Criminology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 8

Criminology - Essay Example erefore, the classical philosophers and other modern scholars of American criminology founded varied theories regarding the issue of crime as a social phenomenon. Understanding criminology theories depend on the relationships made in formulating them and each theory differ from one situation to another. Therefore, social learning theory is one of the criminology theories that explain the way people develop their behaviors through socialization. This theory argues  that  Ã¢â‚¬Å"as social creatures, our behavior is a product of our environment,† thus understanding social learning theory is imperative because it enables the policy makers to implement effective strategies for combating crime issues in the society. Social learning theory is one of the criminology theories that attempt to address the issue of the social environment and the way it influences crimes of all sorts. Understanding social learning theory in criminology can be simple or complex, but this depends on the relationships made by social scientists in formulating theories (Akers 56). However, this theory is significant because it enables criminal investigators to understand the way crime are committed and what influences them. This is vital because it enables the policy makers to implement effective ways of controlling such crimes that result through learning from social environments. This can be through providing mass education programs to the public on the consequences of involving in crime activities and encouraging people in the society to serve as role models to others. Social learning theory controls the behaviors of an individual in the society. Therefore, understanding this theory is essential because it enables one to understand the study of criminology. Learning refers to the habit or knowledge gained as a result of experiences within the surrounding environment. It is opposed to instinct, drives or genetic predispositions, thus enabling people to understand criminology study (Furst 96). The

Decide by yourself Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Decide by yourself - Essay Example This is evident in the calls that concerned individuals and private institutions, foundations and sectors that address anti-racism and anti-discrimination in the national and international setting. The book "Myne Owne Ground" showed, racism was once blatant in the US. Slavery, especially in Virginia was all highly visible manifestations of racism committed with the sanction or even active participation of the authorities. Although overt manifestations of racism today would be unacceptable to the majority of US citizens, the country is still struggling with ongoing racial and ethnic divisions . (Vaughan, 1995) Major steps taken over the past 50 years to end institutionalized racism have not eliminated the inequalities which many members of racial minorities continue to face in daily life. The black-white divide on racial matters is one of the most profound and enduring in American society. For decades, public opinion polls have shown that blacks and whites differ fundamentally as to what constitutes the race problem, how severe it is, and what to do about it. The segregation and discrimination of the black urban community is the result of politics and economy in the mainstream history of the United States. Millions of Africans were brought to the Americas and traded there as slaves (Vaughan, 1995). This mass movement of people led to a new social and economic system; with the color of the skin as a determining factor whether one would live as a slave or as a free citizen. By the 1640s and 1650s, England thus had five substantial areas of overseas settlements--the Irish plantations of Ulster and Munster; the Chesapeake colonies of Virginia and Maryland; Bermuda; the New England colonies of Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Haven; and the West Indian colonies of Barbados and the Leeward Islands. The predominantly English people who went to these areas all intended to one degree or another for the new societies they were creating to be fundamentally and recognizably English. Yet the new research into the cultural dynamics and socioeconomic and demographic configurations of the two major centers of English settlement on the North American continent has made it clearer than ever before that during these early years of settlement the Chesapeake colonies of Virginia and Maryland differed profoundly from the principal New England colonies of Massachusetts Bay and Connecticut. Indeed, it would be difficult to imagine how any two f ragments from the same metropolitan culture could have been any more different (Vaughan, 1995). About the only characteristics they had in common were their ethnic homogeneity, their ruralness, their primitive material conditions, their remoteness from England, and, after their first few years, an abundant local food supply. In virtually every other respect, they seem to have been diametric opposites. Along with the strong cohesive force exerted by the church, village, family, schools, and visible and authoritative leadership structures that characterized the New England villages, the absence of exceptional economic opportunities inhibited the urge to scatter that was so powerful among the settlers in the Chesapeake (Vaughan, 1995). T

The Alcohol Advertising And Adolescent Drinking Media Essay

