Suspense in the Film North by North West Essay Example for Free

Suspense in the Film North by North West Essay Alfred Hitchcocks film North by Northwest reflects an extraordinary use of setting combined with brilliant camera angles and techniques to evoke emotion and to create suspense. The films exciting and suspenseful tone is established very quickly once Thornhill is shockingly kidnapped by two thugs while socializing with friends in a safe and public environment, the Plaza Hotel. Also the film displays scenes in which the viewer is placed in the point of view of the characters. Therefore immediate suspense and emotion captivates the audience because each viewer feels as though they are in the actual scene themselves. In addition, real-life suspense is created through the films brilliant use of various camera angles and techniques. The film has the ability to create suspense through its unique use of setting, combined with its remarkable use of different camera angles. In the beginning of the film, Thornhill is kidnapped while at a busy and sophisticated bar within the Plaza Hotel. This is a unique setting for a kidnapping scene because Thornhill is abducted while socializing with friends in a safe and familiar setting. Normally characters are kidnapped dark, scary, and secluded settings where there are no witnesses. Instead, Hitchcock does the opposite by having Thornhill kidnapped in a busy bar during the middle of the day. He is surprisingly captured in a comfortable setting that was very much a part of his upscale and suave lifestyle. Hence the audience is stunned to see the plot change dramatically during the most unexpected moment and setting. Along with great use of setting, the film also uses spectacular camera techniques in order to create suspense and evoke the emotions of the viewer. For instance, the crop field scene features an astonishing setting combined with great camera angles. The scene has a suspenseful tone because it occurs during a bright sunny day, and in the middle of an empty crop field. As Lang Thompson wrote in his article North by Northwest, The famous scene of Cary Grant being chased through a cornfield by a crop duster is an example of Hitchcock at his best. It came about because he had noticed that when most directors try to make a suspenseful scene they use tight alleyways, shadows barely visible through the gloom and the slow building tension of the approaching menace. So Hitchcock did exactly the opposite: full daylight, completely open space and a very fast machine. This desolate, eerie setting causes the viewer to feel sympathy for Thornhill, because one immediately realizes how vulnerable and alone he is during this moment. In addition to setting, suspense is created through the scenes use of point of view shots. This camera shot causes the plane to appear as though it is coming directly toward the screen as it gets gradually gets closer to Thornhill. As a result the audience feels as though they are being attacked by the plane themselves. The scenes eerie setting combined with excellent point of view shots create a tone of suspense that can rarely be matched. Hitchcock uses brilliant camera angles to heighten the amount of suspense and emotion. The excellent use of different camera angles can especially be seen during the scene in which both Thornhill and Eve depart from the train in Chicago. Throughout this scene, there are only a few subtle changes within each preceding camera angle and shot. Although the change between camera angles is subtle, they are astonishingly powerful because of the way they are able to create suspense and spur emotion. For example, when both Thornhill and Eve get off the train he camera is focused only on Eve while she walks toward the police officers. At this point the audience has no idea where Thornhill is, and have no idea if he had already been caught or not. Knowing this, Hitchcock decides to slowly change the focus off of Eve and onto the unknown transit employee carrying her bags. At this moment the camera is angled in a way that hides the facial identity of the transit employee. Immediately after , the viewer is slowly brought to the next camera angle which shockingly reveals that the unknown man is actually Thornhill disguised in uniform. The use of camera angles within this scene are truly brilliant, because for the first time the audience actually knows less about Thornhills situation than does Thornhill himself. In conclusion, it is quite evident that the unique settings, extravagant shooting techniques, and brilliant use of camera angling can all be credited for making North by Northwest one of the most suspenseful films ever made. One is immediately captivated by the films suspensful tone once Thornhill is surprisingly kidnapped during the most unexpected and unusual setting imaginable. In addition, the film has the ability to create an unrivaled feeling of suspense through its clever combination of both unique settings matched with extraordinary camera techniques. For example, point of view shots are used to increase the suspense and horror felt during the scene in which Thornhill is chased by a plane in a desolate crop field. Also the film is able to evoke fear and emotion by using different camera angles in order to hide or reveal things that are currently happening within the film. North by Northwest is truly a special film because it reflected an unrivaled tone of suspense by critiquing basic film elements.

