A picture is worth a thousand words.  After analyzing this phrase, I connected it with the standardized modes of a dress code that offer a protective cover up since the time when the distinction between private space and public space first emerged. There is a need to project ones self and ones inner feelings.
Appearance was a cover for the real individual hiding within.  The implication is that a persons clothing somehow reflects his or her character.  In making clothing choices they demonstrate their awareness that a style or mode of appearance has meaning

The choice of a dress might express a personal vision, mirror an emotional state or explore a physical, psychological and social subtext within representation of the self.

Dress is a way society can judge a persons personalities, morals, etc. by a single glance.  Dress is the expression of ones life to the public.  The way a person dresses attracts the attention of the desired type of person.  It is, in a way, a method of a human mating call.  The messages we send through our clothing are our way of communicating to the familiar and the strange without saying a single word.  We are raised to dress in a way that expresses our wants or desires.  We literally wear our beliefs and upbringings on our sleeves.
However, what if dress codes stopped sending messages and hidden meanings  Would we, as a human race, be able to trust as easily if our clothes did not give us a first impression  What about our technology today  Could it help us to find a look that fit our personalities and shape our societies without a single stitch made
   
As Issac Bashevis Singer once said, What a strange power there is in clothing (Quotations).  Clothing does have a power and it is sometimes strange.  As I will explain, clothing has an effect on human nature.  It can project the feelings of the user and implore certain emotions and thoughts of the observer.  Clothing can help a person experience emotions that have been seldom experienced before.  One can gather unknown courage and audacity just from his clothes.  It can relinquish courage, hope, spontaneity, and love.  Clothing is indeed a strange power.  It is a power that has fascinated the general public, the wearers, and the researchers for generations.  It is a power that Im sure will continue to do so for years to come.
   
A persons physical clothing is only one of the many first impressions gathered by an observer.  Types of spiritual clothing also exist, called an aura.  Auras are the actual colors a persons body gives off to reflect a mood or experience.  Many claim to be able to read these articles of spiritual clothing, while others write them off as phenomena of the mind.
   
In the complex human mind, we are constantly cataloging the different objects we come in contact with everyday.  Only a handful of inanimate objects give us a certain emotion or feeling.  However, these seemingly lifeless objects are brought to life in such a way that only the person affected can explain.
In todays technologically advanced world, we can design an article of clothing without picking up a needle and thread.  Our imaginations can freely run as we design, redesign, and evaluate clothing that began as a small idea in our cognitive wheels.  We are given the gift of possibility.  However, this gift is endless and is given as a result of hard work and advancement by the world before today.  We owe our technology to those who spent their lives developing it so we could be happy and enlightened beyond our wildest dreams.
   
According to a popular common knowledge dictionary, the phrase dress code holds the meaning A set of rules, as in a school, indicating the approved manner of dress (Dress).  More than likely, this is the meaning of dress code that we are all familiar with and use to describe our approved manner of dress.  However, this definition strikes me as odd, particularly the word approved.  Another definition one might find to be more appealing is A work dress code is a set of standards that companies develop to help provide their employees with guidance about what is appropriate to wear to work (Heathfield).  This definition is more appealing to the eyes and ears because the second definition gives its reader the helpful approach appearance.  On the other hand, the first definition gives the non-negotiable set of rules appearance.  Either way, a dress code is meant to ensure the workplaces reputation and appearance in the public eye.
   
In societies all over the world, we are taught from a very young age what is acceptable to wear and in what venue.  However, who made these dress codes acceptable and approvable  It all comes down to the meanings and messages certain clothing items give to an outsider, or observer.  For example, if a female lawyer were to wear a short skirt and fishnet tights for a court appearance, she would, in the least, not meet the approved dress code for a court of law.  This is because it sends the wrong, unprofessional message.  Throughout history people have associated the showing of skin with pride, foolishness, and deceitfulness.  This pre-judgment doomed the revealing clothes from the beginning in a respectable, reputable workplace.  Dawn Rosenberg McKay, a writer to advice and guidance, has said that even if the dress code is not in actual writing, one must look around and see what hisher colleagues are wearing.  She also says to use your best judgment when choosing a workplace and likewise, workplace attire (McKay).  Clothing does send a message.  Whether we like the message or not is irrelevant in the eyes of the critical public.
   
Another example of the message clothing can give comes from a literature work by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  In his classic book, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne is caught in an adulteress affair after she becomes pregnant while her husband is away.  She is forced to stitch and wear a scarlet red letter A (Hawthorne).  This marked her place in society (which was at the bottom of the societal totem pole, I might add) as an adulteress and one full of sin.  The public, local or not, knew what the A stood for and automatically assumed she was a terrible person and sinner.  All from that one piece of clothing, she was automatically shunned and never given a second chance.  Her life and dreams became tied to her clothing.  This is just one way a message was given by a piece of clothing in a long ago time and place.
   
Messages and meanings of clothing have been the basis of the School Uniform debate for many decades and in many countries, as they have been viewed as the dress code in the education world.  Many schools have been using uniforms as a way to control the message students, particularly teenage students, are sending to each other and the staff.  The schools want to be viewed as a welcoming and reliable source of education and respect.  However, when its students wear clothing that show they do not care what they look like and they do not concur with school policies and respectability, then the public will view that school as an eye-sore and will seek to quiet the messages the students are sending.
   
According to recent surveys and polls, some of the reasons for having a school uniform preset can include it would save parents money, would save parents and students time in the mornings, and students would not be embarrassed by the quality and brand of their clothing if they were not able to afford the societal best at that time.  Some of the reasons against having a preset school uniform can include school uniforms can be expensive, uniforms will cut down on students individuality and freedom of expression, and uniforms could stifle the creativity of future writers, actors, artists, politicians, and inventors (School). 
As stated before, school uniforms are the topic of debate in many schools, and have been for years. 

However, in recent years with terrorist attacks becoming more common, the uniforms have not only become a debate over individuality, meaning, and message, but of safety as well.  For example, if a natural disaster or terrorist attack occurred at or near a school, how would the victims be easily identified by law enforcement so that would could be given to thousands of concerned parents  The parents would describe their childs clothing for that day and it would turn out to be the same description as every other child in the school.  It would take twice as long to find the correct child that goes with the correct set of parents.  The time, energy, and resources wasted when running identification queries through DNA records, fingerprint databases, and dental records would escalate the panic of the adults waiting to hear from their child.  Many parents possess a strong fear of this situation now more than ever as our worst nightmares are becoming reality everyday in our world of anger and war.  This example proves the negative effects of a school dress code.

Another way dress code can be used as a marking, or identification, is when a specified colortype of clothing is worn to show your allegiance to a gang.  Gangs are a major issue that law enforcement officers have been dealing with for decades and in most jurisdictions.  Gangs are notorious for their violent natures and their possessiveness of their turfs.  When a person sees a group dressed alike and loitering on a street corner together, he automatically assumes this is a gang of some sort.  He experiences fear and anxiety just from knowing that group of people are trouble and very dangerous to the public.  This is a prime example of how clothing spurs an emotion.  The dress code has now become a fear factor, as well as a sign of hatred and anger.

Clothing gives a mixed result of meanings and messages.  However, the meanings and messages are always present when one looks at clothing and dress.  Dress codes are made to guide the average worker, or student, in that chapter of hisher life.  The right or wrong dress code debate will always remain as long as humans think freely and stand up for what they believe is the appropriate method of living.
   
Clothing can stir emotions of all kinds.  No matter how mild or moderate the emotion may be, it still stirs them.  Colors send us to new emotional heights we never thought were possible.  Clothing patterns and similarities in a group of people send fear through our hearts and souls.  We are now at the mercy of impressions that have been gathered from a single glance.
   
