to Ole Andersen’s death. The use of flashbacks and complicated sometimes-incoherent plot lines, as in The Maltese Falcon, are examples of the stylistic techniques that are used in film noir to communicate the mood and sensibility. A final common technique that is used in film noir is portraying characters whose actions are not motivated or understandable in any rational way. For example, why does Miss Wonderly lie about her name and objective in the beginning of The Maltese Falcon when she is sure to get caught at some point? By portraying the characters in this manner, Huston leaves the viewer with unanswered questions, leading to the disorientation of the viewer. It has been argued that film noir cannot be defined, therefore has no essential characteristics. That being said, considering noir as a response to the death of god helps explain the commonality of elements that philosophers have recognized in noir films. Moreover, the directors of The Maltese Falcon and The Killers use of thematic and stylistic characteristics in their films make them two of the best examples of film noir. They clearly depict a world of the post-Nietzschean period in their films, that is one of despair, alienation, and paranoia, which is essentially an existential attitude towards life.

Brady Vs. Barry: A Comparison of Two Authors Essay -- Comparative Lite

Brady Vs. Barry: A Comparison of Two Authors The two authors, Judy Brady and Dave Barry have a considerably different outlook on men and women. The difference in sex of the two writers portrays unique writing styles, along with diverse views about men and women. The two essays, "I Want a Wife" by Brady, and "From Now On, Let Women Kill Their Own Spiders" by Barry can be compared and contrasted through their audience, humor, and purpose. Both Brady and Barry are targeting different audiences through their essays. Brady is ironically sympathizing with wives everywhere who want the privileges and abilities that history and culture have given to their husbands. Many times throughout her essay she mentions wanting a wife. One time she said, " I want a wife who will take care of the details of my social life"(Brady 413). She further explained by saying "I want a wife who will have the house clean, will prepare a special meal, serve it to me and my friends, and not interrupt when I talk about things that interest me and my friends"(Brady 413). Attempting to reach the more sensitive female audience, she exclaimed, "I want a wife who is sensitive to my sexual needs, a wife who makes love passionately and eagerly when I feel like it, a wife who makes sure I am satisfied"(Brady 413). She also mentions "[wanting] a wife who will not demand sexual attention when [she is] not in the mood for it"(Brady 413). Barry is speaking to t he male audience, by responding snidely to negative stereotypes, and proving that we are lucky to have men. It is a commonly known fact that women think men cannot find anything in the kitchen. Many women believe, "that a man can open a refrigerator containing 463 pounds of assorted meats, poultry, cold cuts, co... ...hese solutions, in time, they will find them. Unless they are in the refrigerator"(Barry 430). Both Brady's and Barry's diversity allows their distinctive views and attitudes towards men and women to flow. Both writers have relevant satirical points of view. The differences in the authors and their writing prove that men and women have many discrepancies. Though their audience, humor, and purpose differentiate, they are still able to get their points across. Works Cited Barry, Dave. "From Now On, Let Women Kill Their Own Spiders." The Bedford Guide for College Writers. Sixth Edition. Ed. X.J. Kennedy. Dorothy Kennedy. Sylvia Holiday. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2002. Brady, Judy. "I Want a Wife." The Bedford Guide for College Writers. Sixth Edition. Ed. X.J. Kennedy. Dorothy Kennedy. Sylvia Holiday. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2002.

Husayn-McMahon Essay

McMahon-Hussein Correspondence refers to an exchange of letters between Sharif Husayn Ibn Ali of Mecca and Sir Henry McMahon of Britain detailing the future of the Arab world in the face of a possible annexation by the Ottoman Turks. The background to this communication can be traced to early 1914 when Sharif Husayn’s son, Amir, paid a visit to the then British Consular in Egypt, Lord Kitchener, seeking British assurance that they would offer their support incase Arabs opted to revolt against Turkey. While at first Kitchner was reluctant to make any commitment, his successor in the region, McMahon, upon sensing the dwindling British fortunes in the Middle East, made hefty promises to garner the Arabs support during the First World War. It is during this period that McMahon would initiate correspondence with Husayn. The Husayn family emerged to be an influential force in the Middle East as it lay claim to be the descendant of Muhammad and held the mantle leadership of a number of kingdoms in the region (Daly 215). The issue of McMahon-Hussein correspondence has emerged highly controversial and is held to be at the core of the crisis in the Middle East. It is regarded as an important correspondence by the Palestinians as it was seen as a commitment by the British of granting them independence. In these series of letters, Husayn had asked for Arabs independence, he outlined these areas to be the Arabian Peninsula, Palestine and Iraq amongst others. McMahon on the other hand made a commitment to ensure the independence of a number of territories which would not damage the existing cordial relations with France. Arabs in the Middle East have maintained that British had promised independence to the Palestinians; on the other hand, Britain claims that this was merely a declaration of intent that was not legally binding and cannot be used to lay claim of independence to the Palestinians (Mack 123).