The Narrative Voice in Araby, Livvie and The Yellow Wallpaper

The Narrative Voice in Araby, Livvie and The Yellow Wallpaper I hadn't really considered the importance of the narrative voice on the way the story is told until now. In "Araby", "Livvie" and "The Yellow Wallpaper" the distinctive narrative voices and their influences shed light on hidden meanings and the narrator's credibility. In "Araby" the story is told from the point of view of a man remembering a childhood experience. The story is told in the first person. The reader has access to the thoughts of the narrator as he relives his experience of what we assume is his first crush. We do not know how the girl feels about him. The narrator's youth and inexperience influence his perspective. His love for her is deep and innocent. As an adult, the narrator recollects his emotions for the girl with fondness, but the reader also detects a hint of regret as well. The narrator tells us that their first communication takes place when he goes to the back drawing room where the priest had died. There, in that sacred place, he spoke with the girl and made a promise that he would get her a gift if he was able to go to Araby. Soon after, "as a creature driven by vanity", he fails to retrieve a gift for her and is humiliated. I wonder if the narrator is implying that his true devotion to her was somehow blessed in the room where the priest died and when he allowed his sinful vanity to penetrate that love, he lost her. In "Livvie" the story is relayed by an omniscient third person narration. The narrator in this case provides insight into each of the characters, yielding to no one inparticular. The narrator uses subtle patterns in association wit... ...ten seen as representing an imaginative or "poetic" view of things that conflicts with (or sometimes compliments) the American male's "common sense" approach to reality". When society "values the useful and the practical and rejects anything else as nonsense", (feminine) imagination and creativity are threatened. Much like our narrator, women of that time were directed to suppress their creativity as it threatened the dominating male's sense of logic and control. "Perhaps the story was unpopular (at first) because it was, at least on some level, understood all too clearly, because it struck too deeply and effectively at traditional ways of seeing the world and woman's place in it". Works Dited Shumaker, Conrad. "'Too Terribly Good to Be Printed': Charlotte Gilman's 'The Yellow Wallpaper'." Journal of American Literature 57.4 (1985): 588-599.

Toefl Treating Pets Like Family Members

The issue of treating pets like family members is a debatable one. On the one hand, pets are charming creatures that mean a lot for their owners. But on the other hand, people should not forget that pets are animals which have specific instincts and habits differ from those of human beings and, as a result, able to do harm to people. However, in the final analysis, I think that pets are good friends of people and shall be treated accordingly. One reason in support of my thinking is that pets like real family members spend together with their families a great amount of time. Pets and their owners do a lot of things together from ordinary home stuff such as playing games, walking and watching TV to going shopping, visiting friends and traveling. When there is a child in a family pets become his little friends that everywhere follow him while parents are busy with their house work. So pets are always near their owners, ready to share owners’ joy and troubles, bringing a lot of fun for the whole family and making family members smile and feel pleased and happy. One would never feel lonely with them. Another reason for my thinking is that some pets are good caretakers. They see to the house, secure their owners and protect them from danger, help to take care of children. Maybe one of the best examples of pets care is dogs that help blind people survive in their everyday life. Pets would never leave their owners alone in a difficult situation. Perhaps, the best reason is that treating pets as family members has a good influence on children’s education. Looking after the pet, children will learn not to be selfish and to think and take care about the others. For the above reasons, I therefore conclude that having pets is an advantage for people and pets owners can really benefit from treating pets like family members.

Using Chocolate Bars to Teach Fractions

Believe it or not, teaching fractions can be both educational and delicious. Use The Hersheys Milk Chocolate Bar Fractions Book and kids who once crumpled their brows in frustration at the concept of fractions will suddenly salivate at the mere mention of this important math concept. Theyll even get to the props - milk chocolate bars! Not everyone loves math, but surely everyone loves Hersheys Chocolate Bars, which are conveniently divided into 12 equal squares, making them the perfect manipulatives for demonstrating how fractions work. This witty and kid-friendly book walks you through a straightforward lesson that serves as a fantastic introduction to the world of fractions. It starts off explaining the fraction one-twelfth in relation to one rectangle of chocolate and continues all the way up through one whole Hershey bar. To do this lesson, first get a Hershey Bar for each child or each small group of up to four students. Tell them not to break apart or eat the bar until you instruct them to do so. Set the rules upfront by telling the children that if they follow your directions and pay attention, then they will be able to enjoy a chocolate bar (or a fraction of one if they are sharing in groups) when the lesson is over. The book goes on to include addition and subtraction facts and it even throws in a little science for good measure, offering a brief explanation of how milk chocolate is made! Some parts of the book are really funny and clever. Your kids will hardly realize they are learning! But, sure enough, you will see the lightbulbs go on as their eyes sparkle with understanding that they didnt have prior to reading this book. To close the lesson and to give the children a chance to practice their new knowledge, pass out a short worksheet for them to complete before eating the chocolate bar. The kids can work in small groups to answer the questions. Then, if they are splitting a bar, they have to figure out how many rectangles each child should get in order to split it equally. Have fun and rest easy as you know that your kids will really be able to visualize fractions after this delicious lesson. A hands-on lesson with scrumptious manipulatives always helps drive a concept home better than a dry, lifeless blackboard lecture. Keep this in mind as you plan future lessons. Dream up new and creative ways to reach your students. Its certainly worth the extra effort!