Clothing has not only been classified into a code, but has been embedded into our souls (whether we realize it or not).  This spiritual clothing is derived from the human aura.  The aura, or spiritual human color, is a phenomenon that has baffled researchers and subjects, the same.  As Craig Lang expressed in his research results, Ones aura is said to vary in thickness, intensity, structure, etc. according to ones physical, mental, or spiritual state at that particular moment (Lang).  It is how humans display their emotions at any given moment in an invisible force-field, if you will.
   
Many have been trained on techniques in the area of reading auras.  However, some claim to possess the natural ability to do so.  A reader of an aura possesses very similar characteristics and techniques as that of a psychic, or one who can read minds.  Like a psychic attempting to read someones mind, when one reads an aura, he is in a trance, or state of concentration, and can focus only on the human subject heshe is trying to read.  Lang also states that a persons aura is a color.  That color is dependent upon the subjects mental or emotional state at that given moment (Lang).  This research proves that our association of emotion with a particular color is very real and can be observed in the aura phenomenon.
   
Many skeptics believe that auras do not exist at all.  Those people who believe and have dedicated their lives to the research and study of the human aura say that it is an electro-magnetic or bio-electric field that surround living things (Wagner).  This means that any living creature can give off an aura, not just humans.  Auras could be the explanation for the feeling of happiness when seeing the yellow rays of the sun.  Auras could be the reason for feeling cold when the sky is blue and white snow covers the ground.  Our emotions are effected by colors and auras could be the reason we associate certain colors with certain feelings and objects.
   
It is human nature to associate certain colors with certain emotions.  For example, dark colors (like black and navy) tend to represent depression, sadness, and hopelessness.  Light colors (like yellow and orange) tend to represent happiness, satisfaction, and hopefulness.  Whether we realize it or not, we look for clothes to reflect our current moods.  We wear light, pastel colors on days that we feel happy and hopeful.  We likewise wear dark colors on days that we feel sad and depressed.  Colors such as green and purple tend to represent our mellow attitudes.  Red, on the other hand, represents our passionate emotions.  These can include anger, love, ambition, courage, and sometimes promiscuity.  Colors invoke emotions of all kinds at any given time.  It is in our natural realm to take note of our surrounding colors and absorb them in our emotions.
   
Dark colors have been a topic in the psychological world for many years.  Since black andor navy is associated with the emotions of sadness and depression, teenagers that wear only these colors in clothing are thought to be in a dark place that they should never be in at that point in their young lives.  These young people of the teenage years are thought to be dangerous, unpredictable, and at times, reckless.  They are the type of person that is put on school watch list for drugs, weapons, violence, and mass chaos instigators.  These labels are all made on the assumptions gathered from a persons color of clothing preference  Our clothing and human auras are now defining our personalities and possibilities without our permission.
   
Aura colors have not only been used in research of the supernatural realm, but in the scientific realm as well.  The first picture of an aura was taken in 1891 by Nicola Testla using a special camera that was linked to a set of hand sensors.  By connecting the photograph to the human subject, it was indeed possible to capture the aura of the subject through hisher senses (Ingle).  This type of camera technology was extremely advanced for the nineteenth century world.  However, this idea, of photographing an aura, has been the basis for determining the root of migraines in the human cranium.  Since millions of people around the world experience migraines on a daily basis, this research has come to be quite a relief as it progresses.  These photographs of migraine auras have given scientists and doctors a new way of pin-pointing the origin of a migraine and the bodys response to the migraine.
   
A migraine aura has become the topic of many debates and lectures within the professionals of the International Headache Society.  Michael Bjorn Russel and Jes Oleson conducted a study on the migraine aura and its components.  They concluded that out of the four-thousand people tested only one hundred sixty-three had a migraine with an aura.  They also said that Sixty-two had attacks of migraine aura with headache as well as migraine aura without headache, and seven had exclusively migraine aura without headache.  Visual symptoms were most frequent (ninety-nine percent), followed by sensory (thirty-one percent), aphasic (eighteen percent) and motor (six percent) symptoms (Russell and Olesen).

During their study, Russell and Olesen documented how each aura appeared.  They found that the visual aura began as a flickering, uncolored, zig-zag line in the center of the visual field an affect the central vision.  The aura gradually progresses toward the periphery of the one hemifield and often leaves a scotoma (Russell and Olesen).  Likewise, they found and documented that the typical sensory aura is unilateral, starts in the hand, progresses towards the arm and then affects the face and tongue.  The Typical motor aura is half-sided and affects the hand and arm.  The visual, sensory, and aphasic auras rarely lasted greater than one hour, while the motor aura did in sixty-seven percent (six out of nine) (Russell and Olesen).

To finish their conclusions, Russell and Olesen stated that Headache followed the aura in ninety-three percent, headache and aura occurred simultaneously in four percent and aura followed headache in three percent (Russell and Olesen).  These results astonished the medical community and are now being followed up with more studies and likewise, more results.

The scientific world is both skeptic and intrigued by the possibility of aura existence and the colors they give off.  In the future, doctors may be able to accurately pin-point areas of disease and hurt and concur on a diagnosis faster than ever dreamed in the past.  Science would meet the supernatural, and they would exist harmoniously.
   
In addition to research on the paranormal side of emotional association, research has been conducted for centuries on inanimate objects and their emotional association with the living.  Since inanimate objects constantly surround the living, it is no surprise to many that they carry emotion to the observer, or subject.  Many times, inanimate objects can remind a person of an event or time in hisher life.  Therefore, emotion is transcended from the inanimate object to a subject.
   
Richard H. Passman once wrote that Much debate on whether this relation is positive, negative, or independent depends on the extent to which definitions of insecurity involve psychopathology or personality and temperament (825-830).  This theory is proven over and over again when a child becomes the subject of a psychologists concern because of his attachment to a plush animal.  Many believe that the attachment to an inanimate object, such as a plush animal or soft blanket, can cause a difficult adjustment to adult life and life away from the persons comfort zones.  It is then the responsibility of the psychologist or other adult to find out where the attachment began, why it began, and what emotions are associated with that object.
   
Inanimate objects provide a constant reminder of certain memories.  When speaking of a childs plush toy, he may feel comfort and security because of the home he received the toy or the person who gave it to him.  Love could be another emotion he holds in association with his toy.  The emotions are engraved in the memories the toy reminds the child of (Dhah).
   
Adults have attachments to inanimate objects also.  When an adult goes on a vacation, heshe usually brings back some sort of souvenir that will remind himher of the great time and relaxation the vacation provided.  Every time heshe picks up or sees that souvenir, a smile will appear as the memories flood the mind of the person.  Happiness is invoked from that object, as well as longing to return to the carefree days heshe experienced.   A non-living object transcends an emotion on a living person through the memories the person associated with the object.
   
One of the best examples of an inanimate object transcending an emotion of a living being is Paris famous landmark---the Eiffel Tower.  Even if one has never been to the Eiffel Tower, just the thought of it floods the brain with thoughts of love and happiness.  Many have associated Paris, and likewise the Eiffel Tower, with romance and true love.  Therefore these love objects, as Sarah Boesveld calls it, give us emotions we never physically associated, but mentally and emotionally (Boesveld).
   
The ability for an inanimate object to transcend an emotion is the basis for the marketing profession.  Marketing professionals find objects that invoke a certain, pleasant emotion in order to sell its products (Suttora).  For example, a company selling a line of womens shoes would choose to pick light, pastel colors in its shoe displays and commercials in order to stir the emotion of happiness in its potential customers.  Marketers are experienced in finding avenues to connect with their buyers and therefore have mastered the art of bringing an inanimate object to life through emotion.
   
