Monday, April 27, 2020
The Stock Market Crashes Of 1929 And 1987 Essays -
The Stock Market Crashes of 1929 and 1987 The Stock Market Crashes of 1929 and 1987 The stock market crash of 1929 occurred over a period of time that was the beginning of what is called the Great Depression. Everyone wanted to invest their money in the stock market. People thought that the stock market was the perfect place to make money. The Stock Market Crash began on Oct. 24,1929 as stock prices were already dropping. On this day approximately $15 billion dollars was lost and many lost their life savings. Companies stocks prices dropped and banks also lost all their money because it was loaned to buy stocks and the people were unable to repay the banks. The Stock Market Crash was a disaster. The stock market was not always this unstable as it was in 1929. In 1928, the prices of the stock market rose 40%. This was the raise in stocks that got the attention of millions of people across the nation. Everybody started investing in the stock market through banks, companies or directly. It was not just that people invested too much money, the stock market was manipulated. The prices were sometimes set according to the wanting of bigger investor, which would hurt the smaller investors a lot. Borrowing money became very popular during this time. People needed money to invest in the stock market. Many borrowed money, either from banks in order to buy stocks. The investor lost all their money and could not repay the banks. The lender could never be repaid because the investor lost all their money, because there was no place where they could get it back. In 1929, the stock prices kept going up and up and were so high that people started to sell all their stocks and the prices dropped sharply on October 21. People were losing money rapidly. There were a few people who did not lose their money because they were smart and sold all their stocks before the prices dropped. Many people eventually lost all their money in banks stocks that were invested in the stock market. The Stock Market Crash of 1929 marked the end of an era, and the beginning of the Great Depression. People lost lots of money, their jobs and homes. On October 19, 1987, the largest stock-market drop in Wall Street history occurred. It was called "Black Monday" when the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 508.32 points, losing 22.6% of its total value. That fall far surpassed the one-day loss of 12.9% that began the great stock market crash of 1929 and foreshadowed the Great Depression. The Dow's 1987 fall also triggered panic selling and similar drops in stock markets worldwide. Unlike in 1929, the market soon rebounded after the crash, posting record one-day high gains of 102.27 the next day and 186.64 points two days later. By September 1989, the Dow had regained all the value it had lost in the crash.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
TVs War on Me and I
TVs War on Me and I TVs War on Me and I TVs War on Me and I By Maeve Maddox Television scriptwriters or perhaps actors who are failing to read what has been written for themseem to be determined to reverse the functions of the pronouns I and me in American speech. Refresher I is the subject form of the first person personal pronoun. It stands for the person speaking. This subject form is used as the subject of a sentence: I am attending a conference in Chicago this week. Charles and I are attending the conference together. NOTE: The courteous way to construct a compound subject in which I is one of the subject words is to place the other person first: Charles and I are attending. He and I are attending. Purists may insist on It is I, but in conversation, most Americans say Its me. Its safe to say, therefore, that the ONLY time to use the pronoun I is as the subject of a sentence. Me is the object form of the first person personal pronoun. It is the receiver of an action or the object of a preposition. It is NEVER the subject of a verb. Examples: Direct object: Please invite me. Please invite Tommy and me. Indirect object: Give me the book. Give James and me the book. Object of preposition: Dads riding with me. (object of with) The children live with Sally and me. In writing fiction I know enough not to put the same grammar or vocabulary in the mouths of a child, a garage mechanic, an ESL learner, and a college professor. On the other hand, unless theres something about the characters personality to make him deliberately flout the rules of standard English, I would have a native English speaker who has completed at least eight years of formal education use the pronouns I and me correctly. I might put the construction Me and him went to the movies into the mouth of a privately-educated teenager who wanted to make his parents cringe, but I wouldnt give the line to an assistant district attorneyunless I meant for the reader to question her credibility. See what you think of these gleanings from Prime Time: Law and Order Him and Eric had words at the Baby Doll a young bank executive Did he ever confide in you what him and Kate have been going through? Detective Green Callng on Wong and I to attend Alexandra Borgia, Assistant District Attorney Cold Case Files Vic and him stopped talking as soon as she moved out. a fireman Without A Trace I was looking for a recent photo of Jimmy and I affluent, apparently educated girlfriend of a missing person Did he ever talk about a grudge between he and some of the guys? Jack Malone, senior FBI agent Numbers I made a reservation for Megan and I at an Ethiopian restaurant. Larry Fleinhardt, PhD Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Types of LanguageConfused Words #3: Lose, Loose, LossPassed vs Past
Monday, March 2, 2020
Proposal Essay Guidelines and Outstanding Ideas
