Descartes Cosmological And Ontological Arguments Are Well

Descartes Cosmological and Ontological arguments are well organized and are perceived as valid. However, these arguments may be found valid only if we follow the rules of Descartes premises through deductive reasoning. The soundness of Descartes Ontological and Cosmological arguments are questioned in this paper as I argue against Descartes axioms. Descartes bases his proofs of God on specific propositions and his own claims of knowledge. The lack of proof behind his premises is why I cannot except Descartes Ontological and Cosmological arguments for the existence of God. Although there are different arguments for the existence of God, as an empiricist, I need proof of the premises and not ideas of false premises. I can look at Descartes†¦show more content†¦I argue that an idea cannot be characterized as reality. Descartes denies the senses reveal the natures of substances and instead believes that he can perceive the nature of reality through a purely intellectual percepti on (enclapedia). There are many instances where we say an idea is not the same as reality. I can imagine, or have an idea, that I am flying with my own physiological wings. This idea has come about through my mind however; the thought is far from ever becoming as much reality as there is in its effect of the cause. Being lifelike is defined as being similar to or representing something realistic. In order to represent something I would say you have to resemble them in realistic way. This makes me question the existence of God because Descartes cannot come up with proof of how he knows God exists in reality except for through his own cogito. Even if God’s existence was necessary like premise III is implying, then there is still no evidence of what does or does not count as proof of existence in the actual physical world. Another reason to doubt the Cosmological argument is because of Descartes circular arguing. For example, If premise V is true, an infinite substance can only cause ideas of an infinite substance then, God has to have a clear and distinct perception of a infinite substance as well. God has to have an idea of an infinite being in order to compare, and conclude, thatShow MoreRelatedThe Argument Of The Existence Of God1480 Words   |  6 PagesThe arguments trying to â€Å"prove† the existence of God are by far some of the most controversial philosophical arguments out there. When some of the people who created these philosophies it was illegal or even punishable by death to even question his existence, let alone try to come up with a logical explanation to â€Å"prove† he is real. The two main arguments used today are the ontological argument and the cosmological argument. Neither one of these arguments are correct nor incorrect; moreover, theRead More Does God Exist? Ess ay1145 Words   |  5 PagesAny attempt to remain neutral in relation to Gods existence is automatically synonymous with unbelief. The question for Gods existence is really important. Does God exist? Theology, cosmological, teleological and ontological arguments are all have ways to prove the existence of God. With all of these great arguments how can one deny that there is a God. There is a God and with these reasons I will prove that. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;There are two types of theology discussed in chapter nineRead MoreEssay on Hegel and Kant on the Ontological Argument1748 Words   |  7 PagesHegel and Kant on the Ontological Argument ABSTRACT: I intend to present Kants refutation of the ontological argument as confronted by Hegels critique of Kants refutation. The ontological argument can be exposed in a syllogistic way: everything I conceive as belonging clearly and distinctly to the nature or essence of something can be asserted as true of something. I perceive clearly and distinctly that existence belongs to the nature or essence of a perfect being; therefore, existence canRead More Descartes1226 Words   |  5 Pagesstage in the system, as outlined in the Meditations, seeks to establish that God exists. In his writings, Descartes made use of three principal arguments. The first (at least in the order of presentation in the Meditations) is a causal argument. While its fullest statement is in Meditation III, it is also found in the Discourse (Part IV) and in the Principles (Part I  §Ã‚ § 17–18). The argument begins by examining the thoughts contained in the mind, distinguishing between the formal real ity of an ideaRead MoreThe Cosmological Argument For The Existence Of God Essay1556 Words   |  7 Pagesreality of a being who, by definition, is not given in phenomenal experience? My position is that it is impossible to prove the non-existence of God, since I believe that God exists. I would use it the cosmological arguments, teleological and Ontological to prove that God exists. The cosmological argument for the existence of God is as follows: The world could not exist by itself so there must be a first cause that brought him into existence. The universe can not have an infinite past, he must have hadRead MorePhilosophy: Do We Have Innate Ideas? Essay1491 