French culture Essay Example for Free

French culture Essay France is a Western Europe country with a population of approximately 60. 4 million people as by July 2004. France has a diversity of religions but the dominant religion is Roman Catholic with Jewish religion having the least followers (Kwintessential, 2010). These preliminary diversities in ethnicity and religion signal a diverse French culture. This paper discusses French culture by looking into different beliefs and attitudes common to French people. Language is also a central part of French culture as well as other important values. A diverse French culture Every people have their identity which is mainly entrenched in their culture. The French are not exceptional for the French culture is rich in almost all dimensions. The culture is usually best felt when you explore philosophy or by looking at the unique literary and art work. The input of French people in philosophy is outstanding with prominent philosophers like Rene Descartes (1600s) prided as the pioneers of modern philosophy. Montaigne is also a renowned sixteenth century philosopher who is celebrated for his ability to institute as part of art. Other French philosophers include Voltaire, Pascal and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (LERC, 2010). Having such renowned philosophers indicate that the French culture has been very influential not only in European countries but also in the Western nations and practically the whole world. A people’s art is a mirror of the people and what their values are all about. French art is in the form of literature, theatre as well as other forms of art. Some of the art works are very old thus portraying a rich history of the French culture. Some of the French artists who are known worldwide include Claude Monet who is known for his contribution to impressionist art which is an impression of ones view about nature (Cauderlier, 2009). Other artists include Edouard Manet, Auguste Renoir and Armand Guillaumin. The cathedrals of France such as the Notre Dame and Chartres cathedral are popular structures that showcase French artistry. In particular, the Notre Dame cathedral has its walls decorated with statues as well as gargoyles. On the other hand, Chartres cathedral has its windows made of about 3,000 m2 of stained glass (LERC, 2010). All these are magnificent features of the French art work. Writing, poetry and theatre make up a beautiful French literature. France prides of the Academie francaise which is made of prominent writers. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was for instance the work of novelist Victor Hugo in the 1800s. Among other French writes whose works have been influential in development of culture include Alexandre Dumas and Charles Baudelaire (LERC, 2010). In poetry, the works of Ronsard and Lamartine regarding nature and love are still influential (French Language, 2010). French theatre is also a unique symbol of French culture. For instance, Moliere has several comedies which portray the vanities of human nature as a satire. Other playwrights include Racine and Corneille. These pieces of literature unique to French people are a source of pride and identity to the French people thereby displaying one aspect of their culture. Language is an important aspect in the French culture. French is the predominant language with about 88 percent of the communicating through French with even most of the rest speaking French and another language. Other spoken languages which are spoken by a small percentage of people include German dialects, Flemish, Italian, Catalan dialects, Breton and Basque. Immigrants have such dialects as the Corsu, Kabyle as well as Antillean Creole (Kwintessential, 2010). French people not only utilize verbal communication but they also regularly use non-verbal communication mainly in form of gestures. For instance, an eye contact is mainly used to signify equality or to act as a cue for friendship request. Shaking hands among acquaintances is also highly regarded by French people. Specific gestures are used for counting (using fingers starting from the thumb) whereas covering ones mouth with the hands indicates making an apology or an acknowledgement that one has made a mistake (LERC, 2010). French people also have their food which is unique and defines them. French cuisine varies mainly according to regions in France as regions influence availability of food. The most common traditional meal is the baguette and cheese accompanied by wine. Other meals have several courses with an air of sophistication. Since each region has different ingredients, each region seems to specialize in such ingredients but the foods have commonalities such as use of olive oil and tomatoes. In addition to the influence of local availability, French foods also vary depending on the influence of bordering countries and immigrants (sauerkraut common Alsace which borders Germany) Lunch break usually takes about two hours for most people (FPSi, 2010) The French society also has unique family and societal values, customs and etiquettes which are an important feature of the French culture. The family is highly valued and they are families are composed of few children. The roles of each family member are clearly defined with the parents being guardians and providers. The extended family offers support either financially or emotionally. French people usually develop open and polite dealings with family members and friends. Exchange of gifts bears some given etiquettes. For instance, one is not supposed to give an even number of flowers. Nevertheless, number thirteen is said to be unlucky and therefore such a number of flowers should not be given. It is also a requirement to open gifts immediately they are received (Kwintessential, 2010). French people are time conscious and they value keeping time. For instance, one is not supposed to be late for dinner for an invited dinner for more than ten minutes without prior explanation for being late. There are unique table manners such as being a requirement to finish food in ones plate. Business is usually conducted formally and courtesy is among the most important etiquettes. For a person who cannot speak French, it is always preferable for them to apologise if they are to establish a meaningful relationship. Dark-coloured suits are recommended for as business wear for men while women can do with either business suits or if it has to be a dress, then it must be elegant and having soft colours (Kwintessential, 2010). This is an exemplary culture as it has been adopted in the business environment virtually all over the world. Conclusion French culture is interesting, unique in many ways and has influenced other cultures in the world. The philosophy, art and literature are renowned worldwide and are an identity for the French people. French culture is also clearly defined in language, foods, general etiquettes in the society as well as unique business etiquettes. The French culture is undoubtedly interesting and influential especially if one considers every minor detail of the culture. As French, one finds reason to be proud of their culture which is outstanding even in the modern world. Bibliography Cauderlier, A. (2009). Monet. Retrieved 12, May 2010 from http://giverny. org/monet/welcome. htm FPSi. (2010). French food culture. Retrieved 12, May 2010 from http://www. france-property-and-information. com/french_food. htm French Language. (2010). French culture. Retrieved 12, May 2010 from http://www. frenchlanguageguide. com/french/culture/ Kwintessential. (2010). France-French culture, customs and etiquette. Retrieved 12, May 2010 from http://www. kwintessential. co. uk/resources/global-etiquette/france-country-profile. html LERC. (2010). French culture, communication and gestures. Retrieved 12, May 2010 from http://lerc. educ. ubc. ca/LERC/courses/489/worldlang/french/frenchcultandcomm. html