Proposal Essay Guidelines and Outstanding Ideas Topic Ideas for Your Proposal Essay The main goal of proposal essays is to propose a certain idea and back it with solid arguments in order to persuade the audience whether the chosen idea is bad or good. Imagine yourself being a salesperson. Your main goal is to persuade the customer why he or she should buy jewelry, a painting or any other item. In such example, the item is your idea, and the buyer is your audience. If it is your first time working on a proposal essay, you may feel nervous. However, if you choose a proper topic and follow the guidelines of real experts, you will be able to complete the task with ease. Below you will find all the necessary instruments to create a flawless proposal essay! Content of a proposal essay Every assignment has a particular outline, a number of elements and paragraphs it should contain. A proposal essay is not an exception and should include the following elements: The first part of your essay should provide the reader with background data and the most important details, which you want to let the audience know before getting started. Your introduction should be attention-grabbing and encourage the audience to read further. Donââ¬â¢t forget that the last sentence of this paragraph should contain a thesis statement; Statement of purpose. This short section aims to inform the audience on your proposal. That is the idea you want readers to accept. Donââ¬â¢t include any details, which you are going to discuss in the rest of the paper; Action plan. In this section you need to explain in what ways you are planning to achieve your proposal. What makes it valid? In this section you must persuade the audience to accept your ideas. Devote a separate paragraph for every evidence or argument; In the final section of your essay make a summary of the main points and add a call-to-action if it is appropriate. Never include new details, as there is no place for additional facts in a conclusion. Proposal essay writing tips Conduct thorough research to collect as many facts as possible; Every claim and idea should be backed with evidence; Sources you use should be reliable, so never use websites and posts, which are not credible; Cite every source properly not to be accused of plagiarism; Show how good your vocabulary is and try not to overuse certain words and phrases; Stay away from informal speech and slang; Instead of discussing multiple various ideas, choose maximum five and provide the reader with their detailed description. However, what a student should do, when he has all the freedom of choosing the topic independently? First, never panic and read a list of outstanding ideas we have in store! 100 topics for your proposal essay We guarantee that proposal essay writing is much simpler than it seems even if your teacher is trying to scare you. If you choose a good topic and conduct thorough research, you will surely succeed. We have collected outstanding topics and divided them into categories for your convenience. So just choose the one you like the most and get started! Education Education is one of the most popular and controversial subjects, which has lots of conflicts to discuss. Some people want more freedom to students, others demand more respect for teachers. Just pick the most suitable topic and choose which side you are on! Is it possible to get additional funding or airtime for science shows on TV? How learning foreign languages contributes to our education? What are the most effective ways to improve reading comprehension among students? Should sex education classes be given in every school? How should teachers influence bullying in classes? Ways to improve courses in foreign languages; Grading of students at schools; Most of the famous inventors were misbehaving at schools. Should teachers give their students more freedom to learn from their own mistakes? How can the modern grading system be fixed and improved? How teachers, parents and society encourage children to study science? Health With years a common phrase ââ¬ËHealthy mind in a healthy bodyââ¬â¢ becomes more and more important because we tend to eat junk food, try alcohol or smoking earlier and neglect sports. That is why writing about health issues can be a great choice. How can childhood obesity be reduced? What should parents do to help their children lead a healthy lifestyle? How can smoking among teenagers be reduced? How can every citizen get free health care? How to persuade children not to try drugs? Should antidepressants be banned? Can they lead to suicides? What steps should be done towards increasing healthcare funding? The best measures for preventing drunk driving deaths; Babies, born from in-vitro fertilization have higher risks of birth malformations. Isnââ¬â¢t it better to adopt children? How to get funding for cancer researches? Studentsââ¬â¢ lifestyle Such topics are the most simple to write about since you are a student and know the situation from the inside. You can even share your personal experience or choose topics, which will be relevant to your surrounding. How can parents help their children to deal with bullying? Should children of divorced parents have sessions with psychologists in order to build a happy life and marriage, succeed in school and relationships? How parents can encourage children to find hobbies and new interests? How can we reduce alcohol consumption among children? How high school curriculum can be improved? Is it possible to protect students from pressure? How to make children responsible? Are there any effective ways to make children disciplined? Is it possible to create a healthy environment in class, which will give children enough freedom and will still teach them authority? The simplest way to get parents involved in their childââ¬â¢s education. Environment Environmental issues are very popular at the moment and every person has an opinion about global warming, fossil fuels and other important issues. When choosing such a topic, you can get lots of information from credible sources and create a well-structured essay. How can obsolete lifestyle be changed? Is being vegan the only way for protecting animals? What every individual can do to help save the planet? Is there a way to prevent teenage pregnancies? Should every country promote bicycle usage inside the cities? How plastic bags problem can be solved? What are the best ways to create effective dog bite laws? Should particular breeds be banned or there should be more training courses for owners? Why vegans canââ¬â¢t