Photographer Gordon Parks

Photographer Gordon Parks Biography One of the 20th century’s greatest photographers Gordon Parks was born in 1912 to the family of Africans of photographs The foremost feature of Parks’ photographs is the fact that, while being taken in an unmistakably realist manner, they emanate the strong spirit of humanism. The validity of this statement can be well explored in regards to probably the photographer’s most famous photo of Ella Watson (janitor) standing in front of the American flag inside of the FSA building. What is being particularly noteworthy about this photo is that it prompts onlookers to consider the possibility that, working as a janitor, was not the photographed woman’s ‘true calling’. The reason for this is apparent – Watson’s very appearance suggests that she happened to be a thoroughly intelligent woman. The fact that she is being depicted wearing glasses strengthens this impression even further. Thus, while being exposed to this photo, pe ople cannot help experiencing the sensation that there is something inheritably wrong about the situation with an intelligent Black woman working as a janitor, which in turn leads them to conclude that she must have been forced to stick with this job by some external circumstances. The American flag in the background symbolizes these external circumstances. Apparently, Parks wanted to emphasize that it was due to the policy of racial discrimination (which was enacted in America during the course of the thirties) that African-American women, such as Watson, could not even dream of a social advancement.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Photographer Gordon Parks specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The motif of racial discrimination is also contained in the Parks’ photo of two Black kids playing the doll of a White girl. There are two discursive aspects to this photo. First, the fact that Black children are being fo rced to play with this pale-skinned doll suggests that they were spared of an opportunity to play with a Black doll. The reason for this is simple – at the time when the above photo was taken (the late thirties), there were no dark-skinned dolls manufactured by the American toy-industry. This is because, during the course of this period in American history, the country’s Blacks were not considered fully human, which is why they used to be encouraged to mimic the lifestyle of Whites – playing with White dolls, was meant to make Black children emotionally comfortable with their future status of second-class citizens. Second, the doll’s unemotional (cold) facial expression stands in a striking contrast to the facial expression of a Black kid on the left. This contrast’s symbolism is quite clear – apparently, Parks wanted to promote the idea that it is in White people’s very nature to regard African-Americans inferior, which is why it is wrong to believe that Whites would be willing to treat brothers with dignity, unless they are being forced to do so out of fear. Nevertheless, it would be wrong to suggest that the objective value of Parks’ photographic masterpieces reflects the author’s tendency to expose racist injustices within the American society in a necessarily subtle manner. Quite on the contrary – Parks never skipped an opportunity to document even those instances of a racial discrimination in America that have been directly sponsored by the state. The photograph below validates the legitimacy of this suggestion. Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On it, we get to observe a Black girl drinking out of the water-fountain, designated ‘colored only’, with the water-fountain designated ‘white only’ being only a few inches away. Given the ‘poodle skirts’, worn by two Black ladies on the right, we can well assume that this photo must have been taken during the course of the fifties in one of the America’s Southern states, where the so-called ‘Jim Crow’ laws enjoyed the legislative legitimacy well into the early sixties. It is needless to mention, of course, that this photo can be well discussed in terms of a social commentary. It appears that Parks wanted to prompt contemporary Black onlookers to consider something that they have not been taught in schools, ran by White Bible-thumpers – namely, the fact they had very few reasons to remain loyal to the state, which was willing to go as far as denying their basic humanity, simply because they happened to have a dark ski n. Therefore, it is fully explainable why, as time went on; Parks was growing increasingly distanced from the idea that African-Americans simply had to continue applying an effort into trying to make Whites more racially tolerant, as Martin Luther King used to insist. Apparently, during the course of the sixties, it started to dawn upon Parks that, contrary to what King was suggesting, civil rights are not given but taken. In its turn, this explains why through the sixties Parks was becoming progressively fascinated with the Black Panther Party, in general, and with the character of Malcolm X, in particular. The fact that Parks used to spend long hours, while photographing the party’s political rallies, headed by Malcolm X, validates the full soundness of this suggestion. There can only a few doubts as to the fact that there is a strongly defined social commentary to the above photos, which can be summarized as follows: African-Americans have grown powerful enough to take a direct action against their oppressors. As these photos imply, such an eventual development occurred