The Effects Of Video Advertisements On Society Essay

Introduction Video advertisements are quick and momentary but their influence is pervasive and prolonged. The power of video advertisements shape norms and common societal expectations on how a person should look and behave. Overtime these gender roles (societal expectations associated with men and women) and behaviors become implicit thus implying normal (or in some instances ideal) men and women should exhibit these qualities and characteristics. Subconsciously, video advertisements impact a person s perception of what it means and what it takes to be a man or woman. The objective of this paper is to observe secondary socialization, â€Å"†¦learning behaviors and attitudes associated with specific situations and roles†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , in YouTube video advertisements by comparing recurring patterns, symbols, statuses, and roles directed to men and women (Lecture Notes Nalkur 7). In addition, this paper seeks to explain how YouTube video advertisements act as socializing agents by portraying arguably exaggerated yet stereotypical traits of men and women that influence watchers’ perceptions and beliefs about their own gender identity and that of others. Methods The approach of this study was to obtain a total of eight YouTube video advertisements. Four of which focus on women/women’s products and the other four video advertisements focus on men/men’s products. The YouTube video advertisements were obtained randomly by watching the YouTube channels I normally visit. All video ads were obtainedShow MoreRelatedViolence, Terrorism, And Violence Essay1439 Words   |  6 PagesThis recent portrayal of violence in our society has led to drastic increases in exposure deeming such violence as normal. I will be exploring the genre of violence in regards to such over-exposure through the analysis of generic application. 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Dysfunctional Relationships Between Sonny’s Blues and Shiloh Free Essays

Jeremy Raymond Professor Gazzara ENG 102-109 April 6th, 2013 It Takes Two To Tango What makes a relationship dysfunctional? Is it the changes one sees in another whether they be physical, emotional, or financial? Is it a change in their own personality that is now changing their views on their family member or significant other? Tina B. Tessina defines a dysfunctional relationship as this: Dysfunctional Relationships are relationships that do not perform their appropriate function; that is, they do not emotionally support the participants, foster communication among them, appropriately challenge them, or prepare or fortify them for life in the larger world. (Tessina 1) In â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† and â€Å"Shiloh†, we see two different types of dysfunctional relationships. We will write a custom essay sample on Dysfunctional Relationships Between Sonny’s Blues and Shiloh or any similar topic only for you Order Now In â€Å"Shiloh† we see a marriage relationship between Norma Jean and Leroy Moffit. In â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, we see a brotherhood relationship between Sonny and his brother. These relationships are considered dysfunctional based on the actions and lack of actions based on those involved. In Mason’s â€Å"Shiloh†, the relationship between Leroy and Norma Jean was off to a good start. They have been married sixteen years and had a kid named Randy. Randy passed away from sudden infant death syndrome at a very young age. We can infer through the text that both Norma Jean and Leroy were left traumatized by this. The death of a child can leave a person traumatized and shook-up for the rest of their lives. The couple’s relationship takes a turn south due to numerous reasons. One reason being Norma Jeans newfound lifestyle. Ever since Leroy suffered his accident, She has morphed into the manly figure of the household. She’s starting to lift weights to strengthen herself up. Leroy is now observing changes in Norma Jean he has never seen before. In addition to lifting weights at home, she is now attending a body building class which puzzles Leroy. Through Leroy’s eyes, she is already a changed woman. Besides for Norma Jeans’ newfound physical changes in herself, she is also attending night classes. Norma Jean is also developing sleep patterns that concern not only Leroy but also Mabel, her mother. Mabel in a conversation with Leroy states â€Å"She used to go to bed with the chickens. Now you say she’s up all hours. † (73). The quote shows how both Leroy, her husband who’s loved her for the past sixteen years and Mabel, her own mother are worried and confused by her new patterns in life. In addition to changes in Norma Jean, Leroy has undergone changes as well. Since he had his accident, he is unable to drive tractor trailers across the country anymore. He is now cooped up inside of the house because of his injury. He has developed a hobby for building crafts and has turned that into a plan with blueprints to build a full scale log cabin. The thought of the cabin disgusts Norma Jean, where in a conversation between Leroy, Norma Jean, and Mabel, Leroy states, â€Å"I’m aiming to build us a log house† (70). Norma Jean quickly responds to Leroy with â€Å"Like heck you are† (70). She clearly shows her disapproval with his plan. We as readers can interpret that Leroy is a man stuck in the past and Norma Jean has evolved into a new woman. We see an attempt at resolving the dysfunctional couples relationship when they take a trip to Shiloh. Leroy is trying to hold onto the love of his life while Norma Jean is trying to free herself and move on to bigger and better things in life. She has changed her life, physically and mentally and Leroy has done nothing with his life which is why she is leaving him. The attempt at reconciliation fails terribly and Norma Jean and Leroy split paths and go on with their separate lives. In â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† we see another dysfunctional relationship, this time between brothers. The narrator of the story, is the brother of Sonny. A schoolteacher in Harlem, he has grown up around men and women who have suffered from alcoholism, drug addictions and many more problems. Similar to Leroy from â€Å"Shiloh†, he is a family man also reeling from the loss of their youngest child, Grace. The death of their child spurred the brother into writing to his troubled brother Sonny. Sonny was the younger brother of the two who has been through many difficult life lessons throughout his short life so far. Sonny has suffered from a heroin addiction which landed him in a local jail which further weakened the