The Alcohol Advertising And Adolescent Drinking Media Essay Alcohol is the most popular recreational drug in America, so beer and liquor companies advertise on various television channels. Recent research has discovered cable television shows with a significant proportion of teenage viewers are also those that have the most commercials for alcohol. There are many explanations why adolescents are influenced in to drink alcohol and there is reason to believe television advertisements have a large role. As alcohol advertisers turn towards cable television the exposure to younger viewers will escalate. The amount of money spent on alcohol advertising on cable television increased by 137% from 2001 to 2006. The extra money spent attributed to an increase of the number of alcohol commercials by 176% (Chung, Garfield, Elliott 2010). With over double the amount of new advertisements many alcohol companies started to compete against each other for the best commercials. For instance, Miller lite aired a commercial about a group of friends at a bar who all agree their one friend is unmanly for ordering a Bud lite. Competitive advertising of alcohol has resulted in new branding techniques that are effective across all viewers including the adolescent audience (Jones Jernigan, 2010). Assessing the influence of alcohol advertising on peoples drinking habits is a challenging task. Alcohol is an adult product, yet most underage consumers are already aware of its existence. This unavoidably limits the potential effects that alcohol advertising could have on increasing overall consumption. Due to the existing popularity of this product, advertisers focus on creating an appealing brand rather than increasing the total market. While new consumers are not advertisers target, the power of alcohol advertising campaigns to shape consumption habits cannot be neglected. Criticism has been directed toward alcohol advertising, particularly regarding the use of image (lifestyle) advertising, and its potential influence on adolescent alcohol consumption. This research study sought to determine if adolescents who drink, or intend to drink alcohol at some future time, find image advertisements for alcohol more appealing than product advertisements. 40 college students, ages 18 to 20, volunteered to fill out the survey. This study is focused on attitudes and beliefs towards alcohol brands and advertising rather than on consumption behavior. Attitudes and beliefs about alcohol advertisements are not irrelevant to understanding how advertising might influence consumption. Evidence of an association between preference for image advertisements and intent to drink in the future has been found in previous studies and experiments. When considering whether advertising has an impact upon young peoples alcohol intake, it is important to recognize that drinking alcohol can be influenced by a range of psychological, social and environmental factors. Parents, siblings, and groups of friends can have a significant influence. They can provide behavioral role models and establish a positive attitude towards drinking. Although this research survey is concerned with the effects of advertising of alcoholic beverages on adolescents alcohol consumption, it is beneficial to understand the other factors associated with the onset of alcohol related behavior. Surveys of teenagers and young adults have determined that alcohol consumption is often significantly related to peer-group influences. A particularly powerful predictor of their drinking behavior is whether their friends drink alcohol. Research has indicated that adolescents may be especially inclined to consume alcohol if their best friend also does. It was also found that if a teenagers best friend drank they were more likely to label themselves as a drinker (Wilks, Callan Austin, 1989). In a televised commercial for 1800 tequila an actor posed the question, What ever happened to best buddies? He goes on to demean people who have hundreds of virtual friends online then finished the commercial with the statement, A buddy is somebody who you share your 1800 tequila with. Parental influences can have important effects on teenager alcohol consumption as well. Most of the time parental rules about drinking come into conflict with peer-group norms. These rules may exert a powerful influence over teenagers expressed intentions to drink alcohol in the future, possibly weakening those intentions. However, such effects may be limited to young people who have so far not felt any social pressures to drink from their peer group. Teenagers with friends who drink may be more likely to reject family restrictions on alcohol consumption especially if they had their own involvements that lead to positive experiences about alcohol. An important note to keep in mind is further evidence has indicated that drinking onset is not a simple matter of copycat behavior. Dissimilar young people make different assessments of relevant group activities and beliefs linked to drinking (Thomsen Rekve, 2006). According to the World Health Organization, alcohol advertising can produce positive perceptions of drinking in all people and as an outcome young people may be more susceptible to possessing pro-drinking attitudes. The World Health Organization has two reasons to believe why advertising can cause this. The first of these is that exposure to alcohol advertising over time can lead young people to perceive drinking as a normal behavior and, as a result, an activity in which they wish to participate. The second reason is that alcohol advertising may reach children and encourage alcohol consumption well before they are legally old enough to purchase the product. In a survey with children, the majority answered that they believed alcohol advertising can cause alcohol consumption. This