due to African-Americans having succeeded in making the traditional ‘instruments’ of White people’s racial domination (their efficiency in self-organization and their intellectual capabilities) to serve the purpose of Black people’s liberation. This is the subtle symbolism of Parks’ photos, which feature Black Panthers standing in columns and Malcolm X touching its temple with his finger. At the same time, however, it would be quite inappropriate to suggest that there are solely racial undertones to how Parks went about photographing the surrounding reality. Being a true humanist, Parks used to make a deliberate point in exposing the very essence of people’s existential anxieties – regardless of what happened to be the specifics of the photographed individuals’ racial affiliation. In this respect, the photo below is being espec ially illustrative. Even though that, formally speaking, this photo simply depicts three blood-related females (a grandmother, a mother, and a daughter) that live in the same household, it in fact encourages viewers to contemplate on the shortness of one’s life. This is because the depicted characters allow onlookers to have a three-dimensional glimpse into the process of aging. The photo’s humanist appeal is quite apparent – once people realize the shortness of their lives, they will be more likely to try to make these lives count, such as by the mean of contributing to the well-being of a community, for example. Personal reflections and reactions I personally have always been a great admirer of Gordon Parks. The rationale behind this suggestion can be summarized as follows: 1. Parks contributed substantially towards the process of African-Americans becoming the masters of their own destiny. It is not only that Parks succeeded in exposing the subtle and direct manifestations of White racism, which helped the brothers to adopt a proper approach, while addressing it, but his photographic masterpieces also resulted in prompting the representatives of socially underprivileged racial minorities in America to take a full advantage of their existential potential. One of the reasons for this is that, even though many of the depicted ‘colored’ characters in his photos appear to have suffered from poverty and racial discrimination, there is an unmistakable aura of a perceptual optimism to them. Hence, a subtle message, conveyed by most of the Parks’ photos – despite the fact that Blacks/minors do often experience social/racial oppression, they nevertheless possess something that their oppressors no longer have – a psychological and biological vitality. In this respect, Parks proved himself a true visionary – as of today, African-Americans have effectively ceased being ‘hunted’, while gradually assuming the role of ‘hunters’. The validity of this suggestion can be easily illustrated in regards to what account for the realities of today’s living in America, associated with the process of Whites growing progressively weakened, when it is being only the matter of time before they themselves become the representatives of the one of many of racial minorities in this country. 2. In his personal life, Parks never ceased acting as a humble and yet self-respectful individual, while never succumbing to bitterness even in times when the circumstances called for it. Being a stoic-minded person, Parks used to address life-challenges as a man, without allowing the hardships he used to experience to prevent him from remaining firmly committed to what he believed was the purpose of his life (Moskowitz 103). Parks felt thoroughly comfortable while socializing with both: Black gangsters, on the one hand, and with the America’s top-politicians, on the other. This o nce again suggests that there was nothing incidental about the fact that, despite his humble origins, Parks was able to overcome the seemingly impossible circumstances and to become one of the 20th century’s most influential African-Americans. Therefore, it would be thoroughly appropriate to refer to Parks as a truly inspirational figure, whose cultural legacy will continue to motivate African-Americans make the best out of their lives for generations to come. 3. Parks was a great humanist/intellectual. As it was noted earlier, many of the Parks’ photos are being concerned with promoting the idea that one’s life represents the highest value of all. At the same time, however, Parks never consider joining any of the organized religions in America – hence, proving himself a classical intellectual, capable of understanding that it is specifically people’s lack of education, which prompts them to search for â€Å"God† up in the clouds. Thus, it c an be well assumed that, throughout most of his life, Parks remained well ahead of its time. Therefore, it is fully explainable why the overwhelming majority of intellectually advanced Americans tend to refer to Parks in a particularly high regard – regardless of whether they happened to be Black or White. Thus, it will be fully appropriate, on my part, to conclude this paper by suggesting that, as time goes on, Parks’ cultural legacy will continue to affect the lives of more and more Americans – the very laws of a historical progress establish objective preconditions for this to be the case. Mitchell, Kristina, Martin-Hamon, Amanda and Elissa Anderson. â€Å"A Choice of Weapons: Photographs of Gordon Parks.† Art Education 55.2 (2002): 25-32. Print. Moskowitz, Milton. â€Å"Gordon Parks: A Man for All Seasons.† The Journal of Blacks in  Higher Education 40.1 (2003): 102-104. Print.

