Singlish is a creolized language, drawing mainly from English but also supplemented by words and expressions from Malay, Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese and Tamil. Having evolved and still in currency in Singapore, Singlish is not highly regarded by Singaporean elite society, which prefers and promotes Standard English. In many ways, this cultural conflict is reminiscent of…
Category: Media Studies
Critical Analysis: The Political Economy of Culture by Sut Jhally
The article’s objective is to discuss how ‘culture’ has become a commercial and indoctrinating industry under the capitalist economic system. The author identifies two or three key mechanisms through which culture is manufactured and distributed towards achieving its goals. Author Sut Jhally is not in doubt as to the propagandistic or profit-oriented motives of mass…
Highlights from the Corporation Documentary
Applying the 14th amendment to business corporations meant that they were given legal personhood. This is problematic as corporations have gone on to gain more rights and privileges than human citizens have gained. This makes it difficult to make corporations accountable and act responsibly. As Eisenhower famously mentioned, the existence of Military-Industrial complex is undeniable. …
A response to Jenni Russell’s ‘The Selfish Generation’
Jenni Russell’s article for the Guardian newspaper that appeared on 6th December 2003 raises contemporary problems in social interactions. She laments the fact that as individual, isolated consumers of a capitalist society, people are gradually losing their humanity. In its place, they are acquiring rather unsavory social tendencies, the most blatant of which is lack…
Akatombo, by Naoko Amemiya of Portland Taiko: Unique Feminine Expression in Modern Taiko
The Asian American theatre performance chosen for this essay is Akatombo, a rendering of Japanese Taiko developed by Naoko Amemiya of Portland. Akatombo is a piece of Taiko composition based on “a famous Japanese folk song and showcases tight Taiko choreography, Japanese flute and singing” (Akatombo). Taiko involves “repeatedly banging, slashing at and clacking an…
Comparing how Marjane and the young monk deal with their coming of age in ‘Persepolis’ and ‘Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and…Spring’ respectively
The two films in discussion – ‘Persepolis’ and ‘Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and …Spring’ are very dissimilar in terms of techniques employed, but share common themes. Persepolis tells the story of Marjane from her childhood through adulthood in the backdrop of hostile political atmosphere in Iran. It is one of a kind movie, for it…
Expository essay: Alfred Stieglitz was a pioneer who transformed photography into an art form
Alfred Stieglitz is perhaps the most important photographer of the century gone by. He played a vital role in developing photography into an accepted art form. The art galleries he arranged in New York city during his lifetime were instrumental in bringing attention to many talented artists from across the world. A polymath of an…
Special Qualities of Japanese Woodblock Prints
Woodblock prints are an integral part of Japanese art and culture in the centuries gone past. In many ways, the techniques of craft and reproduction that were pioneered and mastered by the Japanese were more advanced than what their European contemporaries were able to achieve. Although woodblock prints were in circulation as early as the…
A profile of Mr. Bean’s career in comedy
The very thought of Mr. Bean (the comic character conceived and played by Rowan Atkinson) brings a smile to the young and old alike. The sitcom series that featured Mr. Bean ran successfully in Britain between 1990 and 1995. A total of six seasons of fourteen episodes each was broadcast to a wide followership in…
Studying Art: Frye Art Museum in Seattle
The Frye Art Museum in Seattle is presently host to two very different kinds of art exhibitions. Take Home and Make Real the Priceless in Your Heart by Liu Ding is a one of a kind exhibition. Rather than showcasing finished works of art, this novel exhibition shows works in progress as it were. Produced…