be respectful towards opinion and lifestyle of others, while they demand respect to their own choices? Should there be sex education courses in every school in order to reduce teenage pregnancy rates? How can we contribute to saving rainforests? Technologies Internet and technologies have a great impact on our generation. That is why topics on technologies are very wide and interesting, giving students complete freedom of choices. Is it possible to reduce technology dependence individually? Should every child be taught how to use the Internet responsibly? Ways of protecting personal information from thefts online; Cost-effectiveness of wireless technologies; Is it useful to use modern technologies in libraries? Ways to prevent cyber crimes; Is it possible to stop bullying online? Are there ways of keeping sensitive data in a secure way? Are teachers dependent on technologies? Can technology be harmful to the society? Sports Sport is closely related to health issues and makes up a big part of modern society. Controversial issues, dramas and news make sports a great topic to discuss in your proposal essay. Should college sportsmen get paid? Is it possible for a college to manage education, sports and business wisely? What is the best encouragement for new athletes? How should players and coaches talk to journalists after losing an important game? Is it better to legalize steroids instead of prohibiting them? Should media give better coverage of sports? If yes, what kinds of sports should be broadcasted more often? Should players be prepared for possible future injuries or even inability to participate? Why hunting should be prohibited? Is it necessary to ban extreme kinds of sports? Should cyber sportsmen be considered real athletes? Benefits of regular sports and exercises to teenagers. How various kinds of activity (running, swimming, weightlifting) influence our mood? Culture Culture is a very broad topic, which may include such controversial issues as racism, discrimination, tolerance and bullying. That is why when choosing culture as your proposal essay topic, you need to be very attentive and careful not to harm someoneââ¬â¢s feelings. What are traditional family values; How to make sure your children treat others in a respectful manner; How the government should help minorities lead a regular lifestyle in areas, where they are discriminated? How every citizen can contribute to a tolerant attitude in the US society; Is there something to be done with the absence of morality in social media? How to improve bad behavior of children; Why morality is considered a flaw, while bad attitude is widely celebrated? What are the best ways to raise a responsible, well-behaved and kind child? Business Business rules the world, creating wrong expectations and adding lots of issues to our everyday life. Even without knowing we become a part of the business world whether we are owning a shop or make purchases in a store nearby. Should bankruptcy become an option? What measures should be taken to protect smaller enterprises from various economic problems? How trust to the business society can be cultivated? Is it possible to support local businesses and protect them from corporations? Should every customer be able to report the wrong treatment and lies of companies? Is there a way to eliminate unemployment? When should parents start teaching their children about money? How to encourage professional teachers not to leave their occupation? How youth can find an occupation of their dreams? Should employers have a right to check private emails at work? History Every student has a personal view of various historical events, which is worth sharing! Even the most boring historical issue can become a bright story with a proper approach. Division of gender responsibilities in ancient Rome; Impact of female leaders on the worldââ¬â¢s history; Main interests of the Paleolithic society; What are the most important events, which shaped the modern world? How would the world change if the winner of the WW II was the opposite side? Influence of slavery abolition on the modern US; Influence of hippie movement on the promotion of drug usage; What caused the Roman Empire fall; Influence of Karl Marx on society; Impact of communism on modern Russia. Politics Considering the country of your residence, you can choose topics, which cause interest of the society. You can write about the improvement of the political situation, promoting new ideas and approaches. How to prevent future economic crises? Ways to make an effective electoral system; Is it possible to protect elections from outside interference? How to lower the national debt? Are we a nation of credits and debts? What can be done about it? Should prisoners have a right to vote or only those, who are on probation? How to improve the living conditions of veterans; Ways how espionage laws violate freedom of speech; Is it possible to regulate illegal immigration? Ways of improving social and medical programs. Music and art For those of students, who donââ¬â¢t like controversial or difficult topics, there is always a chance to write about music and art. Such issues are always interesting to write about and you have the freedom to share your own story with the audience. Should governments support new artists and musicians? Benefits of individualism for modern society; What musicians and artists had the biggest impact on your personality? What is your favorite painting? Why? Fashion trends of the 21st century; Impact of British singers on the modern US market; What is the New Wave movement? Peculiarities of culture after the end of the WW II; Evolution of music for the past ten years; Can rap be considered music? Closing thoughts When you are working on a proposal essay, your main goal is to provide several ideas on a chosen topic and to convince the audience to accept them. Consider yourself a salesperson, who needs to convince someone to purchase a certain item. Use ideas mentioned above and you will never experience any troubles. Once your essay is ready, make sure you check it line by line and eliminate all the mistakes to make your text readable, interesting and flawless!