Inanimate objects are non-living and yet they give the living emotions of all kinds.  Although the life of an inanimate object outlives that of its owner, it still can produce emotion for those who it did not originally belong.  For example, a great-grandmothers engagement ring is often used by an heir for his future brides ring.  He looks at the ring and feels happiness and love that he has known of his great-grandmother.  He didnt have to be living before she passed away.  He could just know the stories of his great-grandmother and her love for her husband, his great-grandfather.  Love and happiness was forever woven into the ring, an inanimate object.  Now, generations later, these emotions are brought to the observer and it more than likely will be unless its original owner becomes forgotten or unknown.

In recent years, inanimate objects have not only become the source for emotions, but the source for progress.  This is made possible through technology, and more specifically, digital technology.  Digital technology has created a whole world of sources to use when creating items in a virtual world before we do so in reality.  This saves time and money on wasted materials for projects that did not meet the buyers (or creators) expectations.  There are thousands of programs designed to create and fix documents, pictures, music, etc.  Imagine the amounts of metal and parts that have been saved due to the technology now used to design automobiles before a piece of metal is ever cut
   
The fashion world has discovered a new outlet via digital technology.  Clothing can be designed virtually first, and then can be physically made when the artist has made the product to his satisfaction.  Pieces can be perfected and then brought to life in wondrous glory beyond the designers wildest expectations.  Finally, the designer is able to connect with his imagination in a digital realm and is given opportunities that lack of expense would have inhibited.  Ideas that, a century ago, may have never made it to a physical product are now being made on a computer in a living room of an average worker.  At last, technology gives the gift of life to the inanimate.

One piece of technology used by many fashion designers is the Arduino technology.  Arduino is a technological platform that is designed to be hooked up to sensors which feed it physical information.So, the Arduino is essentially a simple computer with eyes and ears (Sorrel).  This technology has opened a world of perfection and creativity for a fashion designer, or the average person of any career.  It allows a person to communicate to a computer in a human-like manner and received human-like feedback.
The technology world is unbelievable and endless to our imaginations.  As human beings, we always strive to be the first and best in a race against one another.  Technology is the subject of that race and when our advancements reach new heights, a gadget, such as the Arduino, is born.

Another piece of technology used in the world of high class fashion is the Anion technique using Teviron Technology.  This technology has given designers all over the world the opportunity to create a type of healing through clothing for patients who have certain diseases, such as cancer.  The clothing is unique and one-of-a-kind because of its negative ion technology that utilizes anions to balance the pH to slight alkaline in the body (Anion).  This in turn helps to overcome cancer cells (experimentally) and offers a safer and more popular alternative to radiotherapy.  This technology allegedly gives people the power to cure their cancer through the way these clothes are made.  This truly is a technological miracle in both the medical and fashion worlds (Anion).  In a world where incurable and curable diseases run rampant and resources are tapped to their full extent, this research comes as a blessing and miracle to the scientific world, as well as those plagued by these horrible diseases.  When two worlds, fashion and science, that have no apparent similarities work together to create a better world and life for all, the accomplishments can be great and miraculous indeed.  These types of accomplishments are what our world needs so desperately and should be striving to surface in every career known to man.

In conclusion, the world of clothing and fashion has been opened and joined with the science world through psychological, medical, and technological experiments and the results they produce.  Over the past century or so, we have unlocked the human brain and explored its triggers, physically and emotionally.  We have unlocked the sustainable secret that messages of clothing types, or dress codes, have been handed down throughout thousands of years and still hold true today.  We have discovered the association made between colors and emotions.  We have found that inanimate objects can transcend emotions.  Technology has given us the chance to not only open a physical connection between fabric and computers, but also a communication between clothing and disease control and possibly termination.

The constant factor throughout human history has been the connection of objects, and in particular, clothing, to the human body.  We are the only species that voluntarily choose clothing and consider it a necessity to our existence.  Decades of work, time, money, and space has been dedicated to the research and discovery of human emotions and their connections to other living and non-living beings. 

We are truly a mystery race that more complex than any other species on the planet.  Our lives our built around mystery and questions.  Our nature to compete with each other has opened doors to what was at one time thought to be impossible.  This is clearly evident in the way we now understand how clothing gives off subliminal messages.  This fact is evident in our knowledge of the associations between colors and emotions.  We have now come to an understanding of the connection between the aura phenomena and the scientific proof of its existence.  Inanimate objects have always transcended emotions we now recognize this as a proven occurrence in everyday life.  Finally, our technology has given humans the power to produce test, procedures, and results that open our minds to endless possibilities.

Our advancements have not come without a price.  Wherever there is an enlightenment in society and our minds, there is also a persecution.  Although we strive to do the best in all our undertakings, we make mistakes and the wrong message is sent.  This is true when we associate the light with good and the dark with bad.  If we tend to lean towards a likeness of the dark colors, for whatever reason, we are unknowingly condemning ourselves to a life of speculation.  On the other hand, if we tend to lean towards a likeness of the light colors, we are unknowingly setting ourselves up for a life of acceptance and possibly success.  Our emotions are forever tied to what we perceive.  Sometimes it is good.  Sometimes it is bad.

At the end of the day, three conclusions can be drawn no matter what day and time the sun sets.  These conclusions can be described briefly as such  We reach for the best in all we do.  We have the tools to reach our limits.  We pray that our limits will never be set and our possibilities will always be endless.  It all comes down to our complex mind, body, soul, heart, and need to be accepted by others.  It is a web that has been weaving itself since the beginning of time.  As the religious story tells of mans first appearance on earth in the form of a man and a woman named Adam and Eve.  It all began with the event of which Adam and Eve realized their faults and attempted to correct them with twine and fig leaves.  This was our beginning.  I pray we never see our end.

Admission Essay

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), was a famous Spanish painter living in France who came to be recognized as one of the most influential artist of the twentieth century. Among his major achievements include the initiation of cubism which came to be referred as the modern art movement. He also developed an art technique called collage, which involved attaching papers and strings on a painting, and introduced assemblage which involved the utilization of several artistic materials in sculpture.

In his search about the truth held by art, Irving Penn embraced on a long journey that was aimed at building a strong profession in photography. This even involved taking photographs of still objects which he consequently created a well formulated manner in their arrangement to yield their conceptual meaning. Penn can be remembered of his philosophy that photographing a cake can be an art. Basically, he owes a lot in the general world view of fashion photography and portraiture.

Dorothea Lange on the other hand engulfed a philosophy founded on a visual life. Her long enthusiastic profile in the way of photography led her to a high spirit of impression and a place to rest in the artistic profession. She exercised a conceptual desire of real world photography but taking photographs on almost all general real life situations.

My interest in photography has long been influenced by the urge of capturing the inequality that mankind has experienced due to capitalism as reflected to the hard work of Pablo Picasso. Just like how Pablo has entailed the use of deep value of creativity in the development of his art, I am in the same view brought into a wonderful plane of having my career path follow his footsteps.

Archaeology Project of New People Underground Dust People

The team and I were able to secure funding to explore the region near New Mexico. With the recent findings of the Anasazi people, we believed that other tribes have come to settle among this area even prior to these people. We traveled to the location of New Mexico and set up camp to begin the project. It was the 2nd day when we discovered a grouping of petroglyps along the inside of walls in the surrounding caves. Pottery pieces were also uncovered from the ground that we dated back to 250 BC. We then had the task to determine where the tribe stayed and came across an ancient wonder. The dusty desert of New Mexico housed a ruin that no one had ever uncovered.

Along with the team, we were able to dig beneath the sand and found an opening in the ground which had stairs leading down below to an underground facility. After a few months work to clear out this cavern, we were able to go inside to see an extensive underground arrangement complete with housing and temples.
Since the people of this area dwelled underground for their housing, we named them the Underground Dust People. These people had migrated from the icy areas to warmer weather as New Mexico was full swing into the warmer periods of 250 BC after the last Ice Age had ended in 500 BC. The desert heat was probably what had caused them to build underground instead of above ground buildings like the Anasazi people.

