Its a Wonderful Life - Quotes, Values, and a Swim Gym

On December 20, 1946 a post-war, sentimental Christmas film was first shown to a charity gathering. The main character in Frank Capras movie Its a Wonderful Life wants to travel and see the world when hes young — Italy, Greece, the Parthenon, the Colosseum — all traditional places to study architecture. Then he wants to build things  Ã¢â‚¬â€ skyscrapers a hundred stories high and bridges a mile long. George Bailey has the mind of an architect.   Although this quotable Hollywood classic is traditional Christmastime fare, Its a Wonderful Life continues to say plenty about American values, the housing sector, and the way we live. The Swim Gym A favorite scene in the movie is the graduation dance at the local high school. During the Charleston competition, the actors Donna Reed and Jimmy Stewart plunge beneath the gym floor into the swimming pool below. What a stunt! Was that just more Hollywood magic? Not at all. The Beverly Hills High School was used in that classic 1946 film scene, and the Swim Gym is still used today. The architecture works just the way it does in the movie — a gym floor covers a swimming pool and can mechanically roll aside with a key and a button. The system was designed by architect Stiles O. Clements and built in 1939 under the Work Projects Administration (WPA). The WPA was one of the top New Deal programs that helped America out of the Great Depression. The federal government paid millions of unemployed Americans to build schools, bridges, beaches, and hundreds of other public works projects. Like the Swim Gym, many of these federal projects from this era are still in use today, including the Levitt Shell in Memphis where Elvis Presley first performed, the art deco structures in Fair Park in Dallas, Texas, and many, many post office buildings throughout the United States. WPA projects often brought new ideas and artistry to everyday buildings and structures. The Beverly Hills High School Swim Gym is a great example of innovative public architecture paid for with gover nment funds. The Film Also Explores Values But this film is much more than showing off the technology of the day. It begins with youthful dreams and fun, but the plot revolves around business values during the post-Depression, midcentury building boom in the United States. The ongoing conflict is between an unrelenting old businessman named Henry F. Potter and his local competition, the family business known as the Bailey Building and Loan. The character of George Bailey, who took over the business after his fathers death, explained the workings of his familys financial institution to anxious patrons who had just made a run on the bank: Youre thinking of this place all wrong. As if I had the money back in a safe. The moneys not here. Your moneys in Joes house...right next to yours. And in the Kennedy house, and Mrs. Macklins house, and a hundred others. Why, youre lending them the money to build, and then, theyre going to pay it back to you as best they can. Now what are you going to do? Foreclose on them? The arch enemy to the savings and loan lending system was the banker, Mr. Potter, who would have foreclosed on any rabble who could not pay. Back in 1946, the Baileys saw a community of people helping each other — to Potter, everything was money and business. Fast Forward to the 21st Century When Its a Wonderful Life is shown every year around Christmastime, we are reminded of the value conflicts between builders and banks. We remember our own 21st century housing crisis. Profit-driven practices in the banking and housing industry contributed to the 2008 financial crisis and economic downturn. Banks loaned money to people who could not pay it back, and lenders did this purely for financial reasons — the liability for those loans was shipped away from the community and sold for a higher investment return. Unlike the Bailey Building and Loan, 21st century banks were not investing in the community — profit was the only goal. The system may have made financial sense to some, but the scheme was unsustainable. Architecture is about building and design, but in most cases the business of architecture is about cost and value. What does this design cost compared to another design? Can One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan be built for less money if the symbolic height of 1776 feet is made up of a spire instead of full floors? What if we build an office building and cant lease the space? Could we make more money in this housing development if we overlooked accessibility and green design? What will we sacrifice to save money, to make money, or to advance a career? A Couple of Decent Rooms and a Bath In the end, Its a Wonderful Life is a cautionary tale, examining the values of a community and the strengths of its individual members. In our lives, we each have choices to make, and decisions have consequences. The undesirable Pottersville explored in the what if section of the movie has become a metaphor for the Las Vegas-ization of our urban landscape. Is there a Pottersville in your community? In addition to the fun at the swim gym, the other idea that makes this movie so uplifting is that the community of Bedford Falls did not succumb to urban decay and become the metaphoric Pottersville — in large part because George Bailey stood up for the common man. As Bailey tells Potter: Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble youre talking about...they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didnt think so. People were human beings to him, but to you, a warped frustrated old man, theyre cattle. When we think about building our communities, consider that people live in these built environments. The person is part of the architectural world. And, like Laugiers 18th century primitive hut, the architectural requirements are generally modest. Make sure that everyone has a couple of decent rooms and a bath. And a more modern actor like Brad Pitt would add, Make it Right. The power is in the person, and one person can make a difference. Source National Federation of State High School Associations. Beverly Hills Swim Gym combines diverse sports. http://old.nfhs.org/content.aspx?id6251