My hero Essays - Hero, Mulan, Free Essays, Term Papers

My hero Essays - Hero, Mulan, Free Essays, Term Papers Jose Luis Martinez Jr. September 12, 2013 My hero Being heroic is about helping others when they need it, and not asked to do it. They dont ask for a reward they do it for the feeling of helping others and the smiles on their faces. Being heroic means courage, kindness, humble, and gracious. I feel my parents have these traits along with me and I see them as being great people and great role models. My choice of hero and heroine shows me how to be a good person and parent. I see the world as a place with so many disrespectful people. My hero shows me that not everyone has to be rude and disrespectful. People who show kindness, courage, and strength, like my parents, are my heroes. I first met my hero and heroine face-to-face. My hero and heroine are and will always be my parents. They show me how true people of kindness, respect, strength, and perseverance. My parents help friends and family because they need help not for anything in return. They inspire me to be who they are and to always be respectful to others. I think that we have changed from just telling stories around the campfire. We have evolved so much yet we are still evolving and I think in the future it would be more technology than printed books. We may still have printed books but people would most likely prefer e-readers.

Transformational Leadership Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Transformational Leadership - Movie Review Example Some of these leaders and their leadership styles have proved effective in attaining the various group or family objectives while others have failed to yield any positive result. Event organizers and musicians Woodstock begins with the music festival organizing team preparing the stage and venue of the festival. Under good leadership, the team seems to be enjoying carrying out their assigned duties for the benefit of the whole group. The union of the team is remarkable, perhaps a portrayal of the good transformational leadership traits displayed by the leader. Furthermore, good leadership among the event organizers is also evident when they remain with the organizers as it begins to rain. This is a critical element especially, when the main intention of the festival was to entertain. The move by the organizers and performers to remain behind with the revelers as it began to rain, could be deemed as a positive step that significantly reduced sudden commotions that could possible cause a stampede leading to death or injuries of those in attendance. They courageously and calmly steer the crowd away from acts that could cause accidents such as leaning on the towers and the stage. Subsequently, the event manager provides idealized influence on the crowd by assuring everyone to remain calm amid the confusion as a result of the sudden storm. Similarly, he calmly leads the stewards in covering the equipment and disconnecting electrical equipment. The event organizer also demonstrates a considerable degree of intellectual simulation, an important aspect of transformational leadership (Lang, 2011). He quickly initiates a means of helping the crowd to persevere the heavy rains by initiating a random song. The musicians and music bands also form another important group that displays transformational leadership styles and abilities. Cohesion is critical for a music band performance particularly in the quest to reach out to the huge crowd that had gathered at the festival. I n most of the music groups that participated, there seemed to be a group leader that organized the group into the respective instrument players in creating harmony and entertaining. Without transformational leadership, it would seem rather difficult to organize each of the participants in the groups. This type of transformational leadership is deemed as overt owing to the fact that each member of the music groups has almost equal roles to play. As transformational leaders, the musician and the event organizers remain as a unit of genuine followers and do not in any way use exploitative or manipulative behavior to get what they believe they deserve. At the same, they also display some emotional connection with their followers, which is created through respect for individual desires of their followers. The musicians, who are transformational leaders, further enhance the emotional connection with their followers by encouraging them to experience their own worth by singing along. In an organization point of view, this can be regarded as a way of encouraging followers to utilize their own skills and deploy their cognitive abilities to transform themselves and an organization (Lang, 2011). The connection between the musicians and their followers, just like the connection between a transformational leader and his followers in an organization, is evident in the manner in which the followers admire ad identify with them and want to imitate them. Irrespective of the deviant

Legal Week 4 Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Legal Week 4 Discussion - Assignment Example Peer review can indeed be said to be an effective program within the health sector in achieving quality health care. This is because through peer review, there is a professional back up of the actual health care service that is delivered to service users (World Health Organization, 2011). This is to say that peer review makes it possible for there to be validity of professional medical outcomes, whereby the decisions and actions of medical staff members are subject to third party scrutiny to ensure that all forms of lapses are identified and corrected. In such a situation, the patient or service user becomes the eventual benefactor, getting an assurance that there is always a back up for guaranteed health care. Peer review can also be said to be very effective in promoting peer learning. What this means is that through various peer review methods, professional medical staff are able to learn from their colleagues and peers through the corrections and critique they pass on them. Meanwhile, within the professional medical practice, continuous learning has been noted to be an important process that ensures that service providers are always equipped with the latest service standards to use in rendering quality service (Bond and Bond, 2004). Meanwhile when the service provider is guaranteed to be of high quality, this can be translated into the quality of care (World Health Organization,

