American Beauty Film Critique Essay Example for Free

American Beauty Film Critique Essay There are few films that achieve the high level of quality exhibited by that of the 1990 beautiful tragedy, American Beauty. The film is a true masterpiece in both content and how this content is delivered to the viewers. It excels at being an enlightening and relevant drama about American life, and never fails to keep the audience entertained by providing many instances of well-placed humor. Every scene is filmed including metaphoric elements that not only show great stylistic and aesthetics, but also create a mood and feeling for the theme of the movie. American Beauty, directed by Sam Mendes, is a film that is set in suburban America, in a normal neighbourhood, following the everyday life of the central protagonist, Lester Burnham, who is living the typical ‘American Dream’. He appears to have a great job, big house, loving wife and daughter and even a white picket fence. However, all is not as it seems as appearance can often be deceiving; if we just â€Å"look closer†, we as audience members soon see that he realises both his wife, over bearing and controlling Carolyn and jaded teenage daughter, Jane think that, in the words of Jane, he is â€Å"this gigantic loser† and they’re right. The character of Lester is initially portrayed as a depressed, sad and lonely forty-year-old man, deprived of freedom and struggling to find anything worth living for. However as the film progresses Lester’s persona as a character is dramatically developed with the introduction of an equally intriguing character, Angela Hayes. Everything changes for Lester the night he is forced by his wife to his daughters school to see her perform as a cheerleader. There on the floor, engrossed in a pompon routin, parading and dancing around the court, he sees his ‘angel’: Angela his daughters high-school classmate. Angela fulfills the stereotypical idea of what beauty physical beauty is. She is thin, blonde, big blue-eyed and immediately catches Lester’s attention; Angela is not Lesters highway to bliss, but she is at least a catalyst for his freedom (Ebert, 1999). His thoughts, and the dissatisfaction they stimulate, blast him free from years of emotional torture and bring him right back to his youth. It is from this moment on that Lester transforms into a spontaneous hormone-driven teenage boy, who smokes marihuana, works out, and uits his job all in order to impress his Angel-a. American Beauty uses Angela as the image of Lester’s broader want; that being his underlying desire for freedom and evidentially beauty. However, she symbolizes the potential underlying superficiality of physical beauty that is slowly revealed towards the end of the film. The film portrays many of the hidden problems within the white picket fence American dream along with addressing the problems many Am ericans have with feeling free and accepting their own identity. The film shows the vastly different worlds that people can live in whilst still living on the same street, and the disorder and frenzy that lies veiled in a society that we all try to portray as being as perfect as possible. In doing so, American Beauty reveals that the only way to calm the chaos is to find beauty in everything. To â€Å"look closer† is a must for truly understanding and identifying with the continuous bombardment of symbolism that is constantly being illustrated in this film. American Beauty portrays such themes as the falseness in lust, power and appearance and that we need to remind our selves â€Å"†¦of all the beauty there is in the world†, as beauty is a matter of opinion. Beauty however, is the most significant and explored theme in American Beauty. Another prevailing theme is the notion of the characters journey and transformation throughout the film. Lester’s journey can almost be compared to one from childhood from adulthood, figuratively speaking as evidentially, he steps into a mature, paternal phase where he takes responsibility and finds meaning in life, as an adult. Many techniques were used to portray these themes and influence audiences opinions of characters and events, including film techniques of cinematography, soundtrack as well as such visual techniques of symbolism, colour and contrast and both aesthetic and stylistic elements. American Beauty is a complex film that relies so heavily on mis-en-scene and cinematography to portray its message. In particular this is showcased during one scene that truly puts the ‘American Beauty’ into perspective; the opening scene or as it is often referred to as, the â€Å"High Point Scene†. The film explores the concepts of what true beauty really is and as suggested in the title of the film, the American Dream and how far this ‘dream’ really goes and what it actually means; this is explored further from the films tagline â€Å"look closer†; to think about perceived desire and to analyze more what these wants are. Through the exploration of the opening scene and a study of how the cinematography, mise en scene and sound foreshadows plot points in the rest of the film, the underlying messages and symbolism will be uncovered. The movie opens with a grainy shot of Jane Burnham reclining on a bed, complaining about her father. The scene begins with what is referred to as a flash forward, in cinematic terms. The line â€Å"Someone really should just put him out of his misery† is a hint towards the mid life crisis that the father Lester is currently going through and the ways in which she is aware of the pain he is dealing with, not knowing what he truly wants. Through the mise en scene and cinematography displayed throughout the scene, the audience is enabled to receive a glimpse