South Parks Satire Essay Example for Free

South Parks Satire Essay South Park, a widely popular animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, debuted August 13, 1997 on Comedy Central. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become infamous for its crude, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that covers a wide range of topics. This type of comedy is widely successful across a variety of shows, due in part to societies conformation to social archetypes, which prohibits unacceptable behavior. These shows display characters who have freedom to act however they desire with no consequences from doing so. Simply, people are entertained most seeing portrayed in television what they themselves cannot, or are not permitted, to do in everyday life. Diversity and Discrimination South Park, by nature, exploits the taboo by using it as a means to draw in the attention of its viewers. Captivated, they watch as their beliefs, social tendencies, and media are senselessly torn apart and twisted into an unrecognizable form. However, instead of acting in revolt, or criticizing the remarks made, they find it amusing. Naturally, this crude humor has been called out for crossing the line, but the negative publicity the show receives only serves to draw in more viewers. The viewers, in turn are convinced to sit and watch as they are stereotyped and bashed by a show meant to entertain them. An fairly well known quote, of unknown origins, goes something like, â€Å"If you cant laugh at yourself, then how can you laugh at anybody else?† This is fitting, as many of South Parks viewers are prompted to do just that. If anything, this self-criticism is beneficial as it raises awareness to diversity in our culture and in the show, as silly as it sounds, everyone is disc riminated against equally. Unrestrained Entertainment So, the answer as to how people can watch a show, such as South Park, whos every line is laced with crude and satirical humor is actually quite simple. As viewers laugh at each other, they in turn laugh at themselves. Equality isnt necessarily an overwhelming factor to entertaining the masses, but instead opens the door for South Park, and other shows alike, to make fun of any subject, or topic, the creators so desire. This goes back to societies tendency to be entertained by character portrayals that are unrestrained by everyday rules or normalizations. The simplistic cartoon is in fact a cunning play on basic instinct, and because of this deceit, is widely popular amongst many who enjoy the shallow humor that delivers a quick, yet gratifying, laugh. Influential Entertainment Many are quick to blame the dark humor for directly changing views of proper conduct in adolescent individuals. They believe the show itself poses a negative influence upon those who are unable to comprehend that it is purely meant for humor, and that it does not demonstrate socially acceptable behavior. They firmly declare that the unrestrained nature of the show itself leads to the aforementioned pliable individuals acting in ways they otherwise would not. They insist that the network airing such shows are solely to blame, with little to no responsibility falling on their own shoulders. Such a stance is ridiculous at best. Those making the claims are too naive as to what truly influences society, and a comedic cartoon, while on the list, is not going to be near the top. This is due in part to the restrictions placed on programs via TV rating systems, which classifies South Park as MA, for mature audiences only, and the parental enforcement against those who should not be watching i t in the first place. Discussion The critical argument against consumption of any kind, whether its media or otherwise, is the unhealthy or negative side effects it may impose. South Park, while crude, surreal and satirical, provides a view into unrestrained consequence free life which surprisingly offers an alternative yet informative view on unfiltered criticism of the diversity of American culture. This fact alone stands to counteract the previous argument and displays that the basis of the show is to provide entertainment to mature audiences who will understand the dark humor and will respond with decency knowing that in the end, it is simply just a cartoon.

Supernatural in Shakespeares Macbeth - Power of the Witches :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

The Power of the Witches in Macbeth      Ã‚   Myths and religions often include divine or devilish beings with incredible powers. William Shakespeare incorporated witches with bizarre powers in his play, Macbeth. These witches possessed devilish powers to set the course of events in the plot and added to the flavor of the story. The witches' powers included omnientness, vision and apparition creation, and the ability to set the conditions for disaster, and the utilization of these abilities sets the movement of the play.    As opening characters in the story, the witches establish the major theme of the tale and predict future events. Upon hinting of their insight to the end of the war and revealing their relationship with demonic forces, the witches call out, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair,"(I, i, 12). In his first meeting with the Weird Sisters, Banquo questions the witches powers and asks, "If you can look into the seeds of time and say which will grow and which will not?"(I, iii, 65). The witches prophecies linger through the story and reveal their accuracy, and Banquo takes notice and comments to Macbeth, "I dreamt last night of the three Weird Sisters. To you they have showed some truth,"(II, i, 25). The witches prophecies place an underlying thought in Macbeth and Banquo's minds and hide there throughout their actions with an ever-present influence.    Another influential power of the Weird Sisters was their ability to create visions and apparitions. Early in the murder scene of Duncan, Macbeth sees a bloody dagger   and in a phantasmagoric state, remarks, "Thou marshal'st me the way that I was going, / And such an instrument I was to use,"(II, i, 51). Macbeth also states, "Witchcraft celebrates Pale Hecate's offerings,"(II, i, 60). Both of these statements may suggest a supernatural force in the affair. The witches' powers also extend to the summoning of apparitions that foretell future events. The three apparitions tell Macbeth, "Beware the Thane of Fife,"(IV, i, 81), "none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth," (IV, i, 91), and "Macbeth shall never be vanquished be until / Great Birnham Wood to high Dunsinane Hill / Shall come against him,"(IV, i, 106). These visions and apparitions, as seen later on, have a profound effect on Macbeth's actions.    The most significant power of the Weird Sisters lies in their ability to set the conditions for disaster.

