Betrayed by Constanin Costa-Gavras :: Movie, Film

The opening lyrics to America the Beautiful, ï ¿ ½O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain,ï ¿ ½ demonstrate how agriculture and wheat farming have been ingrained, to almost mythical proportions, as quintessentially ï ¿ ½Americanï ¿ ½ amongst citizens in the United States. As the Great Plains of the Midwest helped establish the U.S. as a major economic superpower throughout the twentieth century, the nation grew by distributing vast amounts of grain across the globe, providing those farming in the region both a secure and profitable existence. But with the proliferation of farming technologies enabling foreign nations to establish a foothold in a new global economy, the U.S. and its farmers faced increased competition, and their stranglehold on grain exportation waned. ï ¿ ½You just canï ¿ ½t make a living growing wheat anymore,ï ¿ ½ says Greg Grenz, a farmer in Eureka South Dakota, as many ï ¿ ½U.S. farmers are increasingly under pressure as Americaï ¿ ½s ru n as a wheat powerhouse, and the dominant player in global agriculture, is under attack from a crop of newly emboldened, low-cost international rivals who are striking at one of the main pillars of American economic might: food exportsï ¿ ½ (Roger Thurow, 2004). Security and prosperity it seems are dwindling in the nationï ¿ ½s fertile plains. In most cases, with little recourse available, todayï ¿ ½s farmers are faced with a frightening decision: change their farming practices, via planting new crops or utilizing new techniques, or quit farming outright, forfeiting lands that may have been in families for generations and, more importantly, losing an identity that many consider to be most ï ¿ ½American.ï ¿ ½ ï ¿ ½Constanin Costa-Gavras, in his film Betrayed (1988), uses this framework of economic hardships caused by a declining farming industry to present his audience with some farmers who have decided on another option, lashing out violently at people who they believe are responsible for their plight. The film about ï ¿ ½star-crossed love [and] death and danger in white-picket-fence Americaï ¿ ½ (Kemply, 1988), involves a fictional community that employs white supremacist ideology to spread hate and intolerance as they blame Jews, non-whites, and the government for the economic conditions which they endure. The film also demonstrates the early use of the computer to branch out and connect these hate mongers, forecasting the use and proliferation of the internet to recruit new white supremacists around the country. As Randy Blazack, sociologist from Portland State University, elaborates in American Skinheads (2007), ï ¿ ½whether youï ¿ ½re recruiting people to be suicide bombers or recruiting foot soldiers in the racial holy war, youï ¿ ½re going after the same set of people, youï ¿ ½re going after people who feel like theyï ¿ ½re at the end of their rope, and the only recourse left is one of violenceï ¿ ½ (Geographic, 2007).

The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz Question: Do you think The Wizard of Oz provided Americans with the hope that their dreams could come true, or do you think that the movie might have made Americans even more upset with their own reality? Every human being faces their own demons and troubles. We try to escape them – some do it through their own battles, but most of us just want to forget, even if it is for a little while. After our moment in paradise is over, we can face our burdens with a new strength provided by escapism. Movies, books, music, poetry and art were just a few ways for artists to express themselves and for the audience to get lost in.This audience mostly consisted of middle-class average Americans, who worked hard and long. Escapism was very popular during the time of the Great Depression in the US. During the day people would work hard for their money, fight for their survival and try to keep their heads up through all of the difficulties, but during the evening they would sca tter around town just to find someplace to relax. Most Americans would go around town and search for folks with similar interests. People would always love to go to bars and have a few drinks, exchange stories and laugh.The motion pictures, though, have always been a silent awe – sitting there and enjoying the entertainment unfold before your eyes was pretty magical, even for our day and time in the 21st century. The Wizard of Oz was a hit movie that came out in 1939. The light colorful drawings and the flamboyant set kept the viewers satisfied and yearning for more. Since it was one of the first movies with color, it was quite the success. The special effects in the delightful motion picture kept the audience growing bigger and bigger.Special effects were used in the movie quite often, which seem pretty silly to our 21st century technologically advanced brains, but in fact seemed very impressive at the time. Because of all these technical improvements from the previous movie s and taking a