The petroglyphs displayed along the walls of the caves showed where the people gathered to discuss stories about the hunts that they took part in. The petroglyphs for these people also indicate that they were sun worshippers and had a calendar system revolving around the sun and moon periods. The petroglyphs indicated that they had several other gods of which they devoted to and offered plant and animal offerings.
The evidence of bones in the area suggests that these people liked to hunt buffalo and elk as well as deer and smaller game. The tips of arrows had also been found to be chiseled to a point suggesting the method of killing for the hunt. The spirit of the sky is depicted as an eagle above each hunt indicating that they prayed to their sky god before each hunt and offered sacrifice to him before taking part in the eating of the game.

After uncovering this ancient peoples underground dwelling, our team went below to discover their intricate system of caves in which they housed roughly close to 500 residents. The remains of some individuals were found in a chamber seen to be the burial grounds. These people were laid in intricate fashion which suggested that they offered their dead over to the other side by means of a ritual. Pottery pieces and figures were also found that resembled the spirits that they worshipped.

It seemed that many of their things were preserved within the heat and dust of the desert is of New Mexico. It also appeared that these people abandoned their items and perhaps took off to another area west in search of game or water. The people appeared to have lived in this area for roughly 100 years before searching for another area to live.

UNAUTHORIZED COPYING OF AUDIOVISUAL

Damaging Effects of unauthorized copying of audiovisual entertainment to the original creators
In todays world, thanks to improving technologies and advancement in the internet and other file sharing programs, copying songs, movies, television shows and videos off the internet and other storage devices has become very easy. Online streaming sites, such as Youtube, provide a 24 hour database where any song, movie or show can be seen or heard. Similar applications such as Limewire and Ares offer sharing of songs and videos and other copyright material from one user to another with no royalty being paid to the creators.

Customers benefit the most through the copying of audiovisual entertainment and are able to benefit from this type of piracy. The effect of copying such material has been however proven to be exaggerated as studies indicate that the reduction in sales due to piracy is no greater than 20 of total loss, which can mostly be attributed to numerous other causes (Smith, 2009).

Affect on original creators
Within the music industry, artists earn their revenues in two manners. Firstly, they earn money from royalties which they receive from every album or record sold. However, there other source of income is through performing in concerts and tours which they conduct during the release of their albums. The artists however rely principally on their performances for generating income and attribute a small percentage of their popularity or wealth to royalties.

The effect of copying songs actually results in increased popularity of the band and in turn results in increased demands for concerts and live performances (Gopal, 2006). Statistically analyzing, bands benefit more from these illegal transactions which help in spreading good word-of-mouth for them and increase their market penetration than they could have obtained at the same negligible cost.

Copying songs off variable sources rather than purchasing them is a criminal offense which is under copyright infringement laws. Technological changes have been principle in reducing the sales of records and as technologies shifted from records to tapes, now the electronic format is most effective. The Apple iTunes in particular prove that sales are not determined by the physical existence of the medium.

Another affect that copying has had on creators is the level of benefit which they receive based on their popularity. Artists who are more popular and have higher budgets feel the worse of copyright infringements because it directly cuts into their sales, whereas lesser known artists can easily promote themselves and use the same channels to touch a larger audience (Blackburn, 2004). Lesser known artists benefit from the piracy of songs as they can get better concert opportunities as people can check out their creations for free. Also, studies have shown that when people download songs and popular movies for free, they have more disposable income to spend on experimenting with lesser known artists and their material. This leads to increased sales for the upcoming artists and helps them gain a market share (Gayer, 2006).

Experimentation increases thanks to free filesharing and allows for the audience to explore new avenues which they would have been apprehensive about earlier due to the risk of the investment in cds and tapes turning out sour if they did not like the material.

It is not just the music industry which feels the futility of spending on protecting their material, as the audio book companies are also following suite. They are of the opinion that if they allow for free access to the material, it would help build up interest in the industry as a whole which has been slightly lacking in recent times as audio books were declining with regards to sales (Oberholzer-Gee, 2007).

Two strategies can be applied in dealing with piracy issues which basically depends on the type of market and the differentiation of the product within said market. If the market has vertical differentiation, meaning that products vary based on the difference in the content and its quality, it is suggested to spend an amount corresponding with the quality of your product for protection, meaning that if the product is of poor quality a minimum amount on copyrighting and protection costs should be incurred and vice versa. However, it is believed that the protection would only be optimal if the protection implementation costs were low (Kwan, 2008).

In conclusion, what we can surmise from the researches undertaken in understanding the effects of unauthorized copying audiovisual entertainments results in benefits for the actual creators however the production houses and producers are the ones who feel the brunt of the decrease in sales.
With respect to the visual entertainment industry, it must be noted that often illegal releases and other such unofficial releases results in losses to the producers and production houses more because people may not be willing to pay the fees for the cinemas or screening venues as they can see the movie free of cost at home. This has led to rising prices of tickets and this hurts viewers who wish for watching movies on the big screen as well.

Admission essay

It is said that a good painting can tell a thousand words. This is arguably true as it has been described by famous pieces of visual art some of which have fetched millions of dollars in form of painted art. The discipline of visual arts has wide fields of venture among them drawing, painting, design, and sculpture with a great emphasis on human figure or stature. My choice of painting field has widely been influenced by the influence this type of art has in peoples lives. Painted art unites and speaks to the inner consciousness whenever one looks at it.   For a long time, this field of art has produced famous artists who continue to influence the trends of artistic developments in the past, now and in the future. Among them are artists like Leonardo Da Vinci, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol.

Leonardo Da Vinci, despite the fact that he lived in early years of between 1452-1519, his works has continued to be rated among the best pieces of art. Apart from being a multi talented person in other fields, Da Vinci works brings out a high level of curiosity that exists in a man by successfully bringing out the impression of how things appear in life in his paintings. Among his greatest work are the paintings of The last Supper, Madonna and child, Mona Lisa and The Virgin of the Rocks. Pablo Picasso is not only one of the most influential paint artists of his time but also a master on his field. He helped establish the modern art of cubism where artists have the liberty to use unrealistic or non-objective styles in their art painting. Andy Warhol has brought another view of paint art by opening up the conscious mind on the importance of everyday possessions in ones life like cups and money.  All of these artists have played a significant leading role in creating a social platform through where an artist can express his feelings and observations to other members of society. My work will touch in the importance of human relationship with nature. I want to create a significant role of nature in shaping the life of a man.

In summary, painting art has been known to cross the borders of culture and traditions. Other than writing, painting has the capacity to bring out the inner person, experiences and emotions which can be caught by a blink of an eye.

 Critical thinking and Curiosity on art

The great part of art involves observation of the major aspects of ones environment and thereafter drawing inference on the basis of your observation. It is therefore necessary for one to have an open and curious mind that will see and sought for a deeper meaning on any piece of art.  Critical thinking on the other hand helps an artist both in class and professional level to apply logical thinking as well as reasoning when analyzing any piece of work. The ability to compare, classify plan and criticize any form of art is dependent on ability of an artist to employ his critical thinking.  Critical thinking therefore requires a lot of skills and flexibility. The main intention of employing critical thinking is to induce curiosity which on the other hand promotes difference in opinion between artists. The greatest question of what would happen if this was changed to that makes an artist continue exploring different fields which in turn gives fantastic and unimaginable results.

One of the things I always believed to be true was that, when artists are drawing pieces of art, I thought they always have the final picture in mind. However, through experience and participation in artwork, I have come to realize that, artists start with a faint imagination on which they develop progressively to a final piece of art. This brings about the rationale of the role played by critical thinking and curiosity of an artist in creation, recreation and modification of his artwork till he gets to a satisfied end. According to my earlier belief, if artists were to work on a known platform, what happens to deviations and creativity of the mind

In summary, a piece of art that fails to induce critical thinking and curiosity to the observer portrays a shortage of creativity during its transformation from original form to a finished product.