Saturday, February 15, 2020
Summarize the argument of Lilian Furst, Romananticism,pp.1-6. What is PowerPoint Presentation
Summarize the argument of Lilian Furst, Romananticism,pp.1-6. What is meant by the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic uses of the term romantic - PowerPoint Presentation Example as many-faceted, and, incidentally, as long-lived as Romanticism had to manifest itself in any number of directions, and it is fundamentally this that confounds the task of definition.â⬠(p.6) Jacques Barzun: ââ¬Å"Unfortunately, definitions of romanticism already exist by the dozen and have remained without effect. One reason is that definition is not enough. We must also have a clear conception of the many proper uses to which a comprehensive term of this sort can be put.â⬠(p.3) Intrinsic romanticism is as old as humanity. It will never disappear, for it is a human constant. Human beings live in the era of materialistic civilization. Man is bent upon conquering nature and believes that he has to wage a permanent war with it. Camaraderie has given place to mutual suspicion and cutthroat competition. This is the reality. Realism is critical, but romanticism can as well be the new vision, the future hope for ushering a benevolent era. ââ¬Å"Modern man does not experience himself as a part of nature but as an outside force destined to dominate and conquer it.â⬠(Schumacher, p.11) He feels elated to announce and conduct a battle with the nature in an effort to improve the standard of living of human beings without applying proper thought. He is cutting the branch of the tree on which he is sitting. We live in a society that has drastically narrowed our sensitivity to moral and spiritual issues; the problem we face is how to deal with a belief structure that has blocked both psychological and spiritual development. If there is a new agenda, a new vision now emerging within our society, how might one help put it into practice? It left deep impact in every area, politics of the time, aspirations of the people and in some countries it became the voice of the revolution. It impacted and transformed fiction, drama, poetry, sculpture, paining and all forms of concert music and ballet. Shakespeare is one of the greatest writers in the field of romanticism. His writing mean
Sunday, February 2, 2020
Operation Managerment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Operation Managerment - Essay Example Customer analyze employer in detail and hope that they build up excellent organizers at the entire levels, constantly engender confidence by open, sincere and apparent behavior, genuinely engross workers in decision-making and offer continuous advice, allow for collective exchanges in the place of occupation as long as intentions are conveyed, provide resourceful HR methods, willing to accept sundry and varying conditions and confer first choice to figure out and congregate customer needs (Cho and Park, 2003). I might prefer to be employed in Marketing Research field as it offers broad range of information used to classify and describe marketing issues; engender, treat, and appraise marketing events; supervise marketing performance; and advance understanding of marketing trends and methods. Due to the assimilation and alignment of the methods the organizations now meet their user needs splendidly.
