John Woo: from Hong Kong to Hollywood, The Killer and Face-Off Essay

John Woo: from Hong Kong to Hollywood, The Killer and Face/Off John Woo and his â€Å"heroic bloodshed† have revolutionized and rejuvenated the action genre, combining melodrama with action to create the male melodrama, in which he explores the codes of masculinity while redefining them. Robert Hanke says that â€Å"explosive pyrotechnics seem to be privileged over plot, narrative or character† (Hanke 41) and yet notes that Jillian Sandell maintains the opinion that Woo does not â€Å"celebrate this violence, but rather uses it to represent a nostalgia for a lost code of honor and chivalry† (Hanke 1999: 45). While characterized by violence, Woo’s films define masculinity within a changing world. He does not set out to make violent films, defending A Better Tomorrow by saying â€Å"It’s not a gangster movie. It’s a film about chivalry, about honor, but set in the modern world. I want to teach the new generation: ‘What is friendship? What is brotherhood? What have we lost? What we have to get back.à ¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬  (Logan 1995: 116), a statement that can be applied to both The Killer (1989) and Face/Off (1997). In The Killer, Jeff and Stanley are nostalgic about the past, saying how things have changed. Loss is a literal theme in both movies, as Jeff tries to regain Sally’s sight and in Face/Off Archer has lost his son and seeks to regain a sense of identity and purpose, and ultimately a son. Woo makes his films to fill this lack that he sees in the modern world. He is influenced by many different films and n...

The Advantages of Late Exit Bilingual Education

Imagine being brought up in a family speaking only one language for your entire life and then you had to move to a foreign land where the language is different. If you had a choice of progressively learning this new language over the course of six to nine years or being put into a classroom and have to virtually teach yourself the language by listening to others around you which would you choose? Late exit bilingual education is a more effective form of bilingual education compared to the English immersion form of bilingual education in the fact that there are more benefits and less adverse effects. There are many reasons why late exit bilingual education should be the choice of public schools everywhere with high minority populations. One of the effects of late exit bilingual education is that the students would be able to maintain their cultural background instead of having to give up one or the other. Language is a big part of a person†s culture. Late exit bilingual education gives the non-English speaking students more time to master the English language which is not an easy language to learn in three years as the English immersion strategy teaches. The findings of the Ramirez team in 1991 evaluating the effectiveness of English immersion, early exit bilingual education, and late exit bilingual education further prove why late exit bilingual education is the one that needs to be used. To look at why keeping one†s culture is important one just needs to look at how and why this country was founded. The first Americans from England came here so they wouldn†t have to conform to everything the rulers of England wanted. Immigrants founded this country. One of the greatest things about the United States is that there are so many different types of cultures everywhere you look. It is true that one needs to learn the English language to be successful, but forcing one to give up his or her cultural background is going against everything this country stands for. English immersion does just that by forcing the student to give up his or her cultural background and language (Faltis 191). Late exit bilingual education allows the child to progress effectively through the educational system with the instruction given in English to the extent to make this possible (Schneider, 1976, p. 128. ). To throw a student into a classroom that speaks a language that is not familiar to them and forcing them to adjust in three years like English immersion does is not fair to the student. A sink or swim technique is not very beneficial and can cause more harms than good. The English language takes longer than that to gain mastery in even for people who have a firm English base to start from. The expected time to master the English language is anywhere from four to nine years for the average person (Collier, 1992). Students who don†t have time to develop their L1 or English will not succeed in all-English classrooms (Cummins, 1981). Time is needed for development, which is just not offered with English immersion. I was in a class with three Hispanic immigrants while I was in high school. They knew no English and were forced to adapt to the all-English environment through English immersion. The classes were difficult for English speaking students let alone students who didn†t understand what was going on around them. As expected by the observers of these students, the immigrant students passed the class with D- ‘s only because the teacher felt it was the best thing for them. We need to realize that these non-English speaking students and other like them who go through the English immersion program will graduate from high school by the mercy of teachers and will not be prepared to be successful in the so-called ‘real world†. This leads me to statistics that further the notion that late exit bilingual education is more effective than English immersion. These results were published in the Ramirez report. The Ramirez report contains some very important evidence that suggests late exit bilingual education is the more beneficial program to use. By looking at the report it is clear that even teachers of the English immersion strategy believe that many of the students in their classes would be better off if they remained in the program for more than the three years that it takes now. The report has evidence that suggests the students should be provided with instruction in their primary language until they are able to profit from the English only instruction. Another important detail that came out of the Ramirez study was that the home language of the student should be used for instruction and as a way for parents to assist their children in their learning. Parental involvement appears to be the greatest in the late exit program. The study suggests that schools should explore how they might use the students† home language to get the parents involved in the schooling of their children. Whether it†s from the Ramirez report, my personal experiences, or the fact that it takes more than three years to even get close to mastering the English language it is clear to see that the English immersion program is not the way to go, but rather late exit bilingual education. If public schools want to prepare the minority student for the world after high school they need to use late exit bilingual education and give them the best chance to succeed while at the same time allowing them to keep there cultural and native language. It is clear that there are more benefits to late exit bilingual education compared to English immersion.

Progressive Era vs New Deal Essay examples - 981 Words

New Deal vs. Progressive Era During both the Progressive era and the New Deal era, policies as well as programs were being created in an effort to assist the American public, specifically those living in poverty. Throughout the early 1900’s Roosevelt had strayed away from the typical laissez-faire policy and decided that the people would need to be guided by the government. â€Å"Wilsonian Progressivism† had also aimed at assisting the public with his â€Å"New Freedom Program† which consisted of antitrust legislation, banking reform as well as tariff reductions. After the stock market crashed in 1929, America had fallen into a Great Depression resulting in the unemployment of millions. Newly elected Franklin D. Roosevelt decided to present his†¦show more content†¦Franklin Roosevelt had also battled private companies when he established the Tennessee Valley Authority which had determined how fair the rates being charged by private companies for electric ity were. The New Deal legislation had led to an increased union membership and the winning of better wages and rights for the labor force. Both era’s had also decided to create a new banking system in order to help the economy and thus the public. Wilson created the Federal Reserve Act/Board which appointed twelve regional reserve districts each with its own central bank. The board was able to create paper money backed by commercial paper in order to make sure the amount of money in circulation could be increased as needed. Franklin Roosevelt similarly established the Glass Steagal Banking Reform Act which spawned the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation which insured that there were individual deposits up to $5000. The act had ended the bank failures and saved the money of many unemployed. The two era’s had always attempted to assist the farmers. Wilson made credit available to farmers at low rates of interest with the Federal Farm Loan Act of 1916, as well as authorized loans on the security of staple crops with the Warehouse Act of 1916. The New Deal had created the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933 which made millions of dollars available to help farmers meet theirShow MoreRelatedThe Feminist Movement : The First Great Provider For The Human Species1392 Words   |  6 Pagesand Great Britain. This value system emphasized new ideas of femininity, the woman s role within the home, and the dynamics of work and family†(#3; Wikipedia). Overall, this system led through to the individualistic Progressive Era, consumerism, WWI, assembly line production and the dismal years of the Great Depression. Still, The Progressive Era thru to The Great Depression was a very influential time period in U.S. history. 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