Mozart K331 Analysis

Analysis of W. A. Mozart’s Piano Sonata in A Major, K. 331: First Movement Classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born to Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart in 1756 in Salzburg, Austria (then the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation). Mozart showed promise in music from an early age, prompting his father to assume the role as his instructor. His father described his son as a gift from God, and Leopold nurtured Wolfgang’s talents as such. Mozart would eventually travel throughout Europe with his musical family; however, it was in Salzburg that he would compose three piano sonatas in 1783.These pieces were most likely composed for Mozart’s pupils in Vienna, who were a significant source of income for him at the time. This paper concerns the second of the three: Sonata in A major, K. 331, specifically the first movement. The following explores the basic form of the piece, melodic and harmonic structure, as well as examination of methods used to vary the theme. The overall form of this movement is theme and variation. This form is characteristic of many solo sonatas; however, it is atypical for a first movement of a classical sonata. More frequently, the first movement would be in sonata form.This movement presents the theme in the first 18 measures as seen in Fig. 1(pg. 2). There are two 4-bar phrases, the first ending on a half cadence and the second on a perfect authentic cadence, that repeat. This forms what is called a â€Å"period,† where we have two similar phrases connected by a half cadence. In the second period, Mozart introduces new material, developing the long-short motive for four measures and continuing to a half cadence. After this he returns to the original melody for four bars, and ends the phrase on a root position imperfect authentic cadence.Following is a 2-measure extension, ending with a cadential 6/4 to give a strong perfect authentic cadence. Each movement follows the same structure except variation VI, in w hich the final repeat cadences and then continues to an 8-measure coda. Other than that, each movement follows the same binary form. Fig. 1: First Movement, mm. 1-18. The tender melody Mozart presents in these first 18 bars is simple, with a lot of stepwise motion and small leaps. Adhering to classical style, he uses chords built on diatonic pitches and resolves dissonances quickly. Pairing a simple homophonic melody with simple accompaniment makes it easier to anipulate the theme in the coming variations. In Fig. 1, you’ll notice that the middle voice barely moves at all. In fact, it isn’t until measure 9 that we start seeing strong beats without an E in them. Also, the long-short (quarter-eighth/dotted eighth-sixteenth) motive remains constant until it too develops at measure 9. All of these techniques for a simple theme help Mozart develop his idea later. In the first variation, Mozart agitates the theme with the use of chromatic approaches and chromatic passing ton es. Between the left and right hands, we hear an unrelenting series of sixteenth notes.Mozart also incorporates more use of dynamics than he did in the theme, by composing contrasting piano and forte sections. This drastic dynamic change happens in the A section of the variation. In variation II, another insistent figure is introduced: this time, triplet sixteenth notes. The melody in the right hand starts out very ornamented. Mozart then puts each melody note at the start of a flowing downward triplet arpeggio. The left hand emphasizes the strong beat throughout these triplets, and then the melody returns in the original ornamented character from the start of this variation’s A section.On the half cadences in this variation, we see a direct quote from the theme. Variation III brings the most drastic change yet. The key changes to the parallel minor (A minor). This movement features flowing sixteenth notes and phrase markings spanning up to three measures. It features many ch romatic neighbor and passing tones, as well as use of the melodic minor scale: sharping scale degrees 6 when ascending, and keeping it within the key when descending. Scale degree 7 is rarely lowered, as it is usually bound by the major V chord quality.Variation IV, back in A major, features a floating melody line above the staff that begins on beat 2, almost like an afterthought or reaction to the strong beat. It contains less dynamic contrast than the past variations, presenting the majority of the notes at piano. The light airy feeling given by the notes in the upper register provides a necessary contrast from the previous gloomy movement. In Variation V, the tempo is remarked: adagio. In the new slow tempo, 32nd notes in the left hand provide the accompaniment, while the right hand plays some intricate scalic and chromatic passages.At this tempo, the right hand is playing such intricate passages, that the theme has been significantly blurred to the point where it is barely ident ifiable. The chromaticism is still present, but it is scaled back a bit in this movement. We see a new character of sound emerge in the right hand with a happy staccato repetition on the tonic pitch. There are also a lot of contrasting dynamics to the point where they change back and forth mid-measure. In the final variation, the dynamic contrast resembles that of variation II; however the similarities, more or less, end there.The tempo changes to allegro and opens with jubilant eighth notes with contrasting articulations. This variation features mostly fast scales and arpeggios that outline the theme. As the B section concludes, a major scale rockets upward and leads into the coda. The coda basically alternates tonic and predominant chords until finally ending with two strong V-I progressions for a perfect authentic cadence to close out the movement. One thing that I find interesting about Mozart’s Sonata is that in every movement, there is a very steady pulse.This means tha t the movements are not only tied together by the melody and chords, but by the presence of a constant rhythmic pulse first presented in the theme. I really like what Mozart did with these variations. He was able to create very individual variations without distancing the music from the theme or from classical style. I wouldn’t go as far as calling the work genius, but I think the quality of the work, and the way that he connected the variations was nearly perfect. The dynamic contrast is exciting, and the final variation provides a good sense of finality.Well done, Mozart. Bibliography Brown, Peter. â€Å"Amadeus and Mozart: Setting the Record Straight. † The American Scholar. 61(1992): 49-52. The Harvard Biological Dictionary of Music. â€Å"Mozart, (Johann Chrysostom) Wolfgang Amadeus (27 Jan. 1756, Salzburg – 5 Dec. 1791, Vienna)†. Accessed November 16, 2012. http://www. credoreference. com/entry/harvbiodictmusic/mozart_johann_chrysostom_wolfgang_amad eus_27_jan_1756_salzburg_5_dec_1791_vienna. Heartz, Daniel. Mozart, Haydn, and Early Beethoven: 1781-1802. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009. | | | | ——————————————- [ 1 ]. Peter Brown, â€Å"Amadeus and Mozart: Setting the Record Straight,† The American Scholar, 61(1992): 49-52. [ 2 ]. â€Å"Mozart, (Johann Chrysostom) Wolfgang Amadeus (27 Jan. 1756, Salzburg – 5 Dec. 1791, Vienna)†, The Harvard Biological Dictionary of Music, Accessed November 16, 2012, http://www. credoreference. com/entry/harvbiodictmusic/mozart_johann_chrysostof_wolfgang_amadeus_27_jan_1756_salzburg_5_dec_1791_vienna. [ 3 ]. Daniel Heartz, Mozart, Haydn, and Early Beethoven: 1781-1802, (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2009), 52-4.

