Film Genre (English Class) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Film Genre (English Class) - Research Paper Example The success of the gangster film with audiences later influenced filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola, whose 1972 epic The Godfather casts its criminal characters as appealing archetypes of good â€Å"family men,† doing whatever is necessary to survive and thrive in a dangerous world. The growing popularity of gangster films in the first three decades of the twentieth century owes a great deal to the American public’s fascination with notorious real-life gangsters such as Al Capone. The gangster cut a dashing figure—his sharp dressing style, marked by â€Å"pinstripe suits, fedoras, and fancy neckties,† created a whole new image for the American gangster, serving to â€Å"legitimize their status as businessmen† and allowing them to represent themselves as â€Å"a model of the new American ideal for the urban working class† (Beshears 197). Of course, his carefully-crafted outward appearance served to disguise the fact that Capone was, for all intents and purposes, little more than a common criminal. Like many of his criminal contemporaries, Capone made a fortune bootlegging liquor after Prohibition was enacted in 1920. Yet Capone and his cronies were not roundly vilified for their criminal activity. Instead, the public became enamored with the heady tales of the ongoing struggle between gangsters and the police who sought to shut them down. The â€Å"old moral order† (199) had broken down—in its place, many Americans had begun to embrace â€Å"a nihilistic outlook on life† (198) driven by disillusion in the wake of World War I. The resulting lack of optimism and distrust of authority created an environment in which gangsters were painted almost as folk heroes. They were perceived by many to be Robin Hood-type figures fighting the establishment on behalf of the downtrodden. In reality, however, the gangsters were solely in it for themselves, eager to make a profit even through the most nefarious of me ans. Based in large part on the infamous persona of criminals like Capone, the â€Å"gangster film† became a popular genre, exploding into success in the early 1930s. The gangster film is a sub-category of crime films in which the main characters are part of a gang or are otherwise affiliated with a crime organization or mob. The film typically depicts the rise and fall of the main character, a man whose ruthlessness, cunning, and unrepentant narcissism take him to the top and cause his subsequent downfall. The movies are set in large cities so as to â€Å"provide a view of the secret world of the criminal: dark nightclubs or streets with lurid neon signs, fast cars, piles of cash, sleazy bars, contraband, seedy living quarters or rooming houses† (filmsite.org). The movies are generally bloodbaths—multiple characters die as a result of their association with the gangster. Though in the earliest gangster films, much of the violence occurred off-screen, later film s almost gleefully depicted the random violence associated with the gangster way of life. Additionally, these films are crafted as â€Å"morality tales: Horatio Alger or ‘pursuit of the American Dream’ success stories turned upside down in which criminals live in an inverted dream world of success and wealth†

Community Health- Communicable Diseases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Community Health- Communicable Diseases - Essay Example This highly transmissible virus is spread via coughing, sneezing, contact with infected nasal or throat secretions or physical contact with infected individual. It can remain in the air or infected surface in its active virulent form for as long as two hours. Infected individuals can spread the virus from four days before up to four days after the manifestation of the signs or symptoms (Center for Disease Control (CDC), 2012). Respiratory diseases such as measles and Tuberculosis are usually very communicable because most of them are transmitted airborne. Care should be taken to ensure that in case of an outbreak the disease is contained within the shortest time possible to prevent an epidemic. Epidemiological Indicators Epidemiological indicators may be confused as they are similar to normal flu; however there are key indicators that would help one identify the symptoms with ease. Measles is characterized by high fever with temperatures higher or equal to 38.70 C, red watery eyes (a condition referred to as conjuvitis), runny nose and cough. These manifest 6 to10 days after infection with the virus. There is appearance of a red discolored rash on the face and the upper neck area accompanied by appearance of white-bluish spots in the buccal cavity, inside the cheeks. Similar rashes to those on the face and upper neck region, eventually spread to other parts of the body including the feet later. The rash disappears on its own, 5-6 days after its onset. Complications are very rare but when the immune system is compromised or in very severe cases, measles can lead to encephalitis, damage and infections to the middle respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia and diarrhea. Laboratory analysis involves Enzyme linked immunoabsorbent assay, positive serologic analysis of IgM measles antibodies and significant increase in IgG measles antibody levels or by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) of the virus from a medical case (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). Ac cording to Killewo (2010) is to watch for the median value between the time when the rashes appear and when they reappear. Killewo continues to explain that epdeniological indicators show that the disease mostly affects children less than five years old and the very elderly. A study conducted in 2006 Somalia revealed that the disease mostly affects malnourished children leading to 50% to 80% of the deaths. Epidemiological indicators are important because they help doctors and practitioners to come up with effective preventive measures. Infection with measles remains high in regions where it is still endemic like some places in Africa and Asia. Most of these places are at high risk due to poor economy and poor coordination in and decentralized health systems. War conflicts and natural outbreaks have great significance in deadly measles outbreaks. The disease also spreads at great pace due to high population and low nutrition associated with these regions especially due to overcrowdin g in camps. However, most countries have been able to put it under control by introduction of measles vaccine. In the mid 20th century, as many as close to 1 million cases of measles infections were reported in the United States. Thanks to the measles vaccine, this number has reduced to as low as 150 cases as reported in the United States towards the end of the 20th century. Such progress led to the disease being declared