bond between the two brothers. Sonny’s brother has lived in Harlem and has seen heroin addicts and victims of alcoholism and has showed no remorse for them. We see Sonny’s brothers intolerance for the men around Harlem who suffer from an addiction when he is talking to an old friend of Sonny’s after he leaves the school one day. â€Å"Look. Don’t tell me your sad story, if it was up to me, I’d give you one. † (294). This shows how Sonny’s brother is indifferent regarding people who have suffered from a addiction. While Sonny was in jail, the relationship continued to dwindle. After Sonny’s release from prison, their relationship began to heal. In addition to his drug addiction, Sonny’s inability to decide on a career in life irritates his brother. Sonny’s aspirations spread as far as India, a military job stationed throughout the world , and/or landing a job as a musician in his hometown of Harlem. This inconsistency of Sonny enrages his older brother, who has made a promise with their mother to look after him and make sure he grows up to be a proper man. In contrast to the relationship between Norma Jean and Leroy, Sonny and his brothers relationship is able to rebuild after a time of hardship between the two. Sonny is able to recover fully from his heroin addiction and begin to get his life back on track. In addition to cutting his heroin addiction, he makes a life decision regarding his future and chooses to become a musician in Harlem. The theme of dysfunctional relationships is present in both stories with very different endings. In â€Å"Shiloh†, we see a relationship between two married people end abruptly. Leroy, the man stuck in the past and holding on to what he knows and Norma Jean, the woman who has changed everything about herself. Opposites do not attract and the marriage ceased to continue after their visit to the Shiloh battlefield. In â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, the brotherhood relationship between Sonny and his brother is able to recover and progress due to the changes Sonny has made with himself. Works Cited Tessina, Tina. â€Å"What Is A Dysfunctional Relationship? †Ã‚  What Is A Dysfunctional Relationship? N. p. , n. d. Web. 09 Apr. 2013 Mason, Bobbie Ann. Shiloh. N. p. : Flamingo, 1988. Print. Baldwin, James. Sonny’s Blues. Mankato, MN: Creative Education, 1993. Print. How to cite Dysfunctional Relationships Between Sonny’s Blues and Shiloh, Papers

Favorite Bands of 2007-2008 free essay sample

My Favorite Bands of 2007-2008 1.Seether This band is my favorite out of anything Ive ever listened to. The alternative-rock band, natives of South Africa, is on tour now promoting their newest CD, â€Å"Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces. I went to their concert in Atlanta on May 5th. They did an amazing job performing their songs and ended up doing a 2 ? hour show that night. My favorite songs from this band are â€Å"Gasoline†, â€Å"Like Suicide†, â€Å"FMLYHM†, â€Å"Remedy†, â€Å"Truth†, â€Å"Rise Above This†, â€Å"No Jesus Christ†, and â€Å"Six Gun Quota†. 2.Three Days Grace When I first heard this band, when their songs â€Å"I Hate Everything About You† came on the radio, I was immediately attracted to the music and Adam Gontier, the singers, voice. Their newest CD, â€Å"One-X†, has had many hits played on the radio, including â€Å"Pain†, â€Å"Animal I Have Become†, â€Å"Riot†, â€Å"Never Too Late†; and some older songs, â€Å"I Hate Everything About You†, â€Å"Just Like You†, and â€Å"Home†. We will write a custom essay sample on Favorite Bands of 2007-2008 or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 3.AFI On June 6th, 2006, AFI introduced a new album called â€Å"DecemberUnderground† to the world. This CD includes many radio hits, like â€Å"Miss Murder†, â€Å"Love Like Winter†, and â€Å"The Missing Frame†. Some other songs that this band has made that I like are â€Å"The Interview†, â€Å"The Boy Who Destroyed The World†, â€Å"The Killing Lights†, â€Å"Endlessly, She Said†, and â€Å"Girls Not Grey†. 4.Bullet For My Valentine This awesome rock band released a new CD on January 29th, 2008, called â€Å"Scream Aim Fire†. One thing I am attracted to in this band is their music. I like how they play, and when you hear a song by them you know its them because they have their own sound. I like every song Ive heard by them, but my favorites are â€Å"Scream Aim Fire†, â€Å"Hand Of Blood†, â€Å"No Control†, â€Å"Tears Dont Fall†, â€Å"All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)†, Room 409†, and â€Å"My Fist, Your Mouth, Her Scars†. 5.Marilyn Manson In 2007, Marilyn Manson and his band unveiled â€Å"Eat Me, Drink Me†, a new CD different from the old Manson sound. I like Marilyn Manson because he isnt afraid to step out of the lines and do something different and shocking. My favorite songs from him are â€Å"The Beautiful People†, â€Å"Heart-Shaped Glasses (When The Heart Guides The Hand)†, â€Å"If I Was Your Vampire†, â€Å"Are You The Rabbit?†, â€Å"The Dope Show†, â€Å"The Fight Song†, â€Å"Rock Is Dead†, â€Å"(m)OBSCENE†, â€Å"Mechanical Animals†, and his spin on â€Å"This Is Halloween† from Tim Burtons movie â€Å"Nightmare Before Christmas†. 6.My Chemical Romance In 2006, the New Jersey native band My Chemical Romance, better known as MCR, debuted a new album called â€Å"The Black Parade†. It was released on October 23rd in the UK, October 24th in the US, and October 28th in Australia. Some of the songs this band has made are â€Å"Vampires Will Never Hurt You†, â€Å"Headfirst For Halos†, â€Å"Im Not Okay (I Promise)†, â€Å"Helena (So Long and Goodnight)†, â€Å"Famous Last Words†, â€Å"Teenagers†, â€Å"Welcome To The Black Parade†, â€Å"House Of Wolves†, and a hidden song on the newest album called â€Å"Blood†. 7.Norma Jean Norma Jean originated from Douglasville, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. In September 2006, they released an album called â€Å"Redeemer†. â€Å"The Anti-Mother†, their next studio album, is set to be released in the summer of 2008. My favorite songs from this band are â€Å"The End Of All Things Will Be Televised†, â€Å"Blueprints For Future Homes†, â€Å"A Grand Scene For A Color Film†, â€Å"Songs Sound Much Sadder†, and â€Å"A Temperamental Widower†. 8.Flyleaf I saw Flyleaf on May 5th with Seether and RED in Atlanta. The first thing I noticed was Lacey Mosley, the frail-looking little girl singer with a big voice. She was on stage screaming and singing her heart out. Their only CD is called â€Å"Flyleaf†, and there are many different versions of it, such as CD-DVD combination, live performance tracks, and their music videos on an extra DVD. My favorite songs by this band are â€Å"Im Sorry†, â€Å"All Around Me†, â€Å"Fully Alive†, â€Å"Im So Sick†, and â€Å"Sorrow†.