discovery along with evidence that mere awareness of alcohol advertisements could be linked to positive beliefs about alcohol, which is in turn related with future intent to drink. In this context, there is no surprise that liking of alcohol advertisements has also emerged as a significant factor in understanding potential effects (Babor, 2003). In 1984 an experiment was led by Kohn and Smart who showed a recording of Super Bowl 1982 to 125 male college students. Three versions of the program were produced that included zero, four or nine beer advertisements. Refreshments were available and among the drinks, participants could choose from soft drinks or beer. One half of the students were given immediate access to beer while the second half had to wait 30 minutes before given beverages. When beer was available it was consumed and the delay in beer resulted in compensatory behavior in the second group who had the largest amount of consumption. This experiment found that when alcohol advertising occurred there was a temporary upward in beer consumption. Even in conditions where consumption was decreasing, a first time appearance of beer advertisement could temporarily boost consumption again (Kohn Smart, 1984). Kohn and Smart conducted a similar experiment with college women except the independent variable was switched with w ine. This experiment proved women consumed more wine when they saw four or more wine advertisements compared to none. These results indicate that television alcohol advertising is capable of triggering a short term effect on alcohol consumption. Such studies may demonstrate the ability of advertisements to shape a preference for one type of drink over another, but they do not indicate anything about the role advertising might play in the genesis of alcohol consumption in individuals (Kohn Smart, 1984). Alcohol advertising is often associated with sports and athletic activities. For example Coors beer had a campaign that honored multiple athletes including the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway. Advertisements that feature athlete images tend to perpetuate both the brands and consumers denial of potential consequences of drinking. Along with athletic imagery, critics view other lifestyle imagery as inappropriate. Some alcohol advertisements give the consumer an unrealistic view of what the products do, how they make the consumer feel, and how they fit in with an individuals lifestyle. For instance alcohol may be portrayed in a commercial as a reward at the end of a work day. In advertisements drinking is often viewed as a complement to a celebration of life. Certain television advertisements present alcohol as having the ability to make an individual attractive to the opposite sex or a romance booster. For example, Bud Lite Lime had a commercial on Ultimate Flight Club 132 featuring a young attractive women lying across hundreds of limes. She was not dressed and the limes were used to censor her private parts. She also had a tattoo on her rear end of a Bud Lite Lime logo. Even though she was not holding a beer, this television commercial led the viewers to associate sex and attractive women with Bud Lite Lime. Some critics agree alcohol commercials are associated with sexual imagery more than any other products (Fox, Krugman, Fletcher, Fisher 1998). I conducted an original research survey involving students, ages 18 through 20, from Temple University located in Philadelphia. The questions pertained to the students memory of alcohol advertisements they were exposed to while watching their normal television shows. The goal was to determine how many underage students were exposed to alcohol advertising through the television medium. The survey also sought to determine what kind of advertising appeal techniques they noticed and how they felt about the advertisements. These seven multiple choice questions were asked to 40 college students: How many hours a day, on average, do you watch TV? a. Never; b. less than one hour; c. 1-2 hours; d. 2-3 hours; e. More than 3 hours What are your favorite types of television programs? (Circle all that apply) a. Reality TV; b. Music related/music video; c. Game shows; d. Talk shows; e. Sitcoms/comedies; g. Drama; h. Nature; i. Sports; j. News. Do you ever see alcohol advertisements while watching TV? a. Yes; b. No. What do you remember about any of these TV ads you saw? (Circle all that apply) a. An animal or cartoon like character; b. The people drinking look attractive or sexy; c. A great party was happening; d. The actors who were drinking were physically attracted to each other; e. The people drinking looked like they had strength and athletic ability; f. The people in the advertisements looked popular or part of the in-crowd; g. The ads were funny or amusing; h. The ads portrayed drinking as a great way to meet people; i. the ads discussed contests and prizes; j. I remember the alcohol brand. Did anyone in any of the TV ads look like they could be under 21 years old? a. Yes; b. No. As a whole, did the TV ads you see make you think any of the following? (Circle all that apply) a. Drinking was a boring thing to do; b. Drinking was a good way to get guys or girls; c. Drinking was important for a real good party; d. Drinking will make you popular; e. drinking was fun or funny; f. drinking could be harmful to your health; g. It is better for people to drink responsibly; h. It is better for people to wait until they are 21 to drink; i. The advertisements had no effect at all on what I thought or felt. The role of alcohol advertising appeal was investigated in further longitudinal research that