Words   |  6 PagesDo we have innate ideas? Offer your view with reference to the work of Descartes and Locke I understand the concept of innate ideas alone means ideas that presents our mind at birth. Descartes and Locke both have their own views about innate ideas and their arguments are completely different to each other and the question remain to the human knowledge. Do innate ideas really exist? Descartes does not put experiences to his philosophy like the other philosophers, Bacon and Hobbes. He believes thatRead MoreDoes God Exist? Essay1611 Words   |  7 PagesThis paper examines the many rational arguments for and against the existence of God. It is based on the views of some of the great philosophers and scientists of our world. I will show that there is no sufficient proof or comprehensive arguments for the existence of God. Some people search for eternal peace through the beliefs in God; but this is an impossible belief because of the chances, the plausibility, and because of science. ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS God generally refers to one supreme, holyRead MoreThe Argument For The Existence Of God1411 Words   |  6 Pagesscrutinizes numerous logical disputes for and alongside the presence of God. I shall argue that there’s no adequate evidence or inclusive arguments for the existence of God. It is grounded on the views of certain great philosophers and scientists of all of mankind. Generally speaking for myself, I would correspond to have faith that there is â€Å"God†. Regrettably, it’s awfully well-defined that the being built up on insightful faith is no longer a suitable custom to shadow. During the course, I expected to learnRead More Ontological Argument Essay2922 Words   |  12 Pagesthe existence of God. These theories are the ontological argument, the cosmological argument, and the teleological argument. St. Anselm of eleventh century, and Descartes of seventeenth century, have used the ontological argument for proving the existence of God. The God, for them, is supreme, quot;needing nothing outside himself, but needful for the being and well-being of all things.quot; (Pg. 305). St Anselm’s account of the ontological argument for the existence of God deals with the ‘existenceRead More Comparing Knowledge in Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy and Hume’s An Enquiry Concerning876 Words   |  4 PagesComparing Knowledge in Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy and Hume’s An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Rationalists would claim that knowledge comes from reason or ideas, while empiricists would answer that knowledge is derived from the senses or impressions. The difference between these two philosophical schools of thought, with respect to the distinction between ideas and impressions, can be examined in order to determine how these schools determine the source

Speech Fast Food - 805 Words

Persuasive Policy Speech COMM 111 April 20th 2011 Topic: Fast food should not be served in schools. Specific purpose statement: Lunches served in schools should be improved. Introduction. I. Attention getter: 20.1% as of the year 2010. 5 to 10 is the number of meals a child eats at school. The percentage of obese children in the US. The number is 4 times higher than 1970s. If you have been to elementary, middle or high school, at some time, you have been exposed to canteen food. II. Thesis: I am here to tell you why poor quality food should stop being served in schools. III. Credibility: I, since childhood, have been against unhealthy nutrition but also have deepened my knowledge through research. IV. Preview: A. Need:†¦show more content†¦A. First main sub point: Educate parents as well as children on healthy eating. 1 Support: according to the USDA’s mypyramid.gov, the Dietary Guidelines describe a healthy diet as one that, emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars. a. Specific information: Education about healthy eating proportions will make people conscious about their diets but also about their health. B. Second main sub point: encourage parents to give their kids lunch boxes with healthy food. 2 Support: according to CNN.com, 64.8%of parents wish the rule in Chicago’s Little Village Academy for kids not to bring box lunches to school be abolished. b. Specific information: we can see that people who are aware of the benefits of box lunches. C. Third main sub point: ban vending machines from schools. 