The Jacket Essay Example For Students

The Jacket Essay In â€Å"The JacketGary Soto uses symbolism to reflect on the characterization and development of the narrarator. Soto seems to focus mainly on a jacket, which has several meanings throughout the story. The jacket is used as a symbol to portray poverty, the narrarators insecurity, and the narrarator’s form of self-destruction. Since the story uses a certain object, the Jacket, as the meaning of several issues, it primarily focuses on the narrarator’s poverty-stricken family. First of all, an example of the poverty is demonstrated when the narrarator complains that the jacket â€Å"was so ugly and big that I knew I’d have to wear it a long time†(paragraph 3). It is clear that his lack of money was a problem in which he would have to keep the jacket because he could not afford a new one. The narrarator then feels embarrassed and upset by the jacket by stating â€Å"I blame my mother for her bad taste and cheap ways†(paragraph 10). By mentioning his mother’s â€Å"cheap† ways he is conveying that he is aggravated because of his mothers option to choose bad and ugly clothes in order to save money. A final way that the jacket is used as a symbol for poverty is implicit when a dog in the story tears the jacket and the narrarator â€Å"†¦ Scotch taped it close but i n rain or cold weather the tape peeled off like Gonzalez 2a scab and more stuffing came out†(paragraph 10). The fact that the narrarator could not fix the torn part of the jacket can indicate that his family is struggling to afford money for themselves. These certain examples help portray the issues of poverty that the narrarator’s family struggles. The Jacket symbolizes poverty as well as the narrarator’s insecurity throughout the story. We will write a custom essay on The Jacket specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now An example of the insecurity that is demonstrated in the story is mentioned when the narrarator’s teachers were of â€Å"no help, they looked his way and talked about how foolish he looked in his new jacket† (paragraph 7). The narrarator feels insecure because of his assumptions that his teachers are making fun of him when in fact, they are not noticing him at all. Further more, he continues to say, â€Å"At lunchtime I stayed with the ugly boys leaned against the chain link fence†¦ our mouths† (paragraph 9). This statement proves the narrarator is having bad luck because of the jacket and is destroying his reputation at school. A third reason why the jacket symbolizes insecurity is because the fact that his classmates see him with the jacket, he feels that they â€Å"†¦say out loud â€Å"man that’s ugly†, I heard the buzz-buzz of gossip and even laughter† Gonzalez 3(paragraph 7). Just as he felt the same as he did in the teacher si tuation, he feels the jacket is something that makes himself like a joke and increases his insecurity. Self- Destruction is a final meaning for the symbolism of the jacket which helps the character develop himself in the story. When the narrarator felt that the jacket was ruining his life, he claimed â€Å"I ran outside, ready to cry, and climbed the tree by the alley to think bad thoughts† (paragraph 10). His bad thoughts were of embarrassment and shame all brought on by the idea of having this certain jacket. Another example was when he had gotten upset and he had thrown the jacket down and he later â€Å"†¦swiped the jacket off the ground and went inside to drape it across his leg and started to mope† (paragraph 11). Showing aggravation towards an object shows his frustration towards himself, realizing that he cannot accept the person he has become with the jacket. Finally, when the narrarator states â€Å"I spent my sixth-grade year in a tree waiting for something good to happen to me in that jacket† (paragraph 10). The narrarator’s expectation to feel useful in the jacket is what makes him happy. .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8 , .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8 .postImageUrl , .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8 , .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8:hover , .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8:visited , .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8:active { border:0!important; } .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8:active , .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8 .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u65622d0caa651824070aed0e50ddaeb8:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Tolstoy's Three Hermits EssayIn conclusion, Gary Soto realizes that without the symbolism of the jacket, there really would be no meaning Gonzalez 4to the story. His use of poverty, insecurity, and self-destruction of the narrarator is what makes the story complete. English Essays

Van Doesburg and the International Avante

Van Doesburg and the International Avante Introduction The Tate Exhibit, by assembling international works and works in many media, demonstrates, to the less enthusiastic, the exhibit designer’s message that the Avante-Garde was a legitimate and wide ranging movement, and one which reverberates in its effects even today. Styles such as Neo-Plasticism, are Elementarism are examined, but the most colorful is Dada.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Van Doesburg and the International Avante-Garde: Constructing a New World specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Dadaism elicits different responses from different viewers, from the trivial, irritating, or enraging, to the profoundly liberating, and has done so since it was launched on the world. Given its anti-establishment history, and the continuing debate over whether it is really art, its glorification at the Tate is ironic. The Tate show can help demonstrate Dada’s impact on today’s design and our definitions of art. Some examples from real life include: the teaching of art to kids, stained glass in contemporary sacred spaces, home furnishings, music teaching and making. A sampling of the styles the show features includes De Stijl, Dadaism, Elementarism, and Neo-Plasticism. The multi-national selection of artists range from the biggies such as Arp and Mondrian, and obscure ones as well, with a strong Dutch presence and funding support. The media displayed are wide ranging, and reflect the intention of the Avant-Garde’s proponents to overturn old art norms and make art and design accessible to the masses. Works are arranged such that the orthogonals and diagonals are sited at either end, and artists, crafts, and disciplines affected by the Avante-Garde are on display in between. Van Doesburg’s drawings of exploded architectural detail are missing from the exhibit. Photos of the artists enrich our understanding of the human background to the art. Merchandise in th e stores is well-displayed and offers customers a chance to wear their intellectual bona fides on their blouse. The Tate has offered a selection of lectures and other fora for viewer education. The arrangement of the exhibit helps to make the point that the Avant-Garde was more than artistic crankiness or mental disorder. Conclusion: The ongoing debate over whether the works of the Avante-Garde are really art is not by any means resolved. However, the ideas of the Avante-Garde certainly liberated the making of art to our benefit today.Advertising Looking for essay on architecture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The design ideas we see around us are deeply affected by their work. The exhibit reveals the international scope of the