Saturday, January 25, 2020
Emotion to the Screen with Composition and Shot Variation In A Raisin i
Translating Emotion to the Screen with Composition and Shot Variation In A Raisin in the Sun Filmmaking and cinematography are art forms completely open to interpretation in a myriad ways: frame composition, lighting, casting, camera angles, shot length, etc. The truly talented filmmaker employs every tool available to make a film communicate to the viewer on different levels, including social and emotional. When a filmmaker chooses to undertake an adaptation of a literary classic, the choices become somewhat more limited. In order to be true to the integrity of the piece of literature, the artistic team making the adaptation must be careful to communicate what is believed was intended by the writer. When the literature being adapted is a play originally intended for the stage, the task is perhaps simplified. Playwrights, unlike novelists, include some stage direction and other instructions regarding the visual aspect of the story. In this sense, the filmmaker has a strong basis for adapting a play to the big screen. Despite the provision of stage directions, however, a play is not simple to adapt to a cinematic form. Plays rely heavily on dialogue to communicate emotion to the reader whereas film allows for close visual representation. Filmmakers can explore creativity in adaptation in many ways unavailable and impractical in the theater. In order to maximize the emotional impact of a dramatic work, the filmmaking team can make use of several simple yet effective tools, such as the composition of frames and the variations of the camera shot. In the 1961 film adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking play A Raisin in the Sun, directed by Daniel Petrie, the filmmakers use these techniques in creative ways to communica... ...stival) starring one of America's most acclaimed actors, Sidney Poitier. Despite the necessity of the brilliant and groundbreaking writing of Hansberry, credit must be given to the filmmakers for translating the stirring emotion of the play into something visually moving. A theater production lacks the creative license for close-up shots of actors' faces, and the composition of the stage comes off as contrived and stilted at times. Although carefully planned and choreographed, the frame composition of the film is a subtle and creative exploration of the emotional message of this play. Works Cited A Raisin in the Sun. By Lorraine Hansberry. Dir. Lloyd Richards. Perf. Sidney Poitier. Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York. 11 Mar. 1959. A Raisin in the Sun. Dir. Daniel Petrie. Perf. Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeil, Ruby Dee and John Fiedler. Columbia Pictures, 1961. Emotion to the Screen with Composition and Shot Variation In A Raisin i Translating Emotion to the Screen with Composition and Shot Variation In A Raisin in the Sun Filmmaking and cinematography are art forms completely open to interpretation in a myriad ways: frame composition, lighting, casting, camera angles, shot length, etc. The truly talented filmmaker employs every tool available to make a film communicate to the viewer on different levels, including social and emotional. When a filmmaker chooses to undertake an adaptation of a literary classic, the choices become somewhat more limited. In order to be true to the integrity of the piece of literature, the artistic team making the adaptation must be careful to communicate what is believed was intended by the writer. When the literature being adapted is a play originally intended for the stage, the task is perhaps simplified. Playwrights, unlike novelists, include some stage direction and other instructions regarding the visual aspect of the story. In this sense, the filmmaker has a strong basis for adapting a play to the big screen. Despite the provision of stage directions, however, a play is not simple to adapt to a cinematic form. Plays rely heavily on dialogue to communicate emotion to the reader whereas film allows for close visual representation. Filmmakers can explore creativity in adaptation in many ways unavailable and impractical in the theater. In order to maximize the emotional impact of a dramatic work, the filmmaking team can make use of several simple yet effective tools, such as the composition of frames and the variations of the camera shot. In the 1961 film adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking play A Raisin in the Sun, directed by Daniel Petrie, the filmmakers use these techniques in creative ways to communica... ...stival) starring one of America's most acclaimed actors, Sidney Poitier. Despite the necessity of the brilliant and groundbreaking writing of Hansberry, credit must be given to the filmmakers for translating the stirring emotion of the play into something visually moving. A theater production lacks the creative license for close-up shots of actors' faces, and the composition of the stage comes off as contrived and stilted at times. Although carefully planned and choreographed, the frame composition of the film is a subtle and creative exploration of the emotional message of this play. Works Cited A Raisin in the Sun. By Lorraine Hansberry. Dir. Lloyd Richards. Perf. Sidney Poitier. Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York. 11 Mar. 1959. A Raisin in the Sun. Dir. Daniel Petrie. Perf. Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeil, Ruby Dee and John Fiedler. Columbia Pictures, 1961.