The Book of Enoch :: essays research papers

The Book of Enoch We first learn of Enoch in Genesis 5 but it leaves us with questions. Hebrews 11 has the answers and Jude quotes Enoch! How did Jude come to know the words of Enoch? They are not in the Bible. The answer of course, is The Book of Enoch. A book which is actually quoted not only by Jude, but also James the natural brother of Jesus. The quote in (Jude 14-15) & (1 Enoch 1:9) is as follows: "In the seventh (generation) from Adam Enoch also prophesied these things, saying: 'Behold, the Lord came with his holy myriads, to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners spoke against him'." What is the Book of Enoch and where did it come from? Enoch was the grandfather of Noah. The Book of Enoch chapter 68:1 "And after that my grandfather Enoch gave me all the secrets in the book and in the parables which had been given to him, and he put them together for me in the words of the book of the parables." This makes it possible for the Book to have survived the flood as its not too hard to accept that Noah would have taken his Great Grandfathers writings with him onto the ark. The Book of Enoch was extant centuries before the birth of Christ and yet is considered by many to be more Christian in its theology than Jewish. It was considered scripture by many early Christians. The earliest literature of the so-called "Church Fathers" is filled with references to this mysterious book. The early second century "Epistle of Barnabus" makes much use of the Book of Enoch. Second and Third Century "Church Fathers" like Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Origin and Clement of Alexandria all make use of the Book of Enoch. Tertullian (160-230 C.E) even called the Book of Enoch "Holy Scripture". The Ethiopic Church even added the Book of Enoch to its official canon. It was widely known and read the first three centuries after Christ. This and many other books became discredited after the Council of Laodicea. And being under ban of the authorities, afterwards it gradually passed out of circulation. At about the time of the Protestant Reformation, there came to be a renewed interest in the Book of Enoch which had long since been lost to the modern world.

