Free Essays on Materialism

Materialism Materialism what do you think it is?We all know that materialism is what a person wants not what he needs.Materialism also is the standards that other people see that we think we haveto live by. As Webster’s Dictionary state, materialism is a theory thatphysical matter is only fundamental reality. Americans are very materialistic.Because our society is so materialistic, people can be hurt, and ashamed of howthey dress. Materialism in our society can also be costly. If we took a secondand looked at our society we would be able to see that our society is verymaterialistic. We are very concerned with differentname brands such as Polo, Tommy, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Kline, Fubu, Nautica,Nike, Adidias and the list could go on and on. We see the different stars ontelevision, in movies, commercials, and magazines or on stages. Whether theyare actors, actress, singers, models we all look at the clothing they wear andthink that this is what must be fashionable acceptable in our society. We letthese people set what we are going to wear and buy, since when did they decidehow we spend our hard earned money. If an actor/actress can afford an item ofclothing, does that mean that we have to buy that item to be like them? If westop to think for a minute, yes Michael Jordan was a very good basketballplayer, but does that mean we have to buy some hundred-dollar shoes becausethey have his name on it? Others of us might recall the Fubu commercial. Theones with LL Cool J’s (rapper/actor) they may be his line of clothing that heis promoting so us the consu ! mer looks at that and thinks well if LL is wearingthat then I want to be like him. Now Sean â€Å"Puffy† comps is a great rapper, butdoes that mean we have to buy his line of clothing? Calvin Kline what did he dothat was so great that make every one what to wear his clothing? We may bethinking that these sounds exactly like us or we may think what is she talkingabout... Free Essays on Materialism Free Essays on Materialism What Advertisements Don’t Tell You in Their Ads materialism (m -tà ®r - -l z m) n. 1. The theory or attitude that physical well-being and worldly possessions constitute the greatest good and highest value in life. Advertising generates new needs and establishes brand loyalties. Ads alert people to both new products and new versions of old ones. Consumption today is not only about keeping up with the Joneses. The labels you wear, the food you eat, the restaurants you frequent, the haircut you flaunt, where you go on holiday, even your spiritual cravings are social symbols. What is happening to the average man, the man who is caught in the web of a consumerist and materialistic culture with all the temptations it offers him? The general scenario is one of utter helplessness and nobody seems to have any control over his future. Added to this is the acquisitive tendency of those who are tempted to go for all kinds of things the market offers. A kind of insatiable greed seems to have taken control of all of us and no effort is being made anywhere to limit one’s wants. And this has become a global phenomenon and no country seems to be free from it. Thus the average man finds himself to be tr ! uly at a crossroads of utter despair and helplessness. He is swept away by the mighty waves of an all-pervading materialism and consumerism. Economic well-being appears to be the sole purpose of life and the manner in which value systems are being trampled upon raises the big question: Where are we headed? In the car ad included we see the car in all of its glory. What we do not see is how the car was made, who made it, and most importantly what sort of emissions it puts out. Contrary to popular belief that societal unawareness has paved our way to environmental catastrophe; advertising deliberately avoids showing the environmental consequences of a consumer society. Take for instance the Volks Wagon ad. When you look ... Free Essays on Materialism Materialism Materialism what do you think it is?We all know that materialism is what a person wants not what he needs.Materialism also is the standards that other people see that we think we haveto live by. As Webster’s Dictionary state, materialism is a theory thatphysical matter is only fundamental reality. Americans are very materialistic.Because our society is so materialistic, people can be hurt, and ashamed of howthey dress. Materialism in our society can also be costly. If we took a secondand looked at our society we would be able to see that our society is verymaterialistic. We are very concerned with differentname brands such as Polo, Tommy, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Kline, Fubu, Nautica,Nike, Adidias and the list could go on and on. We see the different stars ontelevision, in movies, commercials, and magazines or on stages. Whether theyare actors, actress, singers, models we all look at the clothing they wear andthink that this is what must be fashionable acceptable in our society. We letthese people set what we are going to wear and buy, since when did they decidehow we spend our hard earned money. If an actor/actress can afford an item ofclothing, does that mean that we have to buy that item to be like them? If westop to think for a minute, yes Michael Jordan was a very good basketballplayer, but does that mean we have to buy some hundred-dollar shoes becausethey have his name on it? Others of us might recall the Fubu commercial. Theones with LL Cool J’s (rapper/actor) they may be his line of clothing that heis promoting so us the consu ! mer looks at that and thinks well if LL is wearingthat then I want to be like him. Now Sean â€Å"Puffy† comps is a great rapper, butdoes that mean we have to buy his line of clothing? Calvin Kline what did he dothat was so great that make every one what to wear his clothing? We may bethinking that these sounds exactly like us or we may think what is she talkingabout... Free Essays on Materialism (Topic) The view taken by Lewis Lapham of â€Å"the American faith in money† meticulously identifies the covetous sentiment shared by our people. (Tell #1) Since the formation of this nation, Americans have been materialistic. (Show #1) Henry Adams observed how â€Å"deflected by the pursuit of money† the Americans were. (Mean #1) We have slowly altered our course in life to focus on achieving great riches, although these will only remain a dream for most. (Tell #2) The American people attempt to use their wealth to prove their â€Å"worth† to others and themselves. (Show #2) The philosophy, â€Å"the visible signs of wealth testify to an inward state of grace† or success, epitomizes the doctrines of the American people. (Mean #3) By ostentatiously displaying our tangible assets, we assume that other people will conclude we are happy and successful because we own so much. (Tell #3) Citizens of other countries largely have not had the same op portunities as Americans. They defer to values in â€Å"family, religion, honor, intellect, and social class†. (Show #3) The beauty of the Constitution and founding principles of America were to have a diverse society, where people with different ideas and beliefs could harmoniously live together. Therefore, we do not all have a consensual system to pass judgment on, so we turn to the obvious source of unity: money. In this land of opportunity, a clever person can build a fortune from scratch, in the past, through oil corporations and railroads, in the present, through Internet companies. We have faith in money, because we believe that to achieve that level of affluence, the individual must be intelligent, shrewd, astute, and witty along with dozens of other favorable and cherished characteristics. Money is an integral part of our lives because with it we associate the same connotations that the English do to a name; the Germans, a university degree; or the Soviets, po litical power. ...