Friday, January 17, 2020
How Are Women Represented in British Sitcom Peepshow
How are women represented in the British Sitcom PeepShow Introduction I have looked at how women are represented in Peep Show, a British Situation Comedy based around two very different friends that share a flat in London. The majority of situations they get into involve their attempts to seduce or gain affection from the women they either love or have a fleeting obsession with. The reason I decided to analyse Peep Show is because its two main characters are so contrasting in ethics, morals, life style choices and attitudes towards women that it allows for an interesting look into how women are represented.I also feel that women in comedy on a whole are underrepresented. Literature review The literary resources I will be drawing upon include and article by Jack Glascock from the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media(2001). In which he looks at gender roles on primetime television and focuses on the shift in representation from the seventies gender roles on primetime television . The article is both theoretical and statistical and provides an interesting overview of gender on screen. I will also be looking at the work of Brett Mills.I will look at two of his works one is a journal article in the Oxford Journal Screen. Also looking at his book, The Sitcom. Brett Mills is an expert in the sit com arena, with several journals and books on similar subjects, he offers a contemporary look at British sitcom, including Peep Show. Methodology I had several issues when approaching the method of my research. The first issue was that in order to do a focus group, I would have to pick specific episodes to show people. By choosing a specific episode, I would by default be cherry picking the content and with that content cherry picking the ideology of the episode.I therefore decided to pick an episode at random, so I could try to eradicate the possibility of me picking an episode that would reinforce my own opinions. The episode ââ¬Å"The Local Zeroâ⬠was then sho wn to two male and one female. These three participants had never seen an episode of Peep Show before, they there for were briefed on the general narrative: i. e that Mark and Jeremy are friends that live together in a flat. I also did not tell them specifically what I was trying to find out; I then asked them a series of questions.Not all specific to gender, however the majority were pin pointed towards gender. The focus group gave me an unbiased first account of what people thought if they were to just turn on the television for the first time and see an episode of Peep Show. Would they think that the show they had just watched represented women positively or negatively? They would have no bias or favouritism towards the characters. So it was a raw first thoughts approach, that was both useful and a hindrance. I balanced this out with a general textual analysis of the series. AnalysisAs I mentioned in my methodology the focus group consisted of people that had not seen Peep Show p reviously. I showed them an episode in which Jeremy is troubled by his girlfriendââ¬â¢s new found wish for abstinence and Mark is still trying to win the heart of Sophie, the woman he works with, by fighting off the competition. The two female characters we are then presented with are Sophie and Nancy. Nancy is an American Christian who wants Jeremy to break sexual taboos after being criticised by Mark for not following her religion; she decides abstinence to be the last sexual taboo.When I asked the focus group who the least likeable character was they all eventually agreed on Nancy, when asked why a participant stated she was ââ¬Å"just annoyingâ⬠a statement again that was agreed on. In the episode she comes across as a bit stupid. In response to her abstinence Jeremy pretends that he is fine with it, although in Peep Show you can hear the thoughts of Mark and Jeremy. One of the participants noted when how positive the interaction between men and women was, one participa nt said ââ¬Å"not very as they think one thing and tell the women another. It is the deceitful attitude towards women they use in order to gain either affection or sex. In Jeremyââ¬â¢s case he lies about being religious in order to continue to have sex. However Jeremy was not the least likeable character even though he lied to his girlfriend. I asked the question whether they felt the interests and attitudes of female characters reflected real interests and attitudes of real women, the response was undecided. Feminists of the 1970s were concerned about the narrow range of representations of women offered in the media and argued that these were often ââ¬Ënegativeââ¬â¢ stereotypes.So, for instance, much advertising was taken to task for restricting representations of women to only a few roles, primarily the wife and mother, the housewife and the sex object. This approach focused on the power of ideology as a force and a mechanism. (Fisk, 1987) Although Peep Show is a contemp orary text, we have to wonder whether there is that diverse roles with the characters within. Nancy can be seen as the sex object, although throughout the series there are many similar characters that Jeremy has fleeting relationships with.Sophie (Marks love interest) in later episodes becomes the ââ¬Å"nagging wifeâ⬠as he decides he doesnââ¬â¢t want to marry her and doesnââ¬â¢t want her child. There are very few female characters in Peep Show that seem to break theses boundaries. Gender issues have been of concern within the study of television. These concerns have primarily taken two forms. First, there