into the events that have just occurred. Through the use of a lesser quality picture, shaky footage and dimmed lighting the audience is able to identify with the fact that the imagery being presented has that of a ‘home movie’ feel. The utilization of ‘raw footage’ within this drama genre of film gives the audience a sense of reality towards the character, hence making the dialogue seem more legitimate and believable. The addition of a pause into the characters dialogue helps to support and express the sense of ‘reality’ further, as it is as if she is really thinking about what she is saying. The rather ambiguous approach to the delivering of the line â€Å"You want me to kill him for you? † helps to draw attention to Jane’s reaction as apposed to the interviewers own intensions. This poses both Jane Burnham, the daughter and the unidentified interviewer as suspects to her father’s upcoming murder. However the abstruse approach from the interviewer combined with the daughters reply is foreshadowing what is to come later in the film, as each character related to the father is set up to be the possible murderer of his death. By using the body language as a primary tool for communication, the reply of â€Å"Yeah, would you† to the previous statement, suggests that she is almost daring the interviewer to kill him. This is expressed through the dominant changing of levels when she sits up, almost creating a shift in power, and looks down and straight into the camera, but at the same time also insinuates some sarcasm on her part. The audience learns in the very first lines of the movie that Jane’s dad, Lester, is not the father that she wants. The opening credits roll, and the shot switches to an aerial view of a neighborhood. The exact location is not specified, and that is very intentional. It is important that this not be a critique of a specific area, but of American culture as a whole. The scene begins with an aerial shot of a suburb, with Lester Burnham introducing the audience to his life and informing them that In less than a year, Ill be dead, and in a way, Im dead already. This dialogue is heightened through the following shots of Lester lying alone on a bed in a very dull coloured room, thus signifying the meaninglessness life in which he is leading. The utilization of an aerial shot here creates the idea that the world is looking down on him. The dominant use of bright lighting also indicates that it is the morning, however through the use of shadowing casted over Lester, it expressed to the audience that he is still in ‘the dark’; he is yet to be enlightened. Visual techniques are a constant feature in American Beauty, including the use of colour, contrast and symbolism. The primary recurring prop that is introduced at the beginning of the film is a rose, in which the audience first sees in a close up before Lesters wife Carolyn Burnham picks it up. The first shot of the rose seems out of place, beginning with the flower filling the frame and then moving down to focus on the thorns before Carolyn’s clippers cut it. The rose symbolizes the impotence of not only the love life between Lester and Carolyn but the idea of the American Dream. This shot not only draws attention to the rose as a recurring object in the film, but it also serves as a metaphor for the Burnhams: on the outside they appear perfect, like the flower, but underneath they are rotten and broken (represented by the thorns). In this shot the character of Carolyn is also introduced and is instantly perceived as a cold, workaholic who is obsessive about how they (the family) is presented. This portrayal is demonstrated through the line â€Å"See the way the handle on those pruning shears matches her gardening clogs? That’s not an accident†, thus showing the audience what level she will go to, to maintain order and control. What is also noticeable about this shot is the mise en scene, in particular the red roses, white picket fences and the blue painting on the house. These colours in specific represent the American flag and therefore the American dream. These objects are most perceived to be included within the American dream as well as stereotypical figure of Carolyn, the suburban housewife. This ideology however, creates contrast with the cinematography. Many scenes are metaphoric in how they are shot, and what is in the frame symbolizes a higher, deeper meaning. This is demonstrated when, Lester looking out the window of his house at his wife, and the blinds on the window represent jail cell bars. Even the blocks of text on his computer screen at work, (shown later in the film) represent jail cell bars. Lester is â€Å"in jail† because his life at this point is so empty and missing substance. This cinematography technique often used in film nior is utilized to convey the emotions of disassociation and distance which in this case, is the way in which Lester feels towards his wife; he is no longer associated with her. American Beauty is more than a biting satire on suburban life. This somewhat contrived story is meant to be an allegory. Alan Balls richly textured screenplay, brilliantly executed stylistic and aesthetic elements such as cinematography, mise en scene and symbols are effectively demonstrated throughout this masterpiece of a film. Every single shot is so carefully taken and layered with such vast significance that it is a marvel to behold. â€Å"Look closer, the films tag line tells us. Look closer at the beautiful things we yearn for and spend our life chasing. There isn’t a single example of a film done better. Not only is the content top-notch, but the technical aspects of the movie are excellent as well. American Beauty truly demonstrates the power of film.

