Mysticism

The Social Theory of Brazil Imagine a world where bureaucracy has run amok and created a system congested with “red tape.” A world where the state and capitalism have operated unchecked and have created a society of false consciousness. This is the world of Brazil. I am not referring to the South American country but the 1985 film written and directed by Terry Gilliam, formerly of Monty Python. The title refers to the song "Aquarela do Brasil” which is used as the soundtrack for the film.…

His obsession with El Greco started when he went to study in Madrid where he was impressed by El Greco’s magnificent heads. As early as 1899 he had filled page after page of a sketchbook with caricatures of Greco-like portraits, often with flamboyant ruff collars, exaggerating their pointed chins, their schematic quality and their hyper-refined tonality. One of his heads even had the inscription: Yo El Greco, yo Greco! Shortly afterwards Picasso’s Blue Period followed and there his pictures were…

Thirdly, oriental mysticism as revealed in Hindu and Chinese classics reached America in English translations. As a result, New England Transcendentalism blended native American tradition with foreign influences. Development Ralph Waldo Emerson published Nature in…

Is Moby-Dick a Gothic novel? If one were to Google what genre the book falls under, the most popular result he or she will receive is “American Romanticism”, which makes sense considering the time period Herman Melville wrote it. In fact, the novel is third on the list of “Popular American Romanticism Books” featured on the Goodreads’ website. Yet, when researching further into the characteristics of a Gothic novel, the possibility of Melville’s book being a Gothic seems less and less absurd.…

Is Japan immune to social change? An essay on similarities and differences in the: society, culture and economy of the home islands, across Doctor Akagi and Akira. In this essay I will compare and contrast the Doctor Akagi and Akira. These two films, produced respectively 1988 (Akira) and 1998 (Doctor Akagi), show Japan in a time of crises, with destruction on the horizon. Throughout both the plot each film ventures in all aspects of society, from neo-slums to tech villas in Akira; to country…

The Party views individualism as the only force which could overthrow their system of governing, and in making resistance a pointless act, by maintaining ignorance within the masses, they become omnipotent. Through careful early conditioning in schools, clubs, in "lectures, parades, songs, slogans and martial music" all natural human, individual thought and feeling are stamped out of the general populace. They were not allowed to look unique either in clothing (When Parson's young daughter…

Germany at one point was well gifted in the art of film making. In the 1920’s German expressionism was wildly popular and inspired many filmmakers however, Germany hit a creative cinematic drought during the war and became very idle after. It was in late 1960’s that the New German Cinema movement began to get its footing. This movement was inspired by the French New Wave, causing young directors to shun the old film making ways and bring new life to the film industry. These films were normally…

When I first got into art I was in 10th grade. There was an exhibition at the Mary Boone Gallery featuring Brooklyn street artist work; KAWS and I wanted to check his work in person because I never got the chance to. The exhibition featured his famous statues, “ALONG THE WAY” and paintings he’s done. KAWS is known for his whimsical cartoonish style of art. KAW is also affiliated in the street wear world after he launched his clothing label, Original Fake. He recently had his “ALONG THE WAY”…

The Guilt that Drives Insanity There has been many cases that haven’t been answered by anyone of why one tends to murder something or someone. The human mind works in mysterious ways and each of us don’t actually know what goes on in another person’s human mind until we let each other know. We all have a breaking point that makes us commit errors, but for some of us it goes just a little too far. After reading the stories, “The Black Cat”, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, and “The Cask of Amontillado” we…

Anthropomorphism in Children’s Literature: From Wily Wolves to Erudite Pigs Animals have dominated stories that people pass from one generation to another, especially those that are intended for children literature. They are, however, to the biologists’ dismay, being treated anthropomorphically which implies giving human emotions to animals. Biologists contend that giving the animals human traits misguides the children as they learn to associate humans traits with animals that cannot have them.…