followed though 18-year olds until the age of 21 years old. The study had 630 participants and examined the effect of televised alcohol advertising and allegiance to specific brands of beer. The results found that earlier liking of televised alcohol advertisements and accompanying brand allegiance were associated with greater volume of beer consumption later on. Many self-reports of aggressive behavior from the participants were associated with drinking. Almost all of these individuals expressing aggressive behavior were documented with liking alcohol advertisements when the experiment began (Casswell Zhang, 1998). Although many critics recognize that college students decisions to drink often come from peer pressure, the images presented in advertising positively reinforce such decisions. Alcohol is the most popular recreational drug in America, so beer and liquor companies advertise on various television channels. Recent research has discovered cable television shows with a significant proportion of teenage viewers are also those that have the most commercials for alcohol. These advertisers are reaching the wrong demographic and are certainly affecting the younger audiences. (The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth) Should alcohol advertising be modified to limit exposure to underage viewers? There are many explanations why adolescents are influenced in to drink alcohol and there is reason to believe television advertisements have a large role. As alcohol advertisers turn towards cable television the exposure to younger viewers will escalate. The amount of money spent on alcohol advertising on cable television increased by 137% from 2001 to 2006. The extra money spent attributed to an increase of the number of alcohol commercials by 176%. (Schuster) With over double the amount of new advertisements many alcohol companies started to compete against each other for the best commercials. For instance, Miller lite aired a commercial about a group of friends at a bar who all agree their one friend is unmanly for ordering a Bud lite. Competitive advertising of alcohol has resulted in new branding techniques that are effective across all audiences including the adolescent audience. (Jones) The use of iconic characters, humor, and sexual innuendo are some methods used in alcoholic commercials that evidently attract younger viewers. For example, Keith Stone is portrayed as an influential character who acts smooth because he always has a 30 pack of Keystone. The Most Interesting Man in the World is another iconic character that many underage viewers can relate to the product Dos Equis. Young people can also be drawn to the music used in these commercials and associate the songs with the alcoholic product. It is true that no matter what anybody does, teenagers will never stop viewing TV. It is also true that alcohol companies have to support their business somehow. Just like any other company, advertisements are important to get a product out there and known. However, it is possible to do it in a way where they do not have to make drinking look so appealing to younger kids. Companies could easily not use sex appeal or partying in their ads and still get their product out and known to everyone.

Feminist Objections to Kantian, Utilitariansism, and Egoism :: Feminism Philosophy School Thought Essays

Feminist Objections to Kantian, Utilitarianism, and Egoism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many feminists have problems or objections to Kantian morals, utilitarian ideas, and egoism. The feminist morals are based on care and equality. Many of these ethics have a lot of problems when relating to a feminist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Feminists have a lot of objections to Kantian morals. For example, there is too much emphasis on duty. For example, a feminist might argue that because feminists emphasize care so much, duty can sometimes overshadow care. Also, science is extremely important in feminism. Kant believes that science is not important where it is a defense in many cases of feminism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Feminism also has many objections to utilitarianism. Sometimes it is more difficult to see the greater good in things. This also could interrupt the care for someone. For example, the Terri Schiavo case. The husband might feel it is his â€Å"duty† to let her die because he thinks she has suffered or didn’t want to be alive too long. It seems that the greater good would be to let her live and then her family would be happy, plus there are a lot of other people in the country that seem to have wanted her to live. This also interfered with the care of Mrs. Schiavo. Also in utilitarianism it says that contracts can be broken to bring about the greater good. If Terri Schiavo had made a living contract saying that she wanted to stay alive under any circumstances and he broke that contract. Then it would completely reject the feminists approach having to do with care. Also sacrificing others can be brutalizing and degrading. I am sure that Mr. Schiavo the husband is being degraded by family members and brutalized over his decision.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Feminists also have some objections to egoism. Egoism makes giving advice in certain situations not valid or even impossible. Let us say that there is an egoist deciding whether or not to take his/her sick friend to the doctor. He/She would probably decide not to because he/she doesn’t want to get sick. The better option for the friend would be to go to the doctor so he/she can get medicine or will not be sick anymore.