Ursula LeGuins The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas Essay -- LeGuin One

Ursula LeGuin's The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas Utopia is any state, condition, or place of ideal perfection. In Ursula LeGuin's short story "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" the city of Omelas is described as a utopia. "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" presents a challenge of conscience for anyone who chooses to live in Omelas. Omelas is described by the narrator as the story begins. The city appears to be very likable. At times the narrator does not know the truth and therefore guesses what could be, presenting these guesses as often essential detail. The narrator also lets the reader mold the city. The narrator states the technology Omelas could have and then says "or they could have none of that: it doesn't matter. As you like it"(877). The method of letting the reader make the city the way he choose makes the city more desirable by him" Perhaps it would be best if you imagined it as your own fancy bids, assuming it will rise to the occasion, for certainly I cannot suit you all"(LeGuin 876). Now the reader might feel that the city is fictious. The narrator also asks the readers "Now do you believe in them?"(879) Asking if the reader believes what the narrator says about the festival, city, and joy of the people of Omelas implies that the reader should have doubts. Can the narrator be trusted by a re ader who is being asked to approve the details of the story? Such questions raise doubts in the reader's mind about what the narrator is conveying. With the help of the reader, the narrator makes Omelas appealing to everyone. "Omelas sounds in my words like a city in a fairy tale, long ago and far away, once upon a time"(LeGuin 876). Omelas does sound too good to be true. While the narrator is saying all that Omelas has and does not have, she says "One thing I know there is none of in Omelas is guilt"(877). The reader later finds out that all Omelas' happiness and joy depend on a child who is locked in a cellar. If the child were rescued from its cell, the whole city of Omelas would falter. The city's great happiness, is splendors and health, its architectural, music, and science, all are dependent upon the misery of this one child. The Omelas people know that if the child were released, then the possible happiness of the degraded child would be set against the sure failure of the happiness of many. The people have been taugh... ...opefully the guilt for the child's suffering will go away, just like the people did. This helps the conscience of the ones who could not stay if the child remained incarcerated, but does nothing for the child. Another way LeGuin's story reflects theology is by the way the child must suffer for others happiness. Collins compares this to the way Jesus suffered and died, only to rise again to a transformed, glorious life. Leaving bright Omelas and walking into the darkness is like going from life into death. If leaving Omelas is like going from life to death, that death leads to a new transformed life in a place beyond the mountains, a life so different from the present life that is unimaginable. It is all right for one person to suffer for the benefit of another, because even the sufferer will end up benefiting – his or her final transformed state will be vastly better than his or her first state. It is the precisely resurrection that gives the suffering – servant its final justification. So when LeGuin makes sense of a utopian gesture (leaving Omelas) in the imagery of renewed life beyond death, she indirectly buttresses the very scapegoat theodicy she hopes to undermine.

Dove Strtegies

Critiques of the Strategies and Recommendation Dove has many strategic issues which are classified as convenience goods because consumers bought this product frequently and immediately. We can set the price a bit lower down and affordable for their product. Besides, they can change another supplier to lower down cost however can keep the good quality of product otherwise lower down the cost of advertising that can affect the product price of Dove. Dove can boost up their sales by using the line extension strategy and brand extension strategy.They should develop new flavors, forms, colors, ingredients, or package sizes of Dove to attract more category of consumer. It can also keep the firm's  managers  on their toes by generating internal  competition. Dove used the psychological pricing strategy which is used to influence the consumer purchasing power. Customers respond better to certain type of prices and they are more likely to buy with certain price levels because consumer b elief that the higher price is represent the good quality of product.Dove also can give promotion like giving discount, such as buy 2 free 1 to attract the consumer that make them feel our product worth more to purchase. The next strategic issue is Dove Company using retailing as their marketing intermediary. By using retailing concept, the entire new or loyal Dove company customer can get the Dove company product more easily in the market. Most of the producers including Dove sell the products and services directly to final consumers via a sales staff to retail outlets.The sales staff will promote the new products or give the sample to the retailers to make the retailers know more about their products. The suggested strategy for Dove is to strengthen its differentiation advantages by innovating its differentiation strategy. With this strategy, existing organizational resources and necessary means can be influenced to develop clear differentiation strategy. Other than that, Doveâ₠¬â„¢s think about provide low cost high profits and keep customer to compete with other competitors to be a key differentiation.Furthermore, Dove’s refresh its marketing hard work to aim the whole markets. Dove Company can introduce a range of shampoo that targets male users as Dove currently caters only for female customers. On the other hand, Dove could possibly create new breakthrough in the hair care line. Perhaps a shampoo that could reduce the greying of hair. Like all other hair care company, Dove could also branch out from their current product line such as providing hair styling mousses, wax, hair dying colours and even body care products like feminine wash.