Murder Mystery Comedy Plays

Murder Mystery Comedy Plays Audiences love a good gasp induced by a shocking murder mystery. They also cant get enough of laughter induced by wacky characters and slapstick hijinks. Combine both worlds and youve got a popular genre known as the murder mystery comedy. Of course, just because you have all of those ingredients doesnt mean the play will actually be suspenseful, mysterious, or even funny. When youve got a bunch of dead bodies on stage, the comedy is going to get quite dark, so it takes a special sort of playwright to properly entwine the macabre with the moronic. Here are a few murder mystery comedies that get it right! The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 Written by John Bishop, this farcical whodunnit does not take a Sherlock Holmes to reveal the villains. But it does create enough mayhem to leave you guessing about what will happen next. A snowstorm encroaches upon the estate of a wealthy philanthropist, a patron of the arts who has called together a famous songwriting team, an iconic director, a Broadway producer, and a pair of theater wannabes. They think that they are pitching the next musical extravaganza  when, in fact, they have been summoned in order to discover the Stagedoor Slasher, a madman (or madwoman) who killed three chorus girl dancers and just might kill again. Throw in some Nazi spies, cross-dressing psychopaths, and a bumbling police detective, and you have a murder-mystery-comedy with a vintage flair. The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 is available at Dramatists Play Service. (And for those of you actors who cannot sing and/or dance, dont worry. Theres hardly any music and no choreography except for some hysterical fight sequences). The Bold, the Young, and the Murdered There must be something intrinsically amusing about actors dealing with creepy killers because its a popular theme found in comedic murder mysteries, including this one by Don Zolodis. Heres the brief synopsis provided by the publishers at Playscripts: The long-running soap opera The Bold and the Young is in its last days: its hunky hero has self-esteem issues, its villainous old man is more interested in soup, and its heroines are slightly psychopathic. The executive producer gives the squabbling cast an ultimatum: Complete one episode overnight or the show dies. But when the director ends up murdered, and other cast members start dropping like flies, it seems like his threat might actually come true. Can these misfits discover the murderer before the show is literally killed off? The script lends itself nicely to high school drama students and professional actors alike. Theres something liberating about letting go and pouring on that soap opera cheesiness. Mandate for Murder Pat Cook is the master of melodramatic comedies  and has the ability to crank out silly characters so fast, his computer keyboard must be smoking when hes done. (Tim Kelley woulds be proud!) Most Cook comedies are as funny as the playwright is prolific. Mandate for Murder, brought to you by Eldridge Plays, is no exception. And its a blast for community theaters to perform, especially around election time. When a political aide is stabbed to death and the murder weapon is a knife pulled from a birthday cake, the crime-solving characters have a lot of questions to ask. However, they arent the only ones. The audience gets to interrogate the suspects too, not only that- by the end of the evening, they get to vote in the election! The Murder Room This comedic gem by Jack Sharkey brings back a ton of high school memories. We spent just as much time working on the set, with all of its trap doors and secret entrances, as we did working on the lines. Like other zany mysteries, this one features a wide variety of characters (nearly all of them should be played with English accents). With all of its mix-ups and botched assassinations, by the end of the play the audience isnt sure if anyone has actually been killed off. It also pays homage to Sleuth in that characters who supposedly left the storyline come back into the play wearing a clever disguise. The 39 Steps Imaginatively adapted from a Hitchcock classic, the comic masterpiece The 39 Steps transcends the genre. Audiences rave about the non-stop comedy, the amazingly creative blocking, and the four versatile actors who play over one hundred characters. Directed by Maria Aitken and adapted for the stage by Peter Barlow, this farcical tribute to Hitchcock thrillers has been delighting audiences since 2005.

A Letter to Dean Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A Letter to Dean - Personal Statement Example This disoriented me making me to lose track of my studies. Time flew and before I knew it, examinations approached before I was adequately prepared. I am sure that this unpreparedness played a big role in my poor performance and I regret having misplaced my priorities by having secondary interests. Lack of enough credits partly translated into my GPA falling short of 2.0. The other reason why my GPA fell below 2.0 was that I failed to consult with my professors about my failing grades. I shied away from asking my professors for guidance because I was afraid that they might not listen to me. I regret that I relied on the stories I had form my friends that some professors are unfriendly and today I am positive that had I talked to them, I would have saved my failing grades. I also attribute my poor performance to my failure to consult with my academic advisor because I contacted him when it was a bit too late. I mismanaged my time by prioritizing things that were not helpful to my studies and the company I kept did not make it any better. This flawed prioritization made me to spend very little time in the library and to get to class late. Somehow, I was not aware of how much I had lost track of my studies even when the indicators were so obvious. However, this one year of suspension from college has taught me important lessons that will help me improve when you reinstate me. I have learnt to take responsibility for my mistakes and this is what has given me confidence to write to you appealing to be reinstated. I approached my academic advisor and he advised me to take more credits from other schools in order to help raise my credits and GPA. Acting on this advice, I enrolled into Westwood College where I earned twelve credits. It was disheartening to learn, later, from my advisor that these credits could not be counted. The difficulty that I have encountered looking for a school has taught me how wrong I was taking for granted the chance to