Leisure and Free Time Essay

We all have the same 24 hours in a day. we spend almost all our time working and studying. The least amount of time is taken to do some free activities, in other words it is the free time or leisure. The free activities which not only make you feel happy and relaxed but also get you out of the streets, such as watching movie, spending time with family, surfing the internet, playing a sport†¦. So what do we do in our free time ? And , how do you spend your free time ? okay, now let’s talk about this. What do you enjoy doing in your free time ? Having so many activities to do the free time for example hanging around some where, asking somebody out, calling on someone. In my opinion , the free time activity can be divided into two categories the free mental activities and the free physical activities. Firstly, i want to talk about the free mental activities, somebody choose some mental activities to relax in their free time because they think that it is important to use leisure time for activities that improve the mind, such as reading and doing word puzzles. Reading the newspaper, writing letters, visiting a library, attending a play or playing games, such as chess or checkers, are all simple activities that can contribute to a healthier brain. In my case i like reading books in my free time, it is the best ways make me feel relaxed . Book not only teach me how to live frankly but also expand my knowledge. Moreover , reading the books is like travaling around the world. i can learn more about the cultures of the other countries, For a student like me who cannot afford to visit these place, getting them in books is the best way of learning more about other contries. Secondly, i want to talk about the free physical activities Sports serve as an excellent physical exercise. Those who play sports have a more positive body image than those who do not. Sports often involve physical activities like running,†¦   What are the reasons for this? Is this a positive or negative development? Shopping is unavoidable to everyone in this modern world. There are various reason people visiting retail as their leisure activity than other activities. In this essay, I will explain reasons for buying as hobby and its positive and negative improvements. There are various reasons behind shopping as their free time activity. People want to be attractive so that everyone will have to look on their costumes and accessories. Moreover, they want to try different clothes, food, cosmetic products etc. The other reason is to search for missing piece of their wardrobe. Many buy gifts for deer ones on their birthday and anniversary. Most of the family on weekends visit restaurant to dine and spend some time. Youngsters are passionate to change their mobiles to new upgraded features. It gives happiness and best pass time. Some of positive progress of shopping is people aware about new products and prices in the market. It boosts their negotiation skills. Helps acquire profound knowledge about the each product. It improves communication skills with the strangers. It is best fitness activity moving one shop to another searching for specific product. On the other hand, people become negative growth of shopping are addiction results more expense and time. Psychological problem arises due to not satisfactory of the product. In a nutshell, there is strong reason behind for people frequent shopping as their hobby. By analyzing both positive and negative advancement of shopping advantages outweigh the disadvantages of shopping. People are more enjoying their shopping in their spare time. How do you spend your free time? There are many different things which you can do in your free time. Personally I don’t have much free time. I am preparing to my mature exams. However, there always happen some free moments on the weekends. I don’t do any especially exciting things then. Sometimes I simply lie on the sofa and watch TV. I like series movies, like â€Å"Friends†. I must admit that I also watch soap operas to entertain. In my mind you cannot learn anything watching TV so I generally choose silly programs. On Fridays and Saturdays I usually meet my friends. I like visiting my friend Magda and spend whole afternoon and night at her home. From time to time we visit pubs and discos. However, we do it rarely, as they are too expensive for us. I like going there anyway. In such places you have a chance to meet interesting people, dance or simply talk to your friends. Another thing that I like to do is to play computer games. I find it really funny. I think that if I had a free week, I might play these games constantly even for 12 hours. Most of my friends consider it strange and stupid, but for me it is really a great entertainment. It happens to me that I have completely no idea how to spend my free time, I simply lie in bed. I love sleeping. I am keen on being alone in my room, when there are no people around me and I have a chance to sleep till midday. I am looking forward for the holidays to come. I already made some plans. I am going to go to Mazury for a week. I will be sailing and swimming there. Moreover, I am going for a trip to Germany with my dad. This certainly will be a wonderful time.