Printable Math Charts, Isometric Graph Paper PDFs

Agency Profile Paper - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 718 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2019/06/24 Category Management Essay Level High school Tags: Profile Essay Did you like this example? There are numerous companies that provide leisure services to consumers. One leisure service provider in the Bryan/College Station Area is Powersports. This company was founded in 1998 and started out as a small company renting out space in the back of the Grandstation bowling alley here in College Station, Tx. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Agency Profile Paper" essay for you Create order (D. Alvarado, personal communication, November 10, 2018). Once the company gained support, they got their own 30,000 square foot facility in College Station (Powersport, n.d). Some leisure programs that Powersports provide are gymnastics, cheerleading, dance, mixed martial arts, ninja warrior, jump to learning preschool, after-school care, and special event parties (D. Alvarado, personal communication, November 10, 2018). All these programs are geared towards engaging kids and providing them leisure opportunities. The limitation to these programs, however, is that parents must be willing and able to pay for their children to enjoy these leisure programs. Powersports operates under the private sector because they do business for profit. All their programs require a registration fee and monthly fee for kids to attend (Powersport, n.d). These fees vary based on the number of times kids attend the program a week, the number of kids per family, and the program the kids are partaking in. The biggest program that Powersports has is their gymnastics program. There are numerous classes that teach different things and work with various age groups. There are some classes that work with toddlers and range all the ways up to high school. One career path within the company is set within the gymnastics program. The lowest level in the gymnastics plan is a gymnastics instructor (D. Alvarado, personal communication, November 10, 2018). While this is an entry-level position, applicants must still have extensive knowledge of gymnastics and how to teach it to others. Other requirements needed for the position is CPR certification, first aid certification, and annual USAG Training (D.Alvarado, personal communication, November 10, 2018). If someone were to advance within the gymnastics program, one could become a team coach, which is people that coach competitive teams, or gymnastics directors, which are people that create the curriculum for all the gymnastics classes (D. Alvarado, personal communication, November 10, 2018). I choose to interview a gymnastics instructor from Powersports because I am interested in working with kids as a leisure service provider. I would not want to personally work at Powersports, because I do not have the knowledge or training to teach any of the programs offered. In the future, however, my kids might attend a program like those at Powersports. It is reassuring to know that these instructors have background knowledge of the classes they are teaching, and there is curriculum structure to the classes. The instructor I interviewed loves working with kids and seeing their skills grow over time (D. Alvarado, personal communication, November 10, 2018). She also likes empowering girls to pursue their dreams and teach them that they can do anything they put their minds to (D. Alvarado, personal communication, November 10, 2018). This is something that would motivate me to work with kids in this capacity because I like empowering people at a young age. The most interesting thing about the company is that they have such as wide variety of programs to choose from. This is smart on their part, however, because they have a little bit of something for everyone. Each program has different age groups starting at a very young age and has classes for both boys and girls to enjoy. Overall, I found this interview to be very eye-opening about working with kids and how leisure services are provided to them. After this interview I am less inclined to work specifically for Powersports, however, I am more inclined to work with kids in the leisure industry. It would be rewarding to empower kids to learn new things yet challenging because everyone engages in leisure differently. Therefore, it is important to provide kids with different opportunities to express themselves and help them engage in leisure services. References Powersports. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://powersportskids.com/ Interview information: Dominque Alvarado Gymnastics Instructor at Powersports [emailprotected] 972-765-6655 November 10, 2018 @ 12:30 Original Questions What is the most rewarding part of your job? Why did you choose to work for this company? Why did you choose to work in the recreation and leisure industry? What is the hardest part of your job?

Early Civilizations Ancient Civilizations - 830 Words

LeAndra Reed Dr. Houck, History 2311 September 18, 2015 Early Civilization All civilizations, whether old or new, strive for advancement. In order to advance, certain techniques and characteristics have to be combined and manipulated to achieve this progression. â€Å"A civilization is a complex culture in which large numbers of human beings share a variety of common elements.† Examples of these early civilizations that used similar characteristics to flourish were the Sumerians in Mesopotamia and the Egyptians in Egypt. A civilization is formed by several characteristics. The most important being the need for a sufficient group of people. Next would be a central place for these people to congregate. These structures typically would be used for religious purposes as well as a place to delegate how the societies would operate. People in these early civilizations would typically live closer to the central structure. This is turned led to the creation of writing to record and communicate between people of these early societies. In these early civiliz ations, people relied heavily on their neighbors and would work together to keep prospering. Early examples of these characteristics forming a civilization would be in Mesopotamia and Egypt civilizations. Mesopotamia was an area between â€Å"the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Southwest Asia.