Avante-Garde, and highlights the connections between the Avante-Garde and what we see around us on a regular basis. Van Doesburg’s legacy is worth remembering. This Section is not Par t of the Assigned Project The following is the list of questions originally posed by the instructor for consideration, not an essay. This is set up as a checklist to allow the customer to reassure themselves that all the questions have been addressed, and to facilitate communication across the language barrier with the customer. Since the topic is an art exhibit, and secondary sources are not exhaustive, many of these answers are inferences rather than based on direct personal observation, which would have been the ideal way of responding to the questions Who organized the exhibition? Vicente Toldi, Tate Director Who curated it? Gladys Fabre, independent curator Who sponsored it? Tate Patrons, Tate International Council, The Van Doesburg Exhibition Supporters Group, The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Dedalus Foundation, Inc, Mondriaan Foundation, Prince Bernhard Cultural Foundation (Straver Foundation), SNS Reaal Fond Who designed it? Vicente Toldi, presumably, since no other person is mentioned. Who is it intended audience? Possibly anyone who may not have thought very much about the impact of the Avante-Garde, or who is not an avid art fan is the target. What are the aims of the exhibition? Based on the artists and works chosen; the aim is to display works not often seen, to display works by lesser known artists, and to show a wide range of media that were affected by the ideas of the Avante-Garde. What is its central argument? You can see evidence of how these artists succeeded in overturning much of what went before when you look around you at design, art, and art instruction today, and see their influence. What current debates or topical issues does the exhibition engage with? Is this stuff truly ART? What underlying assumptions are communicated by the choice of exhibits and form of display? The form of display seems to assume mostly non-disabled viewers assumes that people walking on their own two feet and looking with good vision are viewin g the works. It also assumes that the viewer has not seen previously ephemera and crafts from the same period, objects which reflect similar design ideas. Is it successful in terms of fulfilling the aims of the organizers? It has been well reviewed for the most part in terms of demonstrating why lesser known names in the Avante-Garde should be studied and remembered, and documenting the enduring influence of these ideas. What if anything is excluded from its central narrative? Not sure – maybe politics, but not sure, but one reviewer mentioned the absence of certain Van Doesburg architectural drawings. How is the exhibition organized (by theme, designer, chronologically, other)? Orthogonals are sited at one end and diagonals at the other, with other materials in between that were influenced by the artistic dialogue going on at the time. How are the artifacts contextualized (i.e., through info panels, labels, graphics, catalogue, etc.)? Not sure, but there seem to be labels wi th substantial information. There are lectures and talks as well, and a workshop for a hand-on project. Is the design of the exhibition appropriate for its subject matter? It sounds like it, but not sure. Does the Tate exhibit provide an educational experience, and how does it achieve this? Lectures, talks, hands-on projects, contribute to background education. Is there a shop specifically devoted to merchandise supporting the exhibition, and how much space does it occupy in relation to the exhibits? Yes, but not sure how much space is allocated – the interactive map did not seem to specify the shop footage. What kinds of products does the shop sell, and how are they merchandised? Typical, not terribly innovative; items meet the need for items to signal the consumer’s intellectual identity, or â€Å"brand†. End of explanatory notes to customer Outline Van Doesburg and the International Avante-Garde: Constructing a New World 1. Introduction: The Tate Exhibit, by assembling international works and works in many media, demonstrates, to the less enthusiastic, the exhibit designer’s message that the Avante-Garde was wide ranging and reverberates in its effects even today. 2. Background of Dadaism as a confusing off-shoot of the Avante-Garde a. The meaning of the word b. The reaction of the contemporary gallery visitors c. How Dada was viewed at the time d. Irony of an anti-establishment movement being displayed in Tate 3. The Tate show can help demonstrate Dada’s impact on today’s design and definition of art: examples a. Teaching of art to kids b. Stained glass c. Home furnishings d. Music making 4. Sampling of styles the show includes a. De Stijl b. Dadaism c. Elementarism d. Neo-Plasticism 5. Artists included a. Many works from off-shore b. Strong Dutch representation and sponsorship support 6. Media included a. Wide range of artistic disciplines b. Reflect the intention to make art accessible even to the oppressed 7. A rrangement of works a. Orthogonals and diagonals at either end b. Artists affected by these in display in between c. Crafts and disciplines affected on display in between d. Drawings of exploded architectural detail missing from exhibit e. Photos enrich understanding of the human background to the art Conclusion The ongoing debate over whether the works of the Avante-Garde are really art is not by any means resolved. However, the ideas of the Avante-Garde certainly liberated the making of art to our benefit today. The design ideas we see around us are deeply affected by their work. The exhibit reveals the international scope of the Avante-Garde, and highlights the connections between the Avante-Garde and what we see around us on a regular basis.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Van Doesburg and the International Avante-Garde: Constructing a New World specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The current exhibit at the Tate Mo dern brings a host of objects together from a variety of artists, countries, and media, and styles that fall under the general category of the Avante-Garde (Dadaism, Neo-Plasticism, Elementarism, Constructivism, and Art Concret). This impressive assemblage demonstrates the multi-national nature of the Avante-Garde in its time of inception. The exhibit also provides ample basis for considering (even by those who do not live and die by art ) the wide ranging and long lasting impact on the lives of people today of the ideas fermenting in the first decades of the 20th century, even the chaotic and self-negating ideas of Dadaism. Dada is a word that can be understood differently, depending on one’s role, and where one is standing. To a proud papa, it is, he hopes, the first word spoken by a beloved toddler. To a current music aficionado, it is the name of a band (dada home page). As pointed out by Tristan Tzara, a poet and essayist of the early 1900’, the word also describe s the tail of a holy cow, among the  « Kru Negroes  » (an archaic and now offensive term for an indigenous tribe in what is today called Liberia ), mother and a cube in Italian dialect, and a nurse and hobby horse in Russian, as well as in his native tongue, Romanian. However, Tzara declares in his Dada Manifesto 1918,  « The magic of a word – Dada – which has brought journalists to the gates of a world unforeseen, is of no importance to us.  »(Tzara, Dada Manifesto 1918). This paradoxical statement, and so many others, is typical of the deliberately confusing, transgressive, and challenging utterances of Tzara, ne Samuel Rosenstock, a key articulator of Dadaism. To current enthusiastic visitors to museums of modern art, the name Dada is shorthand for a sidebar to the Avante-Garde, art as goofball antic, art as thumb to nose, but also, art as something that might be easily mistaken for a bin to accommodate one’s litter, or an attractively mounted fire e xtinguisher. On the other hand, to those visitors who have been dragged along by their special art fan, Dada may very well be a reason they say they think that avant-garde art is a crock. Advertising Looking for essay on architecture? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Why, they ask plaintively, don’t we just bring our rubbish to the museum and leave it here in a neat pile – who would know the difference? What sort, they ask angrily, of prat would pay good money for such stuff? Doesn’t our kid draw something just as good? Where is the cafà ©, they ask in desperation, and, more importantly, how soon may we leave? These public reactions are not novel, nor, if we are to believe their own writings, would they necessarily have been unwelcome to the first promoters of the Dada movement. The Dadaists were in reaction against just about everything . In return, they were regarded with less than approval by their contemporaries, and they knew it, and made fun of this phenomenon. In light of how disparaged they were by the art world in the first decades of the 1900’s, and especially in light of how deeply they criticized the art establishment, they might be turning in their graves at the thought of the large current exhibit at th e Tate Modern (running through May). Or, perhaps, the thought might tickle them, especially the application of Theo Van Doesburg’s colorful geometries to towels, totes and magnets in the gift shop . If a Dadaist were resurrected today, he might gleefully pluck a tea towel from the gift shop and display it as art, not because of the pattern, but as an object chosen by him, placed out of its usual context as an article of clothing, titled with whatever whimsical thought occurred, put on display, and therefore constituting ART. There would certainly be ample precedent! The submission, without comment, of a fountain, to an art show, an act of artistic anarchy attributed to Marcel Duchamp, is practically legendary. But back to the weary, less than excited visitor, wondering why on earth they should be learning about this stuff. (The museum is indeed offering a lecture series, even for the deaf, curators’ talks, and an opportunity to create a hands-on project to help both the confused and the rapt). Why should he/ she be interested at all? Art historians, on one end of the interest spectrum, are the converted, the choir, to whom it is unnecessary to preach. In answer to this question, they can point to direct lines of influence from the Dadaism of the 1910s and 1920s to the Neo-Dadaism of the post-World War II period, and well known and important names like Robert Rauschenberg, and Jasper Johns (Craft), and, it could be asserted, Andy Warhol. In another direction, connections can be drawn to Surrealism (Craft 4), a movement with its own flock of current artistic offspring, particularly in film, and animation. However, at the other end of the spectrum of interest and expertise, even the uninitiated among us can identify Dada’s impact in our lives. A swift peek into the chaos and happily self-defined art creations being crafted from re-cycled materials at the nearest grammar school would offer an answer to that question . Also of interest would be a tour of a suburban modern church building . Or take a walk-through of the wall and floor coverings department of a home store . Finally, check out GarageBand, a piece of software that allows kids to assemble music from a file of pre-recorded sound samples (Garageband). All these cultural phenomena seem to be influenced by the ideas of Dadaism. The show at the Tate may, in light of this, assist those who would preferentially spend at least some of their Sunday afternoons watching Manchester United rather than getting sore feet at galleries, to draw meaningful connections between Dadaism and current trends and manifestations of the arts, and design. The current Tate Modern show, taking up half of the fourth level of the museum, does not merely cover Dadaism. It also encompasses the movement that was one of Van Doesburg’s numerous other artistic life pursuits: among them, the ultimate in geometric abstraction, wherein any reference to the human body or realism of any sor t was anathema. Van Doesburg’s ideas on this and other isms of the day were expressed in his editorship of De Stijl, a magazine as well as the name of a style, and through peripatetic lectures and conferences (Mawer). He and Piet Mondrian espoused simplifying art to a series of geometric elements. Even this was subject to disagreement: the two colleagues split off into Elementarism (diagonals allowed) and the horizontal and vertical axes of Dutch Neo-Plasticism, a rarified movement (orthogonal horizontals and verticals only) of which Mondrian eventually found himself the only votary; (Darwent). The show includes many works on loan from elsewhere. This means that many pieces have never been seen in the UK, especially those by Theodore Van Doesburg. There is a largely Dutch roster of sponsors , which may have helped in the acquisition of so many Van Doesburg pieces. Alternatively, perhaps the inclusion of these rarely-seen works was a cunning appeal to Dutch chauvinism for r ecruiting support from Dutch funders. This strong representation from other collections may be the reason so many of the 350 items are not imaged digitally for later, more leisurely examination. In any case, the range of countries represented certainly highlights the message forcefully that the Avante -Garde was an international movement, with plenty of cross pollination among artistic communities. The Tate’s director, Vicente Todolà ­, has made a point of mounting several previous exhibits focusing on other features of Modernism (The Tate Modern Museum), perhaps as a means of ensuring the development of a future visitor base. If an audience is not raised up in the knowledge and appreciate of the arts, they will not support the arts. Gladys Fabre, an independent curator, has brought together works in a variety of media and genres. She has assembled the big names in Dada, De Stijl, and the Avante- Garde: Piet Mondrian, Constantin Brancusi, Jean Arp; names that even the uninf ormed might recognize. She has included, as well, less well known artists whose work was influenced, or had an influence on, De Stijl, such as Francis Picabia, Lszlà ³ Moholy-Nagy, Gerrit Rietveld, Sophie Taeuber, and Kurt Schwitters. A full range of media are represented. They include traditional painting and drawings, and sculpture. This latter is defined, as in the case of the aluminum and wood robot-like Mechanical Dancing Figure, by the less familiar Vilmos Husz, or the chunky blue vaguely android figure Construction within a Sphere, by the equally under-exposed Georges Vantongerloo, by the whimsy of Dadaism. Ms. Fabre has also included less expected examples of designs that came out of the movement such as typeface, architectural interiors (for example, the explosion of color blocks on the ceiling of the University Hall, in Amsterdam, or the rocking Aubette dance space from Strasbourg), and furniture designs (such as the sculpturally limpid but uncomfortable-appearing Gerrit Reitvald chair, and the modern-looking leather and metal chairs). There are also