Government subsidies Essay Example for Free

Government subsidies Essay An agricultural subsidy can be defined as a grant offered to farmers for their products. These subsidies are provided in order to add-on to farmers incomes, to control the costs of agricultural products in the market and to regulate supply of these products. The US government is required by the law to provide farm subsidies and is required to grant about twelve products. Some of the products that the government of US has subsidized include; corn, maize, wheat, barley, cotton, peanuts, milk, sugar among other products. (Robert, 2004) Agricultural subsidies have been in place ever since the early twentieth century. In the 1930s, farmers were very vulnerable to price fluctuations. This vulnerability caused them to strike in order to get the governments attention. A law was passed to protect them through tariffs. This was not very successful because it caused the international market to fear imports from the US. Years later, the government introduced another law that facilitated the control of goods produced by farmers, purchase of excess products and provisions for minimum payment to farmers. These changes that were made in the 1950s are still in place today. Some slight modifications have been made but the basics have been retained. Agricultural subsidies have had a lot of changes over the past decades in the country. In the early twentieth Century, there was a large chunk of the country’s population that engaged and resided in farms. At that time in history, farmers took up a large portion of grants. In the recent years, this has dramatically changed largely due to the fact that the number of farmers has reduced dramatically consequently reducing the amount of funds spent on them. A subsidy normally focuses on a particular product. This entails price considerations in that farmers are granted a certain amount of cash for a specific weight of product. On top of that payment, farmers expect a fixed price for any subsidized crop. So if market prices are lower than what farmers were promised, then the government compensates farmers for this balance. Payments are obtained from taxes meaning that the rest of the country’s population is involved on this matter Part 1: Government subsidies There are scores of subsidies that re currently offered by the government. But they can all be placed under certain groupings. These are what will be examined in detail below; (Robert, 2004) Export subsidies can be described as a settlement between the government and farmers regarding crops or agricultural products that will be exported or sold internationally. It was initiated in order to ensure that farmers have adequate funding when exporting their products. This kind of subsidization can sometimes result in farmers having extra finances. This implies that they can be able to sell their goods in target countries at a price that may be lower than cost of production. Consequently, farmers in those host countries maybe out competed. This has caused developing countries to raise an alarm. The United States has taken its exports to many countries some of which include South American countries. Some of the proponents of this type of subsidy claim that it perpetuates low prices for commodities in developing countries. This means that locals in those importing countries can be able to purchase agricultural goods at low prices. Complaints have been registered about cases of dumping in these countries: Where agricultural dumping is the sale of products at unfairly low prices that exceed their cost of production. This is propagated by availability of extra funds from export subsidies. Conservation payments are also another type of subsidy offered by the US government. The subsidies are normally done in support of the environment and for conservation purposes. The two plans under which this subsidy is implemented are the Conservation Security Program and the Conservation Reserve Program. It normally targets farmers that use environmentally friendly methods for their practices. This program was initiated after it was observed that agricultural activities cause immense pollution to the country’s resources. In the year 2003, the government spent close to two billion dollars on payments related to this scheme. Supporters of this type of subsidy claim that it protects the environment through promotion of environmentally friendly practices. These include issues like growth of nutrient-rich crops like beans rather than those that consume nutrients like corn, use of contour stripping and other methods that eradicate soil erosion.