Movie 300 and Snow Falling on Cedars

Good films, regardless of their genres, unleash a fantastical charm that grapples the audience senses and elicits a positive response of appreciation from them. When one talks of good films, it invariably comes to the point of subjectivity of perspectives. Hollywood films in the last few decades have explored numerous offbeat themes involving concepts such as reality vs. illusion, the impact of destiny and fate and prejudices. All these conceptual frameworks endorse philosophical discourses related to subjectivity. This paper is going to answer a set of questions related to the two films 300 and Snow Falling on Cedars, released in 2007 and 1999 respectively, in the light of the famous Platonic doctrine Allegory of the Cave. All the points that are to be covered in the ensuing part of this paper would focus on the analogies drawn from Platos seminal work, and would correlate them with the two films. The central epistemological concepts would include reality, illusion, fate, destiny, and prejudices.  
   
Allegory of the Cave
Describe the cave.
What is he trying to get us to understand about reality and the perception of reality
Becker argues that Platos allegory of the cave is a symbolic representation of mans epistemological situation in the world of mere images and appearance mans task is to get out of this cave and finally to attain sight of the realm of Ideas (54). The cave here is a metaphoric depiction of reality in chains. In other words, the claustrophobic feel of the cave matters very little to the mind that attains superior knowledge about the self within an expanded reality. The imaginary conversation between Socrates and Glaucon alludes to a sense of time being held immobilized and common human perception altered under stimulated circumstances. The cave itself serves as an emblem of preservation as well as destruction in that reality is manipulated inside it, but only to deduce that illusion of the reality can be deconstructed by experiences.        

What is meant by the term Philosopher King Why is it so difficult to find one
The term Philosopher King in Platos Allegory of the Cave implies a seemingly improbable scenario of personified reality in which a man would be able to save the society from disintegration. Broadly speaking, the Philosopher King encompasses a utopian conjecture involving salvation of mankind in the face of moral corruption. It helps restoring hope and order amid a chaotic setup underlining human predicament.     
Why does Plato propose the philosophers of his academics to be the rulers turn by turn
In Allegory of the Cave, Plato purports that the true philosophers are of a superior nature in terms of dignity and integrity. Hence, they have all the necessary ingredients to be rulers who can give direction to societies. The line analogy is crucial to understanding Platos viewpoint in this context. It implies that knowledge and vision are to be put turn by turn, so that one leads to the other and makes for a complete circle of purpose (Preus 81).  

What is the truth according to Plato
Can truth be told or does it have to be experienced
Platos truth, as discussed in Allegory of the Cave, is essentially imagistic and subliminal. It can be related to the hermeneutics of Gadamer and Heidegger, both of whom endorsed the fundamental concepts of truth. The shadow between our existing knowledge about something and our quest to learn more falls in the conceptualization of the cave. On one hand, the truth about the cave is not secretive  it is open for all to see and acknowledge. The Greek conception of truth refers to conceiving an idea in its bare form. But since an idea entails certain materialistic digressions, it is not possible to interpret the same without resorting to allegorical means. On the other hand, Platos truth is a transferred phenomenon from the apparent to the real (Coltman 38). It can be presented within a discourse but that would take away the possibility of a deeper understanding of the discrepancy between a perceived phenomenon and the same with an academic essence.   

What does the light of the sun mean
The sun analogy in Allegory of the Cave refers to the separation line between the material world and the immaterial manifestation of the same. The sun acts as a guide to crawl out of the darkness of ignorance that prevails inside the cave.
300

Describe the Spartans in physical appearance and mental attitudes.
Following the release of the epic Braveheart in 1995, very few American reel productions could capture the Classical spirit of warfare as vividly as 300 did. This blockbuster glorifies the valiant fight only 300 Spartan warriors led by Leonidas put up to shake the pride of the ominous Persian army that invaded Athens around 580 B. C. The Spartans were lankily built with a clean-shaven look. They kept long hair and paid special attention to their diet. Overeating was considered to be a sin in the Sparta community. Physically deformed Spartan boys were killed at birth, so that they do not bring shame to the warrior clan in future. Moreover, the mental prowess of a would-be warrior used to be examined in a manner which stretched the dormant human attribute of fearlessness to its extreme limit.

How are the Persians depicted
The Persians are portrayed as having a ruptured orientation to defeat and loss. The Platonic worldviews of over-confidence and complacency can be traced in the portrayal of the Persian army, especially of their King Xerxes. The film highlights the hamartia of the Persian army as the concept is illustrated in several Greek dramas.      

Select three specific scenes that stood out to you personally and state why they had an impact on you.
To me, the most striking scene in the film was the opening one. It not only made me sit on the edge of my seat anticipating what might be happening next, but also evoked in me a sense of profound admiration for the Spartan philosophy of life in general. A young Spartan soldier was being exposed in the wilderness before a hungry and ferocious beast. It was up to him to save his life and prove to the rest of the community that he was worth joining the undaunted warrior group.

Another scene that had great impact on me involved the Persian messengers visit to King Leonidas requesting the former to surrender arms to his Persian counterpart King Xerxes. The background score builds up the ambience which eventually culminates into a flashing brilliance of special effects and acting.
The third scene that I still cherish is when King Leonidas, before succumbing to his mortal wound, expresses his undying love for his wife Queen Gorgo. In a way, this scene sums up the heroic valor of a tribe that strived to defy destiny by plotting an outrageous plan to face more than 10000 well trained army of men.    
What was the pace of the movie Mention the music. Did it fit the scenes Be descriptive.

The pace of the movie was in keeping with the plot progression. The film outlined a time spanning years and the screenplay was written accordingly. Given the historical subject matter and equally befitting treatment of the content, it was quite natural that the film should be paced stylistically. Likewise, the battle scenes were graphically drawn out, with occasional cuts to ultra slow motion. As for the music, the composer Tyler Bates did a fairly efficient job in mixing the repetitive and weighty beats with choric music. The scenes involving the actual battle are lot more musical than those showcasing regular affairs of the Spartans.  
Discuss the shading and tones of the film.

The film incorporated subdued tones with touchups of sepia and dark shades. The dark blue hue used to film the events after sunset intensifies the underlying sense of desperation that runs throughout the film. Considering the timeline of the events portrayed in the film, both shading and tones matched congruently with the theme.  

Describe the scenery.
The outdoor shots were mostly taken from long angles using elevated camera frames. For the audience it created a dizzy sense of distance from the time of the events. The Spartan village is depicted as barren and minimalistic  much in compliance with the ascetic philosophy of the community. The grandeur of warfare is brought out by befitting costume designing for both the Persian as well as the Spartan forces.    
Does this movie have any relationship to contemporary politics and culture of today
Therons act of betrayal represents the diplomatic tug-of-war in power politics of various modern democracies worldwide. Moreover, the Persian kings penultimate offer to Leonidas to surrender to him belies the true value of loyalty to ones own nation, which appears to be a recurrent trend in issue-based terrorism of today.

What was womens role in Spartan society How was the Queen viewed
Like any ancient society, the Spartan council too deemed women the preserver of values and humane qualities. Girls used to enjoy an authoritative role in household affairs but at the same time, were also considered to be sources of amusement and sensual indulgences for men. As for the Queen Gorgo, her carnal submission to the disfigured Ephialtes degrades her before the Spartan warriors. But the King himself remains singularly loyal and loving to his wife till his death. What it also implies is that human fate is overbearing upon the will not to recapitulate at the slightest provocations.   
Snow Falling on Cedars
Introduce the main characters and their issues.