William Blake s Little Black Boy - 859 Words

Knowledge is Power William Blake’s â€Å"Little Black Boy† is an autobiographic poem centered on the youthful life of Blake. Young Blake is spiritually awakened by the benefits of being a black individual he is. His mother, who he makes reference to in the poem, strengthens and uplifts him about accepting the skin color he holds. Blake states in the writing, â€Å"And I am black, but O! my soul is white; White as an angel is the English Child† (2-3). He is aware that his skin color would prevent him from experiencing the life of a white child, due to slavery of that era. By living the life of a slave, he is taught by his master that his life is only worth laboring in the fields for countless hours, experiencing abuse and possible death if he disobeys orders. In so many words, he is manipulated to believe that he is worthless because of his skin color. Despite those perceptions, Blake channels his inner self by reflecting on the wisdom his mother embedded in his mind. He constantly reminds himself as he becomes a man, that better days will come. When he makes it heaven, God will take away all the hurt, pain and suffering from being a slave. Every race will unify and become one body of Christ that loves each other. The cruelty from his masters and the enlightenment of his mother helped Blake become a strong man. In Gustave Flavert’s â€Å"A Simple Heart (Soul)† the separation of social classes is what makes main character Fà ©licità © appreciate her self-knowledge within. She expressesShow MoreRelatedWilliam Blake s Inscription On The Young Chimney Sweepers1382 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Blake s Inscription on the Young Chimney Sweepers By: Kyle Fitch Prof. Joseph McNally Engl. 3312 B April 20, 2015 A key point in the history of mankind was the Industrial Revolution. It was also a difficult time in history in terms of suffering, especially for the lower class that had to work twice as hard as the upper class for minimum wage. A young poet by the name of William Blake became livid and motivated in the late eighteenth century by the coldhearted usage of young boysRead MoreCharacteristics Of Romantic Poetry By William Blake1051 Words   |  5 PagesThis brought on the change in how genders, races, and different classes were viewed. Less people participated in their culture s traditions and authority was not as important to follow as it was before. The Romantics chose to reflect more on themselves and others which led Romantic poetry to develop into such a creative and meaningful kind of literature. William Blake was the person who started the Romantic Period. When he was younger, he read a lot, and started to write at the early age of thirteenRead MoreThe Chimney Sweepers By William Blake862 Words   |  4 Pages The Chimney Sweepers William Blake has written two poems with the same title of Chimney Sweeper, however each poem was written to portray a different perspective of similar situations. The poem Chimney Sweep (Songs of Experience) is written in a bleaker scope compared to Chimney Sweep (Songs of Innocence) which happens to be much more optimistic.Willaim Blake had written these stories as foils of one another and which has helped readers compare and contrast the messages that the poems are tryingRead MoreWilliam Blake s The Chimney1713 Words   |  7 PagesThe Pre-Romantic poet William Blake grew up in a world that was undergoing dramatic changes. With the Industrial Revolution in the eighteenth century, child labor became a common practice throughout Britain. The children were oppressed and had a diminutive existence and were forced to work long hours in the factories, mills, coal mines and chimneys, in dangerous and inhumane conditions. The chimneys were often only seven inches wide and only a child wa s small enough to fit inside and brush cleanRead MoreSocial Criticism in Blakes Chimney Sweeper and Haydens Monets Waterlilies1274 Words   |  6 Pagescompletely at the mercy of their owner. These were children without a childhood. Almost two hundred years later America followed suit with this behavior as black Americans were forced to sit in the back of buses, use separate facilities, and attend different schools. The corruption of these contrasting societies is vividly depicted in William Blakes The Chimney Sweeper and Robert Haydens Monets Waterlilies, respectively. Both poems offer a clear understanding of how society can negativelyRead MoreThe Chimney Sweeper : A Little Black Thing Among The Snow1659 Words   |  7 Pagesarresting comparisons to children in there poems, they believed children where exceptional due to the poets beliefs that they were innocent and uncorrupted, but also had an affinity with nature. A poet which did so was William Blake, whose poem ‘The chimney sweeper: A little black thing among the snow’ I will be comparing and contrasting to ‘The chimneys sweepers complaint’ by Mary Alock in how the presentation of childhood innocence is presented in both poems. There are many comparisons to makeRead MoreEssay on the Chimney Sweeper958 Words   |  4 PagesLocation and Era a. 18th and 19th Century England 3. Point of View a. Tom Dacre 4. Writing Style A. Lack of Rhyme 5. Conclusion William Blake’s â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† from â€Å"Songs of Innocence† provides a view of extreme social injustice among children being used as chimney sweeps in 18th and 19th Century England. William Blake also in 1794 wrote â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† in â€Å"Songs of Experience.† For this essay, the analysis will be of â€Å"The Chimney Sweeper† from â€Å"Songs of Innocence†Read MoreWilliam Blake s Innocence And Experience Analysis Essay1529 Words   |  7 PagesIsha Fidai Amber Drown English 2323 14 September 2016 William Blake s Innocence and Experience Analysis The Romantic Era was a movement in literature that began in the late seventeenth century throughout the eighteenth century that was mainly influenced by the natural world and idealism. Romanticism was predominantly focused on emotion and freedom emphasizing individualism. Formed as an uprising against neoclassicism, romanticism was more abstract, focusing on feelings and imaginations, insteadRead MoreThe Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake Essay863 Words   |  4 PagesLamb and The Tyger by William Blake his idea that there are two different types of people in this world yet we need both for balance. His next poem The Chimney Sweeper has many hidden meaning within his poem about his views on society. Then he goes on in his poem titled Infant Sorrow to reveal his thoughts on non-conformists. William Blake makes a different criticism of society in his four poems The Lamb, The Tyger, The Chimney Sweeper and Infant Sorrow. To begin, William Blake uses his poems TheRead MoreEssay on Poems by Willliam Blake2364 Words   |  10 PagesPoems by William Blake In this essay I will be examining the way 5 poems by William Blake convey his attitudes towards the society he lived in. William Blake was born on the 28th of November 1757, and then died on the 12th of August 1827. He spent most of his life living in London, except from 1800 to 1803 where he lived in a cottage in Felpham, a seaside village in Sussex. When Blake was almost 25 he married Catherine Bouchier. They had no children but were married for almost 45 years

