Nosferatu

My favorite moment in Nosferatu is one of the last scenes of the film. The scene is when Orlock stares from his window at the sleeping Ellen. Prior to this scene in the film Ellen is seen reading the book of vampires, even though Hutter forbid her to do so. By reading the book Ellen learns how to kill a vampire, whick foreshadows the final interaction betwee Orlock and Ellen. Only a woman who is pure in her heart can make Orlock forget the rooster's first crowing. The scene first starts off with Orlock looking out of his window; and the music in the backround plays very rigidly. The scene then switches over to Ellen who is sleeping peacefully on her bed. She senses something is wrong and wakes up abruptly. The music and the background suddenly speeds up with her rapid actions; indicating to the audience that something is about to happen between Orlock and Ellen. Orlock is using his powers to seduce Ellen, so that he can drink her blood. Ellen gets up from her bed to open the window, but almsot faints as Orlock raises his grotesque hand. The director did a very good job of shifting the camera between Nosferatu and Ellen; showing the powers of Orlock. I felt that this was the most terrifying part of the film. Knowing that Orlock could control someone from a different house through his psychological powers sent a chill down my spine. Ellen opens her window to invite Orlock in but faints. After this scene Orlock travels to the room and drinks her blood. He loses track of time and goes up in smoke after hearing the crow of the rooster.
I feel that the central theme in the film is the two halves of a complete individual. Orlock represents the bestial nature found in humans and Hutter represents innocence. Throughout the movie Orlock is protrayed as a beast-like creature with no compassion; who only goes about to please him self. Hutter is seen as a caring man who always takes care of his wife. I feel that the scene between Orlock and Hellen really highlights this idea. After seeing his wife faint Hutter leaves to get help. After Orlock is able to isolate Ellen he attacks her like an animal. The scene reminded me of a lion hunting down its prey. However, in the end of the film Orlock is destroyed by his agressive actions.

The Primary Oral Culture

The Primary Oral Culture

In today’s media society it takes a matter of minutes before an event such as a celebrity wedding or a school shooting becomes headline news through the internet, television, or radio. Technology is expanding old forms of communication, and also creating new forms which are transforming societies around the world. Statistics show that more and more people are using cell phones throughout the world, which can be shown through statistical graphs from the creation of the cell phone. I feel that in today’s society speech plays a more prominent role than writing. I feel that the invention of the TV had a strong impact on society when it became commercially available in the late 1930s. In today’s society the television set has become a common communication device. The amount of television viewed around the world is increasing at alarming rates. Graphs regarding this study show steep increases in hours per viewer, which are leading to other problems associated with weight and problems in academics. Less and less people are reading newspapers and other forms of literature, which I personally feel is due to a predominately oral society. This is leading to lower test scores among teens because they are spending most of their time in front of the television, and less of their time on school work and studying. Also, this is leading children to become obese and unhealthy. I feel that reading is not a leisure activity which most people do predominately. In Christy Busby’s article “Why are people reading less and less these days?” he says, “People are so tethered to cell phones, high definition televisions, MP3 players, iPhones and the Internet that books must seem old-fashioned, boring and slow to some.” I agree with Busby when he says that people feel that reading is slower than other forms of communications. With today’s fast paced moving technological advances; people feel that reading is a thing of the past. This idea directly relates with the conflict between oral/writing communications. Changes in technology are acting as a catalyst in the movement of oral communication.

