Native American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Native American History - Essay Example For this essay, the period examined will be the 19th century and the event is the â€Å"Trail of Tears† which is an account of the forced eviction of members of the Cherokee native America communities from their ancestral lands in eastern America to create room for white settlers.1 Owing to the marginalization of the Native American community at the time there were few historians from the community and most of the written works emerge from white authors. However one of the most popular accounts of the trial is a narrative rendered by Michael Rutledge about his Cherokee grandfather Samuel Cloud who was nine at the time of the march, he vividly recounts how he (Samuel ) struggle to understand the atrocities that were occasioned upon his community and recounts very real and personal experience through the naive and innocent eyes of a child who suffers for a cause he does not understand. 2 He describes the way his family and neighbors were force to leave their village at gun point how some of them were not even given time to pack their belongings leaving with only the clothes on their backs. The people were led to stockades like cattle and they were forced by soldiers to remain there for several days and nights despite the freezing cold, Samuel’s father died and later on so does his mother both having succumbed to the brutal conditions. Many more people died and they were buried in shallow unmarked grave by the wayside as the march continued and Samuel recounts his bitterness and frustration which he felt as result of losing both his parents and yet he could not understand why. 3 On the road he describes the death by the hundreds and thousands of the Indians and their unceremonious burial by the roadside far from home. He could only feel a bitter hatred for the soldiers who he blamed for having put them in that situation. Notably, his is just one account and hundreds of children were orphaned and parents widowed and families broken either by death or separation by the cruel soldiers. The second account by Joan Gilbert who is not an insider nor actively involved in the lives of the Native American community also renders an account of the events of the march based on extensive research and interviews. She begins by giving a background of the events leading up to the removal such as the sale of Indian land by lottery to settlers even before they had been evicted, consequently some settlers moved in and took over Indian property. The book article discusses President Jackson and how he pursued a policy to eliminate Indians to provide more land for the speculating settlers.4 Although many American were against the decision, Jackson received little trouble as a result since he had the backing of the southern and western state that made up his biggest support base. Some of the communities tried to resist by going to back court or by violence while others cooperated and accepted the new lands. This ultimately divided the communities in t he long run since the collaborators were seen as traitors and many of them were later murdered by their own people as a result of working with the state. The Cherokees from Georgia had taken the matter to the Supreme Court and judge Marshall had found in their favor declaring that the settlers had no claim to their land. However the president had ignored the injunction and proceeded to

Something interesting in Film Studies (Which University College Dissertation

Something interesting in Film Studies (Which University College London) will be interested - Dissertation Example The current research intends to fill the gap in research and aims to evaluate how the present day Cinematographers perceive the changes have impacted their work environment and also the quality of work that they perform. The current research is expected to explore the changing role of the cinematographers in major Hollywood studio, with the aim of understanding if the concept of director of photography has evolved or diminished over time. Research Question The main research questions that guide the research are: -Is the theoretical and practical knowledge of cinematography still more important than using latest technology? -What is the role of instinct, intuition and experience in the current arena of Cinematography? -How has the introduction of latest technology and technicians in Cinematography department altered the work environment, communications and cooperation    It is essential to ask this question as current day cinematography is largely about lights, animation, after-effe cts, audio-visual effects – activities that are undertaken post the shooting (Cunningham, 2005). The work involved in Cinematography today involves personnel other than the cinematographer (LoBrutto, 1999), and hence it becomes important to understand how the work of soft factors related to communications, work-interactions, attitudes and behaviors impact on the overall cinematic process.       Review of Literature The introduction of digital technology, the fast pace of technological advancement and the changing expectations of an audience that is increasingly tech savvy (Hoffmann, 2008), have posed wide challenges for film cinematography (Brown, 2011; Mascelli, 2009) and spawned a new generation of cinematographers. However, personal reports from cinematographers (Rogers, 2000; Rogers, 1998; Bergery, 2002; Ellis, 2011) and several prior researches (Schaefer and Salvato, 1986)   have provided insights about probable problems and issues that digital imagery and the invo lvement of multiple technicians the ‘Digital Imagery specialists’ brings to cinematographer’s job (Ballinger, 2004). While the technical quality of cinematography has improved tremendously (Greenhalgh, 2003), it appears that the intuitive and inherent talent of the cinematographers is perhaps not being utilized to the fullest (Malkiewicz and Gryboski, 2002). A preliminary review of the available literature has revealed that some work has been done, especially via interviews of cinematographer, to assess their experiences and perceptions about the profession. However, none of the previous research has aimed to specifically explore how the changes in the soft factors – the interpersonal interactions, communications, cooperation that the latest technology entails - impact on the work of the Cinematographers. The current research therefore aims to provide a more holistic insight about the changes that Cinematographers have to deal with, and the impact on their work. Research Methods In order to explore the current and changing role of cinematographers, both secondary and primary research is proposed. The secondary research is undertaken using an exhaustive