† Mesopotamia received little rainfall yet lands were plentiful and rich. The overflow of the bordering rivers would bring in â€Å"fertile silt† toShow MoreRelatedThe Roots Of Hypnosis And The Early Ages Of Ancient Civilizations Essay911 Words   |  4 Pages Speech 101 Ani Hovhannisyan All about Hypnosis Ancient Greek fabulist Aesop once said, â€Å"Persuasion is often more effectual than force.† Persuasion, particularly altered state of mind, can be achieved by utilizing mind-control and hypnotic techniques. The roots of hypnosis trace back to the early ages of ancient civilizations. Ever since the 18th century when the use of hypnosis as a therapeutic tool was brought to the attentionRead MoreRiver Valley Civilizations Essay726 Words   |  3 PagesAncient river valley civilizations are one of the earliest societies in the world. The rises of these ancient river valley civilizations started the first cradle of civilization. The Indus Valley Civilization, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Mesopotamia, and Ancient China are the earliest civilizations that were successful enough to make enough food for everybody. Every one of these civilizations had three things in common: they all had a special relationship with the river, they created their own writingRead MoreAncient Greek And Romes Impact On Western Literature1642 Words   |  7 Pagesroman culture had on western civilization The ancient Greeks and Romans were two of the greatest civilizations of the ancient world. The two civilizations thrived in their ancient environments which eventually led to a large amount of wealth within these two cultures. It is because of this that these ancient cultures were able to make a variety of advancements in literature, architecture, art and many other fields. These two civilizations also produced some of the ancient world’s greatest leaders andRead MoreThe Impact of the Egyptian and the Hebrew Civilizations on Humanity1459 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Throughout history, great civilizations have existed in various parts of the world. The cultural, economic, political, and/or intellectual achievements of these civilizations contributed to the advancement of humankind. Civilization is a term that has various meanings. Most popularly and in this context it can be referred to as an advanced state of human society, in HYPERLINK http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/which which  a high level of HYPERLINK http://dictionary.referenceRead MoreEssay about Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece903 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece† According to history there existed two of many important ancient civilizations that left a significant mark in the history of human development that even today leaves modern society in awe of its greatness. In spite of being distant civilizations, Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece share similarities and difference in terms of how they practiced religion,political structure, everyday life style, and how they built the monumental architectures that continued to amazeRead MoreRelevance Of Mesopotamia Essay1566 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The relevance of ancient Mesopotamia can be simply stated: Mesopotamia produced the world’s first humanists - studying ancient Mesopotamia enables students to explore what it is to be human,† (Jamieson Ancient Mesopotamia: Discovering Civilisation 23). The Fertile Crescent is where the start of civilization occurred, and it is often called the ‘cradle of civilization,’ (Jamieson Ancient Mesopotamia: Discovering Civilisation 23). Understanding the development, the of civilization in the Fertile CrescentRead MoreGreek And Roman Civilizations : Greece And Ancient Civilizations1503 Words   |  7 Pages Greek and Roman Civilizations In examining the impact that the ancient world has had on modern Western civilization, the two ancient civilizations which are frequently understood as having had the greatest influence are Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. These two civilizations would eventually come to shape much of what would become the modern European culture, politics and society, and by extension, a vast proportion of global culture and society. In scrutinizing the trajectory of modern historyRead MoreSimilarities Between Mesopotamia And Egypt1199 Words   |  5 Pagesmany of the ancient civilizations. Where the people settled determined whether they would have success at surviving. Both Mesopotamia and Egypt were ancient civilizations founded in roughly the same longitude and latitude area of the world. Hot dry areas full of dessert. What drew early civilizations to settle on these locations was the same for both places, land near water that was good for planting. What is different about each location is what makes these two early civilizations vastly differentRead MoreGreek And Roman Civilizations : Greece And Ancient Civilizations1498 Words   |  6 Pages Greek and Roman Civilizations In examining the impact that the ancient world has had on modern Western civilization, the two ancient civilizations which are frequently understood as having had the greatest influence are Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. These two civilizations would eventually come to shape much of what would become the modern European culture, politics and society, and by extension, a vast proportion of global culture and society. In examining the trajectory of modern historyRead MoreReflection of Humanities807 Words   |  4 PagesBlackmon Western history and civilization is of vast importance to understanding the great story of humanity. The study of the ancient civilizations has shown itself to me to be a new found interest as the journey of the course had lead me to see the magnificent accomplishments of mankind, and the possibilities of our potential; both in glory and darkness. In this reflection paper, I will look back upon the beginnings of our studies of the development of the early civilizations from the Sumerians to the