3 Support:† it’s hard enough for parents to guide their children’s food choices, but it becomes virtually impossible when public schools are peddling junk food throughout the school day,† said CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan. â€Å"Many parents who send their kids off with lunch money in the morning have no clue that it can be so readily squandered on Coke, Doritos,Show MoreRelatedInformative Speech- Fast Food Essays865 Words   |  4 PagesFast Food Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about fast food in the United States and its effects. Central Idea: The history of fast food, the effects of eating fast food, and its effect on the United States. Introduction I. Anywhere you go, there is a good chance there will be a fast food restaurant nearby. A. It’s the easy way out of cooking dinner, or grabbing something fast because you didn’t have time to make anything. B. Fast food may taste good, but have you ever thoughtRead MoreSpeech Fast Food Essay929 Words   |  4 PagesMcDunn Persuasive speech outline Eating Fast Food Introduction Relevance: You all have probably experienced fast food sometime throughout your life. Credibility: The first thing that comes to mind when mentioning fast food is greasy, oily, unhealthy garb, yet most of us consume junk food on a daily basis anyway. There are over 300,000 different fast food restaurants in the US. People frequent them because of convenience (quick and usually cheap). In such a fast-paced society, people are eatingRead MorePersuasive Speech : The Benefits Of Fast Food1400 Words   |  6 Pagesthey are healthy, but in fact healthy food is not as healthy as it may appear. Are you really going to eat something that’s green? Last time I checked, green means it’s rotten. Nowadays we need something quick. We dont have time to cook something healthy. Fast food is a convenience because we don’t have to prepare it ourselves. The faster you can get high amounts of calories into your body, the more energized and happy you will be. Switching to fast food is not only quick, cheap and easy, butRead More Persuasive Speech: Do Not Eat Fast Fo od Essay915 Words   |  4 Pagesaudience not to eat fast food. Relevance: You all have probably experienced fast food sometime throughout your life. Credibility: The first thing that comes to mind when mentioning fast food is greasy, oily, unhealthy garb, yet most of us consume junk food on a daily basis anyway. There are over 300,000 different fast food restaurants in the US. People frequent them because of convenience (quick and usually cheap). In such a fast-paced society, people are eating more fast food than ever beforeRead MoreJunk Food958 Words   |  4 Pagesfor Invitational Speech Speech Exploration of Sides of a Topic: discuss different types of junk food and the harm of the junk food. Thesis statement: the definition of junk food. How many different types of junk food? What is the harm for junk food. Content Pro: (Explore Issues or State Position) Examples and stories: 1. Less likely to be overweight. 2.In addition to foods and drinks with a lot of added sugar, it is important to keep in mind that junk food can include foods high in salt orRead MoreFood Inc When The Food Industry Keeps Their Farmers Under Their Control1553 Words   |  7 PagesIn the movie â€Å"Food Inc† we saw how the food industry keeps their farmers under their control. Food incorporation sets new protocols that require the farmers to keep purchasing more on dept. As a result of loans and only $18,000 annually (Kenner) they are stuck in a hole that they can’t get out of. I find many things disturbing about this. First off, I find it disturbing that he picked a poorly educated farming area. It seems obvious that the farmers don’t know what they got into and don’t have anyRead MoreThe Effects Of Fast Food On Children991 Words   |  4 Pagesthat falls into the trap of fast food advertisement. Overall, the fast food industry should be more socially responsible and not direct their marketing strategy of unhealthy food choices to children; this will cut down the percentage of children suffering from childhood obesity that leads to various health issues. One might object here, that it is a free market and freedom of speech is part of the U.S. Constitution. However, everyone has a different opinion about fast food and boudaries must be respectedRead MoreFast Food Is Bad For Our Health Essay928 Words   |  4 PagesFast food, we all eat it sometimes, but do we honestly know what we are consuming. Did you know that fast food can lead to various types of illness? For example, a heart attack or a lack of energy can be a result of eating fast food. Fast food has become a very important meal to America. Almost a quarter of Americans suffer from fast foods dangerous effects (Health line). Did you know that some people even die as a result of eating fast food. Fast food is a part of our today. Many of you know thatRead MoreMarketing to Children1352 Words   |  6 Pagesonly 1% of children s diets resembled the recommended proportions of the Food Pyramid. The amount of money that is spent marketing to children is outrageous. Companies purposefully market to the young children s tastes in a variety of ways through package design, typefaces, pictures, and content. Key elements for successful marketing to young children are carefully and thoughtfully planned by companies. The entertainment, fast and friendly service, immediate gratification, familiar brand-names fun-to-eatRead MoreBackground of Mcdonalds1986 Words   |  8 PagesMcDonalds 2012 Kanika Markland McDonalds SIC # 5812 NYSE: MCD Revenue 2011: $27,006M McDonalds Corporation is the worlds largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 68 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948 they reorganized their business as a hamburger stand using production line principles.