has been the question of representation, which initially focused on how television stereotyped, under-represented or misrepresented women.As a extremely popular show I felt it was important to analyse how women were represented, especially in comedy as a whole, the lack of strong female characters in comedy is apparent not only on television and in film, but also on th e stage although it in improving. If you look at Space (c4,1999) the representation is balanced, the formatting is the same in that two friends share a flat but one is female and one is male, the minor characters are also more balanced and interestingly the writing was done by both Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevens something I will touch upon later.In later series Mark befriends a colleague called Dobby. Nick naked so because of her likeness to the ââ¬Å"house elfâ⬠from Harry Potter. A nickname that does not associate with beauty or power but that of an elf and a male elf. Dobby is the tom boy character, she is not referred to as attractive, is into typically male orientated activities such as computer games , Mark begins to like her because she makes references to things that he would also make reference to. She is like him and he is amazed that a woman knows about or is interested in the same things as him.So it would be interesting to note that while she is a character that M ark relates to and befriends rather than obsesses over, she is considered strange looking. This can be seen throughout films and television, the idea of desexualised women because she gains male characteristics. The representation of women in Peep show can be assessed in two ways, by looking literally at the roles of female characters and by looking at the attitudes and relationships men have with women and vice-versa.Peep Showââ¬â¢s two main characters are male; the female characters are not necessarily permanent, although Sophie is in it from the beginning. The other female characters tend to come in depending on the episode. Female representation in the media and in television in particular, may correspond to inequities behind the scenes. (Glascock,2001 ) If as Glascocks findings show the direct correlation between women behind the scenes and women on screen could it be then that this explains the lack of female representation on screen, or the lack of solid and permanent fema le characters at least.By looking at the cast and crew information as listed on IMDB, all episodes have been written by men, all episodes have been produced by men , however it also states that it was a female that has directed a majority of the episodes. Interesting to note that as stated earlier Spaced ( c4, 1999) was co wrote by a female. The interaction between Mark, Jeremy and the female characters has two sides to it. You have Mark who is ultimately the ââ¬Å"romanticâ⬠he obsesses with women down to minute details; he is the shy and awkward geek looking for the one. However you have Jeremy who is a hap hazard womaniser.Yet what makes them so likeable is their foolish nature. While the progression of female characterizations on television has been noted, the pendulum may have swung the other way for male depictions. Frequently criticized have been made-for-television movies featuring males as abusive psychopaths (Kloer, 1996; Stein, 1994; Zurawik, 1996) and situation com edies in which ââ¬Å"guys run the gamut from insufferable to uselessâ⬠(Glascock,2001) Due to Peep Shows popularity it could be said that the characters are not ââ¬Å"insufferableâ⬠however because they never fail to make tremendous mistakes, it could be said that they are ââ¬Å"uselessâ⬠.This contrast with the useless, clumsy and likeable Mark and Jeremy, and the uptight relatively rigid female characters creates an overall impression of forgettable female characters. In some respects the women in Peep Show act as mother figures and Mark and Jeremy act as the child, the relationships are there for usually relationships that donââ¬â¢t last because they are told off or make a mistake and the women are then completely repelled by them.In order to see what extent the female characters in Peep Show can be deemed stereotypical I first looked at the definition of stereotype : A process involving the expression of an exaggerated belief about a group that serves to qual ify of justify the conduct towards that group of those who hold and express that belief (Long and Wall, 2009) Using this definition I applied it to the female character ââ¬Å"Nancyâ⬠in the episode I showed focus group. Starting with Nancy, the beautiful blonde, does she fit the dumb blonde stereotype? I would say yes, in the program she says ââ¬Å"God wanted us to have fun thatââ¬â¢s why he invented pillsâ⬠¦ in a genuinely serious voice. Is this an ââ¬Å"exaggerated beliefâ⬠? I would propose that very few religious people would actually claim that God condones drug taking. Sitcoms; the genre criticised for its simplistic use of stereotypes, outmoded representations and an apparent failure to engage with social or political development (Mills, 2004) Yet I wouldnââ¬â¢t say the character are stereotypical men. They are very self-aware, self-depreciating, they also make frequent remarks about there in lack of strength, lack of manliness. In the episode shown to t he focus group, Mark says ââ¬Å" ââ¬ËMateââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ ¦ he universal word for befriending taxi drivers, and bouncersâ⬠as he tries to fit in with some security guards. He has a sort of inferiority complex and yet acknowledges at the same time that he is middle class. Perhaps then he fits