publications, posters (one mysterious one features the letters HELI), stained glass (such as the emblematic and endlessly copied windows for the De Lange house), music, and film (The Tate Modern Museum). This assemblage of objects from all along the spectrum from utilitarian objects to fine, arts, is reminiscent of the vertical integration of some consumer products and manufacturers (the Apple company is one example, Mattel’s Barbie range could be another) wherein products for all uses and levels of complexity are produced under one corporate umbrella and with a solitary design vision. The wealth and diversity of material demonstrates that the Avante-Garde was a thoroughgoing attempt – utilizing art and design to overturn everything that went before. Considering that in 1918 the world had just endured the soul-searing destruction of a global war, there was revolution abroad, influenza s talked the world, and women were still wearing corsets, there was plenty to complain about. The devotees of De Stijl felt that the earlier century’s efforts to portray reality in an increasingly abstracted fashion (Impressionism, Cubism, and Expressionism, for example) never quite broke free of the reality that persisted as the subject. Somehow, even the gradual uncoupling of painting and sculpture from strict realism came in for withering scorn from the Van Doesburg cabal (Tzara, Lecture on Dada, 1922, reprinted in Tristan Tzara: Biography, DADAism, and Poetry). The proponents of De Stijl wanted to bring the healing and uplifting benefits of liberated and accessible art and design to the oppressed and the deracinated (Darwent) . In our own era, entrepreneurs such as Terence Conran, and corporations such as IKEA have adopted the notion of good-design-for-all to great and profitable effect. The exhibit is arranged such that Mondrian’s orthogonal statements are at one e nd. These are largely color blocks, very familiar, unthreatening, in various sizes and proportions. They are so accustomed an idiom that one feels one has seen them before, even if the particular piece is clearly an import. Van Doesburg’s paintings in his Counter Proposal series are at the other end of the exhibit. These works, such as Simultaneous Counter-Composition, 1930, resemble Mondrians, but rotated by some 45 degrees, and sometimes disordered a bit. These paintings submit diagonals as an alternative to the grid (the â€Å"counter† proposal). They can remind the viewer of a close-up of the bathroom floor tiles, seen a bit too close for comfort during an episode of stomach upset. However, anyone who has ever installed floor coverings on the diagonal to stretch the visual space in a tiny room truly owes Van Doesburg a debt of gratitude for opening up a new direction and making the off-kilter seem like an inevitable option. These are serene paintings which add co lor and form without insisting on the viewer’s involvement, but they reward closer attention as well. The rooms in between bear testimony to the vast array of apparently unrelated design and craft specialties that De Stijl affected, and, by extension, the design ideas we see applied these days. As an example of lasting effect, the rationalized typography design that Van Doesburg innovated (letters fitting in a square, with no lower case letters), can be seen as enabling the development of machine readable typefaces today. The software called Wordle, which makes a graphic out of any block of text, highlighting words and phrases that repeat often, seems to be a direct descendant of Van Doesburg’s experiments with poster art (Feinberg). As an example of how De Stijl helped to break down boundaries between artistic disciplines, and the constraints of any one medium, the exhibit includes film clips animating Plasticist and Elementarist painting (Darwent). Simon Mawer of Th e Guardian faults the exhibit for not including drawings of collaborative architectural projects created with Cornelis van Eesteren. These sound fascinating: the drawings are exploded into three dimensions. Contemporary architects prize such drawings as the best and highest journeyman examples of their craft – it would indeed have been interesting to see how Van Doesburg handled this technique. The exhibit has been reviewed with differing responses. The impersonality of De Stijl leaves some viewers unmoved (Sooke). However, there is agreement that this is a welcome chance to see works that are not often brought together. There is also agreement that the inclusion of art and design that was influenced by ideas promulgated by Van Doesburg opens up that period to our view, and the wealth of photographs put a human face on this often austere art. The photos document the relationships that underpinned the life of these artists, especially their lovers and wives. It is interesting to learn, for example, that Nellie Van Doesburg participated in the performance art pieces that Kurt Schwitters and Van Doesburg mounted around Europe, and that Sophie Taueber was married to Jean Arp, and that they all collaborated on the design of Strasbourg’s Aubette building (Mawer). There has been an ongoing debate regarding the seriousness and validity of the Avante-Garde since it was born. The apparent simplicity and the lack of craft of some of its most famous products leave the impression that there is nothing going on artistically. This debate is not over. Viewers, especially hoi polloi are still asking whether this is really art. It is not clear that this exhibit will answer that question finally for everyone. However, the clever choices that have been made, and the co-location of works that are different in media but related in idea, help to make the point that the concepts of the Avante-Garde had an impact across Europe, and in many different fields. The specific s of the style of De Stijl (austerity, abstraction, the straight lines of the Bauhaus, on which Van Doesburg aimed to have an impact) may still not be to everyone’s taste. The merchandising of the exhibit, on the other hand, is readily accessible. An exit shop, that relatively new marketing method of extracting funds from visitor wallets, imprints the cheerful Van Doesburg diagonals on any flat, or near flat, surface (tea towels, totes, key tags, mugs, magnets, notebooks, bags), and offers books documenting the exhibit, displayed tastefully against a sober, receding, industrial gray background. This venue is supplemented by offerings in the main museum shop. In a decade when the identity of self is defined by the brands one carries or wears, perhaps toting one’s trainers and exercise kit in a Van Doesburg-emblazoned bag, or drinking one’s cocoa from a similarly decorated beaker seems a legitimate means of proclaiming one’s intellectual bent. â€Å"You should want to marry me (or hire me, or be friends with me) because I have slogged through this intellectually challenging exhibit â€Å", trumpets the merchandise. A much coveted related sales item is a set of Dadaist poetry generators: a pre-selected collection of individual words mounted on magnet backing whose arrangement ad libitum allows people to create their own Dada-style poem on their refrigerator door (Tzara, To Make A Dadist Poem, reprinted in Tristan Tzara: Biography, DADAism, and Poetry). Happily, the overturning of the 19th century insistence on an imitation of nature (which effectively excluded from the practice of art anyone who was not a good draftsperson), has spawned a whole new style of art teachers, whose young students joyously create something, anything; confident in their belief (directly attributable to Van Doesburg and his companions) that