Farewell My Concubine: Self-Identification in Context

Directed by Chen Kaige, a highly acclaimed fifth-generation Chinese film director, Farewell My Concubine has received many international film awards and nominations; among them are the Best Foreign Film and the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993. In the film, Cheng Dieyi, a Peking Opera actor playing the leading female characters, becomes obsessed with his role as the concubine of the King of Chu and blurs his stage role with the real life he leads. The circumstances in which one grows up in are critical factors in shaping his or her sense of self-identity.This paper attempts to explore the gender identity troubles that Cheng Dieyi has undergone in his self-identification and sexuality in the context of the environment of his upbringing. The story begins when Cheng’s mother takes her son to Master Guan and begs him to take Dieyi (whose nickname was Douzi at the time) into his opera troupe. In order to be a performer in the Peking opera, one must not have any features that are abnormal or that may frighten the audience. Unfortunately, Douzi fails this test because he was born with a sixth finger on one of his hands.His mother was desperate to sell him off and thus cuts off her son’s finger with a cleaver. At this point, Master Guan agrees to accept Douzi as a disciple in his opera troupe. Master Guan notices that Douzi’s â€Å"features were surprisingly delicate; he was almost pretty† , which are perfect for playing female roles. Thus, Douzi is chosen as a dan , or the female lead of the opera troupe. He will play the female roles alongside his best friend, Xiaolou who was chosen to be his sheng, or male lead. Starting from even the earliest scenes of the film, Dieyi’s self-identity has been slowly ripped away from him.Dieyi’s abrupt transition from living in a brothel as a prostitute’s son to becoming a well-disciplined opera singer in the troupe is marked by his mother’s brutal amputati on of his sixth finger. This symbolic castration implies that one must abandon his inherited past in order to seek a new social identity. â€Å"The root of biological determinism has been severed and the subject freed to pursue a place in a symbolic world of gender fluidity† Dieyi’s finger is not the only thing that has been emasculated, but his self-identity has been castrated as well. The film hints at this in the beginning by including the character of Master Ni, a unuch who was physically castrated, losing his male reproductive organs. While Master Ni was physically castrated of his male reproductive organs, Dieyi becomes mentally and emotionally castrated through his harsh upbringing in the opera troupe. Whereas the symbolic castration signifies the possibility of Dieyi’s transition from a biological male to a stereotypical female, the harsh corporal punishment he receives during his training in the opera troupe enforces that transition. Corporal punishment is often used in schools to reinforce the relation between master and student.It instills in students a sense of the power of the social hierarchy and their place within it. Dieyi’s designated â€Å"place† on that hierarchy, sadly, requires that he learns to abandon his male identity. While corporal punishment remakes Dieyi mentally, costume and make up remakes Dieyi physically. As he performs in the long dresses and fancy headdresses, he sees himself capable of reflecting signs of beauty and femininity. He is forced to sing â€Å"I am by nature a girl, not a boy† , and his full transition to femininity went into full motion the moment he mastered this line and accepted it as the truth, that he is by nature a girl, not a boy.Like most of the male dans in the Peking Opera theatre, Cheng Dieyi must be able to create the illusion of a real female that appeals to the male audience, but Cheng’s femininity is apparent not only on stage, but off stage as well. Clearly, Cheng has fully adapted his female roles into his life off stage. He speaks in a low soft voice, his movements are graceful, maintains the delicate hand pose of the Lan huazhi (the artificial feminine hand pose of the male dan), and wears a seductive look that would often be considered a feminine gaze.Most male dans merely imitate these feminine acts on stage, but Cheng Dieyi gradually transforms these â€Å"acts† into an unconscious habit of his. â€Å"The repetition of the stylized female acts embedded in female impersonation and the rigid and violent regulation of these acts eventually bring about Cheng Dieyi’s unconscious identification with Yuji, concubine of the Chu King, constructing in him a feminine sexuality and identity. † Opera performers at the time were expected to play their stage roles for ife. Dieyi’s most notable performance is an epic opera named Farewell My Concubine; it tells the story of the King of Chu (Xiang Yu) and his fa ithful concubine Yuji. Xiang Yu knows that he has lost to his enemy and drinks with Yuji on the last night. Yuji performs a sword dance for him and then cuts her own throat with his sword to express her