the stereotype of the middle class man, Jeremy often attacks him for his love of typically ââ¬Å"middle class foodâ⬠such as olives and humus. Yet they share a flat together and donââ¬â¢t really have much money. Additionally Peep Show has been noted for its naturalistic style, it is set in a point of view narrative, where we are positioned as different characters at different times.Bret Mills further explore Peep Show in his book The Sitcom. In which he suggests: Peep Show is better placed in the realist/naturalist category than as a comedy of distinction, because of its gloomy colours for its downplayed performances suggests a kind of naturalism. If we see Peep Show as a realist text then we are to assume to sort of ideology that must also closely reflect the real world. As Mark says in the episode where he marries Sophie ââ¬Å" this has to be a dream, nothing this bad happens in real life. â⬠He reinforces the realist feel of the comedy. Representations give substance to ideology.Textual analysis reveals ideology in action. The femme fatale is about gender and power. It is about the male fear of being; unmanned; by the sexual power of the woman, a fear of losing control. (Burton,2004) If Peep Show is a realist view, the ideology within it by default must also be deemed a natural point of view. Although they are exaggerations of characters like them, there interaction with the world are deemed quite natural and realistic. As Burton quotes ââ¬Å"that representation gives substance to ideologyâ⬠how we represent certain groups of society gives force to ideology.Because of Peep Shows critic of society I would say that it did not promote dominant id eology. I would however say it was negotiated; it promoted new and forward thinking ways, yet with regards to women, it does not promote anything other than dominant ideology. It remains true that in critical studies the concepts of difference and of otherness are often used to emphasize the negative: sameness and difference are marked both symbolically through representational systems, and socially through the inclusion or exclusion of certain groups of people Conclusion.To conclude, I feel that Peep Show does not necessarily represent women in a bad way, it rather under represents them. What is shown in a derogatory light is the relationships between men and women, the women are often sexualised. Whilst the research I have done has proved useful it has not necessarily helped me to come to a solid conclusion. Bibliogrpahy Books 1. CALVERT, Ben; Lewis, Justin; French, Liam; Casey, Bernadette; Casey, Neil. (2007). Television Studies: The Key Concepts. Taylor & Francis. 2. BURTON. (20 04). Media And Society: Critical Perspectives.Open University Press. 3. FISKE, J. (1987): Television Culture. London: Routledge 4. MILLS, B. (2009). The sitcom. Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press. 5. LONG, P. , & WALL, T. (2009). Media studies: texts, production, and contexts. Harlow [u. a. ], Pearson Longman. . Journals. 6. GLASCOCK,J 2001, ââ¬ËGender Roles on Prime Time TVââ¬â¢, Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Fall 2001. 7. MILLS, B 2004, ââ¬ËComedy Viriteââ¬â¢ Oxford Journal Screen, Vol 45, no 1, Pp 63-78 Websites 8. Wikipedia, List of Peep Show episodes, http://en. wikipedia. rg/wiki/List_of_Peep_Show_episodes (as of May 22, 2011, 16:05 GMT). 9. International Movie Database, Full Cast and Crew, Peep Show, http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0387764/fullcreditscast (as of May 22, 2011, 16;06 GMT). Television Programs PeepShow, September 2003-, video, Channel Four, United Kingdom Spaced, 1999-2001, Video, Channel Four, United Kingdom Appendices. Focus Group Transcript. Peep Show Episode ââ¬Å"Local Zeroâ⬠What kind of relationships do you think are explored in Peep Show? Participant A: Friendship. Participant C: Sexual, love.How positive is the interaction between men and women? Participant B:They were all being fake to one another they were thinking one thing and saying something elseâ⬠¦ made up. Which character including minor characters would you say was the most like able? All: Mark. Lest Likeable? Participant A: The homeless manâ⬠¦ he didnââ¬â¢t do anything [laughs] Participant B :No I would say the girlâ⬠¦ the American girl.. Participant C: Yeah she doesnââ¬â¢t do anything. Yeah even Sophie doesnââ¬â¢t. Partcipant A: Actually yeah, Nancy. Would you say peep show was a realistic portrayal of menââ¬â¢s attitudes towards women.Partipant B: I think soâ⬠¦ Participant A: I would say some not most Participant c: Yeah but guys think that even if you say no that really you would like them its just a matte r of time, What social class would you place Jeremy? Participant C: What are the classes? Participant B: I would say lower class he doesnââ¬â¢t work Participant A:No i would say he is middle. Particpant B :He would be middle but lazy. Participant C: Yeah manybe. What are the main concerns of Mark of Jeremy? Particpant C: Women [laughs] Particpant B: Yeah sex.Participant A: I agree Just sex, women. Do you think the characters Mark and Jeremy have a respectable attitude towards women? Participant C: Yeha maybe Mark, not the other one. Jeremy he just lied. Participant A:Yeah I agree Mark maybe but not Jeremy. Would you say that the female characters attitudes and interests reflect real womenââ¬â¢s attitudes and interests? Participant C: It is hard to say, they were extremes. Participants B: Yeah, It is not really clear what they think. Participant A: You donââ¬â¢t hear their thoughts so you donââ¬â¢t get any idea about them.
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