Fluent Essays

paper2 Asia Watson Capstone Proposal Introduction In the early Nineteenth Century, Poland’s beloved Romantic poet Adam Mickiewicz wrote a poem titled, “Do Matki Polki,” which scholars consistently translate as “To the Polish Mother.” The titular mother is seen as a representation of all Polish mothers who, in “response to various occupations of Poland” selflessly raise their sons to become soldiers who fight and die for the freedom of their country (Ostrowska 420). This image of the suffering Polish mother, “pure and immaculate, almost like the Mother of Jesus,” corresponds with the emergence of the “national-religious ideology” that followed Poland’s three partitions by Russia, Prussia and Austria between 1772 and 1795 (Ostrowska 422; Morawska 29). While struggling with the loss of political sovereignty, Poles found the meaning of the occupations and purpose of their suffering in the figure of Jesus who suffered from his oppressors and died, but eventually rose again. Furthermore, the Polish mother, a symbol of great moral strength, faith and loyalty that derived from the image of the Virgin Mary, assumed the role “of a leading defender of the spiritual idea of Poland” until the restoration of its independence in 1918. During the 123 years of foreign occupation, the Polish mother taught her children the “dogmas of the Catholic religion and a love for their lost motherland,” she sent her sons and husbands to the battlefield, and she awaited their return or mourned “their heroic death” (Ostrowska 421). After World War II the Polish mother symbol continued to play an important role in the lives of Polish people, who after only twenty years of sovereignty, found themselves governed by yet another enemy— the communist regime. It seems, however, that the traditional image of the Polish mother as the powerful matriarch was diminished to the role of one who merely bears children, provides food and clothing for her family, and timidly stands on the sidelines while her husband fights for freedom. The image was additionally altered by socialists who used this traditional myth to promote a “labor heroine” and falsely promised that the new political order would provide women with the “right for individual development and the possibilities of self-realization” (Ostrowska 425). However, the realities of food shortages and demands of the queuing culture that women had to endure in order to provide for their families made self-actualization impossible. The image of Polish women suffered, and many critics judge those women not by their contributions to the success of resistance in underground Solidarity but rather by their shopping bags. Contrary to popular opinion, the women of Poland, especially from the time that martial law was declared in 1981 until the fall of communism in 1989, had not been just passive citizens. These women had also taken part in the resistance to that regime. Their opposition was perhaps less obvious than that of the men, who organizeKate Stephens Fall 2019 Capstone I 11 December 2019 Introduction Jessica Jones, a Netflix/Marvel television series, debuted in 2015 as “the first television series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) both to be made specifically for an adult audience and to feature a female superhero as a lead character” (Green). At the time, fans and media were critical of the MCU for its treatment of female characters and for not producing a Black Widow feature film starring Scarlett Johansson, arguably Marvel’s biggest start besides Robert Downey, Jr., (D’Addario). Marvel hoped Jessica Jones would change this narrative (D’Addario). Jessica Jones’ status as the first Marvel Cinematic Universe property to feature a female lead and to be headed by a woman created feminist credibility (Press). Additionally, “to mirror the heroines onscreen,” showrunner Melissa Rosenberg “ensured there were a lot of women in the crew” (Press). The show’s nuanced “take on PTSD, sexual abuse and rape,” surprised audiences, and in fact, “Jessica Jones made gender politics its centerpiece, diving into the messy subject matter via an equally messy female lead and a noir tone completely unlike any comic-book series then on the air” (Li). The centrality of a feminist perspective was not accidental. In an interview with Vanity Fair, showrunner Melissa Rosenberg expressed an intention to make a feminist show, saying “All of us walked into that writing room as feminists, so that’s always going to color our point of view” (Sperling). Jessica Jones is indeed a “messy female lead” (Li). While some critics call her “a complete mess, chronically hung over and prone to compulsive hookups with bartenders and obsessing Stephens, 2 over the show’s villain” (Fear), others compare the portrayal of Jessica’s self-destructive behavior to how “mid-twentieth century cinema used its anti-heroes to reflect war-damaged and other marginalized masculinities” (Green). Jessica Jones is a feminine “take on the classic noir persona of the hard-drinking, unsentimental detective” (Green). The show also draws from classic film noir style and themes (D’Addario, Li, Press). Television’s Jessica Jones inherits a noir sensibility from its source material, the ALIAS graphic novels. Jeph Loeb, executive producer for Marvel Television, calls ALIAS “comic book noir.” He elaborates, saying “in the 1950s, these stories were called ‘Film Noir.’ They were tales of bad men – and often worse women – who started out at the bottom of the well only to find there was much further to fall” (Loeb). Loeb’s comments leave the impression that classic noir is a defined genre, but scholars disagree about whether classic film noir is a genre, a cycle or a movement. They do agree that the classic film noir period encompasses a selection of films between 1940 and 1960 (Porfirio “Strange” 295). In “Notes on Film Noir” Paul Schrader states film noir “is not define3/13/2021 Introduction https://hooslearning.instructure.com/courses/1604/assignments/12002 1/2 Introduction Due Monday by 11:55pm Points 100 Submitting a file upload Attempts 0 Allowed Attempts 1 Submit Assignment Capstone Proposal Introduction - Instructions Please prepare a factual introduction of two-three pages (double-spaced) based upon scholarly sources that establish the framework and context for your Capstone project. The introduction should end with your refined topic statement. Include a bibliography with the three scholarly sources you used to inform your introduction. Make sure to utilize the citation and bibliographic format common in your particular academic discipline. Use citations for all work that is not your own! Technical Requirements * The paper should be in 12-point font. Use the same font throughout your paper – for text and citations! * The body of the paper must be double-spaced. * Text must be in black ink. Be aware when copying-in hyperlinks!!! Project Assessment * You understand and follow directions outlined above for the Capstone Proposal Introduction and all of its components; * You copy the Capstone Instructors on email submission of materials to your mentor. You incorporated feedback from Capstone I co-instructors and your Capstone Mentor from earlier assignments; * You effectively use citations for work that is not your own; * Your bibliography and citations are arranged according to citation format used in your academic discipline (with consultation with your Capstone Mentor). * Your paper is logically and cohesively structured; * You utilize proper punctuation, grammar, and spelling; * Your paper is returned on time in the required format. Please proof your work! 3/13/2021 Introduction https://hooslearning.instructure.com/courses/1604/assignments/12002 2/2 Total Points: 100 Some Rubric Criteria Ratings Pts 70 pts 20 pts 10 pts Introduction/Topic Development Writing Skills Communication with Mentor/Instructors/Incorporation of Feedback1 Robin Munson ISCP 3991 – Fall 2019 Final Draft Introduction By 2050, the global population is projected to be 10 billion, with over two-thirds of it concentrated in cities (FAO, 2017). This trend towards increased urbanization, exacerbated by a decrease in arable land; growing water shortages; and the threat posed by climate change; necessitates a complement to traditional farming practices in order to produce an adequate food supply. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations believes “transformative changes in agriculture and food systems are required worldwide” as it will take a 50\% increase in production to meet the demand expected in 2050 (2017, p. vii). Between ten to twelve thousand years ago, humans moved from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to purposefully modifying their environment by planting crops. Since farming became routine, much of the earth’s natural landscape has been coopted for food production. According to Despommier, the current global landmass utilized for terrestrial farming is equivalent to the size of South America. Employing contemporary methods of food production for 3 billion additional people would require another 109 hectares – the size of Brazil (2011). David R. Montgomery contends that only marginal areas such as the Amazon or the Sahel are available for expanded cultivation, and after an initial return, the soil quality would degrade rapidly, precluding it as a long-term strategy (2008). Conventional farming takes a toll on the environment. It consumes approximately 20\% of the non-renewable fossil fuel used in the United States (Despommier, 2011). With over 90\% of the food in U.S. cities being shipped from outside, a 2008 Carnegie Mellon study determined delivery of food is responsible for 0.4 tons of CO2 emissions per household each year (Al- 2 Kodmany, 2018). Globally, farming currently uses 70\% of the available fresh water for irrigation (Despommier, 2011). And water will continue to become scarcer as the population grows and competes for this resource (Al-Kodamy, 2018). Most of the water used in farming is wasted, and the runoff contains pollutants that ultimately reach the rivers and oceans (Despommier, 2011). The adverse effects of climate change – an increase in flooding, hurricanes, and drought - will negatively impact agricultural production and the global economy by ravaging large areas of arable land (Al-Kadmany, 2018). In 2018, there were 23 million ‘food deserts’ in the U.S. (Al-Kodmany, 2018). According to the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), in that same year, 11.1\% (14.3 million) of households in the United States were food insecure, meaning they did not have “consistent, dependable access to enough food for active, healthy living” (Coleman-Jensen, 2019, para. 1). The Food Bank for New York City reports that currently, 1.2 million (14.4\%) NYC residents are food insecure, and that they comprise 50\% of a