In today’s society politics are completely centered on oral communication. Presidential debates are very important during an election year, because they shape the publics view and show the candidate’s ability under pressure. I feel that the public would not get the same impression of the candidates if there were no debates. Written documents would not suffice enough for voters, because they are not able to look at the candidate all around. Presidential campaigns have a large effect on voters view points too. Howard Dean’s “Concession” Speech during the 2004 election had a major impact on his success in the campaign. Many people felt that what he did was not appropriate, because he looked like more of a football coach than a president. News channels around the country replayed the speech and highlighted his aggressive voice and antics. Howard Dean finished second to Kerry in the New Hampshire primary. One week prior to his “Concession” speech Dean had a thirty percent lead in the polls, but after the speech he eventually lost to Kerry. This fact shows how big of an effect oral speech can have on the public. If Howard Dean had written down his view points instead of his saying his “Concession” speech it would not have that big of a setback on his campaign. The news media is heavily run around politics, which is taking over the political views presented through newspapers and magazines. It is clear that more Americans watch the nightly news when compared to the number of people who read newspapers. A classic example of a news network which has very clear political views is the Fox News Channel. Most of the views presented on this channel are conservative, and most of the debates are between conservative and liberal view points. One of the most famous conservative new casters on the channel is Bill O'Reilly. His show consists of his opinions on current events happening around the world, and debates with guests on the show. Viewers are able to see both the right wing and left wing side of politics in an oral perspective, which is much different than reading it on paper. Peoples overall political viewpoints are usually shaped by their surroundings and interactions with others. For example, some parts of the country and social groups tend to have specific political ideologies. I feel that people’s political ideologies are shaped by the people and physical happenings around them, and not by written information and data. Personally, as a child I never read much information about politics or other data surrounding the government. Most of my political viewpoints have been shaped by my surroundings and my social interactions. As society progresses and technology becomes more advanced; oral culture will become more dominant.

Media Connecting Life

Everyday I usually wake up approximately at 9:00 a.m. to the ringing of my verizon phone, which is set to a very annoying and loud ringtone. After waking up I usually stumble out of my bed and onto my computer; ready to check my email and read the top headlines at CNN. After reading the top headlines I walk over to my friends dorm room and watch ESPN while devouring highly sugared cereal. Throughout the rest of the day I go to my classes in which most of my teachers use the internet as a teaching tool or class websites. Before and after classes I periodically check my email constantly due to my anxiety related to school. After my classes are officially over I call my friends and text them to get together. Before heading to sleep I always watch a few minutes of tv while relaxing in my room.

I feel my media habits have drastically changed over time. As a child I thought the media was only useful for Saturday morning cartoons and school closings due to inclement weather. As a transitioned from an adoloscent to a pre-teen I started paying more and more attention to the current events and my social life. Instead of watching Saturday morning cartoons I began using Instant Messanger and reading the newspaper. I became more conscious of my surrounding and everyday events. Overall, I was becoming a more mature human being. I feel my dad has really played an impact on most of my ideology surroundng the media. At a young age he forced me to read the Washington Post front page everyday. As a child I really didn't enjoy this at all, and treated it like a chore or punishment. Today I realize how much reading the newspaper has changed me as a person for the better. I have met a lot of interesting and new people through socializing about current news and such. I honestly don't enjoy watching certain news shows which clearly favor a certain political party, because they completely take control of all programming.

In the future I feel as though media will just keep expanding. I will always maintain my habit of reading the newspaper, but I'm not sure if I will continue checking my Face Book and other such social clubs. I still feel that I should still read more and watch more tv, but most of my free time is spent studying and playing sports. I wish more people stayed up to date with current events and news. Some people like to give their opinions on topics without fully knowing all the facts, and I feel that this is depremental to society as a whole.

Who are you? Why are you here?

Hi, my name is Salmaan Sultan and I was born in San Diego, California. After my father recieved a job offer from General Electric Health Care my family moved all the way to Howard County, Maryland. I completed my elementary, middle, and high school education in Howard County. I basically know most of the town, so If anyone ends up visiting Howard County in the near future I can steer you around pretty well. I have two brothers whom are currently in Medical School and one sister who is working for a financial firm in New York City. The one sport which I have consistantly/competitively played throughout my life is tennis. I have played in numerous junior and amateur tournaments all along the mid atlantic. Tennis is a passion which I hope to carry with me for the rest of my life. One of my older brother's Shan used to work as a DJ at a popular night club in Washington D.C. and has recently got me interested into mixing/scratching records together and deejaying parties. Before he left to med school he gave me his turntables as my graduation present, so over the summer I worked as a DJ for mostly sweet 16 birthday parties and graduation parties. Over the summer I worked at J Crew in one of the local malls. Working at J Crew really improved my social skills and self confidence. I applied to UMBC because several people told me it had a excellent economics program. I decided to enroll for this class because I'm interested in different forms of communication throughout the media. My main goal in life is to hopefully go to a grad school and earn a masters degree.