What is Ishmaels (Ethan Hawke) specific dilemma
The main characters in Snow Falling on Cedars are Kazuo Miyamoto, Ishmael Chambers, Hatsue Miyamoto, Judge Fielding, Sheriff Art Moran, Etta Heine, Horace Whaley and Ole Jurgensen. However, the central character is Ishmael who is entrusted to cover the story of a murder of a local fisherman. He develops a strong interpersonal feeling for the convicts wife Hatsue. Since prejudice is the governing theme of the film, the psychological turmoil of Ishmael is quite pronounced in that he is being held accountable by his own conscience over the dilemma he faces between discharging his duty and controlling his heart. On the other hand, the accused Kazuo is subject to intense hatred for the Japanese in America, following the events of the Pearl Harbor. Furthermore, the deteriorating relation between the Miyamotos and the Heines over ownership of the latters ancestral land creates tension in the sub-plot of the film.   

Is the pace of this film different from 300 If so, how is it different
The two films are set in two distinct eras. 300 muses over a heroic event just as Snow Falling on Cedars does. But quite interestingly, the latter film is interspersed with almost arrested moments of passion and deliberation, which the former does not have. These moments occur during the trial and are interspersed between scenes involving Ishmael and Hatsue. So the pace of the two films differ greatly not just in terms of running time, but also in terms of their respective projection of the actions. 
Does the music fit the mood of the film

The film was nominated for the Best Original Score at the International Press Academy Satellite Awards ceremony. It may be mentioned that the soundtracks used in the film do not mar the flow of the narrative in any way.     
Describe the scenery and the lighting.

The frequent use of grey and black in the film underpins the war theme in a justifiable manner. Most of the shots, like 300, are taken from distant and vertical angles to augment the intensity of the scenes. Attack on the Pearl Harbor is presented stylistically with ample amount of consideration to the Japanese sentiments.
Could the forest or the water with the dead fish be an allegory If so, what do you think is the meaning
A detailed atmospheric continuation may be traced in the scenes involving water with the dead fish. Attempts may be made to interpret these scenes allegorically. In my opinion, the dead fish in water stands for the murdered fisherman who awaits trial amid deep-seated anti-Japanese sentiments.    

Plato used the cave as a metaphor to explain the difference between reality and illusion. In his discourse, he identified people as being held prisoners inside this cave by regular societys erroneous views and beliefs about reality. He explains that they have been bound and forced to look at the cave wall in front of them rather than the mouth of the cave where the light flows in another metaphor for enlightenment or revelation. A fire is lit behind them which casts shadows on the cave wall as object pass by it. The prisoners eventually liken these shadows to being real entities and soon inform and build their worldview according to these forms. Plato sees the philosopher as one who has escaped the bounds of the cave and emerged from the darkness of the cave into the light, thus finding uncovering the real world. The ones who do escape from the cave are considered by Plato as being true philosopher or wisdom lovers. In his work, The Republic, he constructs the ideal state in which consists of three main categories on people workers warriors and philosophers.

These three groups come together to create a utopian system in which the philosophers are the rulers hence the term, Philosopher King. Such individuals are hard to find because only selected few are capable of going beyond societal norms and truly seek to understand the world around them. True wisdom comes from a deeply sensitive observation of the world which requires great insight and discipline the likes of which cannot be achieved by most people operating in regular society. Even if some individuals manage to turn away from the shadows on the cave walls, many would be too frightened by the bright light shining in from the mouth and turn back. The pursuit of academic knowledge is also obviously enhanced by gaining freedom from the cave. True perception of the world opens up many avenues through which wisdom runs and cannot all be mastered simultaneously. Plato proposes that each of his academics be rulers turn by turn so that each area of knowledge can be explored and imparted to the utopian society that he envisions.

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This truth that Plato seeks to uncover is a global understanding of reality. It entails discarding baseless beliefs, preconceived notions and fears. According to Plato, what we perceive to be reality is in fact merely a collage of foggy interpretations of it. The truth is what lies beneath these interpretations the true forms of the world. Plato is trying to get us to understand this difference the difference between shadow and object or one aspect and the whole. The light of the sun refers to the new found, enlightened perspective that a person can bask in if he can free himself from the bondage of the cave. Plato claims that those who get out of the cave would go back in to rescue the other captives. He would appeal to them by narrating incidents that take place in the real world. This may or may not be successful in swaying them. According to me, the truth cannot be described or explained in its entirety. A person has to experience the change and challenge his mind in order to gain wisdom.

The physical appearance and mental attitudes on the Spartans in 300 match the courageous, fierce and martial nature of their warrior clan. They are in prime shape physically both young and middle-aged men are muscular, agile and quick. The hard training process that they endure from the time they turn eight moulds them into fighting machines, designed for warfare. Their strength is not limited to physical ability they are shown to possess mental strength in equal measure. They are ready to give up everything to protect what they love and uphold what they believe in. Their clever military strategy also testifies to their mental abilities. The enemy that threatens to conquer the Spartans, the Persians, is shown to be a more corrupt, self-indulgent race. Their leader, Xerxes, is shown to grant those who show obeisance to him any whim that they may want fulfilled. He himself is shown as a power hungry ruler who revels in overt displays of wealth and pomp.
Three specific scenes that stood out for me are as follows

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The scene in which a young Leonidas battles the wolf to complete his training as a warrior. This scene stood out because it captured the intensity and fierceness of the Spartan outlook and the rigours that a warrior must endure before being absorbed into their society.

The scene that unfolds at the temple atop the mountain where the Oracle is housed. The sharp contrast of the covetous and corrupt priests with the otherwise noble and passionate Spartans made this scene stand out.

The climatic scene in which Leonidas throws the spear at Xerxes. It felt like the whole movie was leading up to this one point. The open show of aggression and defiance in the face of Xerxes epitomizes the Spartan resolve and integrity.

The pace of the movie is fast and never flags. Right from the beginning, domestic scenes are inter-cut with montages or narrative sequences that hold your attention. Once the war begins, there is no question of the pace slowing down. After the battle begins, the action sequences dominate most of the movie. The slow, drawn out final showdown between Xerxes and Leonidus cleverly contrasts the otherwise fast paced movie and lends it the notion of an epic moment. The music in the movie comes to the fore during these drawn out moments. A variety of choir and solo voices are used to enhance the visual. Some of the music is reminiscent of The Lord of the Rings and Gladiator. The serene music adds weight to the dramatically poised moments on screen. The music during the action sequences makes use of mostly percussive sounds and brass instrument swells and hits.

The film is visually magnificent. The shading and tones are dark and deep, lending the visuals their sharpness. The colours also used in the movie center around the reds of the Spartans indicating war, the white robes of the women, suggesting purity, the black of the Persian army, suggesting darkness and the gaudy, gold tones of Xerxes, symbolizing his covetousness and greed. The scenery matches the epic proportions of the movie.

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The open plains of Sparta, the cliff-face and the ocean front create a sense of freedom and space that one associates with the Spartans. The movie does not seem to have any direct correlation with the political or cultural activities of today. The situation in the film is reflected to an extent in the China-Tibet crisis, but there has been no armed resilience on Tibets part. The womens role in the Spartan society was, as the Queen herself claims, to bear Spartan men. They are as shown to be as mentally strong as their male counterparts defending their honour with equal ferocity. The Queens role extends to politics as seen when she addresses the house and asks them to send Leonidas military support.