Cuba The Plight Of A Nation And Its Revolution Essay Example For Students

Cuba: The Plight Of A Nation And Its Revolution Essay Cuba: The Plight of a Nation and its RevolutionWhile the isle of Cuba was initially discovered on October 27, 1492 during one ofColumbus first voyages, it wasnt actually claimed by Spain until the sixteenth century. However, its tumultuous beginnings as a Spanish sugar colony provides an insightful backdropinto the very essence of the countrys political and economic unrest. From its earlyrevolutionary days to the insurrectional challenge of the Marxist-Leninist theories emerged thetotalitarian regime under Fidel Castro in present day Cuba. Cuban colonial society was distinguished by the characteristics of colonial societies ingeneral, namely a stratified, inegalitarian class system; a poorly differentiated agriculturaleconomy; a dominant political class made up of colonial officers, the clergy, and the military; anexclusionary and elitist education system controlled by the clergy; and a pervasive religioussystem.1 Cubas agrarian monocultural character, economically dependant upon sugarcultivation, production and export severely restricted its potential for growth as a nation, therebyfirmly implanting its newly sprouted roots firmly in the trenches of poverty from the verybeginning of the countrys existence. In 1868, Cuba entered in to The Ten Years War against Spain in a struggle forindependence, but to no avail. Ten years of bitter and destructive conflict ensued, but the goal ofindependence was not achieved. Political divisions among patriot forces, personal quarrelsamong rebel military leaders, and the failure of the rebels to gain the backing of the UnitedStates, coupled with stiff resistance from Spain and the Cubans inability to carry the war inearnest to the western provinces, produced a military stalemate in the final stages.2 The war hada devastating effect on an already weak economic and political infrastructure. The defeat, however, did not hinder the resolution of the Cuban proletariat for anindependent nation. In the words of one author, The Cubans ability to wage a costly, protracted struggle againstSpain demonstrated that proindependence sentiment was strongand could be manifested militarily. On the other hand, before anyeffort to terminate Spanish control could succeed, differences overslavery, political organization, leadership, and military strategy hadto be resolved. In short, the very inconclusiveness of the war left afeeling that the Cubans could and would resume their struggleuntil their legitimate political objectives of independence andsovereignty were attained.3The years following the Ten Years War were harsh and austere. The countryside,ravaged and desolate, bankrupted Spanish sugar interests in Cuba, virtually destroying theindustry. The Spanish owners sold out to North American interests, a process accelerated by thefinal abolition of slavery in Cuba in 1886.4 The end of slavery, naturally, meant the end of freelabor. The sugar growers, therefore, began to import machinery from the United States. Essentially, Cuba deferred its economic dependence from Spain directly to the U.S. Whatbecame known as the American Sugar Refining Company supplied from seventy to ninetypercent of all sugar consumed by the United States, thus mandating the dir ection of the Cubanagricultural industry and thereby controlling its economy. Moreover, the United States interventionism in the Cuban-Spanish war in 1898,motivated primarily by interests in the Cuban market, led the surrender of the Spanish armydirectly to the United States, not Cuba. This war later became known as the Spanish-AmericanWar. The leader and organizer of the Cuban Revolutionary Party, Jose Martis, goal of trueindependence was buried without honor in 1898.5In the years from 1902 to 1959, following the institution of the Platt Amendment, whichwas an amendment to the Cuban constitution, that stated that the United States had the right tointervene in Cuba at any time, a period which came to be termed the ?Pseudo Republic? ensued. In the words of General Wood:Of course, Cuba has been left with little or no independence by thePlatt AmendmentThe Cuban Government cannot enter intocertain treaties without our consent, nor secure loans above certainlimits, and it must maintain t he sanitary conditions that have beenindicated. With the control that we have over Cuba, a controlwhich, without doubt, will soon turn her into our possession, soonwe will practically control the sugar market in the world. I believethat it is a very desirable acquisition for the United States. Theisland will gradually be ?Americanized,? and in the due course wewill have one of the most rich and desirable possessions existing inthe entire world6The Great Depression however, had a immense impact on United States holdings of theCuban sugar industry. In the summer and fall of 1920 when the price of sugar fell fromtwenty-two cents a pound to three cents a pound, Cubans were left poverty stricken and starving,as their sugar market was totally dependent upon the United States. Additionally, Americabegan to disengage itself from the strangling hold it had over the Cuban economy by vastlydiminishing the amount of its imports from forty percent in previous years to eighteen percent. Inthe wak e of this massive monetary pull-out, a vacuum formed in which a basically leaderlessCuba (its current leader, President Machado, had lost the ability to govern after his promise of?tranquility of the government and the country? had not been delivered) became ripe for radicalstudent uprisings and the introduction of Marxist ideas. Thus was formed the Cuban CommunistParty, led by Julio Mella and Carlos Balino, the former an eighteen year old university basketballplayer and the latter, a veteran socialist and comrade of Jose Marti. In 1933, President Roosevelt sent Cuban ambassador, Sumner Wells, to Havana in anattempt to stop the ?political whirlpool in which an estimated $1,500,000,000 in U.S. investments was likely to drown?.7 Welles proposed the appointment of Carlos Manuel deCespedes, former Cuban ambassador to Washington, as president. Shortly thereafter, leaders ofa radical student organization ?transformed their rebellion into a revolt?, and informed PresidentCespedes that he had been deposed. Cespedes abandoned the presidential palace asinconspicuously as he had arrived.8From 1930 to 1935, Antonio Guiteras led the island on a ?revolutionary path? and formeda government that was ?for the people, but not by the people or of the people?9, which the U.S. refused to recognize. In 1935 Guiteras was assassinated by Fulgencio Batista who proceeded torun Cuban affairs for the next decade. It was a government that the United States recognized asthe ?only legitimate authority on the island?.10 Then in 1944, Batista, the ?American darling?,lost the presidential election to Grau San Martin, who had recently returned from exile. TheGrau presidency has been described as such:The Autentico administrations of Grau (1944-1948) and Prio(1948-52) had failed to curb the political corruption and theassociated gangster violence; more importantly they had failed tosatisfy popular aspirations for independence and social progress. here were still disruptive protests against U.S. control andexploitation of the Cuban economy; and when Prio agreed to sendCuban troops to support the U.S. invasion of Korea in 1950, theoffer was backed by a successful campaign around the slogan, ?Nocannon fodder for Yankee imperialists. The general politicalinstability, the gro wing unpopularity of the Autenticos, therampant corruption and violence all were again setting the scenefor political upheaval.11On January 1, 1959 unable to withstand the burden of both a politically and economicallyfailing nation, and under pressure from the Cuban Communist Party led by Fidel Castro and hisMarxist-Leninist revolutionary followers, Batista fled Cuba. Paradoxically, the breakdown ofthe authoritarian regime in Cuba illustrates the fragility of presumably reliable clientelisticarrangements, insofar as these cannot substitute for strong central authority.12 Foreigninvestment in the economy was substantial once again in the late 1950s, with U.S. capitaldominant in the agricultural sectors.13 Having gained a substantial amount of support from the Cuban people, Fidel Castro wasquick to move into power as the countrys most prominent leader. Shortly thereafter, Castroallied his nation with the Soviet Union and denounced the United States as an imperialistic andcapitalist a ggression. In essence, the U.S.S.R. became Cubas new ?lifeline?. Naturally, theCuban relationship with the Soviet Union made for inevitable tensions with its neighbor.14 TheUnited States belief that the ?Cuban leader had allowed his country to become a Soviet satellite,and that Castros regime might produce a spate of revolutions throughout Latin America?15 leddirectly to the Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961, a failed attempt to overthrow Castro. The Bay ofPigs invasion combined with the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 sufficiently set the stage for thepresent day political tensions between the United States and Cuba. Due to the isolationist mood in the United States in the years following the failed CubanMissile Crisis and then the Vietnam War, Fidel Castro was free to rise to power and create thecommunist island he so desperately endeavored to achieve. Without the U.S. to interfere, Castrocould be likened to a ?kid in a candy store?. Because Cuba had historically always been inpolitical t urmoil, it was not difficult for Castro, for all his charm and charisma, to win thepopular vote of the people. Traditionally, in a nation as oppressed as Cuba had been, citizenstend to fall easy prey to totalitarian or authoritarian rule due to their need to be led by agovernment, any government, that may possibly facilitate any kind of economic growth. The endof the Cold War, however, left Cuba isolated when it lost its Soviet Patron.16 It has been arguedthat there are two schools of thought on how to deal with Castro in the post Cold War era:One school, championed primarily by the exiled Cuban communityand Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Jesse Helms, wanted a fullcourt press to bring Castro down. They assumed further economicdeprivation would push the Cuban people to rise up and ridthemselves of the Castro dictatorship at last. The United States,with new laws penalizing countries, corporations, or persons doingbusiness with Cuba, would compel the international community tojoin i n the strangulation. This strategy received no internationalsupport. Essay On Colonies Essaypolicymakers. Although Russia and the former eastern bloccountries have undergone widespread democratic and free-marketeconomic reform, Cuba remains one of the only communistdictatorships in the world. Removing Castro from power andimplementing reform in Cuba are top U.S. foreign policy priorities,but lawmakers disagree on the best course of action. While someargue that the U.S. trade embargo has proved ineffective andinhumane, others respond that the United States should continue toapply pressure on Castro until he is toppled from power. As thelawmakers debate, the misery in Cuba is worsening, and somecountries are now beginning to blame U.S. policy. Time