Classical Hollywood Style Essay

‘Classical Hollywood cinema possesses a style which is largely invisible and difficult for the average spectator to see. The narrative is delivered so effortlessly and efficiently to the audience that it appears to have no source. It comes magically off the screen.’ John Belton, film scholar, Rutgers University Classical Hollywood narrative refers to the filmmaking tradition established in Hollywood during the 1920s and 1930s. It became the dominant style throughout the western world against which all other styles were judged. While there have been some challenges to it in recent years, it remains the accepted style for most Hollywood films today. The Hollywood style is so effective in convincing us what we see on the screen is real that we often have to forcibly remind ourselves that it is ‘only a movie’. Oddly Hollywood, so often associated with everything that is fake, is also the home of classical narrative realism. ‘Tinsel town’ has spent a fortune every year since the 1920s faking realism. What are classical Hollywood narrative films? Classical Hollywood narrative films have plots that progress through time in a linear way, are based on character-driven action and use the continuity editing style (see page 233). The style is ‘classical’ because it is based on the classical principles of literature and art. A work is described as classical if it has perfect balance and symmetry. It must also be clear, simple and free of excesses of emotionalism or irrelevant detail. From beginning to end, all elements must be integrated and the resulting sense of harmony should reassure and satisfy the audience. Features of classical Hollywood narrative The Hollywood style takes advantage of the compact people make with the filmmaker when they pay their ticket price. They willingly want to ‘suspend disbelief’ (see page 135). Deep down, people know it is tomato sauce, but they really want to believe it is blood. In a conspiracy with the audience to make movies believable, classical Hollywood narrative has developed the following features. Three-act narrative. Hollywood plots are set out according to the three-act structure of orientation, complication and resolution (see pages 138-9). A situation is presented, a disruption is introduced, and then the resolution ties everything up in a strong closure. Life is not so simple, of course, and actual events rarely have such neat starts or finishes. Even so, the word realism can be applied to Hollywood style because it is based on classic literary narrative realism. Objective storytelling. The audience in a Hollywood film knows more than the characters do. We are able to see what is happening in other places at the same time, and we can see what other characters are doing. In this respect we are god-like – we can see everything! This makes the style of storytelling objective, according to film academics David Bordwell and Kristen Thompson. It also allows us to accept simultaneous time or parallel editing (see page 25). Character driven. The American style of cinema is almost exclusively concerned with individual characters (and stars). This contrasts sharply with the Soviet montage style of filmmaking. The objective of the Hollywood movie is to relate what happens to the characters and whether or not they got what they wanted. The films have strong individual characters who struggle to fulfil their hopes and goals. These characters are arranged in a hierarchy, from hero or protagonist (see page 141) to antagonist and then down to minor characters and supporting cast. Mise-en-scene. One of the most important aspects of Hollywood style is the mise-en-scene (see page 17), whose sole function is to manufacture realism. Time and space. American movies have a strong sense of movement – either through time or through geography. The story movement through time most often follows a straightforward line of episodic events. Flashbacks or flashforwards may be used, but the overall linear direction is strongly maintained. Whether through time or space, movement is totally subordinate to the action, say Bordwell and Thompson. Only the bits that are important to the story are shown. Classical continuity editing. A typical feature film has between 800 and 1200 shots. Editing is designed to render all these shot changes invisible or imperceptible. Editing in the invisible style serves to hide any jumps or discontinuities that would alert the viewer to ‘non-reality’. Following are some of the features of continuity editing (more detail is provided in chapter 2): †¢ Shot progressions in the classical Hollywood style – ELS, LS, MS, CU †¢ Continuity cutting – for example, cutting on action or movement to distract the viewer †¢ Matching techniques to hide cuts – for instance, eyelines are matched †¢ Transitions such as dissolves smooth the remaining joins where necessary †¢ Simultaneous time or parallel editing (crosscutting) †¢ Application of the 18O degree rule †¢ Use of three-point lighting to naturalise appearances †¢ Use of music is subservient to the story – it just reinforces the meaning.

Who Is The Best Idea - 1290 Words

There is 10 million Syrian refugees that want to come into America because of the threats that they have where they live (CNN). We as Americans feel the need to help them and take them into our country so they can take refuge safely. This is not the best idea though. Already we have seen multiple scenarios where Members of ISIS have snuck into America or other countries with all the innocent refugees. We need to think more about our protection rather than taking in millions of possible terrorists (Seven Syrians). We do not have any secure way to find out if the refugees are apart of ISIS we are just looking to be the loving country that we are known for. Every country has something that they are known for and this is what classifies that country around the world. This is where we get our stereotypes from. Now to sometimes these things that you hear they sometimes end up being true. America is knows as the place that is free and a melting pot. The problem with this is that when there is danger in another country they will first think america is the safe place to go. This can cause a bunch of problems because terrorists will start coming in with the refugees and we will have no clue which one is which. I believe that it is good to allow certain immigrants in but not when it causes danger to the citizens that are already in America. You are just putting all of the American people in danger when you let harm in. As a Country it is good to take care of other countries and helpShow MoreRelatedThe Best Employee Motivation Efforts848 Words   |  4 PagesThe best employee motivation efforts will focus on what the employees deem to be important. It may be that employees within the same department of the same organization will have different motivators. Many organizations today find that flexibility in job design and reward systems has resulted in employees increased longevity with the company, improved productivity, and better morale. 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