German Civilization and Expressionism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

German Civilization and Expressionism - Essay Example The essay "German Civilization and Expressionism " will examine the evolution of the Expressionist movement in film, and how this influence has impacted the world in terms of visual arts. As the film attracted a large audience in the U.S. and France, it became imperative to comprehend the nature of the Expressionist movement that had taken over Germany. It became clear that film could only be classified as art if the film’s image could be differentiated from pragmatic realism. Expressionism in film has the uncanny ability to rework and alter realism or reality. This is what the German film did in the 1920s, enabling the film industry to construct and create an emblematic world, which was completely separated from what is seen in everyday life. The influential power of the film, and as such the Expressionist movement, was brought out in the non-repetition of the world as seen every day. The general characteristics of Expressionism can be used to relate to Wiene’s film, w hich came at a time when Germany had already faced defeat during the First World War. It was at a time when the region was faced with poverty, discord, and anger among its people. Expressionism was used as a means to describe the mentality that most people had about the region. The notable themes of horror, insanity, and death in the film; The Cabinet of Caligari, are just but examples of the way the film was influential in the evolution of film at that point in Germany’s history. There is a perverted and warped perception of the world.

Attitude Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Attitude Theories - Essay Example An example of the identification theory would be someone simply liking or disliking something because someone that they wish to establish a close relationship with feels like same way. The positive aspect of identification is that it can bring people together when they find they they have the same attitudes in regard to something specific. Many people may like the individuality of having their own behaviors and attitudes, while others may appreciate having someone to share it with. The negative aspect about this theory is that it disables some people from being able to make their own decisions and draw their own conclusions in concern of a specific topic. Even if they previously did not like something, they may change their attitude because the person they want to be close with feels differently. Another negative aspect to this theory is that if the person they are trying to get close to is no longer around, then there is no reason for that person to hold onto the attitude of someone else and they need to reform their own attitude. Unlike identification, cognitive dissonance is when a person is at odds with how they feel about something; there is an inconsistency in their beliefs, causing one idea to become the opposite of another idea (Festinger, 1957). The person becomes uncomfortable by holding two contradictory ideas simultaneously and attempt to change their attitudes to balance their ideas out. For example, if a person really wants something but is unable to obtain it, they criticize it, often with a lie or an assumption, because they are unable to get it. The components of cognitive dissonance include the person realizing that they have two contradicting beliefs; understanding and thus feeling uncomfortable that these two beliefs exist simultaneously; the person finds a means to rid themselves of one of the offending beliefs, so that they are left with only one. The positive aspect of cognitive dissonance is that the person understands that they