few steps forward in development, the film was also one of the most expensive made at the time. Produced by Lions Gate Entertainment, the movie cost an awful lot for the Great Depression era – about 2 million dollars. The motion picture paid off its large bill in time, even if it wasn’t as big of a hit at first.Because of its light theme and enjoyable melodies, the musical soon gained its place in the media. To us now, the movie seems a bit too dramatically done and very silly, but at that time it was really wonderful. The lightly careless way it just swept up your thoughts and mind was amazing, it kept the audience’s attention for the whole show. Forgetting your daily life was now much easier, especially because of the catchy tunes in songs. Lyrics were very simple and fitting, the actors dramatic enough to keep it entertaining but not worrisome.The obnoxious way Dorothy was portrayed may seem very annoying to us now, but during the Great Depress ion era it was very amusing and quite fitting. Due to the actors being very talented and skillful, the film was enjoyable. Even if The Wizard of Oz has absolutely nothing to do with the Great Depression, it has an implied meaning suitable for all times. All of the characters went on searching for something more, but in the end realized that what they were looking for was with them all along. A great disappointment at the end of the film might seem the Great Wizard. He happens to be a fellow man from Kansas, just like Dorothy.That symbolizes how simple and modest even the best of things can be. By processing this information of hidden meanings, the audience slowly learned from the movies they watched. They began to realize certain values in life, began to see things differently. â€Å"That’s a horse of a different color† says the guard of Emerald City once Dorothy arrives, and now that quote is very fitting. Even if the audience didn’t look deep enough into the c haracters to find the hidden meanings and ideas, it was still a very entertaining film. Its simplicity and the humorous story truly did help the average American with escapism.The movie has a charismatic effect on its viewers, making it very hard not to sing along or at least laugh at the characters. It swept you away from the first minutes of song and special effects. Musicals always have the effect of moving the audience’s emotions. Due to the color change once Dorothy arrives to Munchkin Land, the movie is quite breathtaking for those times. The Great Depression was most definitely affected by movies like this; they made people’s lives easier and more bearable. Now the demons and troubles Americans faced came easier, since entertainment served as a distraction.

Same Sex Marriage Should Not Be Legalized Essay - 1844 Words

I am against the idea of same sex marriage as I have very strong religious beliefs which have shaped me into what I am today and that give me a majority of my reason opposing this matter. I had many long arguments with a bunch of people, including gays and lesbians, about this topic. I can truthfully say that it is because of topics like this that make Gerald M. Nosich’s quote â€Å"the relation between emotion and critical thinking is a complicated one, without easy solutions† (Nosich 16) very relatable. In my opinion, â€Å"same sex marriage† should not be legalised as this is against what is written in the Bible. This kind of practice will also affect our future generations and the concept of marriage. 1.From a religious point of view, do you think â€Å"same sex marriage† is appropriate? 2.How can it affect our future generations? 3.How does this affect the concept of marriage? I believe that â€Å"same sex marriage† should not be legalised because this is abomination in the sight of God and abomination is a sin. This also can affect our future generations because if a man is married to a man, and the same with women, then we all know that they won’t be able to make a child and that will lessen the population. If ever they would adopt a child, it’s going to be unfair to the child because we all know that the child would want to have a mother or a father. God created Adam as a male and Eve as a female. Marriage is an important issue in Christian life. Christians claim that marriageShow MoreRelatedShould Same-Sex Marriages Be Legalized?. Same-Sex Marriages2063 Words   |  9 PagesShould Same-Sex Marriages Be Legalized? Same-sex marriages should be illegal because the increase of marriages with the same sex has aroused conflicts in society, affects on children, and religiously. Therefore one must halt the proposal. The history of homosexuality has a lot of stories to tell, however, the beginning of it all would begin shortly and oddly. On the Western contemporary concept of homosexuality would relatively currently be considered new during the day of time. Ideas of homosexualityRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legalized . The Same Sex Marriage1723 Words   |  7 Pages Same sex marriage should be legalized The same sex