will tellwhether the United States continues its present course or revises apolicy that is increasingly unpopular with even its most loyalallies.21Every now and again Castro allows a thaw in relations, but when the United States getsoverly friendly he arranges a provocation, such as the drowning of two smal l planes piloted byCuban exiles in 1996, which led to the passage by the United States congress of theHelms-Burton Act a month later.22 Presently, Cuba is in the process of developing an advanced telecommunications systemwith the help of communist ally China. Cuba was visited recently by Chinese delegate WuJichuan and Fidel Castro claims that relations between Cuba and China have never been better. Additionally, Cuba is seeking to end the 40-year United States trade embargo against the island. Should this occur, it would greatly enhance the countrys currently sagging economy. There isincreasing pressure from United States business and agricultural communities to begin brisktrade with Cuba and take advantage of a new and potentially highly profitable market.23 If Cubais successful at expanding its monocultural economy the country should experience remarkablyauspicious results in the event of a lifting of the U.S. embargo. More importantly, Castro wouldno longer have an excuse for the deficiencies in the Cuban economy. Additionally, housing for Cubans, which is guaranteed in the constitution, or the recentlack thereof, has reached epidemic proportions in Havana, the islands capital. Reportedly, thegovernment admits the country does not have nearly enough building materials or manpower togive everyone the home they have been promised.24 For a socialist society dedicated to takingcare of its people, the country seems to have fallen short in this arena, as well. Another recent political Cuban event overshadowing most other important Cubanpolitical events, if only due to the extensive media coverage than the actual quality ofnewsworthy content, is the ?tragicomedy? of the custody battle of near Cuban defector, ElianGonzalez. In what should have been nothing more than an international custody battle over thesix year old Cuban child, an all out political battle between the United States and Cuba ensued. In my opinion, the incident had been seemingly spawned mainly from harbored resentment byCuban-America ns over the failed Bay of Pigs event, in addition to their hatred of theauthoritarian leader. Again, they fought and lost to Castro. This time, however, Fidel Castrowas legitimate in his reproach and used the situation to portray the United States in an extremelyunfavorable light. He succeeded, as the rest of the world looked on wondering what all the hypewas about. What is extraordinary about Fidel Castro, however, is that he is still here at all. Morethan 40 years after coming to power, he survives. He survives in the face of the unremittinghostility of a superpower only 90 miles away. He survives in spite of the fact that his mainpatron, the Soviet Union, has disappeared, his ideology, Marxist-Leninism, is discredited, and hiseconomy is less than perfect. Despite the fact that an inordinate number of common citizensprefer to chance death at sea rather than remain in his nation, Fidel survives.25 BibliographyNOTES1 Juan M. del Aguila, Cuba: Dilemmas of a Revolution (Colorado: Westview Press, Inc.,1984), p. 9. 2 Juan M. del Aguila, Cuba: Dilemmas of a Revolution (Colorado: Westview Press, Inc.,1984), p. 12. 3 Juan M. del Aguila, Cuba: Dilemmas of a Revolution (Colorado: Westview Press, Inc.,1984), p. 13. 4 Terrance Cannon, Revolutionary Cuba (Toronto: Fitzhenry Whiteside Limited, 1981),p. 30. 5 Terrance Cannon, Revolutionary Cuba (Toronto: Fitzhenry Whiteside Limited, 1981),p. 37. 6 Terrance Cannon, Revolutionary Cuba (Toronto: Fitzhenry Whiteside Limited, 1981),p. 38. 7 Terrance Cannon, Revolutionary Cuba (Toronto: Fitzhenry Whiteside Limited, 1981),p. 44. 8 Terrance Cannon, Revolutionary Cuba (Toronto: Fitzhenry Whiteside Limited, 1981),p. 46. 9 Terrance Cannon, Revolutionary Cuba (Toronto: Fitzhenry Whiteside Limited, 1981),p. 46. 10 Geoff Simons, Cuba: From Conquistador to Castro (New York: St. Martins Press,1996), p. 254. 11 Geoff Simons, Cuba: From Conquistador to Castro (New York: St. Martins Press,1996), p. 257. 12 Juan M. del Aguila, Cuba: Dilemmas of a Revolution (Colorado: Westview Press, Inc.,1984), p. 38. 13 Juan M. del Aguila, Cuba: Dilemmas of a Revolution (Colorado: Westview Press, Inc.,1984), p. 40. 14 Sandor Halebsky and John M. Kirk, Cuba: Twenty-Five Years of Revolution, 1959 to1984 (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1985), p. 358. 15 Mark J. White, Missles in Cuba: Kennedy, Khrushchev, Castro and the 1962 Crisis(Chicago: Mark J. White, 1977), p. 12. 16 Michael G. Roskin and Nicholas O. Berry, The New World of International Relations(New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1999), p. 190. 17 Michael G. Roskin and Nicholas O. Berry, The New World of International Relations(New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1999), p. 190. 18 Sandor Halebsky and John M. Kirk, Cuba: Twenty-Five Years of Revolution, 1959 to1984 (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1985), p. 375. 19 Sandor Halebsky and John M. Kirk, Cuba: Twenty-Five Years of Revolution, 1959 to1984 (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1985), p. 375. 20 Sandor Halebsky and John M. Kirk, Cuba: Twenty-Five Years of Revolution, 1959 to1984 (New York: Praeger Publishers, 1985), p. 421. 21 World Wide Web, U.S. Policy Towards Cuba, (www.closeup.org/cuba, 1997). 22 World Wide Web, Boston Globe CubaNet News, Inc., (www.cubanetnews.com, 2000). 23 World Wide Web, China Helps Cuba Get Current on Communications Technology,(www.cubanetnews.com, 2000). 24 World Wide Web, Despite Guarantess, Homelessnes Creeps Into Cuba,(www.cubanetnews.com, 2000). 25 World Wide Web, Government and Politics of Cuba, (www.cubapolidata.com, 2000). Political Science