Kanya Bhrun Hatya Free Essays

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Inustrial/organizational psychology worksheet free essay sample

1. Describe the evolution of the field of industrial/organizational psychology. The area of Industrial and organizational psychology was created in the eighteen-hundreds out of experimental psychology (Spector, 2012). The creators of Industrial and organizational psychology were Walter-Dill Scott, Hugo Munsterberg, and also James Mckeen Cattel. These three creators of Industrial and Organizational psychology brought both the findings as well as the application of mental ethics into the area of businesses. When industrial and organizational psychology first started the aim was to enhance businesses organizational efficiency and productivity, mostly by employing psychology with an importance on specific dissimilarities, throughout ones selection and also their training. Throughout the earlier years of this type of psychology its main emphasis was on the industrial side (Spector, 2012). Within this time frame there was a joining in the area of industrial psychology linking both the field of engineering and the principles of psychology. Most of the people that helped with this area had some sort of background in the industry, some of these individuals also had a history in the law as well (Spector, 2012). We will write a custom essay sample on Inustrial/organizational psychology worksheet or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The main purpose of industrial psychology would be to understand ones’ behavior in order to improve the selection of new employees and their training. The main purpose of organizational psychology would be to better understand ones’ behavior in order to better the satisfaction of employees as well as their well-being within the corporation. 2. Explain why industrial/organizational psychology should be considered a science. Include an explanation of how descriptive and inferential statistics are used in I/O research. Most Industrial and Organizational psychologists do several different positions in a wide variety of situations (Spector, 2012). Those psychologists whom concentrate on industrial and organizational psychology are generally separated between both scientific research and the different areas of practice. Due to Industrial and Organizational psychology being based upon research that is produced by precise information, Industrial and Organizational psychology relies upon scientific research (Spector, 2012). Though there are two different categories of industrial and organizational psychology, those individuals whom concentrate in the field are most likely to complete the jobs that crosses both of the areas. Most of the research is generally completed in either a college or a university type of setting where an Industrial or Organizational psychologists is working as an instructor. I feel as though that Industrial and Organizational psychology could be considered to be a science because research is a main activity that industrial and organizational psychologists perform. One of the main contributions that have been given by researchers to this field of psychology would be the advancement in methods that are used to both select as well as train new employees (Spector, 2012). Their research is also used in order to solve any issues that a company may be going through. 3. Discuss the influence industrial/organization psychology has had on organizations. Provide examples. Industrial and Organizational grew due to the World War l. Whenever America appeared in World War l there were industrial and organizational psychologists that were called on in order to create a plan for recruits, psychological evaluations, and also to be used as a method when it came to selecting people for certain jobs in the military. The duo of psychologists that were working with the military was ran by Robert Yerkes (Spector, 2012). The most well-known success of this group of psychologists would be the creation of both the Army Beta as well as the Army Alpha tests that tested ones mental abilities. Two main things that helped to influence the field of industrial and organizational psychology in America was the Americans with Disabilities Act in the year of 1990 as well as the passage of the Civil Rights Act in the year of 1964 (Spector, 2012). Though these two main events helped the field of industrial and organizational psychology be shaped, research from both fields helped to produce very helpful information that helped industrial and organizational psychologists to improve their workplace.