The Dance Debate Is it a Sport - 517 Words

People are always debating whether dance is a sport or not. Some sources say dance is indeed a sport while others say dance is not. This debate has gone on for quite some time. Both dancers and athletes train almost everyday and either compete or go to games to win. Sources say if dance is competed in a competitive setting it is considered a sport. If dancing is not competed at a competition dance is just considered a hobby. Dancers and athletes train equally as hard and are both dedicated to what they do. Dance contains similarities to sports, causes of injuries, and the art of performing. A sport is an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment. Some popular sports include football, baseball, basketball, and soccer. Sports involve extended periods of training by athletes who are seriously committed to improving their skills. Torrell Mills says, â€Å"Dance is a sport because of the physical activity for long periods of time. It really requires control of intensity for set periods of time and that’s something even the best athletes can’t do† (1). Both dance and sports require a person to strain their body to its maximum capacity in order to achieve success in his or her activity. Dance should be considered a sport if what makes it a sport is determined by the effect it has on one’s body (Martin 2). The injuries between athletes and dancers are very analogous. Dancers and athletes bothShow MoreRelatedDance is a sport Essay790 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Persuasive Speech Outline Dance is a Sport! I. Introduction: a) Attention Getter: What is the definition of a sport? A game played with a ball? Is it people in tight pants running around? How about â€Å"an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature†? That sounds more like it. 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