A Woman Pouring Milk Essay -- Visual Arts Paintings Art

A Woman Pouring Milk In Ways of Seeing by John Berger, the way we have been taught to observe, learn and analyze art is criticized. Berger describes static images are an appearance that has been taken out of context, out of its original time and setting. He states that any image encompasses a way of seeing. The way we see a specific image is based on perspective. A piece of art can be interpreted in various ways; it is relative to every person. Throughout the text, Berger illustrates the different types of arts. Each one is a perfect example of the phrase â€Å"Use your own interpretation.† If looked at closely, one gets different ideas and understandings than others of the same image. Another way that paintings are interpreted or misinterpreted is through reproductions. Reproducing original pieces of art has been a large controversy as well, even a â€Å"political issue,† which is discussed by Berger. Berger places a painting by Vermeer in his book, but does not offer an explanation on the painting. He does this so we ask ourselves about the painting. The painting, â€Å"A Woman Pouring Milk†, is a simple, self-explanatory image, yet simultaneously symbolizes much more. Most of Vermeer’s work involves women performing daily chores. In his stated painting, we see how the woman is focusing intently on pouring the milk. She does not look at the artist painting her, she does not look around the room as if bored, but staring at the task. The woman is using all her eff... A Woman Pouring Milk Essay -- Visual Arts Paintings Art A Woman Pouring Milk In Ways of Seeing by John Berger, the way we have been taught to observe, learn and analyze art is criticized. Berger describes static images are an appearance that has been taken out of context, out of its original time and setting. He states that any image encompasses a way of seeing. The way we see a specific image is based on perspective. A piece of art can be interpreted in various ways; it is relative to every person. Throughout the text, Berger illustrates the different types of arts. Each one is a perfect example of the phrase â€Å"Use your own interpretation.† If looked at closely, one gets different ideas and understandings than others of the same image. Another way that paintings are interpreted or misinterpreted is through reproductions. Reproducing original pieces of art has been a large controversy as well, even a â€Å"political issue,† which is discussed by Berger. Berger places a painting by Vermeer in his book, but does not offer an explanation on the painting. He does this so we ask ourselves about the painting. The painting, â€Å"A Woman Pouring Milk†, is a simple, self-explanatory image, yet simultaneously symbolizes much more. Most of Vermeer’s work involves women performing daily chores. In his stated painting, we see how the woman is focusing intently on pouring the milk. She does not look at the artist painting her, she does not look around the room as if bored, but staring at the task. The woman is using all her eff...

Making Hotplates

Making Hotplates What changes in the work situation might account for the increase in productivity and the decrease in controllable rejects? According to the article, the company had 10 workers that were responsible for assembling hot plates with the appropriate tools. Each person was responsible for assembling a part of the hotplate instead of the whole thing. One person would start the hotplate assembly, when they were finished they would pass it to the next, who would begin their part, etc. When the company decided to make each person responsible for an entire plate, productivity turned around. The reasons for this turn around are less wasted time and a feeling of completing something by the workers. If worker #2 is faster than worker # 1, he will be waiting on #1 to finish so he can get started on his next one. In addition, many people want to have the satisfaction of finishing a product, and when the product is â€Å"theirs,† they will take more pride in making sure it is done correctly. The worker said, â€Å"Now, this is my hotplate† because he is proud of the work he has accomplished. They now have a sense of ownership when it comes to the hotplate, instead of apiece part of it. Empowering enables people to use their talents and capabilities, fosters accomplishment, invests in learning, finds the spirit in an organization and builds effective relationships, informs, leads, coaches, serves, creates and liberates† (Empowering Manager) What might account for the drop in absenteeism and the increase in moral? Going back to question 1, the reason for the increase in moral is the same reason the productivity increased. It is a sense of completion and satisfaction by the workers with the new assembly process. They feel like they are important to the company and they can now compete to see who produces the most and who produces the best product with rewards as an incentive to try to be the best. When you have a sense of completion, it makes you want to do the best you can. They were also told that if they did not like the new way of doing business they could go back to the old way. This made them feel as if they had some control over the situation and made them feel like their feelings matter, when before they did not have that. What were the major changes in the situation? Which changes were under the control of the manager? Which were controlled by workers? The biggest change with the making of hotplates is the assembly process. They went from an assembly line with the first person doing part, the next person doing their part until the last person who boxed it up to ship. The change put each person responsible for making the entire hotplate. By doing this, they increased morale and productivity. The managers were responsible for making the change from an assembly line and increasing the morale by doing so. Stevenson says that top management has â€Å"the ultimate responsibility for quality† (Stevenson, 2009, pg. 417). Stevenson also says one thing high quality does is in the workplace is yield higher productivity which they had after the quality of work changed for the workers. The workers were in control of the productivity increase. What might happen if the workers went back to the old assembly line method? If the workers went back to the old way of business, everything else would go back to the old way too. This means the workers would start missing days again, morale would drop, and the productivity would drastically decrease. This would happen because the quality of their work has decreased which would then decrease productivity all over again. Now that they have seen how important they feel when they are in charge of the entire hotplates, and not just parts of it, I feel things would be worse than before. References Stevenson, W. , (2009). Operations management (10th ed. ). New York : McGraw Hill/Irwin. The Empowering Manager Is†¦Briefcasebooks. com