Boston matrix free essay sample

2.1 BCG Matrix Analysis The Boston Consulting Group’s growth-share matrix is the model of analysing the company’s portfolio of SBUs. The following figure plots the position of Virgin’s SBUs. 2.2 Implications of BCG Matrix Analysis on strategy development Portfolio analysis has three uses. First, a business can assess the balance of its portfolio†¦ Second, the portfolio provides a framework for strategic market planning†¦ Third, each SBU should have a clear objective appropriate to its portfolio position†¦ 2.3 Limitations of BCG Matrix Analysis The major weaknesses are as follows: Market growth is an inadequate description of overall industry attractiveness. Market share is an inadequate proxy for relative competitive strength. The analysis is highly sensitive to how the market is defined. Definitions of the market can be fairly arbitrary and different definitions will radically change an SBU’s matrix position. The model assumes that business units are independent. 2.4 The parenting matrix-the Ashridge portfolio display In deciding on the appropriateness of the role of the parent and the mix of SBUs best suited to the parent, the parenting matrix can be useful. We will write a custom essay sample on Boston matrix or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Ashridge Portfolio Display is a way of displaying this degree of â€Å"fit† of a portfolio of business. Two dimensions of fits are assessed: Fit between the critical success factors of the SBUs and the skills, resources and characteristics of the parenting organization. FIT between the parenting opportunities of SBUs and the skills, resources and characteristics of the parenting organization. Heartland businesses are ones that the parent can add value to without danger of doing harm. Since Virgin Atlantic founding, the airline has relied on service, value-for-money, and innovation, dished up with panache and flair, to differentiate itself in the market. Virgin Atlantic announced further expansion plans on the back of continuing growth and increased profitability. It is now the company closets to Branson’s heart. In addition, with the development of IT, the e-commerce has a  promising future. Vigin should continue its expansion in e-commerce with a wide range of connections from Megastores online to train booking facilities. Likewise, the development of Virgin Direct Ltd that is a financial can create synergies with other company business largely. Thus, they should be at the core of future strategy. Ballast SBUs are ones the parent understands well but can do little for. They would probably be just as successful as independent companies. If they are part of a future strategy, they need to be managed with a light touch. The retail sector is a mature industry where the environment does not change radically. Company has an abundant management experience in retail industry. Therefore Virgin needs not to put their eye to Virgin Retail in the future. Value trap SBUs are dangerous. They appear attractive because there are opportunities for the parent to add value. But they are deceptively result in more harm than good. There is a risk in Virgin Rail. If the passenger numbers does not rise, Branson’s project to undertake major investment in modern trains and convert the staff to a customer-service culture would not pay off, This business will get into hot water and will has a considerable damage to the brand. Virgin should take into account if Virgin Rail should be included in the future strategy. If they can be moved into the heartland, Some adjustments to the skills, resources or characteristics of the parent will probably be necessary. Alien SBUs are clear misfits. They offer little opportunities to add value and they rub awkwardly with the normal behaviour of the parent. Exit is the best straty. Some business such as Virgin Vouchers and Virgin Helicopter, London Broncos, which has a very little share in the total income of the company, and the industry perspective, is unattractive. Virgin’s management should divest them

Millenium Mambo