faithfulness to him. As Dieyi continues to play the role of Yuji into this professional career, he begins to blur the life of Yuji’s character and his own.This becomes very obvious when Dieyi begins to show signs of affection towards his stage partner, Xiaolou, who plays the King of Chu. In multiple times throughout the movie, Dieyi can be seen looking at Xiaolou with a tender, almost romantic gaze and is especially gentle when he helps Xiaolou apply makeup and dress in costume. His romantic feelings for his â€Å"stage brother† are translucent to the audience as he is overcome by jealousy at the news that Xiaolou was getting married to Juxian. He believes that Juxian is robbing him of what was rightfully his.As in the opera when Yu Ji and Xiang Yu swear their love to e ach other, what Dieyi sees is actually he and his stage brother declaring their loyalty to one another. While Cheng Dieyi wholly embodies the female roles he impersonates, the Peking opera stage is essentially the world in which he bases his identity on. As he enters his professional career and makes a name for himself, he thinks that he will always be able to hide behind his feminine charms, and that art will always transcend any situation.For a while, he is proven right. On one occasion, he sings for a Japanese official to help Xiaolou out of jail; in another, he sings for a Chinese official to bail himself out of jail. Duan Xiaolou reminds Dieyi again and again that life is not the stage and he must learn to adjust to the values of the changing times. The film covers a story that spans across 50 years of Chinese history: the rise and fall of the Nationalist Party, the Sino-Japanese War, the rise of the Communist Party, and the Cultural Revolution.As the nation goes through a turb ulent historical period, Cheng simply views it as a backdrop that would never affect his performances. He was never concerned about any of the political upheavals that occurred or the change in regimes. He felt that as long as his art is being appreciated, it does not matter who the political leaders are. When he was put on trial for being a traitor when the Communist Party was in power, he exclaims, â€Å"If the Japanese were still here, Peking Opera would have spread into Japan already,† with no regard to the consequences.The art of Peking opera has always been Cheng’s way of escaping reality, and it is this illusion that he identifies with. However, when the Cultural Revolution started in 1966, the identity he has found for himself has been robbed from him once again. The Cultural Revolution is one that advocates extreme reality, and thus traditional art becomes a target of exploitation for distracting people from reality. When Dieyi and Xiaolou are taken out onto t he streets to be reprimanded, his previous illusion that he and Xiaolou would never betray one another, just as Yu Ji and Xiang Yu would never do so, is shattered.Under the humiliation and physical abuse of the Red Guards, Xiaolou calls Dieyi a traitor to the Chinese and a homosexual. Cheng and Duan then turn on each other and expose incriminating details about each other’s past to the Red Guards. This political movement is in a sense, a rude awakening for Cheng. For the first time, it forces him to abandon the identity that he forged for himself on the opera stage, and accept that he lives in a world where loyalty is not always indestructible. It is because of this revolution that causes Dieyi’s blurred lines between opera and reality to slowly reappear.These lines, however, did not have a lasting effect. When Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou reunite on the stage many years after the Cultural Revolution, they make their final Farewell My Concubine performance. At the last scene, Dieyi, playing Yuji, takes the sword and slits his throat. Dieyi wanted so desperately to be Yuji his entire life, and he finally fulfilled that wish, or so he thinks, by boldly committing suicide just as Yuji has done so: for his love, and in a dramatic manner, like a stage opera should be.Cheng Dieyi had grown up with violence and abuse, in a society with constant political turmoil and turbulent changes. As a boy who was already an introvert to begin with, the unsettling changes that revolved around him became too overwhelming. He had no choice but to retreat into a world that he knows best: the opera stage. Though the opera stage is but a fictional world, it is the only place in which he is always the hero(ine).Works Cited Cui, Shuqin. â€Å"Engendering Identity: Female Impersonation in Farewell My Concubine . From Poetic Realm to Fictional World: Chinese Theory of Fictional Ontology (1999) Farewell My Concubine. Dir. Chen Kaige. 1993. DVD. Miramax Films, 1999. Goldstein , Joshua (1999). â€Å"Mei Lanfang and the Nationalization of Peking Opera, 1912–1930† East Asian Cultures Critique 7 (2): 377–420. He, Chengzhou. â€Å"Gaze, Performativity and Gender Trouble in Farewell My Concubine. † Nanjing University (2004): n. pag. Web. Poquette, Ryan D. , Critical Essay on Farewell My Concubine, in Novels for Students, Gale, 2004.