There are four main characters in, Snow Falling on Cedars Ishmael Chambers, Hatsue Imada, Kazuo Miyamoto and Carl Heine. Each of these characters struggles with issues that linger in the aftermath of the Second World War. Ishmael Chambers, the protagonist of the film, works for a local newspaper in San Piedro. The major issues that plague his existence are the loss of his arm in the War, the heartbreak of being rejected by Hatsue Imada and his consequent isolation and loneliness. Furthermore, he grapples with existential issues centering on the nature of judgment and fate. He struggles to make a decision as to whether he should share evidence in court which will exonerate Kazuo Hatsues Japanese husband. Hatsue struggles to reconcile the two different worldviews that she is forced to consider being Japanese girl growing up in a white-dominated society. She finds it extremely difficult to choose between her mothers ideals of behaving in a way that is in harmony with societal constraints and pressures and the carefree, hedonistic attitude that her lover, Ishmael adopts. Hatsue enjoys a relationship with Ishmael but settles for marrying Kazuo as per her mothers wishes. She continues to struggle with this dissonance through the course of the movie. Kazuo is haunted by the experiences of the War and finds himself rankled by the guilt of  killing Germans. He cannot accept the fact that he was doing his job as a soldier and begins to wonder whether he has a right to be free. When Carl Heine is killed, he is mistakenly held responsible but Kazuo dies little to contest it. He regards his imprisonment as the outcome of his sins during the War. He is torn between the guilt of his past and the promise of a future that his family represents. Carl Heine is an important character mainly because the movie centers on the trial that unfolds after his killing. During his life, he struggles to reconcile his prejudice against Japanese people and his childhood experiences with Kazuo. Ishmael specific dilemma is his struggle to decide whether or not he should provide evidence in court that will exonerate Kazuo, the husband of his ex-lover, Hatsue. His bitterness and resentment over their break-up creates this conflict within him. The film moves at a pace that is slower than 300. It reflects more of the mental trauma and elements of the characters rather than physical events. The scenery throughout the movie supplements the inner state of the characters.

The snowstorm covers the island in snow and creates white, cold images suggesting the numbness the characters suffer post the war. The scenes involving Carl Heines boat are played out in the fog that settles over the water suggesting the role of chance and fate in shaping events. If it hadnt been for the fog, Heine would not have been led into the treacherous part of the waters. The lighting highlights the whites and blues and creates shadowy figures. The use of light makes the images very stark.

The music varies in the film from the use of powerful choral voices such as the track, Tarawa to serene string pieces. The dramatic scenes are accompanied by the former while the string pieces accompany the tenderer, introspective moments in the film such as the intimate moments shared by Hatsue and Ishmael in the cedar tree. Some pieces like, Lost in the Fog are haunting, accompanying the scene very well. The forest in the film symbolizes a getaway from society a place where Ishmael and Hatsue can express their love freely without the intrusion of any societal forces.

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The dead fish may represent the impossibility of gaining shelter from the reality of the present while reviving the bliss of the past. The two films, 300 and Snow Falling on Cedars, are very different in their subject and treatment. They are similar in two aspects music and imagery. Both soundtracks are dramatic and rely on voices for impact. The two movies also depict scenes of great beauty and proportions.

Hyphenated Americans and the Hardships of the American Indians.

Many Americans recognize themselves with a hyphenated designation. They call themselves Asian-Americans, Arab-Americans, Jewish-American, Cuban-Americans, native-Americans and many other. They considered themselves immigrants -people who moved to the United States to seek legal permanent residency and stable sources pf livelihood. Indeed, it is said that the United States has always been a nation of refugees and immigrants, with the exception of the natives living here before the Spanish, French, Viking, Dutch and English explorers arrived in the 16th and 17th centuries.
   
Native Americans (Indian American) who lived on the North America peninsula for at least 16,000 years had a very diverse collision on American history and racial relations. It is noticeable that during the independent periods, a long series of conflicts between Indian tribes erupted for almost 2000 years. These include wars, massacres, imposition of treaties and forced displacement done by the immigrants in their native soil. History books documented the first racial discrimination Hernando De Soto burned a number of Indian villages in 1540, with the consent of the Spanish Crown. In early 1700s, the English massacred nearly 800 Choctaws. Afterwhich, the idea of Indian exclusion became popular. Choctaw elders described the incident in 1849 We have our homes torn down and destroyed, our fences demoralized, cattle was slaughtered into our fields and we ourselves have been plagued, chained, confined and personally abused, until by such management of our some best people have died, (William, 1988).
   
In this view, some ideological expansionist justification included stereotyped views of all Native Americans as merciless Indian savages, despite triumphant efforts of American radicals to eradicate discrimination. The most popular attempt happened with the so called California Gold Rush, when thousands of Native Americans died in the gold mines of California and Arizona. Under this rule, Indians were subjected to de facto slavery. Thus, in 1850, the state of California entered the Union as a free state (including the issue of slavery) slavery was formally practiced in 1863 when the California Legislature ratified special laws on slavery.
   
Former President George Washington believed that Native Americans were equals of the modern American but recognize the fact that their societies were less technologically advanced. This led to the formulation of a set of policies designed to modernize these societies. These included a) giving punishment for those who violated Native American rights, b) presidential authority to give promote Indian development, c) promotion of business, d) improvement of Native American Society, e) objective impartiality toward Native Americans, and f) regulated buying of Native American lands.
In this sense, Native Americans battle for their rights and giving them the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 granted US citizenship to all Native Americans, although prior to the passage of the law, almost two thirds of them are already a US citizen. The act partly stated
   
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That all no citizen Native Americans born within the territorial limits of the United States be, and they are hereby, declared to be citizens of the United States Provided, That the granting of such citizenship shall not in any manner impair or otherwise affect the right of any Native American to tribal or other property.
    
Over time, as the immigration intensified, American Indians were gradually mixed into the prevailing society resulting to erosion of monolithic solidarity of ethnic cultures. But less evident was the immovable preservation of the unique characteristics of the dominantly flooded ethnicities. A civilizing pluralism steadily saturated the homogeneous principles that natives insisted were very important to the American distinctiveness. As ethnics detached, hyphenated societies reproduced. Thus, complexity in historical origins is evident in their ethnic closed society. For now, what is clear is that the Americans are still in making its way to accept this reality. In this sense, the remarkable ability of the Americans to fuse diversity into harmony is said to be an ever-changing mosaic of their culture.

Jackson Pollock,Number 1, 1950

To view it just as a painting nothing more, nothing less, was Pollocks dream when he started to number his paintings instead of naming them. Number 1, aptly titled, displays Pollocks chaos, and his organized unconventional creativity.

Black, white, lavender, grey, and rust unite on this flatly laid out cloth to achieve an unimaginable union of thought with dance like action. Try to relax your eyes and you can see organized squares, reminiscent of a satellite map of a crowded city. Pollock as we all know was way ahead of his time, in technique, paint used and method but he could have never imagined his work to look like the city it came from.

Pollock used a technique known as action painting. He did not use brushes or knives just his hands and the inertia of the paint being dripped and dribbled on the canvas. All the twists and turns in the paint are recognizable as Pollocks own hands trying to maneuver the paint in to the direction it was intended.
The spontaneity of the artists strokes allows the freedom to recreate something unsatisfactory and use it to build on his color and shade, one drip at a time. Thus we can safely assume the rank in which he used his primary colors onto which he embellished his insanity. If were to go by the 2D image on record we can assume he dripped on rust, greylavender, white, and black.

The genius of the painting lies in the fact that there was no specific representation on the canvas. He let the paint decide the fate of this painting. The use of his hands instead of brushes and knives showed the world the possibility of another method of art. His creation of Lavender Mist without an actual hint of lavender in the painting shows the viewer that abstract art does not conform to any norms or rules. It runs free as the paint that is dribbled on the stationery canvas.

Jack the dripper as Pollock was commonly referred to in those days, he dipped his hands in the paint and drew an impression on the top right hand side of the canvas as cavemen did in ancient times. He used this technique to distinguish his art and his methods.

We can see a bold use of black and a darker grey strewn over the canvas as if to assert its testosterone over the timidly shaded lavender-grey.

The painting is a well balanced work of art, even though it was not painted with the help of brushes or knives. The artist manages to direct the paint in a manner which is very well balanced across the canvas, to show some sort of method to this madness and chaos. The painting does not look top heavy or otherwise, as equal attention has been paid to the entire canvas giving the feel of defined chaos.

Its impossible to summarize genius. We can only hope to achieve the state in which our own creativity cannot be confined to canvas, color or technique. 

The Non-Reality of the Larger Than Life Epics An Essay on the Perception of Art, Reality and Illusion in the Films, 300 and Snow Falling on Cedars
   
Art and beauty has always been an important aspect of our lives as it creates inspiration in what could have been a dull, dreary and bleak world. Would anyone want to imagine what the world and humanity be like without art and the beauty it brings The things that surrounds usliterature, sculptures and natureall of them are works of art that has been either created by humanity or was naturally created. Art has been appreciated and loved so much that recreations of previous artworks or naturally occurring things has been done over and over again. Are there not many paintings or drawings of leaves, forests or sunflowers over the course of history, considering that people can see them anyway and its just a leaf, just a forest and just a sunflower However, through the course of history, humanity has also debated over what art is and what makes art, art. Through the course of history, societies have also debated on the need for art and its importance. This is because even if art creates beauty and inspiration within a person, there is still the concept that it may be misleading. Artfor all is beauty and intricate splendour is believed to be false and a lifesomething which even Plato insists on. And a notion which is reflected in the portrayal of life and history in epic films as what transpires in the movies, 300 and Snow Falling on Cedars. 

Greece is a small country and yet it is very important to the rest of the world since the birth of Western civilization comes from this small country. It is Greece who gave birth to the importance of educating ones self in math, the sciences, and the arts and which entitled the Greeks as the educated and the more civilized kind of people. With regards to the aspect of art and beauty, it has long been the debate on what can be considered as beautiful and ugly by humanity. Thus, in Ancient Greece, a civilization that is known to form and influence all the other civilizations, they created a mathematical perception of beauty so that art can be set for all the other artists. The mathematical perception of beauty relies on symmetry wherein a specific measurement of things will be balanced to other measurement of things. The Grecian artists thus, were known to create beautiful sculptures, paintings and other art objects that not only depicted their artistic creativity but also created a form that bank on technical language. Thus, beauty in art and beautiful art is measured not by how a person admires it and finds it pleasing but by the notion of whether the art is said to be in perfect symmetry and harmony with the other, technically speaking. The ironic thing is that men and women are not aware that such technical and mathematical definition of beauty exists after all, it is only the ancient Grecian artists who pioneered such way of perception. The ancient Greeks idea of beautiful and beauty can be seen in the various physical evidences that history chose to leave us behind. For example, the standard of Grecians concept of beauty is evident in sculptors from the bodies of soldiers and kings wherein it originated in the battle of Thermopolis in 480 B.C. that truly proved how the Greeks value war. 
   
But with even if Greece is known for a civilization who appreciates beauty, there is still some who opposes art and the supposed beauty it brings to humanitythose include the famous philosopher Plato. In Platos collection of dialogues entitled The Republic, he discusses various philosophies on life, literature and other things which interests or concern humanity. Among them is the teaching which is to be famously known as The Allegory in the Cave. In this particular dialogue, Plato insists that people are blind with reality because they think that they see reality not knowing that what they are seeing is what they perceive to be reality but is not actually reality. In simple terms, it is like seeing a cow because we believe it to be the definition of a cow not realizing it may really be a pig or some other animal. Plato believes that it is philosophy which makes a man see things in the real and genuine perspective or what is termed as the coming out of the cave and the experience of seeing things in light.
   
This particular teaching has importance implications regarding the viewing of epic films like 300 and Snow Falling on Cedars. This is because the society or the general public are made to pretend for a while when watching such movies (or become blinded inside the cave in Platos terms) and when the movie ends, reality eventually takes over them. Thus, films which is just one form of art, drowns us in deceit and lies making us live in an illusion while making us think that this is our perception of reality not knowing that reality is far from how we perceive it to be. 
   
In the movie, 300, the Grecian country of Sparta is put under pressure as Persia makes a move to conquer them. The Persian King sends an envoy to deliver a message to Spartan King, Leonidas that Sparta should submit themselves to Persian rule or be forced to wage a war over the submission. However, King Leonidas chooses to kill the envoy and meet the gigantic Persian army for war, proving that Sparta and Spartan warriors are made for war since they treat it as a form of art. Thus, what the movie centers on is not just the war itself between Persia and Sparta but the identity of the Spartan men and women as warriors who are brave and willing to do anything for their land. As the movie progresses, the King Leonidas and his men fight bravely and succeeds on killing wave after wave of the massive Persian army since the wise King has managed to come up with a plan that would ensure their victory. However, things turn for the worse when the Spartan men were travelling toward more battles, a banished and hunchbacked Spartan man endeavors to King Leonidas that he joins the Spartan men in the fight with the Persian army. But Spartan law and Spartan practice promotes perfection in form and performance and King Leonidas says no the hunchback which earned the creatures ire. This rejection is King Leonidas flaw as the hunchback betrays them by informing the Persian army about the plan of the Spartans. In the end, King Leonidas and the brave 300 perish not just because they were betrayed but because they chose to abide by a Spartan law banks on physical perfection and beauty.  
  
In this cultural film which is banked on the Second World War wherein Japan and America are vehement enemies creating a conflict for Japanese people in America and American people in Japan. Though the story is set on American shores, the plot concerns two nations and the people caught up in war they did not want Kazuo Miyamoto is under trial for the supposed murder of Carl Heine, a death that will be proven to be an accident later on. What is very important about Miyamotos case is the fact that it is set in a period wherein much prejudice occurs against the Japanese. Thus, Miyamoto is pushed and pulled against people who want him to be convicted for a murder he did not commit just because he is Japanese-American. In the middle of all this trial is the friendship of Hatsue, Miyamotos wife, with Ishmael Chambers and the amorous feelings that he has for her ever since they were young. The film concludes in Hatsue rejecting Chambers even with the knowledge that her husband may be convicted and in Miyamotos freedom due to the help of Chambers himself.  
   
Both films are indeed creatively beautiful when it comes to the artistic quality that they presented. Since 300 is a graphic film, it is but natural and understandable that the directors paid careful attention to small details and all the scenes that would depict Spartan courage and strength, Persian brutality and peculiarity, and most of all, the melodrama all concerning war. This is the same case with Snow Falling on Cedars wherein much aesthetic beauty is given to the film scenes and set, most especially with nature or environment that surrounds the characters and which creates the mood for the film. Rain, snow, raging waters and a calm wind are all created or filmed to depict the emotions of the characters or the collective feelings of the people.
   
However, even with all the exquisiteness that the scenes of the two films provide, it is undeniable that Platos claim regarding deceit and illusion is true concerning art is somewhat true in the two films. When watching the films, the audience are not merely treated to a narration of the lives of the characters but they are living the lives of the characters. The films not only inspire people but it can also serve as an escape from reality. Reality becomes far away from the publics mind when they watch the film and while viewing it, ones thoughts are captured and captivated by the notion of heroisma notion that a person can be courageous, valiant and strong with a mission in life and with a possible glory with the fulfilment of such mission. Even if King Leonidas and Chambers were not that successful as the other died and the other did not end up with the person he loves, there is still the atmosphere which the films created that sacrifice and sadness in ones life is still beautiful. In fact, this is what the films create altogetherthat humanity should feel this emotion when undergoing this experience, or that a person should act like this when another person does somethingthus, the films not only creates an illusory world that captures the publics interest, it also suggests and even dictates what the publics interest should be.
   
In conclusion, it is undeniable that large than life films such as 300 and Snow Falling on Cedars which feature characters and scenes that serve to illustrate overly dramatic or overly active encounters are confusing the public. But this situation is not new as the society itself even yearns for some form of escape from the reality they knowthe negative thing is that society escapes so much from reality that there is the probability that they are unaware of what is even reality in the first place.