The later films of Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao Hsien, including Millennium Mambo, appear to have garnered the director a reputation of being cinematically â€Å"difficult† (Wood, 2001).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Millenium Mambo specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Released in 2001,Millennium Mambo represents the â€Å"15th film from Hou, a leader in Taiwan’s cinematic new wave of the 1980s. Although widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers working today, with each new movie considered a major event,† Millennium Mambo nonetheless was the first of Hou Hsiao Hsien’s films to secure a North American release (Dargis, 2004: p. 2). Hou Hsiao-hsien belongs to Taiwan’s â€Å"New Cinema† group, a collective of Taiwanese directors that emerged in the 1980s. The â€Å"New Cinema† movement collaborated on each other’s films, and enjoyed solid backing from film critics working in Taiwan at the time. Taiwanese cinema was dominated by â€Å"escapist romances and propaganda films† at that time, thus the â€Å"New Cinema† collective broke from tradition and â€Å"used a realistic style to convey their socially concerned themes†¦and their films â€Å"recognized the fact that Taiwan was not synonymous with China† (Huang, 1999: no page). Hou Hsiao Hsien’s work garners the most international recognition amongst the â€Å"New Cinema† directors. His subject matter remains almost exclusively grounded in the experience of living in Taiwan, which is in fact his experience, as Hou has spent the lion share of his life living and working in Taiwan (Huang, 1999: no page). Huang (1999) also notes that â€Å"contrasted with the positive influences one can gain from country life in most of Hou’s films are the attractions of the city, with its opportunities for a living wage and concomitant confusion of an alie n social structure, and its dissimilar types of human relationships,† which we see evidenced in Millennium Mambo (no page). Hou Hsiao Hsien’s films remain under the cinematic radar, largely unknown and for the most part unavailable to North American and European cinephiles. This paper will make a case for the distinguishing form of filmmaking applied by Hou Hsiao-Hsien in Millennium Mambo, with a particular emphasis on the director’s dramatisation of discrete scenes and his use of long shots and master shots to simultaneously create mood while maintaining an emotional distance from his characters.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As a rule, Hou Hsiao Hsien’s films tend to favour aestheticism and mood over narrative structure, largely as a result of Hou Hsiao Hsien’s â€Å"intransigent refusal to â€Å"help† the audience by making obvious p oints, spelling out meanings, telling us what to think of the characters, or carefully explaining their motivation† (Wood, 2001: p. 12). Apt to rub critics the wrong way, this creative obstinacy of Hou’s can sometimes be read as self-aggrandisement, and results in unflattering criticism such as this dismissal by Jones (1999): â€Å"Hou joined the ever growing number of filmmakers who appear to have climbed too far out on the limb of aestheticism, showing no regard whatsoever for their paying customers† (Jones, 1999: no page). In order to fully appreciate Hou Hsiao Hsien’s films, Wood (2001) argues that audiences must â€Å"first†¦unlearn the indoctrinations of contemporary Hollywood and become active observers rather than passive receptacles, noticing even the smallest details, pondering their significance, making thematic connections beyond those of narrative, reaching our own decisions rather than having them foisted on us† (Wood, 2001:p. 12) . Other critics view Hou Hsiao Hsien’s work as deeply personal. In her essay Looking for Nostalgia: Memory and National Identity in Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s a Time to Live, a Time to Die, Wu (2003) holds that â€Å"Hou Hsiao Hsien consistently drew on his personal life experiences and those of his co-writers’ in the overall structure of the narratives, through which he represented the history of the increasingly industrialised and westernised Taiwan† (Wu, 2003: p.45). Hou Hsiao Hsien often collaborators with the same writers and cinematographers, all of whom make a conscious attempt to â€Å"project†¦themselves into their films† (Wu, 2003: p. 46). In Wu’s (2003) mind, Hou Hsiao Hsien and his screenwriters â€Å"offer the cinematic equivalent of historical representation, raising questions of identity on a symbolic level, in which they appeared to articulate themselves while simultaneously being articulated into history† (Wu, 2003: p. 46 ). As such, Hou Hsiao Hsien remain one of a handful of filmmakers concerned with â€Å"national soul searching, [and] reconstructing history as a function of reflecting the present† (Wu, 2003: p. 47). Millennium Mambo constructs a loose narrative around main character Vicky’s experience as a hostess in a trendy Taiwanese bar and her relationships with two men: her abusive boyfriend, and an older gangster who befriends her. Kaicer (2001) called Millennium Mambo â€Å"an urban youth film, set in the bars, clubs, and dingy apartments of contemporary Taipei† (no page).