marriage has been widely debated in many countries for a long time. It is an important issue because it concerns basic moral and human rights. People all over the world come to the United States in search of freedom and equality. Being able to marry anyone, no matter the gender, is a freedom of right, but if that freedom of right is taken away from people than there is no equality. Homosexual peopleRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Not Be Legalized926 Words   |  4 Pageshave misunderstood the meaning of marriage. Marriage is not just a term to describe relationship that are precious to us, it’s more than just a union of heart and mind; it’s an institution between a man and a women. biblically, marriage is a life time union of a man and a women, primarily for the purpose of building a family and providing a stable environments for that family (1 Corinthian 7:2 16) According to Peter Sprigg, same sex marriage should not be legalized because of its immediate and long-termRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legalized1361 Words   |  6 PagesSame sex marriage has been the topic of an ongoing controversial debate in many countries for a long time now. This is an important issue because it concerns the basic principle of human rights and basic morality. Same sex marriage should be legalized; it is a violation of human rights, there are many misconceptions of same sex individuals, and allowing same sex marriage to be legalized would provide a boost to the economy. There are many misconceptions of homosexual people. A common myth is thatRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Not Be Legalized1562 Words   |  7 Pages~ Busse Same-Sex Debate Essay ~ Ever since the time when America studied family values and focused on healthy and important influences, marriage was considered to be between man and woman holding a physical and spiritual bond between each other, not between man and man and woman and woman. Some may see marriage as between two people of the same gender, or what is known as same-sex marriage. This form of marriage became popular in the U.S. during the 1960’s and 1970’s due to the urge of legalizationRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legalized898 Words   |  4 Pages2015 same sex marriage was legalized in all fifty states. Many arguments have come around about if homosexuality is genetic or if its chosen. Many people think either way and there aren’t many people who are in between thinking that homosexuality is chosen or not. The song â€Å"Same Love† by Macklemore was released in 2015 when all of the media slowed down about homosexuality and after same sex marriage was legalize d. So when Macklemore released this song more attention came to same sex marriage. ThisRead MoreShould Same Sex Marriage Be Legalized?1372 Words   |  6 PagesThe â€Å"date which will live in infamy† just had a child! As of June 26, 2015, same-sex marriage was legalized in all 50 states of America by the Supreme Court from a ruling that barely passed by a 5-4 vote. Wait a minute. Back up. Do you mean to tell me that boys can marry boys now? That girls can marry girls? That it’s legal?! Wake up America! Do you even realize what you have done? You have given gay people the right to marry. To marry! Who in their right mind would give gay people that cherishedRead MoreShould Same Sex Marriage Be Legalized?945 Words   |  4 PagesShould Same-Sex Marriage Be Legalized? Regardless of color, ethnicity, culture or religion, marriage has been and always have considered to be a man and a woman. This concern has been a debating and a hot topic currently in the United States p olitics, it is prohibited in a majority of the nation till the President have pass the law for same-sex marriage. With this question, I feel that same sex marriage should not be legalized, but it cannot be banned. I sense that a marriage is intensely betweenRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legalized972 Words   |  4 PagesSame sex couples have been waiting for same sex marriage to be legalized for many decades. According to Ken LaMance, â€Å"One of the first documented challenges to same-sex marriages occurred on May 18th, 1970, where two men applied for a marriage license in Heppenin County, Minnesota† (LaMance). Their request was denied because they felt marriage should be between a man and a woman. Civil Unions were the first step in legalizing same sex marriage. Civil Unions were introduced in 2000 in Vermont. CivilRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legalized910 Words   |  4 PagesSame-sex marriages also know, as gay/ Lesbian marriage is marriage between peop le of the same sex either as a secular civil ceremony or in a religious setting. In the late 20th century. Religious rites of marriage without legal recognition became increasingly common. In the 21st centuries various types of the same-sex unions have come to be legalized. As of 26 June 2015, eighteen countries; Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway