10 Ways to Maximize Research at the Courthouse or Archives

The process of researching your family tree will eventually lead you to a courthouse, library, archives or other repository of original documents and published sources. The day-to-day joys and hardships of your ancestors’ lives can often be found documented among the numerous original records of the local court, while the library may contain a wealth of information on their community, neighbors and friends. Marriage certificates, family histories, land grants, military rosters and a wealth of other genealogical clues are tucked away in folders, boxes, and books just waiting to be discovered. Before heading for the courthouse or library, however, it helps to prepare. Try these 10 tips for planning your visit and maximizing your results. 1. Scout the Location The first, and most important, step in onsite genealogy research is learning which government most likely had jurisdiction over the area in which your ancestors lived during the time they lived there. In many places, especially in the United States, this is the county or county equivalent (e.g. parish, shire). In other areas, the records may be found housed in town halls, probate districts or other jurisdictional authorities. Youll also have to bone up on changing political and geographical boundaries to know who actually had jurisdiction over the area where your ancestor lived for the time period youre researching, and who has current possession of those records. If your ancestors lived near the county line, you may find them documented among the records of the adjoining county. While a bit uncommon, I actually have an ancestor whose land straddled the county lines of three counties, making it necessary for me to routinely check the records of all three counties (and their parent co unties!) when researching that particular family. 2. Who Has the Records? Many of the records youll need, from vital records to land transactions, are likely to be found at the local courthouse. In some cases, however, the older records may have been transferred to a state archives, local historical society, or other repository. Check with members of the local genealogical society, at the local library, or online through resources such as the Family History Research Wiki or GenWeb  to learn where the records for your location and time period of interest might be found. Even within the courthouse, different offices usually hold different types of records, and may maintain different hours and even be located in different buildings. Some records may also be available in multiple locations, as well, in microfilm or printed form. For U.S. research, The Handybook for Genealogists or Red Book: American State, County and Town Sources, both include state-by-state and county-by-county lists of which offices hold which records. You may also want to explore WPA Hist orical Records Survey inventories, if available for your locality, to identify other potential records. 3. Are the Records Available? You dont want to plan a trip halfway across the country only to find that the records you seek were destroyed in a courthouse fire in 1865. Or that the office stores the marriage records in an offsite location, and they need to be requested in advance of your visit. Or that some of the county record books are being repaired, microfilmed, or are otherwise temporarily unavailable. Once youve determined the repository and records you plan to research, it is definitely worth the time to call to make sure the records are available for research. If the original record you seek is no longer extant, check the Family History Library Catalog to see if the record is available on microfilm. When I was told by a North Carolina county deed office that Deed Book A had been missing for some time, I was still able to access a microfilmed copy of the book through my local Family History Center. 4. Create a Research Plan As you enter the doors of a courthouse or library, its tempting to want to jump into everything at once. There usually arent enough hours in the day, however, to research all records for all of your ancestors in one short trip. Plan your research before you go, and youll be less tempted by distractions and less likely to miss important details. Create a checklist with names, dates and details for each record you plan to research in advance of your visit, and then check them off as you go. By focusing your search on just a few ancestors or a few record types, youll be more likely to achieve your research goals. 5. Time Your Trip Before you visit, you should always contact the courthouse, library or archives to see if there are any access restrictions or closures which may affect your visit. Even if their website includes operating hours and holiday closures, it is still best to confirm this in person. Ask if there are any limits on the number of researchers, if you have to sign up in advance for microfilm readers, or if any courthouse offices or special library collections maintain separate hours. It also helps to ask if there are certain times which are less busy than others. Next 5 More Tips for Your Courthouse Visit Research Tips 1-5 6. Learn the Lay of the Land Each genealogical repository you visit is going to be slightly different - whether its a different layout or setup, different policies and procedures, different equipment, or a different organizational system. Check the facilitys website, or with other genealogists who utilize the facility, and familiarize yourself with the research process and procedures before you go. Check the card catalog online, if it is available, and compile a list of the records you want to research, along with their call numbers. Ask if there is a reference librarian who specializes in your specific area of interest, and learn what hours he/she will be working. If records youll be researching use a certain type of index system, such as the Russell Index, then it helps to familiarize yourself with it before you go. 7. Prepare for Your Visit Courthouse offices are often small and cramped, so it is best to keep your belongings to a minimum. Pack a single bag with a notepad, pencils, coins for the photocopier and parking, your research plan and checklist, a brief summary of what you already know about the family, and a camera (if allowed). If you plan to take a laptop computer, make sure that you have a charged battery, because many repositories do not provide electrical access (some do not allow laptops). Wear comfortable, flat shoes, as many courthouses don’t offer tables and chairs, and you may spend a lot of time on your feet. 8. Be Courteous Respectful Staff members at archives, courthouses and libraries are generally very helpful, friendly people, but they are also very busy trying to do their job. Respect their time and avoid pestering them with questions not specifically related to research in the facility or hold them hostage with tales about your ancestors. If you have a genealogy how-to question or trouble reading a particular word that just cant wait, it is usually better to ask another researcher (just dont pester them with multiple questions either). Archivists also greatly appreciate researchers who refrain from requesting records or copies just before closing time! 9. Take Good Notes Make Plenty of Copies While you may take the time to reach a few on-site conclusions about the records you find, it is usually best to take everything home with you where you have more time to examine it thoroughly for every last detail. Make photocopies of everything, if possible. If copies arent an option, then take the time to make a transcription or abstract, including misspellings. On each photocopy, make note of the complete source for the document. If you have time, and money for copies, it can also be helpful to make copies of the complete index for your surname(s) of interest for certain records, such as marriages or deeds. One of them may later make an appearance in your research 10. Concentrate on the Unique Unless the facility is one you can easily access on a regular basis, it is often beneficial to begin your research with the parts of its collection that arent easily available elsewhere. Concentrate on original records that havent been microfilmed, family papers, photograph collections, and other unique resources. At the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, for example, many researchers begin with the books as they are generally not available on loan, while the microfilms can be borrowed through your local Family History Center, or sometimes viewed online. Sources Eichholz, Alice (Editor). Red Book: American State, County Town Sources. 3rd Revised edition, Ancestry Publishing, June 1, 2004. Hansen, Holly (Editor). The Handybook for Genealogists: United States of America. 11th Edition, Revised edition, Everton Pub, February 28, 2006.

Compare And Contrast Beowulf And Sir Gawain - 796 Words

Ever wonder what it would feel like if you were given the chance to become a hero? Would you risk your life to save others? A hero is an ideal human that is admired for their courage, achievements, and abilities to face their greatest fear. Beowulf and Sir Gawain are great examples of heroism who defend their honor and their people. Unlike Beowulf who is a king and the Sir Gawain is King Arthur’s nephew. Both characters defeat their obstacle to prove their loyalty to society no matter if it’s costing their lives. The character of Beowulf can be seen, with great simplicity, as a man of bravery. Beowulf’s dealings with the monster rooming around and Beowulf without so much as a pause for a plan continues to take action among either the†¦show more content†¦Gawain accepts the deal of the Green Knight thinking it won’t be a huge mistake. He obliges to strike the Green Knight with the ax in the neck and in return take a strike from this being in one ye ar and a day. Gawain is brave in his ability to relinquish what comes to pass without inhibition. Gawain has come to confront the Green Knight that is to strike him as he did to him, Gawain shows no fear and embraces the very essence of bravery. However, Sir Gawain and Beowulf have many differences, for example, Sir Gawain managed to accept the challenge of the Green Knight and only blew off his head not killing him. Beowulf accepted the challenged but managed to tear off Grendel’s hand killing him in the process. Sir Gawain kept his promise toward The Green Knight to only blow off his head with â€Å"one hack† and in a year in a day to find him â€Å"to earn the same blow† (Armitage 194-195). Beowulf had no mercy for him â€Å"demonic† creature and tore off his â€Å"left hand and arm and shoulder† fulfilling his boast to the Danes (Armitage 56). Beowulf was a bit greedy to become a hero. Even when he was on the verge of death after killing the dragon and being bitten he managed to tell Wiglaf to go feast his â€Å"eyes on the hoard† and to bring him the treasure (Armitage 100). In Conclusion Beowulf and Sir Gawain are the top bravest and most loyal of their kind. BecomeShow MoreRelatedCompare And Contrast Beowulf And Sir Gawain1358 Words   |  6 PagesBeowulf and Sir Gawain are both heroes, one is a warrior who becomes a King and the other a Knight in King Arthur’s Court. Beowulf takes place in 6th century Denmark and Sweden, it was written during the Anglo-Saxon Literary Time Period. Beowulf’s journey takes place over many years. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an Arthurian romance believed to have been written in the late fourteenth century by an anonymous author (Baker). Sir Gawain’s journey takes place over one year’s time, from ChristmasRead MoreCompare And Contrast Sir Gawain And Beowulf930 Words   |  4 Pagesdone by anyone else. Sir Gawain and Beowulf are heroes in literature who have done something important and have come to the rescue of others. Sir Gawain and Beowulf from these different pieces of literature bo th have heroic qualities that categorize them as heroes, ways in which they are similar and ways in which they are not alike at all. In both Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the main characters are seen heroes to someone one way or another. For example, Beowulf is a great hero to hisRead MoreCompare and Contrast of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight600 Words   |  3 PagesCompare and Contrast of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Beowulf is an epic poem that was written in the Anglo-Saxon time period where only a few privileged people were able to read and write while Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which is also an epic poem, was written in the Middle English time period where reading and writing was more wide-spread. While both the epic poem Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight have similar protagonists, the main character of each poem also hasRead MoreCompare And Contrast Beowulf And Sir Gawain And The Green Knight761 Words   |  4 Pagesliterary works Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, an admirable warrior and knight are depicted. Although Sir Gawain and Beowulf both possess such characteristics as bravery and strength, readers can observe differences in other traits that make them heroes of their own time that is attributable to the societal mindset in which the poems were written. The goal of this essay is to compare and contrast how Beowulf, which was written in the early eleventh century, and Sir Gawain and the GreenRead More Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf Essay499 Words   |  2 PagesSir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf â€Å"My body, but for your blood, is barren of worth; And tis I have asked for this folly not fit for a King.† These are the words of a true hero. One who is willing to sacrifice his own existence for the life of another. These are the words and actions of Sir Gawain, a character from the beloved British tale, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Beowulf, another character from an ancient British epic entitled, Beowulf, is also portrayed as a â€Å"heroRead More Compare and contrast images of heroism in these two poems. Essay1421 Words   |  6 PagesCompare and contrast images of heroism in these two poems. Heroism is a trait that we seem to have no problem identifying, yet when asked to define what a hero is a myriad of answers emerge. This phenomenon is not unique to today’s society; the definition of a hero is something that is constantly under revision and debate. An example of this can be seen in two older pieces of English literature: Beowulf, written circa 750-900, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written circa 1375-1400Read More Epic of Beowulf Essay1818 Words   |  8 Pagesbook. I would like to compare and contrast Beowulf, Lanval, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with some of the modern day creations especially in looking at the values, and belief systems in all of the three â€Å"classic† stories. I will apologize in advance to those who will read this and are not familiar to the texts that are mentioned, due to restrictions in size I must mention all of my topics without specific description of how the stories are told, please at least read â€Å"Beowulf† before consideringRead MoreWomen s Unequal Portrayal, And The Struggle For Identity Of Female Writers1777 Words   |  8 Pagesthe moth // And from a woman a woman’s wickedness.† The Judeo-Christian creation myth, where â€Å"man was not made from woman, but woman from man† gave the philosophical ‘proof’ of inequality. One of the most illogical representations of women, in contrast to Eve as a selfish temptress, is the Virgin Mary. She was an immaculate motherhood figure, but remained ‘uncorrupted’, which obviously was unattainable for real women. The dual imagery of the Madonna and the ‘Gateway to Sin’ established that womenRead MoreThe Sonnet Form: William Shakespeare6305 Words   |  26 PagesShakespeare’s Sonnets William Shakespeare The Sonnet Form A sonnet is a fourteen-line lyric poem, traditionally written in iambic pentameter—that is, in lines ten syllables long, with accents falling on every second syllable, as in: â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?† The sonnet form first became popular during the Italian Renaissance, when the poet Petrarch published a sequence of love sonnets addressed to an idealized woman named Laura. Taking firm hold among Italian poets, the sonnet

The single-gender classroom is making a newfound acceptance Free Essays

string(64) " they have been significantly lower than that of adult females\." The single-gender schoolroom is doing a newfound credence among pedagogues looking to give their pupils the border on high-stakes trials. Bing an early adoptive parent of single-gender schoolrooms Mr. Rich Buford looked at the current research for a manner to implement this into his schoolroom. We will write a custom essay sample on The single-gender classroom is making a newfound acceptance or any similar topic only for you Order Now Bing a advocate of this manner of learning Mr. Buford sees no job with this instructional manner every bit long as there are safeguards taken to guarantee that one sex is given the same advantages as the other. One survey that Mr. Buford looked at came from American Secondary Education in which they point out that looking at other states around the universe could give us an penetration into the result of a single-sex schoolroom. Another writer stops merely short of denouncing any grounds that supports the thought, and claim that it is no different than dividing based on race ( Rycik 2008 ) . However there is some grounds that proper direction and appraisal can hold a immense impact on pupil accomplishment ; particularly for male pupils. Another survey Mr. Buford came across stated that most instructors will prefer one gender over the other based upon outlooks of the gender. They will pass more clip with the male childs on male child topics ( math, scientific discipline ) and with misss on miss topics ( reading and linguistic communication ) ( Abbeduto A ; Symons pg.3 ) . It was Mr. Buford ‘s experience that worlds like to plume themselves in their achievements and when a instructor sees that a pupil is really strong in a topic it is really satisfying. However when a instructor sees a pupil fighting with a topic it can be hard to travel through those turning strivings with the fighting pupil. Peoples love to win and detest losing, and a pupil that is non acquiring it seems to do the instructor feel like they are unqualified as a instructor so the instructor may unconsciously disregard it. This is shown in one survey where the instructor has a fellow instructor clip them on the sum of clip they spend on misss v s. male childs and the consequences were conclusive 80 % to boys and 20 % to misss, during a male child topic ( math ) and he even knew he was being timed ( Sanders A ; Nelson pg.11 ) . While Mr. Buford was making his research he wondered if the schoolroom was all right to hold college girls but the direction and appraisal could be done with confer withing from another instructor from the opposite sex. In the 1990 ‘s California tried a similar pattern but it failed ( Protheroe 2009 ) , but this does non hold to be the destiny of today ‘s reformation of the public school system. Mr. Buford believes it is a great thought that could assist a big sum of kids receive the proper instruction they need. It seems that most of the resistance comes from females that remember the educational inequality of the yesteryear. However the same inequalities are found in today ‘s schools it is merely non talked about because it is the male childs who are acquiring the short terminal of the stick. 80 % , yes 80 % of school dropouts are male childs ( Tyre 2005 ) . In this modern twenty-four hours schooling is greatly geared towards misss and their acquisition manners, a s immature work forces are shown the door to go forth school. This is non the mistake of the misss it is merely that the bulk of schools are taught by adult females in 1986 it was at 69 % female instructors, in 2005 it was 82 % and still turning ( Feistritzer, A ; Haar, 2005 ) . A immature male child does learn otherwise than a miss, that is a given, but with over 70 % of LD pupils being male it is no admiration they have a difficult clip larning the manner a female would. Teachers teach the manner they learn ( Tyre 2005 ) , so if the instructor is female it should be a given that she would be best suited to learn females. This is non to state that females can non learn males, and the contrast of sentiment is greatly needed in all topics. However it would be really hard to larn Chinese from person who merely speaks Chinese. It does non do the instructor a bad instructor or the pupil a bad pupil, nevertheless pupils would be best suited if a instructor who besides spoke English was traveling to learn them Chinese. This linguistic communication barrier could be fixed by holding a male instructor in the schoolroom learning the male childs and a female instructor learning the misss. But with budgets being patched together it is non executable to propose that every schoolroom have two instructors. Mr. Buford wanted to cognize more if this could even work and if so how could it be done in the confines of the school system regulations where he was learning. This looked like an chance to acquire to cognize other instructors better. He wanted to acquire a point of position from a fellow instructor who happened to be female. He asked Mrs. Nash the 9th class Psychology instructor to assist him on something, she said yes. They met during his be aftering hr and went over her appraisal and he asked if she would do any alterations to it. That following hebdomad Mrs. Nash came back to Mr. Buford with the same appraisal but asked different inquiries. Mr. Buford passed his appraisal out to the male childs and Mrs. Nash ‘s appraisal out to the misss. None of the pupils knew that there were different trial, and when he graded them he was really pleased with the consequences. The misss did better than of all time before in his History category normally good known as a female strong topi c. With the transition of Title IX in 1972 adult females have seen immense additions in educational accomplishment ; while work forces have seen their additions non merely autumn, but they have been significantly lower than that of adult females. You read "The single-gender classroom is making a newfound acceptance" in category "Essay examples" ( Spencer, Porche, Tolman 2003 ) .The inquiry that keeps coming up in hiss research is why? Why are immature work forces self destructing in this new and â€Å" equal † educational age, while adult females are deriving by springs and bounds? This goes back farther than this research has clip to allow, but it starts in the simple school and carries itself on to higher instruction. The foundation of a great pupil starts at place, but besides those first few old ages of schooling have such a great impact on pupils that it forms a permanent feeling for the remainder of the pupil ‘s lives. In simple school the opportunities of holding a m ale instructor are about 15 % if you ‘re lucky ( Robinson, Gillibrand 2004 ) . This poses no menace to females but for immature work forces it can be a really hard procedure thought, and moving like a miss. There are clear and distinguishable differences between male and female. Not good or bad, merely different. If you are told 85 per centum of the clip that the manner you were moving was inappropriate so you would likely believe that there was something incorrect with you for holding these thoughts as being desirable. You are told to be quit when you want to speak. You are told to sit when you want to stand. You are told to analyze by yourself when you want to cognize what your friend thinks about job # 3. This is what most immature work forces go through every twenty-four hours in the public school system that was built by females and for females. The male childs do non suit in and they know it ( Frawley 2005 ) . Their manner of being is non wanted in the school and they know it. They are loud, full of energy, and inquiry everything ; it is most instructors ‘ worst incubus. The bulk of instructors are female and so the educational civilization is rather different than from that of a school that would hold been founded by males ( Kirschenbaum 2007 ) . Look at the differences between the public school system and that of a military academy and that is the difference between what a male centered school would look like and the modern school system that promotes muliebrity and devalues maleness. Since the transition of No Child Left Behind ( NCLB ) the United States public school system has been the mark of reform from all sides of the political aisle. The American populace has been told that our school system is in shambles, and that America is losing its prestigiousness around the universe as an educational human dynamo. What NCLB does will non assist the public school system, but instead it will damage it beyond fix, it punishes schools with low trial tonss by taking off funding to that school ( Schroeder 2001 ) . The logic to this act is foolish at the least. To state to the populace that if your school is proving ill we will cut support to your school and give it to a school that is executing good and this will go forth no kid behind. Most grownups can state you that male childs and misss are different, and the differences do n’t halt when you leave school. Men and adult females think, act, hear, see, and smell otherwise ( Tyre 2005 ) . The standard schoolroom is really girl friendly which is non a bad thing if you ‘re a miss. However the primary ground for this survey and its significance of it is the immense disparity between male childs and misss when it comes to education, more specific is primary instruction ( Wills 2007 ) . When you foremost acquire introduced to education you have small else to compare it to and the first few old ages have an impact that can find whether you will be a success or a failure ( Campbell 1997 ) . The instruction system wagess subject, conformance, and attentiveness qualities that most parents and instructor know are much more familiar with misss than male childs. Boys violin, drama, and battle. ( Poe 2004 ) . This impression that male child ‘s behaviour is incorrect or looked down upon as where the miss ‘s traits are what are thought to be wanted by the instructor in the schoolroom creates an ambiance of ill will and bitterness. In general most instructors would wish a pupil that raises their custodies, work softly, and choruss from break you would be speaking about the traits of a female ( Flannery 2006 ) . This is non to state that male childs are incapable of run intoing these outlooks for a instructor, but how it is perceived by the instructor will wholly depend upon their sex ( Myhill and Jones 2006 ) . Research As Mr. Buford looked through the different articles in being in the library at UCM he noticed some reoccurring subjects that are seemed to be the footing for his statement that the construction of the modern school puts maleness on test while doing feminist traits deemed desirable and conventional. He looked at the unintended effect of the feminist motion the school system and its gender prejudice towards female personality traits. Then there is NCLB which because of the landmark statute law there is such a new involvement in individual gender schoolrooms as a manner of progressing all trial tonss for a school territory. If boys think and procedure otherwise than misss, how can at that place be a fit criterion in schools that are at odds with the manner boys do it? Mr. Buford besides looked at the biological differences and the new engineering and its impact on the altering perceptual experience that there is more of a familial make-up of societal and larning traits of male and females than what was before perceived as being an engineered trait. So why now? After all these old ages of doing schools gender impersonal and endeavoring for equality among pupils why are we looking at turning back the clock and traveling to a single-gender schoolroom? It is because of the failure of male childs in the modern schoolroom. With merely 70 % of male childs graduating high school and merely 40 % traveling on to college there is a immense job that if non corrected early could be black for our state ( Poe 2004 ) . Sing that this has been an issue for many old ages it is in our history that gender equality was non ever that equal, so females have a right to be leery of a alteration that could hold an impact on them. Mr. Buford asks if the recoil of feminism to do a jeer of our immature work forces so that they are non equipped for the hereafter? The best solution to all jobs is to happen the win-win scenario that all pupils are able to accomplish to their possible. From the 1940 ‘s until the 1970 ‘s the feminisation of the public school system has put males at a disproportional disadvantage ( De Haan 2010 ) . With legion empirical surveies that have looked at the impact on gender in the schoolroom it was no easy undertaking to sift through the rubbish to happen something worthwhile. With the transition of NCLB in 2001 schools started looking at ways to better trial tonss, and one thought that took root was the individual gender schoolroom ( Gillis 2005 ) . There have been many individual gender schoolroom pilot plans since 2001 ‘s transition of NCLB. Most seem to come from countries so despairing for better trial tonss that they try anything to assist their school. In Mississippi the pilot plan had small significance in alterations to prove tonss when compared to their opposite numbers that were in coed schoolrooms. However there was a immense difference in the sum of subject referrals given to boys in the individual gender schoolroom ( Gillis 2005 ) . It is known by most male instructors that immature male childs will move a spot otherwise when in the presences of immature ladies. As we ( male instructors ) were one time immature male childs and can certify to this type of behavior alteration in forepart of females. Another pilot plan in Florida showed that male childs in coed schoolrooms tested for province written exams merely 37 % passed, but the male childs who were in individual gender schoolrooms had a humongous 86 % base on balls the same test ( Flannery 2006 ) . Since there was ne’er a right to vote motion for males, nor a civil rights motion for white males the bulk of educational reform has looked at the impact on females and minorities in the last 50 old ages ( Warrington and Younger 2000 ) . This has made happening research a one sided undertaking that is hard to divide from historical generalisations that there is no demand to look at the impact on males because they have historically done good in standardised trials. However when you look at the graduation rates and college entryway statistics you see a different image and it looks black for immature work forces ( Martino, Mills, and Lingard 2005 ) . These differences are merely acquiring worse as the old ages base on balls on, is it any surprise that boys have been holding a hard clip in school when it is taught in a feministic manner. Bing that primary schools are typically taught by female pedagogues the ideals that are identified as maleness are normally deemed unwanted ( Martino, Meyenn 2002 ) . When immature work forces are made to experience as they, or their thoughts about what is good or merely does non suit with the modern school civilization ; how can you anticipate much else? Work forces are make bolding and brave and in the universe of male childs these are traits that are more than a stage of who we are it is a badge of award to be brave. In the eyes of females this is merely butch bunk that needs to be eradicated like a malignant neoplastic disease that is unwanted. As boys mature and get down to experience like a existent foreigner in their school they go one of two ways. Either they conform to the school, or they venture off and ne’er to return. There is small that needs to be said as these immature work forces know that they are non wanted in school, this is non an alibi for the high dropout rate but instead a existent account of the disaffection that immature work forces feel when they enter school ( Tyre 2005 ) . Biological Differences of Males and Females So are at that place biological differences between the manner males and females learn, or are these differences institutionalized into immature people at a clip when they are most acceptable. The feminist motion had a much larger moving ridge than what was first seen. The changeless debasement of the male function theoretical account as an egomaniac that needs to be fixed is bombarded to all of us through the T.V. ( Rycik 2008 ) . Young male childs are different than misss, but is at that place something else at drama when you have about 75 % of all kids that are labeled as acquisition disabled are male childs ( Poe 2004 ) . This would likely non be a important statistic, but most of those that are labeled end up in particular instruction categories. From this initial label there is a slippery incline that pupils go down and normally ends with long-run harm. The overexploitation of psychiatric drugs on immature work forces is making living deads out of these male childs and has done small to assist work out the job of bad behaviour ( Rycik 2008 ) . The job is non the immature work forces, but the impression that there is something incorrect with them because they do n’t sit still, work softly, or behave likeaˆÂ ¦well like misss ( Poe 2004 ) . There is more to being a cat than most females might cognize ; work forces ( and male childs ) have a learned behaviour to maintain emotions to themselves. This is at odds with females as they are prone to opening up about their feelings ( Flannery 2006 ) . There could be a batch of jobs in the pupils ‘ life and it gets exacerbated by a instructor or parents who want this child fixed. They have good purposes but their proactive solution really makes affairs worse. As a instructor Mr. Buford gained an apprehension that most jobs will work themselves out this is nature at its finest. When we mess around with Mother Nature we get pupils that are stoned out of their head, because they were told that they have a job and it is non their mistake they merely need drugs ( Sadker 1 999 ) . The job that was being investigated was whether male child and misss would larn better in a individual gender schoolroom environment vs. the now standard college girl schoolroom, or something of a loanblend that Mr. Buford is suggesting for his schoolroom. The writer looks at a six or so different research from assorted organisations that have findings that are in support of single-sex schoolrooms and opposed to the thought. The topics from one survey were 5,000 eighth-grade pupils from New Zealand ; another was two high-schools in Australia one all misss one all male childs ( Haag 2000 ) . In the New Zealand survey they used a longitudinal survey that had controlled for single features of socioeconomic position, and the type of school the pupils went to. The Australian research was a 10 twelvemonth survey in which the pupils passage from single-sex schoolrooms to coeducational schoolrooms ( Haag 2000 ) . The New Zealand survey after using the controls back into history found there was no difference in accomplishment from a individual gender schoolroom or a coeducational schoolroom. When controls were in topographic point they found a large addition in achievement peculiarly in misss. The Australian survey says that the pupil ‘s self-identity at first declined but after 5 old ages went back to normal degrees ( Haag 2000 ) . The decisions to these two surveies were that co-educational schools are merely every bit effectual as individual gender schools. The article goes on and points to other research that is more positive in its findings on individual gender schools, but it is summed up in the sum-up when she says â€Å" Finally, the research, while inconsistent in its appraisals of whether single-sex instruction is â€Å" better † than coeducation for misss, does uncover countries of consensus on specific indexs, which may function as get downing points for farther research into how single-sex schools affect educational results. â€Å" ( Haag pg 2 ) . Very small figures are shown as in statistical informations that they present in the article in which they give an overview of the research that was already done. They do little in looking at the impact on male childs which would be a failing in the research. One cardinal strength is the survey in Australia in which they follow a group of male chi lds and misss for 10 old ages and expression at their results from the passage between these two different options for how we teach our pupils. Looking at all of the research on this topic you get a sense that this has been tried before and looking at landmark surveies gives us insight into the possible effects that a individual gender schoolroom would hold on pupils. This topic is non a new thought it has been practiced for centuries and known that dividing pupils on the lines of gender was seen as a existent game modifier ( Parker, Rennie 2002 ) . Looking at the different ways scientific discipline is learned by male childs and girls the survey in Australia has found its manner across the pool and given the United States a difficult expression at why they are so different. The survey done by Parker and Rennie looked at pupils between the old ages of 8 and 12 across 10 different schools. They spent two old ages roll uping informations and looking at peculiarly the difference between male childs and girls trial tonss in math and scientific discipline. They stop short of stating that there was a significant difference in the classs but the importance of the survey was that it showed a direct correlativity in the assurance that the pupils had in the topics when the antonym ‘s sex was non in the schoolroom ( Parker, Rennie 2002 ) . Decision This research gives us insight into the ideas and thoughts of how best to turn to the educational spread that exists between male childs and misss. Feminism brought manner to major reforms in how schools would be taught ; no longer would adult females hold to take a back place to work forces and their aspirations. The overexploitation of feministic ideals in the public school system has made instruction favour the behavior traits of females while holding everything that is masculine as unwanted. Research by many bookmans inquiries why male childs are falling behind particularly with consideration to college attainment. There have been encephalon scans done on male childs and misss and scientifically turn out that boys think, act, listen, and see otherwise than misss. Single gender schoolrooms are nil new in respects to instruction, but the oncoming of feminism brought with it the impression that male childs and misss are the same. Newly discovered functional magnetic resonance imagings make it possible to state that biologically they are really different, and perceive life in a different manner. Male childs have ever been seen as the Rebels, the criminal that thread that all right line between condemnable and vigilance man. So the self-image that immature work forces have about themselves is traveling to be really different from that of what a female thinks. For case most immature work forces feel that it is their responsibility to support their female parent from any and all menaces. That is why immature males will contend one another for naming each other ‘s ma a bad name. This is likely unlogical to most females and drives decision makers and instructors alike up a wall, nevertheless if you were to inquire most immature males in privaten ess they would understand that those are evidences for a battle. Male childs are taught that contending is a really barbaric signifier of job resolution, yet to those same male childs it is deemed worthy and shows a natural line of leading. The masculine nature of male childs is self apparent from early on ; they think and act in a manner that can merely be understood by other males. So so I ask why are most marks of maleness removed from school and deemed unwanted. Whether right or incorrect is non the inquiry. There is nil incorrect with being male and our traits should be accepted or even channeled into something that can still hold the immature adult male experiencing likeaˆÂ ¦well a MAN. Possibly they do n’t believe like a female, or move feministic and that should non be evidences for a diagnosing for ADD or to be put on medicine. We are all alone, larning and behaviour is no different in that each kid has a set of conflicts that they must get the better of and it is the occupation of the instructor to assist them mount their mountain. We can non logically cognize what tools they will necessitate to mount that mountain unless we take stock list of what they have and what they need. This requires a considerable sum of clip that honestly most instructors do non hold. A male instructor has a better apprehension of male pupils demands than that of a female instructor, merely because he one time was a immature male child and thinks and Acts of the Apostless likewise. This is non a sweep on female instructors at all it is more demoing that the deficiency of maleness in the school system is the biggest job that is confronting male childs and their educational ends. How to cite The single-gender classroom is making a newfound acceptance, Essay examples

Reactive Attachment Disorder and Attachment Therapy free essay sample

Reactive Attachment Disorder and Attachment Therapy University of New York in Prague Reactive Attachment Disorder and Attachment Therapy Introduction There has been growing attention on attachment theory and its impacts on later behavioral outcomes. Several research have found an association between attachment insecurity and personality disorders due to inconsistent and unstable sense of self; and association between insecure attachment and physical illness due to susceptibility to stress. Although it has various implications on sense of integrated personality and psychological well-being, the only pathology that is officially related to attachment is Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) of infancy or early childhood which is counted as very rare disorder in Diagnostic Statistical Manuel. There has been a wide range of debates on RAD with regard to its difficulties in diagnosing, validity of its subtypes, its susceptibility of being confused with other disorders, its relation with attachment theory and its treatment methods. In my opinion, RAD has not given much attention and has not been studied much due to these complications. We will write a custom essay sample on Reactive Attachment Disorder and Attachment Therapy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In this paper, my attempt is to discuss these issues about RAD and its treatment models by providing with some empirical findings. Reactive Attachment Disorder can historically be traced on the studies with institutionalized children who were deprived from secure attachment and who had multiple caregivers. In very young institutionalized children who experienced social deprivation, Tizard and Rees (1975) identified two types of disorders. The first one was socially indiscriminate/ disinhibited type, in which children displayed nonselective preferences of using adults as seeking comfort and tendency to go with the strangers who offered them comfort. In the second type, children were relatively socially withdrawn/ inhibited, who showed limited social responsiveness, little positive affect and failure to seek comfort when needed. Later, these behavioral patterns with the requirement of signs result from pathogenic care were described as reactive attachment disorder. Zeanah Gleason, 2010) Attachment Theory suggests that infants are evolutionarily primed to form close, enduring, dependent bond on a primary caregiver. The fulfillment of their physiological needs require close physical contact (Carlson, Sampson Sroufe, 2003). In Diagnostic Statistical Manuel, the only pathology that is officially related to attachment is Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) of infancy or early childhood. The diagnostic criteria for RAD include: disturbed and developmentally inappropriate social relatedness prior to age five, pathogenic care such as persistent disregard of the childs basic emotional and physical needs and repeated changes of primary caregiver that prevents development of stable attachment, and these disturbances are not better accounted for pervasive developmental disorders or developmental delay (DSM-IV-TR, 2007). Two types of RAD behaviors have been classified: Inhibited type refers to emotionally withdrawn children who show limited social responsiveness, ambivalent or contradictory responses, little positive affect and a failure to seek comfort when they feel distressed. These behavior patterns are believed to be related with experiences with caregivers who do not provide emotional support and comfort when needed. Secondly, disinhibited type refers to children who have diffuse attachment and who show accessive and inappropriate familiarity with strangers. These behaviors are resulting from experiences with caregivers who are not very responsive but can provide some affection. (Haugaard and Hazan, 2004) Some studies demonstrated that children with RAD might display inhibited behavioral patterns, disinhibited behavioral patterns and both inhibited and disinhibited behavioral patterns (Smyke, Dumitrescu Zeanah, 2002). However there is a disagreement in subclassification of RAD. Some other studies based on the follow-up studies of children placed in adoptive homes showed that inhibited types were nonexistent whereas disinhibited types were much higher (Chisholm, 1998). These findings have raised the question that inhibited and disinhibited types might have different clinical entities. Mary Margaret Gleason and her collegues (2011) examined inconsistent findings and validity of the two types of RAD. The construct validity of two types of RAD was examined by comparing the caregiving quality, a putative risk factor for each type of RAD, and attachment security. In existing literature, attachment security is found as inconsistently linked to indiscriminately social/disinhibited RAD and more consistently linked with emotionally withdrawn/inhibited RAD. They predicted that each type of RAD would show stability over time. The results supported the validity of these two types. Signs of inhibited RAD were distinct from the disinhibited type; and they were associated with poor caregiving quality (Gleason, Fox, Drury, Smyke, Egger, Nelson, Gregas Zeanah, 2011). There has been an implicit assumption that RAD is caused by attachment deficit; however, this assumption may have blocked the research. There are some difficulties in diagnosing RAD due to complications of assessing attachment. The assessment may be derived from the observations of relationship between child and caregiver. It also may focus on the behavioral outcomes of children (Lyons T. Hardy, 2007). Minnis et. al. (2006) proposed that RAD is construed in intersubjectivity. RAD has raised various questions since there is not a single explanation of the behaviors of children that are afflicted of the disorder. In the DSM-IV classification, diagnostic requirement of grossly pathogenic care does not explain the aspects of social, emotional and physical maltreatment. Children who experienced grossly pathogenic care may display aggressiveness, indiscriminate friendliness, social withdrawal and poor emotional regulation. However, these behaviors can also be observed in some other disorders such as Conduct disorder, ADHD and autism. Therefore, presuming attachment as a core etiology may be misleading. They offer, instead, intersubjectivity- the infants brain development is supported by the responses of parents or caregivers. Since this process is always active, an infant will always be affected by other persons actions and the other persons rejection will have a negative impact on the infant. Although there are some overlaps between intersubjectivity and attachment, intersubjectivity processes are active in all interaction including low affect. Children who have never experienced intersubjectivity will not have the capacity of removing early false relationship and they may be condemned to seek it throughout their life (Minnis,Marwick, Arthur McLaughlin, 2006). Through the active process of intersubjectivity, caregivers neglect in the early ages will have a negative effect on the infant. Similar to this claim, Corbin (2007) states that pathological caregiving characteristic of RAD does its harm through the ruptures and developmental difficulties in the early ages (Minnis et al. , 2006). Liggan and Kay (1999) found that early pre-symbolic memory is an enduring implicit memory that depends on â€Å"whose existence is inferred from observable influence on emotional behaviors related to early attachment experiences†. Implicit memory is an unconscious memory that has the potential to influence the storage of long-term memory. These findings have implication on RAD since early experiences would form prototypes, schemes that affect interpretation of subsequent experiences. Therefore the information stored is not available in conscious reflection and thought. This may explain the insufficient researches on the effectiveness of some treatment strategies with children with RAD. Nevertheless, some studies showed that attachment therapy and clinical intervention have led to significant improvement on children with RAD. Even though there are some different perspectives on etiology of RAD and presentation of the symptoms, it is largely influenced by early emotional and social deficiencies. Treatment of RAD focuses on enhancing current attachment relationship, creating new attachment relationships and reducing problematic symptoms. Barth et al. (2005) examined the rationale of the development of attachment-based therapies in the treatment of RAD. The findings supported that early anxious attachment is not a direct cause of psychopathology but it is an initiator of pathways associated with later pathology (Sroufe et al. , 1999). Some therapists point out that early frustration of being rejected and helplessness lead pessimistic view of the world and sociopaths such as serial killers may have attachment disorders (Thomas 1997). Although some studies found that most of the adopted children do not have insecure attachment (Singer et al. 1985; JufferRosenboom, 1997), Barth et. al. argue that these studies are characteristically short-term and mostly based on children in non-adoptive families. RAD is considered as very uncommon disorder by American Psychiatric Association 2000,p. 129), however, it is thought that there may be one million children, half of all adopted children, diagnosed with RAD in USA. (Werner-Wilson Davenport, 2003). Millward et al. (2006) examined 100 children in foster care in Scotland. They predicted that there would be higher symptom scores for RAD in children in care compared with general population controls and that high symptom scores for RAD would be associated with other psychiatric disorders. Parents and carers took RAD Scale. As they predicted, children living in care had higher rates of mental health problems including RAD. They were more likely to have anxiety, depression, conduct disorder and hyperactivity (Millward, Kennedy, Towlson Minnis, 2006). Attachment based therapies regard the child as a focus of clinical intervention. In this perspective, the purpose of the treatment of RAD is helping the children to release anger resulting from their early negative experiences and teaching the child that new parents can be trusted as caregivers. Wimmer et al. (2009) investigated the effectiveness of attachment therapy in treating adopted children diagnosed with RAD. Adopted parents often face with the lack of affection of their adopted children. They feel that they are unable to contact with the child to establish reciprocal emotional relationship. Attachment therapy aims to provide some improvement in their relationship with their child. Based on the presumption that adopted children may have insecure attachment due to early experiences of deprivation, attachment theory has been developed to improve childs trust in the adoptive parents. Moreover development in childs social and emotional functioning and teaching effective parenting techniques are promises of attachment therapy (Wimmer, Vonk Bordnick, 2009). In order to investigate the effectiveness of attachment therapy, they gathered data from 24 children who were adopted and who had been treated with attachment therapy for three years.

The Demon Lover & The Signalmen Essays - Ghosts, Speculative Fiction

"The Demon Lover" & "The Signalmen" Ghost stories are a special and enjoyable type of literature in which a reader creates a feeling of suspense. The reason for this being is that the writer chooses to end the story without a resolution. By doing this, it makes a reader look into their imagination and make their own resolution. Two ghost stories that do this are "The Demon Lover," written by Elizabeth Bowen, and "The Signalmen," written by Charles Dickens. In these two ghost stories there are many distinct similarities and differences to compare and contrast. Through examining the plot structure and the method of suspense, readers can clearly see these similarities and differences. The similarity that both of these stories share is that they have the same plot structure. Plots deal with the events that make up a story. Plots in a sentence build up a conflict until it reaches a climax. In the "Demon Lover," the plot is a woman that makes a promise to her demon lover that she cannot keep, and marries another man. The climax of this story is that this lover returns years later to take her away from her loved ones. In "The Signalmen," the plot is about a railroad employee that is being haunted by a ghost. The result of this haunting kills an innocent man trying to work at this job. Also, the plot of a ghost story is built around supernatural elements, events beyond the normal order of things. In " The Demon Lover," the supernatural element is the demon lover himself. This man comes back into her life after many years and just decides to ruin it. In "The Signalmen," the element is the ghost that was haunting the signalmen. When the ghost was screaming to him all tha t time, little did he know that it was going to be himself who was going to die. As a result, these representations of the conflict, climax, and supernatural events clearly show the similarity in both structures. Although these stories seem alike in their plot structures, they also have some major differences, this being their methods of suspense. The techniques that Elizabeth Bowen uses in " The Demon Lover" are irony and paradox. Irony is the literary term which involves surprising, interesting, or amusing contradictions. A paradox is a statement or a situation that seems contradictory, false or absurd and yet may be true. The ironic thing about this story is that some people feel sorry for this woman, but yet she shouldn't have made the vow in the first place if she couldn't fulfill it. One paradox in "The Demon Lover" is when the demon lover returns for the woman who made an unnatural vow. Although she cannot fulfill the vow, it is a vow that she must fulfill. This means that she made a promise, broke it, and has to pay for the consequences. Another example is the woman who is obsessed with reaching the taxi driver to escape from her demon lover. Little does she know that the taxi driver is the one from who she is fleeing. In fact, this demon lover is actually the taxi driver making Mrs. Drover keep her unnatural vow. In contrast, " The Signalmen" used the literary techniques coincidence and foreshadowing. Coincidence is and accidental and remarkable occurrence of events or ideas happening at the same time. Foreshadowing is the use of clues in a literary work that suggests events that have yet to occur. An example of coincidence in " The Signalmen" is that the signalmen is being haunted by a ghost who repeated the same words which he will experience at the last breath of air before his death. " Halloa! Below there! Look out!" This coincidence showed how beautifully this story ties together. An example of foreshadowing in this ghost story is when the signalmen is meeting with the women when he looks at the bell before it even rings, and looks out at the red light near the tunnel. " Turned his face toward the little bell when it did not ring, opened the door of the hu t, and looked out toward the red light near the mouth of the tunnel." This example

The Advantages of ERP Essay Example

The Advantages of ERP Essay Example The Advantages of ERP Essay The Advantages of ERP Essay The Advantages of ERP As companies grow and departmentalize their operations, it is increasingly important to ensure that the separation of function does not inhibit efficiency by erecting communication barriers. Smaller companies may be able to find tools to prevent this problem from occurring. Others, especially larger companies that operate complicated supply chains with thousands of suppliers and customers find creating effective links between departments more difficult. One way companies are successfully bridging the information gap between departments is by utilizing Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP. When utilized in the right way, ERP ties each organization function together in such a way that all departments know what is happening at all times. Creating uniform knowledge, which is readily available throughout every company department, is very beneficial for an organization. The following paper will outline the primary theoretical advantages of utilizing Enterprise Resource Planning. 91 percent of organizations report that efficiency is one of the top ten benefits of implementing ERP. There are so many aspects of the ERP system hat streamline operations that efficiency is a natural effect. Less manual entry as well as the prevention of duplicate entry improves speed and decreases errors. These improvements, in turn, allow employees to use their expertise and valuable time in other ways for the company. Improving information uniformity and availability also impacts efficiency in such a way that cycle time can be reduced . This is all made possible because software and processes among departments have been standardized to immediately respond to an order when this may have previously taken long periods of time. Consider the following scenario. An order is placed for a laptop with unique specifications. Without ERP, multiple departments and or suppliers must be individually contacted to obtain the parts to assemble the machine. An ERP System can issue a request for these parts, order a technician to assemble, create an invoice, and even make an accounting entry with a few keystrokes. What previously may have taken days or weeks may now only take minutes or hours. Empowering organizations to make better decisions on a daily basis and in response to their industrys rapidly changing environment is another key enefit of ERP. ERP accomplishes this in a number of ways. First, data entry as previously mentioned becomes more streamlined and is more automated providing more accurate data. This data, now unified across departments, can also be compared against itself and across functions without conversion errors. Because the data is collected regularly and does not require separate compilation, the reports are readily available and always current. This is perhaps one of the most important features as executives are often forced to make decisions at a moments notice and aving reliable information to assist their decision could make the difference between the right and wrong decision. ERP software implementation gives organizations a lot of technological integration capacity advantages. The software is so sophisticated that there are many integration options with e-commerce as well as supply chain partners. Reconsider the previously discussed scenario witn computer order. The technology available with ERP software would allow this same process to be initiated by a customers order placed on a company website. Simultaneously, suppliers who have applications that support the ERP software ould receive this same information as they are linked into the ERP software in order to more effectively communicate with their customer. Then, once the orders have been placed, all parties along the supply chain can see the status of the order through ERP system and web-based tracking collaboration systems . This offers a level of service that goes above and beyond and can be seen as a competitive advantage in a todays society. Finally, when collectively evaluating the above, one can see the most overwhelming reason for utilizing ERP is costs savings. If time is money, mproving the use of the employees time is an obvious cost savings. In fact, ERP may even eliminate labor depending upon a firms data entry positions. Cycle time improvements can also improve costs by increasing the amount of items that can be manufactured or by simply making the process more efficient. For example, streamlining the inventory ordering process following order receipt can dramatically impact inventory on hand and therefore cut inventory costs. Likewise, utilizing data and reporting to make the best decisions for organization could also assist with cost savings. Imagine deciding how much inventory to keep on hand without having any data to evaluate. Beyond the operational cost advantages to ERP, there are also cost savings to having all departments utilize the same software. A unified system cut costs as departments do not have to buy individual programs to support their processes . Also, if an organization uses one system, IT technicians only need to be familiar with one operating system saving in the number of specializations needed. Training also can be a cost savings as all employees will be using the same software across departments. Truly, ERP is the most important piece of the puzzle. Every department within an organization can operate with 100 percent efficiency by completing their roles as assigned. However, if there is nothing to link the departments one to another, the organization will fail as a whole. A human heart could be the strongest one in the world, but if it were not connected to the other organs in the body, what good would it be? Similarly, every department within an organization has its role to play and without an effective method of communication between these departments, the organization as a whole would die. Enterprise resource planning is a valuable tool for companies to utilize to increase efficiency, to support the decision making process, to integrate e-commerce and supplier software, and most importantly to cut costs. Effectively utilizing an ERP system will prevent fragmentation of departments and lead to a healthy organization. Sources Eresouce. (2010). ERP reduces cycle time, improves efficiency. Retrieved Nov 17, 2012, from Eresource: eresourceerp. com/ERP-reduces-cycle-time-improves- efficiency. html ExcitinglP. (2011 ,June 9). Advantages Disadvantages of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) Systems. Retrieved Nov 17, 2012, trom ExcitinglP. com: nttp:/ wrww. excitingip. com/2010/advantages-disadvantages-of-erp-enterprise-resource- planning-systems/ Exforsys Inc. (2006, Dec 4). The Advantages and Disadvantages of ERP. Retrieved Nov 1 7, 2012, from Exforsys. com: exforsys. com/tutorials/erp/the-advantages- and-disadvantages-of-erp. html Roman, K. (2009). Benefits of Implementing an ERP Top 10 Benefits an ERP Implementation Can Bring to Your Institution . Retrieved Nov 17, 2012, from Collegiate Project Services: collegiateproJect. com/articles/ERP%20Benefits. pdf

The Impact of the Social Media on the Relationship between Saudi Annotated Bibliography

The Impact of the Social Media on the Relationship between Saudi Arabia and Egypt after the 2011s Egyptian revolution - Annotated Bibliography Example The article allude that relationship between Egypt and Saudi Arabia has not been a good one since the time of Ottonman Empire. Further, the article perceives that the relationship between Egypt and Saudi Arabia has been rough since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak. Social media such as facebook and twitter has exacerbated the poor relationship between the two countries. Samin Nadav is the author of this article that appears in Arab Media and Society Journal looks at the contribution of social media to Arab uprising in the year 2011. The article points out that Egypt has large portion of her population in the social media among the countries in the Middle East. According to the article, social media plays important role in bring change that reshapes Middle Eastern societies. The article asserts that social media such as twitter and facebook have been instrumental in developing close ties between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. This is after the overthrow of the authoritarian rule of Hosni Mubarak whereby social media was crucial in instigating revolts and rallies. The article depicts that social media has been vital in directing discussions and democratic ideas between Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Egypt uses twitter to disseminate its latest development after the2011 uprising. Social media allows the other countries in the Middle East especially Saudi Arabia to get an inflow of information. The article reveals that Saudi Arabia has invested a lot in social media for networking. This article points out that Egyptians have used social media to mount protests at the Saudi Arabia Embassy. According to this article, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have been in a state of tension since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak. This article points out that the two countries have their negative perception on each other. This is despite the fact that they share religion, intermarriage, mutual political interests,

Descartes and Darwin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Descartes and Darwin - Essay Example Secondly, the paper will explore how history and modern science has added more weight to the views of Darwin which suggests that this view may be more ‘correct’ in its nature. The Debate on Human Nature One of the most well-known parts of Descartes’ philosophical views is the concept that to be human is to be composed of two incompatible pieces; the body and the soul. The body is full of the natural processes, whilst the soul contains all the information that we need to be ourselves, including all of our decision-making faculties and our personalities (Descartes, 2006). These two components, perhaps communicating through the pineal gland, are thoroughly different in composition and matter. Descartes would argue that human nature is partially comprised of the soul which cannot be explained by science and therefore there are elements of ourselves that science cannot explain. Descartes did, however, suggest that â€Å"the mind depends so much on temperament and the disposition of one's bodily organs that, if it is possible to find a way to make people generally more wise and more skilful than they have been in the past, I believe that we should look for it in medicine† (Descartes, 2006, p45), meaning that there are some elements of human nature which should look to science for explanation. Charles Darwin had very different ideas. Often known as the father of evolution, Darwin explored a great number of scientific concepts pertaining to human and animal behavior, often finding that these two concepts were linked and very similar. This view can be illustrated from Darwin’s words that â€Å"it has often and confidently been asserted, that man's origin can never be known: but ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science† (Darwin, 1871, p4). This just shows Darwinâ€℠¢s faith in science, and the power of science to explain even the inexplicable. Human nature is no exception from this rule, and as Darwin suggests, â€Å"there is no fundamental difference between man and the higher animals in their mental faculties† (Darwin, 1971, p34). Having studied a number of animal behaviors throughout his career, it is obvious that Darwin had more interaction with different creatures and therefore more information to draw his strong conclusion about human nature from. As the father of evolution, it is obvious that Darwin will favor an evolutionary perspective of human nature, one that suggests that all elements of our behavior and other aspects of being a human can be explained by science. Although there were some gaps in the evidence Darwin provided for this hypothesis, these have been slowly filled since the publication of The Descent of Man and are continually being updated as time goes on. It is perhaps the fact that Darwin’s work fits so n eatly with modern science which makes it the more appealing hypothesis, as explained further below. These views are evidently at odds with each other. Although Descartes does alert the reader to the importance of science and medicine, it is evident from Discourse on the Method that there are some things that Descartes feels are inexplicable. This may seem like a feasible resolution to come to, as human nature and personalities appear to be extremely complicated and different from those of other

Biography of Labor Rights Leader Cesar Chavez Research Paper

Biography of Labor Rights Leader Cesar Chavez - Research Paper Example Chavez was a strong and efficient leader with high organization power. He could effectively influence the farm workers and convince them about the necessity of organizing and challenging the biased practices prevailed in the American socioeconomic systems. Chavez’s strong desire for freedom and his unmanageable resentment towards employee discrimination encouraged him to overcome every barrier before him. Cesar Chavez was posthumously awarded the US Medal of Freedom by the former President Bill Clinton. During the award presentation ceremony, Clinton said that Chavez faced â€Å"violent opposition with dignity and nonviolence† (as cited in The story of Cesar Chavez). Chavez’s life gives the message that hard work together with perseverance will certainly assist one to achieve one’s ambition. Cesar Estrada Chavez, the Mexican American, was born on 31st March 1927 at Yuma in Arizona in a middle class family of six children. At the age of 10, Chavez’s family lost its land due to the Great Depression, and therefore they became migrant farm workers. Chavez migrated across southwest throughout his youth and interacted with labors at vineyards and fields, where he witnessed the stressed facet of farm workers’ life. He left his education after his eighth grade and became a full time worker in the field in order to support his family. His education spread over 30 elementary and middle schools. Although he left the school after achieving the formal education, his insatiable intellectual curiosity motivated him to gain more knowledge. This intrinsic motivation influenced Chavez to continue to be genuine reader throughout his life and he was self-taught in many areas. In 1946, Chavez joined the US Navy and served the military in the Western Pacific. His military servi ce lasted almost two years and he returned to marry Helen Fabela who was a farm worker in the central California. As reported in the Congressional Record, V. 149, Pt. 1

Causes for Japanese Film Remakes

Causes for Japanese Film Remakes Introduction Since the beginning of the 21st Century a new trend has become commonplace within the Hollywood horror genre, Japanese horror films are being purchased and remade for a new audience, removing the traditional underlying history and Americanising them for western viewers waiting for their next dose of fear and terror. In this dissertation I will explore the reasoning behind this influx of remakes, looking at the important roles people like Roy Lee and Vertigo Entertainment have played in their acceptance and successes. To do this I feel it is important to look at the state Hollywood horror was in before, and how films such as The Ring (2002) and The Grudge (2004) have changed things. As well as this I will look at the differences between J-Horror and its American counterpart, and how these have made them an appealing prospect for remaking. It will also be important for me to look at the academic theories behind remakes, and the different types of remake there are, using the work of Druxman, Leitch and Greenberg to try and help identify the different approaches used by Hollywood directors whilst tackling these projects. As well as investigating into why this has become so popular recently, and what examples there are in the past of similar situations arising, I’ll be attempting to predict how long this will last for, and the problems studios may encounter by doing it on a large scale. I will begin in Chapter One by introducing the work of Michael Druxman, Thomas Leitch and Harvey Roy Greenberg, summarising their writings on the topic of remakes and looking at how they each have different categories of them, depending on the new films style and the way it is released. I will look at Leitch’s theory of the â€Å"triangular relationship† (1990: 139) which helps to explain how remakes differ so much from other versions of adaptation. Along with these categories of remake I will attempt to give examples of different films which fit into the criteria, as well as relating them to the current trend of remaking J-Horror. In Chapter Two I will talk about the differences between Hollywood and Japanese horror styles, looking at both countries long histories in the genre, focussing on things such as folklore and local tradition, trying to discover why the two styles are so different. I will look at the origins and formation of the J-Horror style, along with the key films and directors associated with the movement. Before focussing on Hollywood’s history of remaking, and some of the reasons and thinking behind doing it, looking at films such as Yojimbo (1961) and Shichinin no samurai (Seven Samurai, 1954) as examples of this happening in the past. Chapter Three will be a case study based around Ringu (1998) and The Ring (2002), pointing out the differences and similarities between the two films. Through the use of illustrations I will identify important scenes where Gore Verbinski has either almost copied exactly or drastically altered the shot from Hideo Nakata’s original. I will try to relate my arguments and observations to other contemporary cases of J-Horror remakes, again talking about the cultural differences between the two countries and how in turn that has affected the look and feel of the two films. Finally I will conclude by looking at the future of remaking J-Horror, highlighting future films in development and how Hollywood is now exploiting new markets. I will summarise my findings from previous chapters and use them to try and predict how long this spell of remaking will last for and if it will continue to be as financially successful as it has been so far. Chapter One Categories of Remake Ever since the early days of Hollywood cinema films have been remade, reimagined and adapted for new, ever changing audiences. In most cases it has proven that if a film was successful the first time round a remake will be equally so. The producer or studio make the decision that the original story is still viable (Druxman: 1975: 13) and can once again make big money at the box office. This has led to this trend increasing rapidly over the last few decades, with fresh new material becoming harder to come by. Before I go into detail on the types of remakes and how they relate to the current trend of remaking Asian horror, I must clearly define what a remake actually is. A remake is much more than a film based on an earlier screenplay (Verevis: 2006: 1), as it can be broken down into even more definitions. The sequel/prequel, adaptation, homage, reimagining, film series and the retour aux sourced are all a type of remake (Delaney Potamitis: 2004: 1), with films falling under one of them. Leitch states that the reason remakes differ so much from other adaptations to a new media is due to the â€Å"triangular relationship† (Leitch: 1990: 139) they establish among themselves, the original film and the property in which both are based on. This has come about because typically producers of a remake pay no adaptation fees to the makers of the original film, but instead purchase adaptation rights from the authors of the based on property (Leitch: 1990: 139). This seems strange as it is the two films which will be competing against each other, often being found side by side on store shelves, and not the original property and the remade film (Leitch: 1990: 139). It is often the case that the original film benefits from the release of a remake, as it brings in a fresh audience who are often interested in watching the original film as well. In the case of Ringu, you can clearly see that the theatrical release of its remake caused its popularity to soar higher than ever before [fig 1.1] (pro.imdb.com). Many texts have been written regarding the subject of remaking film, and in particular looking at breaking the remake down into smaller more specific categories. The writings of Robert Eberwein, Michael Druxman, Harvey Roy Greenberg and Thomas Leitch, have defined multiple different types of remade film between them, from the wide and vague to the extremely specific. These books and essays can prove very helpful when comparing remade cinema, especially in trying to identify why the film in question has been remade, and the thinking behind it. I hope to use these definitions to help answer my own question of why there is such a high demand for westernising Japanese horror. In one of the first texts dedicated solely to the subject of the movie remake, Make It Again, Sam, Druxman sets out to answer three questions through the analysis of thirty three films and their remakes (1975: 9). These questions are â€Å"Why was the picture remade?†, â€Å"How was the remake different from the original as far as important story changes were concerned?† and â€Å"What was the critical reaction to the remake?† (Druxman: 1975: 9). When searching for a definition of a â€Å"remakeâ€Å" for his work Druxman decided that he would not take into account obvious sequels to films, and instead focus mainly on those that were based on a â€Å"common literary source† (1975: 9), such as an existing screenplay, novel, play, etc. Three major factors are described as driving â€Å"industry pragmatism† (Verevis: 2006: 5) in regards to Hollywood’s practice of remaking. Druxman argues that the first of these factors is that the studios’ decision to remake is a â€Å"voluntary one† (1975: 13) based on the fact that the script is still relevant today and could prove successful. However during the 1930s and 1940s, in the studio dominated era, they were forced to produce a certain amount of films every year (Druxman: 1975: 13). Producers found themselves with no alternative than to start using previously filmed movies as sources for new â€Å"B† and sometimes top-of-the-bill productions (Verevis: 2006: 6). These updated plots were essentially the same as their predecessor, with just the settings and characters being changed slightly. Druxman’s second point is that it was common practice for studios to purchase rights to plays, novels and stories, so that they could then produce multiple versions of these without giving the copyright holder additional payments (Verevis: 2006: 6). As Literary classics such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Three Musketeers where in the public domain, it meant that no initial payment would have to be paid for their dramatic rights (Verevis: 2006: 6). The final factor is simple economics; established films can be redone in order to exploit the ever changing production techniques and movie stars. That is why these old stories were, and will continue to be, constantly resurrected. If a studio has purchased the rights to something they will want to redo and release it as many times as possible in order to maximise their gain. Through Druxman’s definitions and in depth analysis of Hollywood remakes he comes up with three categories which he feels they can fall under; the direct, disguised and the non-remake (Druxman: 1975: 15). The direct remake category contains films that do not even attempt to hide the fact that they are based on earlier productions (Druxman: 1975: 15). Such productions may adopt a new title and make some changes to the narrative image (Verevis: 2006: 7), but it is basically the same film being remade, with not even the publicity campaigns hiding this fact (Druxman: 1975: 15). The main objective of these direct remakes is to draw in two types of cinema viewers. Those who have seen and enjoyed the original, and are curious about this new remake, and those who have heard good things about the original so want to view this version as the older is no longer in circulation (Druxman: 1975: 18). His second category, the disguised remake is a film which is either updated with little change, or completely retitled and then disguised, with the help of a new setting and original characters. (Verevis: 2006: 7). In either case though, the disguised remake doesn’t wish to draw attention to the fact that it’s not an original piece, instead just promoting itself as a normal film. Finally Druxman says there are non-remakes, films retaining the title of a well known story (Druxman: 1975: 15), as well as possibly referring to the name of a well known author, strictly for commercial purposes. Basically all the remake and the original share in common is the title, but the content is extremely different in each case (Verevis: 2006: 7). A perfect example of Druxman’s non-remake would be The Ring Two (2005) as the film shares the same name as its original (in its American release title at least), but that it pretty much where the similarities end. It is interesting to point out that the film is remade by Hideo Nakata, the director behind the original, clearly placing this remake within Robert Stams category of autocitation, in which a film maker remakes his/her own film (Verevis: 2006: 21). A further relevant example of this is Takashi Shimizu’s American film The Grudge a remake of his earlier Japanese language Ju-on: The Grudge (2003). In Harvey Roy Greenberg’s article â€Å"Raiders of the Lost Text: Remaking as Contested Homage in Always†he expands upon Druxman’s â€Å"commercially grounded† (Verevis: 2006: 8) groups and comes up with three categories which instead focus on the directors reasons for remaking a film. His categories center around the example of the romantic war fantasy A Guy Named Joe (1943) and its Steven Spielberg remake, Always (1989). Using this as an example of what Verevis translates as a â€Å"acknowledged, transformed remake† (2006: 9), with the film having huge changes made to the characters, location and general story telling. But still making sure to acknowledge the original, like in the case of Always a small mention is given in the credits. Much like Druxman he also names two other categories in which he feels remakes fall under. The acknowledged, close remake much like Druxman’s direct (1975:15) category, is when a remake completely replicates the original, with little to no change made to its narrative structure (Verevis: 2006: 9), and the unacknowledged, disguised remake is when both minor and major changes are made to the time, settings and characters. But the original version is not referred to and the audience are not informed of there even being one (Verevis: 2006: 9), similar to Druxman’s category of disguised remake. Thomas M. Leitch gives a much â€Å"more developed† (Verevis: 2006: 11) taxonomy of remakes. He claims that remakes seek to define themselves through either primary reference to the original film, or to the material both are adapted from, and there are four possible stances of remake that a film can fall under (Leitch: 1990: 142). The readaptation is the simplest of these stances, ignoring earlier cinematic adaptations in order to readapt an original literary property as faithfully as possible (Verevis: 2006: 12). The readaptations goal is â€Å"fidelity to the original text† (Leitch: 1990: 142), which it aims to translate as thoroughly as possible into the new film medium. Unlike the readaptation, the update competes directly with its literacy source, instead of seeking to subordinate itself to the essence of a literacy classic (Verevis: 2006: 12). They transform the original text through such ways as transposing it to a new setting, changing its values, or making the original seem dated, outmoded or irrelevant (Leitch: 1990: 143). Films such as these updates often display their â€Å"contradictory attitude towards the material† (Leitch: 1990: 143) through their titles and marketing, sometimes even using a tone which verges on parody. For perfect example of this would be Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet (1996), a film which takes an established screenplay and changes its meaning, updating it for a new generation. The homage is a type of remake whose primary objective is not to disrespect and put down the original film, but celebrate and pay tribute to it (Leitch: 1990: 144). Much like the readaptation which seeks to direct the audience’s attention to its literacy source (Verevis: 2006: 13), the homage situates itself as a secondary text, with its only value depending on its relation to the original text they pay tribute to (Leitch: 1990: 144). Therefore the homage renounces any claims that it is better than its original and attempts to reintroduce films that are in danger of being lost and forgotten (Leitch: 1990: 144). Leitch’s final category, the true remake is the complete opposite to the homage, claiming that it is better than its original (Verevis: 2006: 13). It focuses on a cinematic original with an accommodating stance and seeks to update the original, making its more relevant to a new modern audience (Leitch: 1990: 145). More than any of the other categories it borrows largely from the unacknowledged film, instead of being a reinvisioning of a literacy text (Leitch: 1990: 145). As well as these three major taxonomies on remakes from Leitch, Druxman and Greenberg, Robert Eberwein has published an elaborate list, proposing fifteen individual categories, each with many subdivisions (Verevis: 2006: 11). Ranging from the obvious such as a silent film remade as a sound film (Eberwein: 1998: 28) to the much more specific, â€Å"A remake that changes the race of the main characters† (Eberwein: 1998: 30). His taxonomy doesn’t address the issue of film adaptations, (Eberwein: 1998: 31) but regardless is a comprehensive and extremely specific list of categories which film can easily be slotted into. Chapter Two Different Styles of Horror It’s fairly clear to see, even to the most casual of audiences that Hollywood and Asia have extremely different styles of horror cinema, focussing on very different aspects and using different techniques to produce an element of fear. The west has a long history of horror cinema, starting with the early gothic in films such as Todd Browning’s Dracula (1931) and James Whales’ Frankenstein (1931), before going through a more paranoid stage focussing on unease and a sense that things are not right in the world, such as John Carpenters Science Fiction horror The Thing (1982). In recent times though â€Å"horror has become the domain of the slasher movie† (Maher: 2005: 14), with the likes of Friday the 13th(1980), Halloween (1978) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) giving rise to a new genre, one which would reshape the future of horror for almost 20 years. Towards the end of the 20th century it had become the norm for horror cinema to be all about multiple grotesque killings, limited back-story and a very formulaic approach to making the films. With the audience expecting certain key things when watching a horror film, such as, big jumpy moments, psycho-killers who never quite die and conventions such as the â€Å"Final Girl†. As Gore Verbinski, director of The Ring puts it â€Å"slasher films contextualise the horror so you watch it, eat your popcorn, go through a few jumps, and then go out for dinner† (O’Toole: 2003: 93), it was no longer fresh and exciting in the way it was in the early 1980s. Wes Craven changed all this in 1996 with the first of his Scream trilogy, the ironic slasher movie has run out of â€Å"nudge-nudge and wink wink† (O’Toole: 2003: 93) and it was now time for a smarter type of horror, one which was very aware of its audience knowing the key conventions, and which would use this to its advantage. The Scream films make use of the previously subtle and covert intertextual references and transform them into a very overt, discursive act. The movie characters knowledge of the horror genre rivals that of this new very aware target audience, and no longer tries to patronise them and act oblivious, with even the rules of horror sequels being discussed in detail in the following Scream 2 (1997) and Scream 3 (2000). The dismantling and parody riddled approach to the slasher genre continued with the Scary Movie (2000) franchise, this time not just giving a smart alternative to current horror cinema but completely mocking every aspect of it. Although these films and there sequels did very well at the box office, they had done serious damage to the American horror genre (Braundu: 2005: 118), the age of the slasher genre was over and Hollywood studios needed to find a way to invent horror for a new audience. In 1998 â€Å"Japanese suspense maestro† (Maher: 2005: 14) Hideo Nakata’s small budget Japanese horror film Ringu had revived a stagnant genre for the country, and had become a â€Å"cinematic phenomenon† (O’Toole: 2003: 93) across Asia, quickly becoming the most successful horror film franchise in Japan’s history. (Arnold: 2002:16) The story of a mysterious video tape which kills everyone who watches it exactly one week later became an underground cult classic within the west (Maher: 2005: 14), providing a kind of deep unsettling horror which had never been seen before. The film is based largely on the book of the same name by Koji Suzuki, who has been dubbed â€Å"the Stephen King of Japan† (O’Toole: 2003: 93), which was published in 1991. Suzuki’s downbeat, everyday settings have proven to translate well into film, (Donald: 2005: 9) with another one of his books, Honogurai mizu no soko kara (Dark Water, 2002) from 1996 also being adapted and remade for an American audience. Roy Lee, arguably the best known go-between in the world of remakes (Frater Kay: 2003: 10) and one half of the new Vertigo Entertainment, was one of the first big name American film producer to watch Ringu and it was this viewing that triggered the start of the Asian remake boom. On Lee’s recommendation the film was watched by Dreamworks Production Executive Walter Parkes and by 7pm that same day they had â€Å"paid $1m for the remake† rights (Frater Kay: 2003: 10). The history of the Japanese horror film is arguably as big as that of Hollywood and the West’s. With its roots firmly set in folklore, myth and urban legend (Langford: 2005: 175) it has progressed from woodblock carvings, to Kabuki theatre and finally to motion picture cinema. The main premise of the horror is based around the ghost story, at least up until the late 20th century. Story’s known as Kaidan (literally translated to â€Å"tail of a strange apparition†) originating from the Edo and Meiji period where passed down from generation to generation, retold in an ever changing medium (Stamou: 2007). The average Japanese person is more inclined to believe in ghosts than not, due to the culture and the way they are constantly exposed to these tales of terror. They believe that spirits inhabit absolutely everything (Rucka: 2005) and because of this don’t regard them as enemies, but as just another thing which co-exists within their world (Kermode: 2005). As Walter Salles, director of Dark Water (2005) puts it, â€Å"they don’t question it the way we question it, it’s much more a part of their world† (Kermode: 2005). Due to the unquestioning of the paranormal and the Buddhist and ShintÃ…Â  religious followings they are much more acceptant to the idea of life after death. This view of life, death and the afterlife is the fundamental difference between Japanese horror and its western counterpart, and where all the other differences stem from (Rucka: 2005). As Hideo Nakata says, â€Å"when making horror films, the methods of describing the spirit world and the expression of horror are totally different between Japan and the West† (Kermode: 2005). As is common within the Japanese language there are names for multiple different types of ghost and spirit. The ghosts and demons of the ancient period tales where known as the Yurei (lean ghost), the Zashiki-warashi is a dead child’s ghost, like the character of Toshio in Ju-on: The Grudge. One of the most common kinds of ghost though is the OnryÃ…Â  (resentful spirit), a spirit trapped at Yomi (Japanese purgatory) who comes back to earth looking for revenge (Stamou: 2007). Although not limited to being female, such as Rentaro Mikuni’s husband character in Kwaidan (1964) for example, the majority of them are (Wilks: 2006). It is this image of the OnryÃ…Â  which comes to mind when you think of Japanese horror, the female spirit gowned in snow-white, with its long black hair obscuring its face. This is mainly due to the new wave of Japanese directors such as, Takashi Miike (Ôdishon, 1999), Hideo Nakata (Ringu), Takashi Shimizu (Ju-on: The Grudge) and Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Kairo, 2001) using it at every opportunity, making it as â€Å"iconic in horror cinema as the projectile-vomiting, spinning head† (Wilks: 2006). 1964 saw the release of what many regard as one of Japans greatest horrors, Kaidan (Kwaidan, 1964). Directed by Masaki Kobayashi and based on four short stories by author Lafcadio Hearn, it uses abstract use of lighting and sound, creatively staged and shot in vibrant colours (Rucka: 2005). Keiko Kishi’s performance as Yuki The Ice Maiden sparked such terror within the Japanese population, that now only the passing glimpse of the likes of Sadako in Ringu and Kayako in Ju-on: The Grudge ignite utmost fright, due to the accumulated cultural knowledge of this character (Wilks: 2006). After years of Japanese horror plodding along in a stale state, influenced more by American slashers than its own rich heritage, a young director called Norio Tsurta decided he had had enough and it was time for a change. Japan was no longer the fantastically safe country it once was, and the Japanese people were starting to feel the ills of the outside world encroaching on them (Lovgren: 2004), and this was starting to be shown through their cinema. Tsurta’s Honto ni atta kowai hanashi (Scary True Stories, 1991) was the first of these, providing through low budget production, the look, mood and style which would later be known as J-Horror (Rucka: 2005). The term J-Horror was originally coined as a cult fan term (Rucka: 2005) for the post Ringu horror cinema which was coming out of Japan, although now it is often wrongly used to define Japanese horror as a whole. This revitalised horror scene fronted largely by Hideo Nakata after the phenomenal success of his film Ringu, completely revived the Japanese horror scene and caught the eye of film fans and studios all around the world. The common theme within J-Horror is once again ghosts, OnryÃ…Â  and the supernatural, but other more violent torture based films can also be included under the banner, for example Takashi Miike’s Ôdishon (Audition). For the most part though the films were very similar in style and overall theme to each other, with the following being the most notable examples; Nakata’s Ringu, Kaosu (Chaos, 1999), Ringu 2 (1999) and Honogurai mizu no soko kara. Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-on: The Curse (2000), Ju-on: The Curse 2 (2000), Ju-on: The Grudge, Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (2003), Marebito (2004) and Rinne (Reincarnation, 2005). Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Kyua (Cure, 1997), Kairo (Pulse, 2001) and Sakebi (Retribution, 2006), and Takashi Miike’s Chakushin ari (One Missed Call, 2004). The Japanese horror style has an â€Å"eerie ambient quality† (Maher: 14: 2005) about it which differs largely from its western counterpart. As noted previously, in the traditional Japanese horror movie the â€Å"past haunts the present, invariably taking the form of the supernatural† (Schneider and Williams: 6: 2005). Where, as director Rob Zombie (Halloween, 2007) points out, in American horror â€Å"you’ve gotta kill someone in the first five seconds† (Chaffin: 2005). J-Horror takes a very different approach to this, focussing on delivering heavy â€Å"atmosphere, nuance and ambiguity† (Chaffin: 2005), instead of raw grotesque gore, mainly due to the fact that the Japanese audience is much more tolerant of it (Phelan: 10: 2005). In Japanese horror films there’s much more of an acceptance towards the irrational and the unexplained (Lovgren: 2004). Nakata says that the ghost need do nothing more than â€Å"stand behind and stare at the main character† (Davies: 2005) to create fear amongst the audience, it all comes from sounds, shadows and suggestions, you don’t need â€Å"a 3D creature lopping people’s heads off† (Lovgren: 2004). Takashi Shimizu compares the current J-Horror style to films by American director John Carpenter, such as The Thing (1982) and Halloween. Saying that â€Å"just the suggestion of the presence of a ghost is frightening† (Dixon: 7: 2005), whereas Sarah Michelle-Gellar, star of The Grudge, describes Asian horror as being â€Å"much more beautiful, more poetic, leaving much more to the imagination† (Baughan: 78: 2005), a view which seems to be shared by many. Western horror plots normally evolve around the idea that the characters discover the cause of the horror and then destroy it, but J-Horror works very differently to this. As Stephen Susco, the writer in charge of translating Ju-on: The Grudge for the remake puts it, Asian horror is more â€Å"like a haunted house that follows you† (Kay: 7: 2004), there’s no limits or barriers to the horror. For example in Ringu where Sadako Yamamura climbs out of the television set, breaching any line which might keep you safe. In the west a ghost is often required to want something much more meaningful and have a deeper back-story, whereas â€Å"in Japan a ghost may simply want to terrify and destroy† (Phelan: 10: 2005). It’s the little differences like this which make these variations on the horror genre so different, where Hollywood mostly relies on over the top multiple sequences of death, Japan still has its roots firmly placed amongst the aesthetics of folklore, Japanese Noh and Kabuki theatre (McRoy: 214: 2006). Although history would suggest that Europe was the first stop of film makers and studio’s looking to remake a movie for a world audience, Japan has long been a â€Å"happy hunting ground for Hollywood remakers† (Shackleton Schilling: 2003: 17). First beginning in 1960 with The Magnificent Seven, John Sturges’ classic remake of the cult hit Shichinin no samurai, and then followed by Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars (1964), a remake of the Japanese film Yojimbo. In fact Yojimbo was remade once again in 1996 in the Bruce Willis lead crime drama Last Man Standing, a tribute to Akira Kurosawa’s screenplay that it was still deemed worthy of a remake over 30 years later. Literally the largest example of Hollywood remaking a Japanese movie though is Godzilla (1998), Roland Emmerich’s re-envisioning of the then twenty two film monster series, beginning in 1954 with Goijira (Godzilla). It was this film which became one of the first early examples of a foreign film becoming â€Å"Americanised†, even though it was given a (very limited) subtitled theatrical run it was still remade two years later as Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), with numerous new scenes shot and inserted into the original Japanese film, completely changing the plot and removing any real trace that it was a foreign made production (godzylla.com). As Mike Macari, Fine Line’s Creative Executive and avid Asian film fanatic, states Hollywood has always had the ability to â€Å"import foreign ideas and re-export them to a world market† (Frater Kay: 2003: 9), remakes have always been a very important part of American film making, but in the last ten years this is becoming even more so. As the mainstream Hollywood audiences’ become bored and overexposed to the current market the studios are forced to look elsewhere for inspiration, Walter Parkes says that Hollywood’s â€Å"voracious appetite† (Frater Kay: 2003: 9) will look wherever it can for new material and inspiration. American children have been â€Å"growing up on Pokemon, Japanese anime and manga† (Frater Kay: 2003: 9) for the past ten years, which has meant that as they become adults they’ve become more accustomed to the Japanese style, whereas fifteen years ago they wouldn’t be so open to it. Roy Lee states that he looks for â€Å"something new and fresh in the story that will appeal to a wider audience† (Paquet: 2003: 15), as long as it has an original concept and several strong scenes Hollywood can see potential in it for a remake. â€Å"Hollywood is a machine† (Maher: 2005: 14) and has proven that it can translate even the most cultural specific film into a box office success. Chapter Three Case Study As previously mentioned Hideo Nakata’s Ringu became the first film associated with the style of movie which would later be described as J-Horror. It came up with a fresh and exciting approach to its genre which would not only be used as a template for its western remakes, but the stream of replicas which would follow it in Japan. In this chapter I will be looking at the film in much more detail, comparing and contrasting it to Gore Verbinski’s Hollywood remake The Ring, in an attempt to identify how truthful it stays to the original, which parts are changed and westernised, and why this is the case. Although I am using Ringu/The Ring as my main example, mainly due to the fact that it was the first contemporary case of remaking Japanese horror, I will try to relate my arguments and observations to other films and Causes for Japanese Film Remakes Causes for Japanese Film Remakes Introduction Since the beginning of the 21st Century a new trend has become commonplace within the Hollywood horror genre, Japanese horror films are being purchased and remade for a new audience, removing the traditional underlying history and Americanising them for western viewers waiting for their next dose of fear and terror. In this dissertation I will explore the reasoning behind this influx of remakes, looking at the important roles people like Roy Lee and Vertigo Entertainment have played in their acceptance and successes. To do this I feel it is important to look at the state Hollywood horror was in before, and how films such as The Ring (2002) and The Grudge (2004) have changed things. As well as this I will look at the differences between J-Horror and its American counterpart, and how these have made them an appealing prospect for remaking. It will also be important for me to look at the academic theories behind remakes, and the different types of remake there are, using the work of Druxman, Leitch and Greenberg to try and help identify the different approaches used by Hollywood directors whilst tackling these projects. As well as investigating into why this has become so popular recently, and what examples there are in the past of similar situations arising, I’ll be attempting to predict how long this will last for, and the problems studios may encounter by doing it on a large scale. I will begin in Chapter One by introducing the work of Michael Druxman, Thomas Leitch and Harvey Roy Greenberg, summarising their writings on the topic of remakes and looking at how they each have different categories of them, depending on the new films style and the way it is released. I will look at Leitch’s theory of the â€Å"triangular relationship† (1990: 139) which helps to explain how remakes differ so much from other versions of adaptation. Along with these categories of remake I will attempt to give examples of different films which fit into the criteria, as well as relating them to the current trend of remaking J-Horror. In Chapter Two I will talk about the differences between Hollywood and Japanese horror styles, looking at both countries long histories in the genre, focussing on things such as folklore and local tradition, trying to discover why the two styles are so different. I will look at the origins and formation of the J-Horror style, along with the key films and directors associated with the movement. Before focussing on Hollywood’s history of remaking, and some of the reasons and thinking behind doing it, looking at films such as Yojimbo (1961) and Shichinin no samurai (Seven Samurai, 1954) as examples of this happening in the past. Chapter Three will be a case study based around Ringu (1998) and The Ring (2002), pointing out the differences and similarities between the two films. Through the use of illustrations I will identify important scenes where Gore Verbinski has either almost copied exactly or drastically altered the shot from Hideo Nakata’s original. I will try to relate my arguments and observations to other contemporary cases of J-Horror remakes, again talking about the cultural differences between the two countries and how in turn that has affected the look and feel of the two films. Finally I will conclude by looking at the future of remaking J-Horror, highlighting future films in development and how Hollywood is now exploiting new markets. I will summarise my findings from previous chapters and use them to try and predict how long this spell of remaking will last for and if it will continue to be as financially successful as it has been so far. Chapter One Categories of Remake Ever since the early days of Hollywood cinema films have been remade, reimagined and adapted for new, ever changing audiences. In most cases it has proven that if a film was successful the first time round a remake will be equally so. The producer or studio make the decision that the original story is still viable (Druxman: 1975: 13) and can once again make big money at the box office. This has led to this trend increasing rapidly over the last few decades, with fresh new material becoming harder to come by. Before I go into detail on the types of remakes and how they relate to the current trend of remaking Asian horror, I must clearly define what a remake actually is. A remake is much more than a film based on an earlier screenplay (Verevis: 2006: 1), as it can be broken down into even more definitions. The sequel/prequel, adaptation, homage, reimagining, film series and the retour aux sourced are all a type of remake (Delaney Potamitis: 2004: 1), with films falling under one of them. Leitch states that the reason remakes differ so much from other adaptations to a new media is due to the â€Å"triangular relationship† (Leitch: 1990: 139) they establish among themselves, the original film and the property in which both are based on. This has come about because typically producers of a remake pay no adaptation fees to the makers of the original film, but instead purchase adaptation rights from the authors of the based on property (Leitch: 1990: 139). This seems strange as it is the two films which will be competing against each other, often being found side by side on store shelves, and not the original property and the remade film (Leitch: 1990: 139). It is often the case that the original film benefits from the release of a remake, as it brings in a fresh audience who are often interested in watching the original film as well. In the case of Ringu, you can clearly see that the theatrical release of its remake caused its popularity to soar higher than ever before [fig 1.1] (pro.imdb.com). Many texts have been written regarding the subject of remaking film, and in particular looking at breaking the remake down into smaller more specific categories. The writings of Robert Eberwein, Michael Druxman, Harvey Roy Greenberg and Thomas Leitch, have defined multiple different types of remade film between them, from the wide and vague to the extremely specific. These books and essays can prove very helpful when comparing remade cinema, especially in trying to identify why the film in question has been remade, and the thinking behind it. I hope to use these definitions to help answer my own question of why there is such a high demand for westernising Japanese horror. In one of the first texts dedicated solely to the subject of the movie remake, Make It Again, Sam, Druxman sets out to answer three questions through the analysis of thirty three films and their remakes (1975: 9). These questions are â€Å"Why was the picture remade?†, â€Å"How was the remake different from the original as far as important story changes were concerned?† and â€Å"What was the critical reaction to the remake?† (Druxman: 1975: 9). When searching for a definition of a â€Å"remakeâ€Å" for his work Druxman decided that he would not take into account obvious sequels to films, and instead focus mainly on those that were based on a â€Å"common literary source† (1975: 9), such as an existing screenplay, novel, play, etc. Three major factors are described as driving â€Å"industry pragmatism† (Verevis: 2006: 5) in regards to Hollywood’s practice of remaking. Druxman argues that the first of these factors is that the studios’ decision to remake is a â€Å"voluntary one† (1975: 13) based on the fact that the script is still relevant today and could prove successful. However during the 1930s and 1940s, in the studio dominated era, they were forced to produce a certain amount of films every year (Druxman: 1975: 13). Producers found themselves with no alternative than to start using previously filmed movies as sources for new â€Å"B† and sometimes top-of-the-bill productions (Verevis: 2006: 6). These updated plots were essentially the same as their predecessor, with just the settings and characters being changed slightly. Druxman’s second point is that it was common practice for studios to purchase rights to plays, novels and stories, so that they could then produce multiple versions of these without giving the copyright holder additional payments (Verevis: 2006: 6). As Literary classics such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Three Musketeers where in the public domain, it meant that no initial payment would have to be paid for their dramatic rights (Verevis: 2006: 6). The final factor is simple economics; established films can be redone in order to exploit the ever changing production techniques and movie stars. That is why these old stories were, and will continue to be, constantly resurrected. If a studio has purchased the rights to something they will want to redo and release it as many times as possible in order to maximise their gain. Through Druxman’s definitions and in depth analysis of Hollywood remakes he comes up with three categories which he feels they can fall under; the direct, disguised and the non-remake (Druxman: 1975: 15). The direct remake category contains films that do not even attempt to hide the fact that they are based on earlier productions (Druxman: 1975: 15). Such productions may adopt a new title and make some changes to the narrative image (Verevis: 2006: 7), but it is basically the same film being remade, with not even the publicity campaigns hiding this fact (Druxman: 1975: 15). The main objective of these direct remakes is to draw in two types of cinema viewers. Those who have seen and enjoyed the original, and are curious about this new remake, and those who have heard good things about the original so want to view this version as the older is no longer in circulation (Druxman: 1975: 18). His second category, the disguised remake is a film which is either updated with little change, or completely retitled and then disguised, with the help of a new setting and original characters. (Verevis: 2006: 7). In either case though, the disguised remake doesn’t wish to draw attention to the fact that it’s not an original piece, instead just promoting itself as a normal film. Finally Druxman says there are non-remakes, films retaining the title of a well known story (Druxman: 1975: 15), as well as possibly referring to the name of a well known author, strictly for commercial purposes. Basically all the remake and the original share in common is the title, but the content is extremely different in each case (Verevis: 2006: 7). A perfect example of Druxman’s non-remake would be The Ring Two (2005) as the film shares the same name as its original (in its American release title at least), but that it pretty much where the similarities end. It is interesting to point out that the film is remade by Hideo Nakata, the director behind the original, clearly placing this remake within Robert Stams category of autocitation, in which a film maker remakes his/her own film (Verevis: 2006: 21). A further relevant example of this is Takashi Shimizu’s American film The Grudge a remake of his earlier Japanese language Ju-on: The Grudge (2003). In Harvey Roy Greenberg’s article â€Å"Raiders of the Lost Text: Remaking as Contested Homage in Always†he expands upon Druxman’s â€Å"commercially grounded† (Verevis: 2006: 8) groups and comes up with three categories which instead focus on the directors reasons for remaking a film. His categories center around the example of the romantic war fantasy A Guy Named Joe (1943) and its Steven Spielberg remake, Always (1989). Using this as an example of what Verevis translates as a â€Å"acknowledged, transformed remake† (2006: 9), with the film having huge changes made to the characters, location and general story telling. But still making sure to acknowledge the original, like in the case of Always a small mention is given in the credits. Much like Druxman he also names two other categories in which he feels remakes fall under. The acknowledged, close remake much like Druxman’s direct (1975:15) category, is when a remake completely replicates the original, with little to no change made to its narrative structure (Verevis: 2006: 9), and the unacknowledged, disguised remake is when both minor and major changes are made to the time, settings and characters. But the original version is not referred to and the audience are not informed of there even being one (Verevis: 2006: 9), similar to Druxman’s category of disguised remake. Thomas M. Leitch gives a much â€Å"more developed† (Verevis: 2006: 11) taxonomy of remakes. He claims that remakes seek to define themselves through either primary reference to the original film, or to the material both are adapted from, and there are four possible stances of remake that a film can fall under (Leitch: 1990: 142). The readaptation is the simplest of these stances, ignoring earlier cinematic adaptations in order to readapt an original literary property as faithfully as possible (Verevis: 2006: 12). The readaptations goal is â€Å"fidelity to the original text† (Leitch: 1990: 142), which it aims to translate as thoroughly as possible into the new film medium. Unlike the readaptation, the update competes directly with its literacy source, instead of seeking to subordinate itself to the essence of a literacy classic (Verevis: 2006: 12). They transform the original text through such ways as transposing it to a new setting, changing its values, or making the original seem dated, outmoded or irrelevant (Leitch: 1990: 143). Films such as these updates often display their â€Å"contradictory attitude towards the material† (Leitch: 1990: 143) through their titles and marketing, sometimes even using a tone which verges on parody. For perfect example of this would be Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet (1996), a film which takes an established screenplay and changes its meaning, updating it for a new generation. The homage is a type of remake whose primary objective is not to disrespect and put down the original film, but celebrate and pay tribute to it (Leitch: 1990: 144). Much like the readaptation which seeks to direct the audience’s attention to its literacy source (Verevis: 2006: 13), the homage situates itself as a secondary text, with its only value depending on its relation to the original text they pay tribute to (Leitch: 1990: 144). Therefore the homage renounces any claims that it is better than its original and attempts to reintroduce films that are in danger of being lost and forgotten (Leitch: 1990: 144). Leitch’s final category, the true remake is the complete opposite to the homage, claiming that it is better than its original (Verevis: 2006: 13). It focuses on a cinematic original with an accommodating stance and seeks to update the original, making its more relevant to a new modern audience (Leitch: 1990: 145). More than any of the other categories it borrows largely from the unacknowledged film, instead of being a reinvisioning of a literacy text (Leitch: 1990: 145). As well as these three major taxonomies on remakes from Leitch, Druxman and Greenberg, Robert Eberwein has published an elaborate list, proposing fifteen individual categories, each with many subdivisions (Verevis: 2006: 11). Ranging from the obvious such as a silent film remade as a sound film (Eberwein: 1998: 28) to the much more specific, â€Å"A remake that changes the race of the main characters† (Eberwein: 1998: 30). His taxonomy doesn’t address the issue of film adaptations, (Eberwein: 1998: 31) but regardless is a comprehensive and extremely specific list of categories which film can easily be slotted into. Chapter Two Different Styles of Horror It’s fairly clear to see, even to the most casual of audiences that Hollywood and Asia have extremely different styles of horror cinema, focussing on very different aspects and using different techniques to produce an element of fear. The west has a long history of horror cinema, starting with the early gothic in films such as Todd Browning’s Dracula (1931) and James Whales’ Frankenstein (1931), before going through a more paranoid stage focussing on unease and a sense that things are not right in the world, such as John Carpenters Science Fiction horror The Thing (1982). In recent times though â€Å"horror has become the domain of the slasher movie† (Maher: 2005: 14), with the likes of Friday the 13th(1980), Halloween (1978) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) giving rise to a new genre, one which would reshape the future of horror for almost 20 years. Towards the end of the 20th century it had become the norm for horror cinema to be all about multiple grotesque killings, limited back-story and a very formulaic approach to making the films. With the audience expecting certain key things when watching a horror film, such as, big jumpy moments, psycho-killers who never quite die and conventions such as the â€Å"Final Girl†. As Gore Verbinski, director of The Ring puts it â€Å"slasher films contextualise the horror so you watch it, eat your popcorn, go through a few jumps, and then go out for dinner† (O’Toole: 2003: 93), it was no longer fresh and exciting in the way it was in the early 1980s. Wes Craven changed all this in 1996 with the first of his Scream trilogy, the ironic slasher movie has run out of â€Å"nudge-nudge and wink wink† (O’Toole: 2003: 93) and it was now time for a smarter type of horror, one which was very aware of its audience knowing the key conventions, and which would use this to its advantage. The Scream films make use of the previously subtle and covert intertextual references and transform them into a very overt, discursive act. The movie characters knowledge of the horror genre rivals that of this new very aware target audience, and no longer tries to patronise them and act oblivious, with even the rules of horror sequels being discussed in detail in the following Scream 2 (1997) and Scream 3 (2000). The dismantling and parody riddled approach to the slasher genre continued with the Scary Movie (2000) franchise, this time not just giving a smart alternative to current horror cinema but completely mocking every aspect of it. Although these films and there sequels did very well at the box office, they had done serious damage to the American horror genre (Braundu: 2005: 118), the age of the slasher genre was over and Hollywood studios needed to find a way to invent horror for a new audience. In 1998 â€Å"Japanese suspense maestro† (Maher: 2005: 14) Hideo Nakata’s small budget Japanese horror film Ringu had revived a stagnant genre for the country, and had become a â€Å"cinematic phenomenon† (O’Toole: 2003: 93) across Asia, quickly becoming the most successful horror film franchise in Japan’s history. (Arnold: 2002:16) The story of a mysterious video tape which kills everyone who watches it exactly one week later became an underground cult classic within the west (Maher: 2005: 14), providing a kind of deep unsettling horror which had never been seen before. The film is based largely on the book of the same name by Koji Suzuki, who has been dubbed â€Å"the Stephen King of Japan† (O’Toole: 2003: 93), which was published in 1991. Suzuki’s downbeat, everyday settings have proven to translate well into film, (Donald: 2005: 9) with another one of his books, Honogurai mizu no soko kara (Dark Water, 2002) from 1996 also being adapted and remade for an American audience. Roy Lee, arguably the best known go-between in the world of remakes (Frater Kay: 2003: 10) and one half of the new Vertigo Entertainment, was one of the first big name American film producer to watch Ringu and it was this viewing that triggered the start of the Asian remake boom. On Lee’s recommendation the film was watched by Dreamworks Production Executive Walter Parkes and by 7pm that same day they had â€Å"paid $1m for the remake† rights (Frater Kay: 2003: 10). The history of the Japanese horror film is arguably as big as that of Hollywood and the West’s. With its roots firmly set in folklore, myth and urban legend (Langford: 2005: 175) it has progressed from woodblock carvings, to Kabuki theatre and finally to motion picture cinema. The main premise of the horror is based around the ghost story, at least up until the late 20th century. Story’s known as Kaidan (literally translated to â€Å"tail of a strange apparition†) originating from the Edo and Meiji period where passed down from generation to generation, retold in an ever changing medium (Stamou: 2007). The average Japanese person is more inclined to believe in ghosts than not, due to the culture and the way they are constantly exposed to these tales of terror. They believe that spirits inhabit absolutely everything (Rucka: 2005) and because of this don’t regard them as enemies, but as just another thing which co-exists within their world (Kermode: 2005). As Walter Salles, director of Dark Water (2005) puts it, â€Å"they don’t question it the way we question it, it’s much more a part of their world† (Kermode: 2005). Due to the unquestioning of the paranormal and the Buddhist and ShintÃ…Â  religious followings they are much more acceptant to the idea of life after death. This view of life, death and the afterlife is the fundamental difference between Japanese horror and its western counterpart, and where all the other differences stem from (Rucka: 2005). As Hideo Nakata says, â€Å"when making horror films, the methods of describing the spirit world and the expression of horror are totally different between Japan and the West† (Kermode: 2005). As is common within the Japanese language there are names for multiple different types of ghost and spirit. The ghosts and demons of the ancient period tales where known as the Yurei (lean ghost), the Zashiki-warashi is a dead child’s ghost, like the character of Toshio in Ju-on: The Grudge. One of the most common kinds of ghost though is the OnryÃ…Â  (resentful spirit), a spirit trapped at Yomi (Japanese purgatory) who comes back to earth looking for revenge (Stamou: 2007). Although not limited to being female, such as Rentaro Mikuni’s husband character in Kwaidan (1964) for example, the majority of them are (Wilks: 2006). It is this image of the OnryÃ…Â  which comes to mind when you think of Japanese horror, the female spirit gowned in snow-white, with its long black hair obscuring its face. This is mainly due to the new wave of Japanese directors such as, Takashi Miike (Ôdishon, 1999), Hideo Nakata (Ringu), Takashi Shimizu (Ju-on: The Grudge) and Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Kairo, 2001) using it at every opportunity, making it as â€Å"iconic in horror cinema as the projectile-vomiting, spinning head† (Wilks: 2006). 1964 saw the release of what many regard as one of Japans greatest horrors, Kaidan (Kwaidan, 1964). Directed by Masaki Kobayashi and based on four short stories by author Lafcadio Hearn, it uses abstract use of lighting and sound, creatively staged and shot in vibrant colours (Rucka: 2005). Keiko Kishi’s performance as Yuki The Ice Maiden sparked such terror within the Japanese population, that now only the passing glimpse of the likes of Sadako in Ringu and Kayako in Ju-on: The Grudge ignite utmost fright, due to the accumulated cultural knowledge of this character (Wilks: 2006). After years of Japanese horror plodding along in a stale state, influenced more by American slashers than its own rich heritage, a young director called Norio Tsurta decided he had had enough and it was time for a change. Japan was no longer the fantastically safe country it once was, and the Japanese people were starting to feel the ills of the outside world encroaching on them (Lovgren: 2004), and this was starting to be shown through their cinema. Tsurta’s Honto ni atta kowai hanashi (Scary True Stories, 1991) was the first of these, providing through low budget production, the look, mood and style which would later be known as J-Horror (Rucka: 2005). The term J-Horror was originally coined as a cult fan term (Rucka: 2005) for the post Ringu horror cinema which was coming out of Japan, although now it is often wrongly used to define Japanese horror as a whole. This revitalised horror scene fronted largely by Hideo Nakata after the phenomenal success of his film Ringu, completely revived the Japanese horror scene and caught the eye of film fans and studios all around the world. The common theme within J-Horror is once again ghosts, OnryÃ…Â  and the supernatural, but other more violent torture based films can also be included under the banner, for example Takashi Miike’s Ôdishon (Audition). For the most part though the films were very similar in style and overall theme to each other, with the following being the most notable examples; Nakata’s Ringu, Kaosu (Chaos, 1999), Ringu 2 (1999) and Honogurai mizu no soko kara. Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-on: The Curse (2000), Ju-on: The Curse 2 (2000), Ju-on: The Grudge, Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (2003), Marebito (2004) and Rinne (Reincarnation, 2005). Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Kyua (Cure, 1997), Kairo (Pulse, 2001) and Sakebi (Retribution, 2006), and Takashi Miike’s Chakushin ari (One Missed Call, 2004). The Japanese horror style has an â€Å"eerie ambient quality† (Maher: 14: 2005) about it which differs largely from its western counterpart. As noted previously, in the traditional Japanese horror movie the â€Å"past haunts the present, invariably taking the form of the supernatural† (Schneider and Williams: 6: 2005). Where, as director Rob Zombie (Halloween, 2007) points out, in American horror â€Å"you’ve gotta kill someone in the first five seconds† (Chaffin: 2005). J-Horror takes a very different approach to this, focussing on delivering heavy â€Å"atmosphere, nuance and ambiguity† (Chaffin: 2005), instead of raw grotesque gore, mainly due to the fact that the Japanese audience is much more tolerant of it (Phelan: 10: 2005). In Japanese horror films there’s much more of an acceptance towards the irrational and the unexplained (Lovgren: 2004). Nakata says that the ghost need do nothing more than â€Å"stand behind and stare at the main character† (Davies: 2005) to create fear amongst the audience, it all comes from sounds, shadows and suggestions, you don’t need â€Å"a 3D creature lopping people’s heads off† (Lovgren: 2004). Takashi Shimizu compares the current J-Horror style to films by American director John Carpenter, such as The Thing (1982) and Halloween. Saying that â€Å"just the suggestion of the presence of a ghost is frightening† (Dixon: 7: 2005), whereas Sarah Michelle-Gellar, star of The Grudge, describes Asian horror as being â€Å"much more beautiful, more poetic, leaving much more to the imagination† (Baughan: 78: 2005), a view which seems to be shared by many. Western horror plots normally evolve around the idea that the characters discover the cause of the horror and then destroy it, but J-Horror works very differently to this. As Stephen Susco, the writer in charge of translating Ju-on: The Grudge for the remake puts it, Asian horror is more â€Å"like a haunted house that follows you† (Kay: 7: 2004), there’s no limits or barriers to the horror. For example in Ringu where Sadako Yamamura climbs out of the television set, breaching any line which might keep you safe. In the west a ghost is often required to want something much more meaningful and have a deeper back-story, whereas â€Å"in Japan a ghost may simply want to terrify and destroy† (Phelan: 10: 2005). It’s the little differences like this which make these variations on the horror genre so different, where Hollywood mostly relies on over the top multiple sequences of death, Japan still has its roots firmly placed amongst the aesthetics of folklore, Japanese Noh and Kabuki theatre (McRoy: 214: 2006). Although history would suggest that Europe was the first stop of film makers and studio’s looking to remake a movie for a world audience, Japan has long been a â€Å"happy hunting ground for Hollywood remakers† (Shackleton Schilling: 2003: 17). First beginning in 1960 with The Magnificent Seven, John Sturges’ classic remake of the cult hit Shichinin no samurai, and then followed by Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars (1964), a remake of the Japanese film Yojimbo. In fact Yojimbo was remade once again in 1996 in the Bruce Willis lead crime drama Last Man Standing, a tribute to Akira Kurosawa’s screenplay that it was still deemed worthy of a remake over 30 years later. Literally the largest example of Hollywood remaking a Japanese movie though is Godzilla (1998), Roland Emmerich’s re-envisioning of the then twenty two film monster series, beginning in 1954 with Goijira (Godzilla). It was this film which became one of the first early examples of a foreign film becoming â€Å"Americanised†, even though it was given a (very limited) subtitled theatrical run it was still remade two years later as Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), with numerous new scenes shot and inserted into the original Japanese film, completely changing the plot and removing any real trace that it was a foreign made production (godzylla.com). As Mike Macari, Fine Line’s Creative Executive and avid Asian film fanatic, states Hollywood has always had the ability to â€Å"import foreign ideas and re-export them to a world market† (Frater Kay: 2003: 9), remakes have always been a very important part of American film making, but in the last ten years this is becoming even more so. As the mainstream Hollywood audiences’ become bored and overexposed to the current market the studios are forced to look elsewhere for inspiration, Walter Parkes says that Hollywood’s â€Å"voracious appetite† (Frater Kay: 2003: 9) will look wherever it can for new material and inspiration. American children have been â€Å"growing up on Pokemon, Japanese anime and manga† (Frater Kay: 2003: 9) for the past ten years, which has meant that as they become adults they’ve become more accustomed to the Japanese style, whereas fifteen years ago they wouldn’t be so open to it. Roy Lee states that he looks for â€Å"something new and fresh in the story that will appeal to a wider audience† (Paquet: 2003: 15), as long as it has an original concept and several strong scenes Hollywood can see potential in it for a remake. â€Å"Hollywood is a machine† (Maher: 2005: 14) and has proven that it can translate even the most cultural specific film into a box office success. Chapter Three Case Study As previously mentioned Hideo Nakata’s Ringu became the first film associated with the style of movie which would later be described as J-Horror. It came up with a fresh and exciting approach to its genre which would not only be used as a template for its western remakes, but the stream of replicas which would follow it in Japan. In this chapter I will be looking at the film in much more detail, comparing and contrasting it to Gore Verbinski’s Hollywood remake The Ring, in an attempt to identify how truthful it stays to the original, which parts are changed and westernised, and why this is the case. Although I am using Ringu/The Ring as my main example, mainly due to the fact that it was the first contemporary case of remaking Japanese horror, I will try to relate my arguments and observations to other films and