if they call it art, IT IS, by gosh, ART. Reflecting this same joyous anarchy, Catherine Craft notes that Robert Mot herwell, the essential biographer of the Avante-Garde, observed that Dada had given health and new life to painting in Europe (Craft 3-4). There is also a practical inheritance, e.g., typefaces which even a computer can read. The geographic distribution and inter-connectedness of the Avante-Garde are presented forcefully in the exhibit, and it is accessible both to the fan and the less than rapt. Van Doesburg well deserves this resurrection from oblivion. I. The catalogue of ideas, institutions, religions, and behaviors, to name a few, that Dada revolts against, is expressed here by Tristan Tzara: â€Å"The beginnings of Dada were not the beginnings of an art, but of a disgust. Disgust with the magnificence of philosophers who for 3ooo years have been explaining everything to us (what for? ), disgust with the pretensions of these artists-Gods-representatives-on-earth, disgust with passion and with real pathological wickedness where it was not worth the bother; disgust with a false form of domination and restriction *en masse*, that accentuates rather than appeases mans instinct of domination, disgust with all the catalogued categories, with the false prophets who are nothing but a front for the interests of money, pride, disease, disgust with the lieutenants of a mercantile art made to order according to a few infantile laws, disgust with the divorce of good and evil, the beautiful and the ugly (for why is it more estimable to be red rather than green, to the left rather than the right, to be large or small?). Disgust finally with the Jesuitical dialectic which can explain everything and fill peoples minds with oblique and obtuse ideas without any physiological basis or ethnic roots, all this by means of blinding artifice and ignoble charlatans promises. â€Å"(Tzara, Lecture on Dada, 1922, reprinted in Tristan Tzara: Biography, DADAism, and Poetry) (sic) II. This impatience with art as it used to be was verbalized by Tristan Tzara in the following almost l ucid quote: â€Å"We dont accept any theories. Weve had enough of the cubist and futurist academies: laboratories of formal ideas†¦ Cubism was born out of a simple manner of looking at objects: Cezanne painted a cup twenty centimetres lower than his eyes, the cubists look at it from above, others complicate its appearance by cutting a vertical section through it and soberly placing it to one side. (Im not forgetting the creators, nor the seminal reasons of unformed matter that they rendered definitive.) The futurist sees the same cup in movement, a succession of objects side by side, mischievously embellished by a few guide-lines. This doesnt stop the canvas being either a good or a bad painting destined to form an investment for intellectual capital. The new painter creates a world whose elements are also its means, a sober, definitive, irrefutable work. The new artist protests: he no longer paints (symbolic and illusionistic reproduction) but creates directly in stone, wood, iron, tin, rocks, or locomotive structures capable of being spun in all directions by the limpid wind of the momentary sensation. Every pictorial or plastic work is unnecessaryA painting is the art of making two lines, which have been geometrically observed to be parallel, meet on a canvas, before our eyes, in the reality of a world that has been transposed according to new conditions and possibilities. This world is neither specified nor defined in the work, it belongs, in its innumerable variations, to the spectator. For its creator it has neither cause nor theory. Order = disorder; ego = non?ego; affirmation = negation: the supreme radiations of an absolute art. Absolute in the purity of its cosmic and regulated chaos, eternal in that globule that is a second which has no duration, no breath, no light and no control. I appreciate an old work for its novelty. It is only contrast that links us to the past.(Tzara, Dada Does Not Mean Anything, reprinted in Tristan Tzara: Biography, DADAism, and Poetry) (sic) III. Tristan Tzara offered the following straightforward instruction, in poetic format. He could also have mentioned that choosing several different articles with different typefaces would add a certain decorative fillip to the randomly generated poem: To Make a Dadist Poem Take a newspaper. Take some scissors. Choose from this paper an article the length you want to make your poem. Cut out the article. Next carefully cut out each of the words that make up this article and put them all in a bag. Shake gently. Next take out each cutting one after the other. Copy conscientiously in the order in which they left the bag. The poem will resemble you. And there you are an infinitely original author of charming sensibility, even though unappreciated by the vulgar herd.† (Tzara, To Make A Dadist Poem, reprinted in Tristan Tzara: Biography, DADAism, and Poetry) (sic) Resources (Modern Dime Sized Coins of the World: Liberia) â€Å"I dont have to tell you that for the general public and for you, the refined public, a Dadaist is the equivalent of a leper. But that is only a manner of speaking. When these same people get close to us, they treat us with that remnant of elegance that comes from their old habit of belief in progress. At ten yards distance, hatred begins again. If you ask me why, I wont be able to tell you.† (Tzara, Lecture on Dada, 1922, reprinted in Tristan Tzara: Biography, DADAism, and Poetry) The size of gift shops has begun to rival exhibits in many museums; The Metropolitan has several and at least one off-site. This indicates just how tenuous are the traditional sources of support for museums’ operations, now seldom covered by admission sales. In an article assumed to be by Marcel Duchamp, the author defends the appropriateness for inclusion of a fountain in an art show, as follows: â€Å"He CHOSE it. He took an ordinary article of life, placed it so that its useful significance disappeared under the new title and point of view created a new thought for that object.†(Duchamp) This could be considered a summary statement of the criteria for Dadaist art. Observe how the teacher encourages the kids to call whatever they put together, whatever they create, whatever they assemble, ART. Look at the geometric stained glass which graces so many contemporary church windows; even decades after Van Doesburg and Mondrian are gone from the scene. Equally; the geometric Mondrianization of patterns is evident everywhere in home furnishings. Art is what you choose to call art; a Dada principle! It is hard not to imagine that a high fiber diet and some yoghurt, or an anti-depressant, might have soothed these anal-compulsive-seeming obsessions just as effectively. Tate Patrons, Tate International Council, The Van Doesburg Exhibition Supporters Group, The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Dedalus Foundation, Inc, Mondriaan Foundation, Prince Bernhard Cultural Foundation (Straver Founda tion), SNS Reaal Fond (The Tate Modern Museum). It should be noted that there was a distinct political (or sometimes anti-political) thread in the passions of the Avante-Garde, which did not always endear the movement to establishment institutions (Craft 3). Van Doesburg’s use of â€Å"solomite†, a building material made of straw, is a striking foreshadowing of the whole sustainability movement in home design today (Mawer). Bibliography Craft, Catherine. New York Dada? Looking Back After a Second World War, lecture given September 9, 2006. 2010. 