Love in L.A. by Dagoberto Gilb - 801 Words

Stereotypes are part of everyday life. Stereotyping is part of our society; it wouldn’t be our society with typical stereotyping. Stereotypes have an enormous impact on how we feel and see things. In Gilb’s point of view he is stereotyping the life of the typical Mexican American lifestyle. In all four stories he has a stereotype or he is stereotyping the life style of a family, man or woman. I believe that Gilb wants to make his point through, â€Å"there is more to life† than just the regular stereotyping the Mexican American life style. I believe he wants to get his point across through stereotyping and using it as an example that there are many ways of life and that there are many ways of living. In the story â€Å"Love in L.A.,† throughout the entire story the reader is able to understand and identify gender roles, associations and stereotyped characterization throughout the conversation between the characters, the thoughts of characters, and how Dagoberto Gilb wants us to put our own ideas of the male and female stereotypes. Gender roles are first shown when Jake, one of the main characters, is giving a brilliant sketch of a car he’d rather be driving and have freedom than actually working and living a steady good life. From the description of the car we can see that he is interested in features that would attract and impress any woman, and these same features are not particularly well-matched to him, â€Å"the fact was that he’d probably have to change his whole style† (275). JakeShow MoreRelated Love and Selfishness in Love in L.A. by Dagoberto Gilb Essay1078 Words   |  5 PagesLove and Selfishness in  Love in L.A. by Dagoberto Gilb    Love in L.A., written by Dagoberto Gilb, is a story full of irony and multiple themes. The story is set in Hollywood during the summer time. Written in third person objective, Love in L.A. guides the reader along through the story as opposed to an omniscient point of view.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story begins with Jake driving on the freeway. He is so enraptured by his daydream of better possibilities that he ends up smacking the car aheadRead MoreAnalysis Of Dagoberto Gilb s Love1144 Words   |  5 PagesDagoberto Gilb Dagoberto Gilb was born in Los Angeles in 1950. A mix of gritty humor, mundane terror, and economic misfortune distinguishes his short stories. His life has been neither easy nor subdued, and these influences are reflected in his writing style and choice of subject matter. The short story entitled â€Å"Love in L.A.,† by Dagoberto Gilb, shows how one can see many reasons in seeing irony and even satire by the story’s title and how all is stories combine in someway. Dagoberto Gilb’sRead MoreEssay 1 Dagoberto Gilb973 Words   |  4 PagesNwagbologu February 3, 2014 English 1102-402 Analytic Writing White Lies in L.A. Dagoberto Gilb’s short story, deceiving titled â€Å"Love in L.A.†, paints a portrait of a hilarious event involving a minor car accident on the jam-packed Los Angeles freeway. When first reading the title, you automatically start making assumptions that this story has something to do with how a couple finds â€Å"Love in L.A.†. This story has nothing to do with love, in fact it has nothing to do with a minor car accident; it has moreRead MoreMale And Female Relationships : The Gilb s Love And The Love Of My Life2599 Words   |  11 Pagesdependent the female is on the male in her life, may cause her to not be able to think for herself. The more dominant the male is, the more dependent the female will be. This statement can be proved in Fin’s â€Å"The Bridegroom,† in Gilb’s â€Å"Love in L.A.,† and in Boyle’s â€Å"The Love of My Life.† Ha Jin is the author of the short story, â€Å"The Bridegroom.† Tobias states that â€Å"‘The Bridegroom’ takes place in Muji City.† The city that this short story takes place in affects the plot of the story because beliefs areRead MoreSusan Minot s `` Lust ``1215 Words   |  5 Pagesrelationships, Jake, from Dagoberto Gilb’s â€Å"Love in L.A.† seeks them to fulfill his own self-interest; while the female narrator from Susan Minot’s â€Å"Lust† enters into them because it is what she believes is expected of her, showing the motivations for the actions of these two characters are very different. Both short stories vary in setting and character motivation, but nonetheless, the characters from both pursue relationships which are virtually meaningless to themselves. â€Å"Love in L.A.† follows a briefRead MoreOConnor and Dagoberto1591 Words   |  6 PagesIt is believable that O’Connor and Dagoberto are known as writers of high caliber. The way that they write is out of ordinary and their muses are unparalleled. Each of them offers a great taste of writing to their readers and their stories sound very pleasant to savor. However, this paper will oppose â€Å"A Good Man Is Hard to Find† to â€Å"Love in L.A.† The focus will be on these themes: symbolism, characters, theme, tone, irony and moral code used in them. The demographic location of A Good Man is HardRead MoreL.A.s Traffic Causes Trouble971 Words   |  4 Pagesstuck on the 405 freeway during rush hour, on the 15 freeway heading back from a long-weekend vacation, or driving through the busy streets of Hollywood, traffic on the highways and streets of Los Angeles can often be a hassle. In Dagoberto Gilbs short story Love in L.A., first published in 1986, the troubles of traffic are experienced first hand by our main character Jake. Jake is a common fellow with a steady occupation who is merely trying to make his way to work through the busy streets of HollywoodRead MoreEssay on L.A.?s Traffic Causes Trouble962 Words   |  4 Pagesstuck on the 405 freeway during rush hour, on the 15 freeway heading back from a long-weekend vacation, or driving through the busy streets of Hollywood, traffic on the highways and streets of Los Angeles can often be a hassle. In Dagoberto Gilb’s short story Love in L.A., first published in 1986, t he troubles of traffic are experienced first hand by our main character Jake. Jake is a common fellow with a steady occupation who is merely trying to make his way to work through the busy streets of HollywoodRead MoreLiterature, Love in La, a Good Man Is Hard to Find Essay985 Words   |  4 PagesLove in L.A. by Dagoberto Gilb The setting of this short story is on the freeway of Los Angeles. Jake is a self-absorbed, lazy, irresponsible, protagonist, who is driving along the freeway. He begins daydreaming about a car better than his 58’ Buick, with crushed velvet interior and an FM radio. His daydreaming causes him to hit the car in front of him. The driver of the other car is a naà ¯ve, innocent women, named Mariana. Mariana is on her way to work, driving a car given to her by herRead MoreA Love in La and Good Man Hard to Find Essay examples1244 Words   |  5 Pagesthink of it. I did not notice any of the characters of both stories in the sense of similarity. But the jack and grandmother were kind of same sense of selfness. The both character think only for them self and want all the intension towards them. Love in L.A, a story of the person whose name is jack and seems like he is very lazy and disappointed from his lifestyle, wants to get some change in his lifestyle. One day jack was driving on a free way in los Angeles, suddenly he hit a car from back side