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Millenium Mambo specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The techno inspired soundtrack â€Å"dance music of his Taipei slackers defines the beat of its shots, the drift of its camera, the endless loops within loops of its spiralling chronology† (Kaicer, 2001: no page). For Sklar, (2002), Millennium Mambo represents Hou Hsiao Hsien’s â€Å"least compelling†¦narratives, but it’s reassuring to know that the film casts his remarkable artistry and moral seriousness at least another decade into the future† (Sklar, 2002: p.12). The film’s critical welcome, according to Wood (2001), was mainly mixed. Jacobowitz (2005) raved that Millennium Mambo perfectly depicted â€Å"the cool edginess of the alienated youth† of Taiwan (p.65). Berry and Lu (2005) saw Millennium Mambo as a work of art that â€Å"pursues innovation into a future setting† (p. 7). Los Angeles Times film critic Manohola Dargis (2004) found that: â€Å"Unlike the characters in director Hou Hsiao Hsien’s previous films – including his masterpieces â€Å"The Puppetmaster† and â€Å"Flowers of Shanghai† – Vicky and her friends don’t have strong connections to specific places, to a home or a history†¦[yet] as always with this filmma ker, the visual pleasures are enormous and often deeply touching. One of the most ravishing images in a film filled with ravishing images is of Vicky gently lowering her face into some freshly fallen snow. As she raises her head laughing, the camera lingers on the impression she’s left behind. In the snow, we see the traces of a self already melting into a memory† (p. 3). However, when the film premiered at the Cannes festival in 2001, Millennium Mambo garnered the dubious honour of being â€Å"the first of Hou Hsiao Hsien’s mature films to receive a less than enthusiastic reception† (Wood, 2001: p. 12). Millennium Mambo was â€Å"dismissed by critics in a perfunctory line or two with no attempt to relate it to Hou Hsiao Hsien’s previous work† (Wood, 2001: p. 12). Like Hou Hsiao Hsien’s other works, Millennium Mambo is backward looking, and told from memory. Sklar (2002) remarks that in Millennium Mambo â€Å"Hou Hsiao Hsien returned to [the] curious aspect of his penchant for the past [in] that the film opens with a voice-over explaining that its events â€Å"happened ten years ago in the year 2001,† casting the present as history† (Sklar, 2002: p.12). Though set in the recognizable present, Millennium Mambo continues Hou Hsiao Hsien’s tradition of looking to the past to offer commentary on the present. In Millennium Mambo, Sklar (2002) understand â€Å"Hou Hsiao Hsien’s strategy for taking on today’s chaotic, incoherent postmodern culture – as he makes it appear to be – involves viewing it as evanescent, as having already happened and, presumably, later been transformed into something else† (Sklar, 2002: p.12).Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Culturevulture.net (2004) describes Hou Hsiao Hsien â€Å"as a member of the â€Å"master shot† school of filmmaking† (No page). In standard filmmaking, the master or establishing shot happens first and presents the key elements of any given scene. The filmmaker then repositions the camera in nearer proximity to the subjects held within the frame, be they actors or objects, culminating usually in a close-up. When it comes time to edit, the filmmaker typically intercuts between the establishing shot and the medium and close shots to generate the intensity of the scene (Culturevulture.net, 2004: no page). Culturevulture.net (2004) highlights the fact that â€Å"Hou Hsiao Hsien almost never engages in this latter aspect of standard film technique. A movie composed mostly of long shots, especially extended takes as is usual for Hou Hsiao Hsien, tends to keep the audience emotionally distanced from the characters and the action. As a result, Hou Hsiao Hsien’s films are criticized as boring, and sometimes they are. But at his best, Hou Hsiao Hsien can provoke overwhelmingly intense emotions precisely because the viewer has worked to earn it. Hou Hsiao-Hsien films offer a generous store of images and feelings that lavishly reward time and patience† (No page). Hou Hsiao Hsien’s shooting style and camera work in Millennium Mambo relays a similar technique, although according to Sea (2002), Millennium Mambo â€Å"is the first of six films†¦to be realized in the next ten years†¦that deals with Taiwan’s present youth, and is devoid of the long pans, evocative images and detached shooting style that have typified Hou Hsiao Hsien’s work† (No page). Millennium Mambo contains a disconnected, emotionally frozen feeling, evoked mainly by the performances, but also by the way that the film is shot. An example of this occurs in the seduction scene (Millennium Mambo, 2001). Vicky returns from her hostess job to find her boyfriend, Hao Hao, at home and in the mood for love (Millennium Mambo, 2001).. Hou Hsiao Hsien’s camera stays far back from the scene as Hao Hao attempts to seduce Vicky, first through romantic kissing and finally through cunnilingus (Millennium Mambo, 2001).. Vicky, meanwhile, keeps her lips turned away from Hao Hao’s, and while he takes off her clothes she drinks a cup of tea and smokes a cigarette (Millennium Mambo, 2001).. Eventually, Hao Hao gives up and returns to the bedroom (Millennium Mambo, 2001).. The indifference and boredom that Vicky extends towards Hao Hao’s attempted lovemaking is exquisitely captured through the remoteness of the shooting style (Millennium Mambo, 2001). Like Vicky, the camera feels passively disinterested, essentially standing back from the action, offering no encouragement to the viewer, and waiting for Hao Hao’s frisky moment to be over (Millennium Mambo, 2001). The lack of passion in the shooting style perfectly mirrors the lack of passion and apathy that forms the heart of the scene, and of Vicky and Hao Hao’s relationship (Millennium Mambo, 2001). Critical response to the shooting style Hou Hsiao Hsien exhibited in Millennium Mambo was again mixed. Wilmington (2004) found that â€Å"Hou Hsiao Hsien, who often shoots his scenes in single takes with a roving camera, used only the sketchiest of scripts. Most of the heavily emotional scenes were improvised from brief outlines. Yet, working in this minimalist, seize-the-moment way†¦rivets our eyes and often wrings our heart† (p. 2). Halcyon Realms (2005) lamented that â€Å"in the case of Millennium Mambo the potential bore factor skyrockets because the photographer is Lee Pingbin, who loves to lock down his camera and shoot empty compositions where the actors are completely out of frame† (No page). Similarly, Thom (2002) remarked that â€Å"Hou Hsiao Hsien’s film could pass for a documentary, if it weren†™t for his extreme aesthetic approach† (no page). Kaicer (2001) found: â€Å"Contemporary Hou Hsiao Hsien†¦disorienting, experimental, jarring. Unprecedented for him, most of Millennium Mambo is shot in shallow focus and medium close-up, with a roaming, exploratory camera always in motion. A Hou Hsiao Hsien who directs the viewer’s eye, too, is something new: we’re used to slowly, patiently exploring the spaces he lays out for us, to exercising a certain autonomy as we read meaning into his films. Hou Hsiao Hsien controls our eyes in Millennium Mambo and shows us what he himself seems to be in the process of discovering, in something like real time† (No page). Bingham (2003) described Millennium Mambo’s â€Å"intensely claustrophobic tone and oblique compositions†¦characters half-viewed through doorways etc,† yet also pointed to the similarity in content between Millennium Mambo and Hou Hsiao Hsien’s earlier work Flowers of Shanghai. â€Å"Thematically, in its portrait of a girl building up to dumping her unemployed, layabout boyfriend whom she supports, it can be seen as a companion piece to Flowers of Shanghai, in that both films feature a protagonist desperate for freedom from an aimless relationship†¦or series of them in the earlier film†¦and independence in a culture still largely unsympathetic to their plight (No page). Huang (1999) echoes Wood in her suggestion that to appreciate Hou Hsiao Hsien’s films, audience members must remove the lens of Hollywood and open their minds to a filmmaker whose narrative bias leans towards indirectness (No page). In Huang’s (1999) mind, Hou Hsiao Hsien’s films â€Å"present the viewer with certain problems, and not only because they demand some awareness of Taiwanese political and cultural history during the second half of the last century [but because] †¦their treatment of narrative structure has become increasingly chall enging and unorthodox (No page). This is especially true of his shooting style. In Huang’s (1999) words, â€Å"one feels at times that Hou Hsiao Hsien shoots only the sequences that really engage him, leaving the audience to fill in narrative hiatuses with a combination of common sense and imagination. The many characters are seldom given the careful, emphatic introductions to which Hollywood has accustomed us, and close ups are rare, point-of-view shots non-existent; sequences are often entirely in long-shot. In short, Hou Hsiao Hsien expects us to work, concentrate, be vigilant; the films construct a spectator who is at once detached but sympathetic† (No page). In essence, Hou Hsiao Hsien’s shooting style emulates Vicky’s experience of life in Taiwan – disconnected, emotionally detached, non participatory, and boring. The absence of a real narrative in Millennium Mambo echoes Vicky aimless existence. As Wilmington (2004) describes â€Å"Hou Hsia o Hsien has evolved an almost rarefied technique, suggesting a life that seems to rush past his camera, unmediated and unaware† (p. 2). In the case of Vicky, the speed of the bar contrast sharply with the slow pace of change she exacts in her relationship with Hao Hao. How Hou Hsiao Hsien shoots Vicky’s world is exactly how Vicky sees the world – as a passive spectator, never really coming close to anything. Hou Hsiao Hsien’s shooting style appears to be patterned after his protagonist’s lived experience of life in Taiwan – passive, fleeting, distance. Burnett (2004) points to Hou Hsiao Hsien’s ability to â€Å"manipulate†¦the device of the fade or the dissolve to deflect spectator attention away from the amount of time that has elapsed between segments and other such questions of plot and to direct he/she towards pondering the evolution of the film’s style† (No page). In conclusion, director Hou Hsiao Hsien’s Millennium Mambo contains many of the filmmaker’s trademark touches. It is an aesthetically beautiful film, peopled by beautiful actors and replete with lush imagery. However, the shooting style, the lack of nearness to the characters, creates an emotional distance that imbues the film with a lost quality that lingers throughout. Hou Hsiao Hsien shoots and stages Millennium Mambo in a way that renders Vicky’s actual experience of life – disengaged, severed from any real emotional engagement with the world or with others, and drifting somewhat directionless through life. Reference List Berry, Chris and Lu, Feiyi. (2005) Island on the edge: Taiwan new cinema and after. Hong Kong, Hong Kong University Press. Bingham, A. (2003) Cinema of Sadness: Hou Hsiao-hsien and ‘New Taiwanese Film’. Cinetext [online]. Available from: http://cinetext.philo.at/magazine/bingham/cinema_of_sadness.html . Burnett, C. (2004) Parametric narration and optical transition de vices: Hou Hsiao-hsien and Robert Bresson in comparison. Senses of Cinema [online] 57. Available from: http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2004/feature-articles/hou_hsiao_hsien_bresson/ . culturevulture.net (17 January 2004 ) Films of Hou Hsiao-Hsien. China Through a Lens [online]. Available from: http://www.china.org.cn/english/NM-e/84923.htm . Dargis, M. (2004) Woman held captive to love in ‘Mambo’. Los Angeles Times [online]. Available from: http://articles.latimes.com/2004/mar/26/entertainment/et-mambo26 . Halcyonrealms.com (December 4, 2005) Millenium mambo. Halcyon Realms [online]. Available from: http://halcyonrealms.com/film/millenium-mambo/ . Huang, V. (1999) Hou Hsiao-hsien. Film Reference [online]. Available from: http://www.filmreference.com/Directors-Ha-Ji/Hou-Hsiao-Hsien.html . Jacobowitz, F. (2005) Hou Hsiao-hsien’s Cafe Lumiere. CineAction [online] 65. Available from: http://cineaction.ca/ . Jones, K. (1999) Cinema with a roof over its head. Film Commen t [online]. Available from: http://www.filmlinc.com/fcm/9-10-99/hou.htm . Kraicer, S. (2001) Millennium mambo. A Chinese Cinema Site [online]. Available from: http://www.chinesecinemas.org/millenniummambo.html . Sea, L. (2002) Millennium mambo. LoveHKFilm.com [online], Available from: http://www.lovehkfilm.com/panasia/millennium_mambo.htm . Sklar, R. (2002) Hidden history, modern hedonism: The films of Hou Hsiao-hsien. Cineaste [online], Fall. Available from: http://www.cineaste.com/ . Thom, F. (2002) Millennium mambo. Plume Noire. Available from: http://www.plume-noire.com/movies/cult/millenniummambo.html . Wilmington, M. (2004) `Mambo’ a raw film poem about the pain of desire. Chicago Tribune [online]. Available from: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-04-16/features/0404150458_1_bar-girl-hao-hao-shu-qi . Wood, R. (2001) Flowers of Shanghai. CineAction [online], 11. Available from: http://cineaction.ca/ . Wu, I. (2003) Looking for nostalgia: memory and national identit y in Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s a time to live, a time to die. CineAction [online] 45. Available from: http://cineaction.ca/ . This essay on Millenium Mambo was written and submitted by user Bryant B. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.