10 March 2010 http://media.moma.org/audio/2006/pub_prog/spec_exhib/Dada/MOMA_RepresentingDadatalk.pdf. dada home page. 2010. 11 March 2010 http://dadatheband.com/. Darwent, Charles. Well-chosen works show how De Stijl – The Style – movement led to a revolution in European art that still resonates today: Van Doesburg the International Avant-Garde, Tate Modern, London. 2010. 11 March 2010 independent.co.uk/arts-en tertainment/art/reviews/van-doesburgthe-international-avantgarde-tate-modern-london-1891448.html. Duchamp, Marcel. Dissent and Disorder-Selected Essays on Dadaism. Harrison, C. and Wood,P. Art in Theory. Trans. Ralph Mannheim. London: Blackwell Publishing, 2002. 250-275. Feinberg, Jonathan. Wordle: Beautiful Word Clouds. 2010. 12 March 2010 wordle.net/. Garageband. 2010. 10 March 2010 apple.com/ilife/garageband/. Mawer, Simon. Theo van Doesburg: Forgotten artist of the avant garde. 23 January 2010. 11 March 2010 guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/jan/23/theo-van-doesburg-avant-garde-tate. Modern Dime Sized Coins of the World: Liberia. 2010. 10 March 2010 http://dewardt.net/dimebook/Liberia.pdf. Sooke, Alastair. Tate Moderns new exhibition about the Dutch art movement De Stijl leaves Alastair Sooke feeling a little cold: Van Doesburg and the International Avant-Garde at Tate Modern, review. 11 March 2010. 11 March 2010 telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturecritics/alastairsooke/7130547/Van-Do esburg-and-the-International-Avant-Garde-at-Tate-Modern-review.html. Tzara, Tristan. Dada Does Not Mean Anything, reprinted in Tristan Tzara: Biography, DADAism, and Poetry. 2010. 11 March 2010 arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/dada/Tristan-Tzara.html. Tzara, Tristan. Dada Manifesto 1918. Motherwell, Robert, and Arp, Jean. The Dada Painters and Poets. Trans. Ralph Mannheim. New York: Wittenborn, Schultz, 1970. 76-82. - . Lecture on Dada, 1922, reprinted in Tristan Tzara: Biography, DADAism, and Poetry. 2010. 10 March 2010 arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/dada/Tristan-Tzara.html. - . To Make A Dadist Poem, reprinted in Tristan Tzara: Biography, DADAism, and Poetry. 2010. 11 March 2010 arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/dada/Tristan-Tzara.html. Van Doesburg and the International Avant-Garde: About the Exhibition. 2010. 10 March 2010 tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/vandoesburg/default.shtm.

Allowing the Use of Discarded IVF Embryos for Stem Cell Research Is Essay

Allowing the Use of Discarded IVF Embryos for Stem Cell Research Is Ethical - Essay Example There are several sources of stem cells. Adult stem cells can be taken from an individual, coaxed into becoming something useful in therapy, and transplanted back into the body. However, the usefulness of adult stem cells is limited, because not all types of cells have been isolated, and they are difficult to isolate because they occur in minute quantities in adults (NIH 11). Embryonic stem cells are the most flexible and can be obtained from in vitro fertilization patients, thus avoiding the moral quagmire of the abortion debate entirely. While visions of Nazi-level experimentation dance in our heads, it’s hard to come to a moral and logical conclusion regarding stem cell research. The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity comments, â€Å"If anything is to be gained from the cruel atrocities committed against human beings in the last century and a half, it is the lesson that the utilitarian devaluation of one group of human begins for the alleged benefit of others is a price we simply cannot afford to pay† (CBHD 53). By demonizing stem cell researchers as cold-blooded, immoral baby killers, this argument avoids actually defining the boundaries of human life and descends into rhetoric. A medical professional must put aside rhetoric and stick to the facts. The â€Å"if-then† scenarios put forth by the religious right are especially rhetorical. If they argue, we determine that a blastocyst or embryo isn’t viable because it can’t survive on its own (separate from major medical intervention or a mother’s womb), then we are only one small step away from using comatose patients in medical experiments (Sullivan 59). Again, the argument is not a scientific one; it is simply a drawing room discussion with no boundaries. Leftover embryos from IVF patients are no longer useful to those who would donate them, and their potentiality is limited.

Extremes of Body Modification in the Aztec and Maori Cultures Research Paper

Extremes of Body Modification in the Aztec and Maori Cultures - Research Paper Example In addition, while some still attribute deeper psychological meaning to the practice, others insist that body modification has become nothing more than a simple fashion accessory, or a matter of preference (Wohlrab et al., 87–88). Body modification is defined as â€Å"the semi-permanent or permanent deliberate alteration of the human body†. The practice of body modification extends all over the globe since the dawn of humankind itself. Even though types of modifications vary wildly by geography and culture, in most cases, historically, there has been a symbolic reason beyond aesthetic preference. A modification could indicate that the bearer underwent some sort of group initiation, joined a particular age bracket or social group, or it could identify personal accomplishments, social status, or religious membership and ordaination (Wohlrab et all, 87–88). In more recent times, body modification was often associated with lower classes of people, not the elite. In Europe and later, America, tattooing was common among sailors, who were not viewed kindly by polite society. The practice traveled to other members of lower classes. Biker culture, punk culture, criminal organizations, and prison culture eventually adopted the practice (Wohlrab et all, 87–88). ... Aztec culture used body modification for the purpose of distinguishing class, societal role, and gender. Gender identity was established in the early teens, when all individuals were classified within three genders: potentially reproductive male, potentially reproductive female, and celibate. Throughout these three genders, body modification would follow a set path based on life events. Astronomers and priests calculated the life calendar and fortune prediction for every individual at birth (Joyce, 475-476) Boys and girls wore their hair identically until the age of 12, in a short crop over the whole head. By 12, girls began growing their hair long. Boys shaved their heads except for one long tuft in the back. A young man was permitted to shave it upon taking his first captive in battle. Afterward, the hair was to the bottom of the ear on the right side, shaving the left. Upon capturing a 4th captive, a man recieved the privilege of wearing his hair any way he liked. After childbirth , a woman usually wore her long hair bound around her head (Joyce, 479-480). Among the Aztecs, nearly every combination of gender and societal role had its own code of dress, appearance, and body modification. Aztec adults began a child’s course of body modification by grabbing children between infancy and 4 years old by the neck, every 4th year, in the month Izcalli, on special feast day. This was believed to make the child taller. The ceremony began with piercing the ears of the children. A cotton string was put in the hole initially, and the holes were slowly stretched over time to allow the child to wear ear ornaments as an adult averaging over 2 centimeters wide Joyce, 477-478). Male noble children 15 and over were admitted to the calmecac, for the training of