The Implementation Of The Patient Protection And...

The implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act introduced the Employer Shared Responsibility Provisions that requires employers to provide health insurance to full-time employees, or pay a tax penalty. There are dire predictions that under â€Å"play or pay†, large employers would try to eliminate health benefits or cut workers’ hours to get under the cap requiring health benefits. Employers would achieve this by re-designating full-time employees as independent contractors. It is highly unlikely that large employers will try to reduce health insurance costs by converting employees to contractors, as misclassifying employees as independent contractors can incur major penalties. The IRS has very specific guidelines regarding who can be considered an independent contractor. The IRS has also been cracking down on the misclassification of independent contractors. There are many examples of large corporations choosing to reduce or transition employee benefits, primarily in the form of terminating or creating alternatives for retiree health benefits or eliminating benefits for part-time employees. In recent years, Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Trader Joe’s, along with many other companies have eliminated health benefits for part-time employees. Other companies such as General Motors, Unilever, Sprint-Nextel, and Time Warner have either shifted their retiree healthcare plans into private market insurance exchanges or eliminated coverage for Medicare eligibleShow MoreRelatedPatient Protection, Affordable Care Act, and the Uninsured702 Words   |  3 PagesPatient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Uninsured: One of the major social problems in the United States is the increasing number of uninsured people who are among the vulnerable populations in the America. In 2008, there were approximately 46 million of non-elderly Americans without health insurance including adults and children. While this population includes people from all age ranges, young adults account for a significant portion of these people since they are likely to be uninsuredRead MoreHealth Care Of The United States1594 Words   |  7 Pagesfew decades, health care industry in the United States is facing three major problems related to quality, costs, and access. The healthcare expenditure in the United States has increased drastically over the years and the United States still rank top in health care spending when compared to other top nations in the world. Despite having high healthcare expenditure, Americans have limited access to health care, spends higher costs for the procedures and getting poor health care outco mes. In a recentRead MoreThe Assessment Of The Patient Protection Act1195 Words   |  5 PagesThe patient protection act is commonly called the Obama care. It was established so that all the Americans receive safe and effective healthcare that is of a high quality. Its aim it to serve 96% of the Americans (United States., Legal Content Inc, 2010). The act works around nine areas that are the primary focus of the Obama care, and they include the public programs role, making sure the health is efficient and improving the quality. Obama Care created a public program which had a main role ofRead MoreAffordable Care Act1414 Words   |  6 PagesPatient Protection and Affordable Care Act Yolanda Raqueno HCS/455 April 17, 2013 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act The goal of this essay is to discuss the health care system in the United States. Another aim of this essay is to discuss the health policy, to improve, and to reduce inequalities. In the United States the private insurance system is a major provider of health care services, health care system is expensive and in many cases not efficient. This essay focusesRead MoreStrengths And Weaknesses Of The Affordable Care Act1629 Words   |  7 PagesStrengths and Weaknesses of the Affordable Care Act What is the Affordable Care Act? The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law on March 23rd, 2010 by President Barack Obama. This radical health care law was a much-needed step in comprehensive health insurance reform. Three important features of the Affordable Care Act are 1. Improving quality and lowering health care costs 2. New consumer protections and 3. Increased access to healthcare. (Key Features. 2014). Under the umbrella of theseRead MoreContemporary Health Care Issue: The Affordable Care Act1397 Words   |  6 PagesContemporary Health Care Issue: The Affordable Care Act Mary Kennedy Grand Canyon University HCA 530 Healthcare Policies and Economics Professor Steve Klense Contemporary Health Care Issue: The Affordable Care Act Introduction More than 45 million Americans are uninsured. Even those that do have health insurance often face financial and other barriers when getting healthcare. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) removes most of these financial barriers (Kocher, Emanuel, amp; DeParle, 2010). TheRead MoreA Brief Note On The Affordable Care Act1447 Words   |  6 PagesAccess to care is a distress to nurses today. In 2010, the Affordable Care Act was passed to help lighten restraints to access to care. With the multitude of legislation, guidelines, and rules enforced by bureaucracy offices, private division underwriters, and institutes, nurses are challenged concerning the intertwine fluxes of budget limitations and the ability to provide to proper quality of care. As a result of the limited access to adequate healthcare services, there are multiple problems thatRead MoreHealth Care Delivery System Of The United States877 Words   |  4 PagesHealth Care Delivery System The health care delivery system of the United States is unique compared to the other developed countries. The health care system of United States relies on the development and implementation of new health care technology. The use of new technology in the field of health care will help to provide services with increased quality and efficacy (Shi Singh, 2015). The external forces affecting the provision of health care delivery also has an inevitable role in the functioningRead MoreWhat Is The Implementation Of The Affordable Care Act?1012 Words   |  5 Pages Implementation of The Affordable Care Act has addressed some issues surrounding HAIs. For instance, section 3008 of ACA recognized the HAC or hospital acquired condition in the Reduction Program to further reduce HACs and improve patient quality. In this program, the ACA seeks to establish a monetary incentive through CMS that will encourage hospitals to reduce HAC or HAIs. Since most not for profit, public, and even large hospitals receive some form of funding through CMS from MedicareRead MoreThe Affordable Care Act A Policy1339 Words   |  6 Pages The Affordable Care Act A Policy That Promotes Positive Transition In Health Care And Prevents Re-Hospitalization Vicky Hemming, R.N. The George Washington University â€Æ' The monitoring of critical factors affecting positive transition of health care will lead to a decrease in re-hospitalization of patients in this population. The Affordable Care Act The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly called the Affordable Care Act (ACA), was signed into law by President Barack Obama

Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck Analysis - 1000 Words

The novella â€Å"Of Mice and Men† by John Steinbeck, portrayed the times of hardship and struggle in United States’ Great Depression. When two exorbitantly contrasting drifters, try to make enough money by working on ranches to achieve their variation of the American Dream. Steinbeck effectively got readers attention through each dramatic page and ended the novella with a drastic turn of events that will leave the readers in awe. Although many book concerning the great depression may seem boring Steinbeck was successful in accumulating readers interest through dramatic scenes and dispensing good literature to all readers. John Steinbeck was able to fathom the depth and gravity of real men in United States due to the fact that he was writing†¦show more content†¦Steinbeck was able to create a beautiful illusion in my mind of what the setting looked like at all times and it will have that effect on most readers because of his unique choice of words and descript ive writing style. This mind illusion made it seem like I was in that place at that time, which had a exquisite effect and brightened the reading experience. Although the Great Depression is was in the past there are still some similarities that exist in our modern world. There are still people in the world who work in extra long labour for money and there are still people being discriminated for deficits and disabilities that make them seem below the norm. MAIN CHARACTERS Two totally contrasting drifters, named George and Lennie are going to there new job at a ranch after leaving their old job because Lennie unintentionally scared a woman by grabbing her dress. At there new job George and Lennie are confronted by the boss’s son Curley who dislikes Lennie for his size and mental disabilities. Soon after George and Lennie meet Curley’s wife who flirts with all the works and creates unwanted problems. George and Lennie also make friends with works named Slim and Curly. One day Curly comes into the bunkhouse looking for his wife and suspectsShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck1493 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of ‘Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck ‘Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck is a classic novel, tragedy, written in a social tone. The authorial attitude is idyllic, however, as the story develops it changes into skeptic. It is evident that Steinbeck knew the setting and places he is writing about. In my opinion Steinbeck drew the subject matter from his own experience of working on ranches, he was interested in special kinds of relationships among men working on ranches with him. ThereRead MoreAnalysis of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Essay815 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck The story Of Mice and Men was written by John Steinbeck in the year of 1937, during this time the great depression had taken place. Also from 1930 till 1945 this was when World War 2 had taken place amounts of 12 to 15 million people were unemployed they were more poor people on the streets than ever before as with the combination of the hungry and the homeless due to the war and the stock market crash making 15,000 banks Read MoreAnalysis Of John Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men 2778 Words   |  12 PagesLiterature 15 October 2014 Author Study: John Steinbeck John Steinbeck, born in February 27, 1902, worked as a manual labor worker before achieving his success as a well renowned American writer. A compassionate understanding of the world s disinherited was to be Steinbeck s hallmark. The novel In Dubious Battle (1936) defends striking migrant agricultural workers in the California fields. In the novel Of Mice and Men(1937; later made into a play), Steinbeck again utilizes the hardships of migrantRead MoreAnalysis Of Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck1400 Words   |  6 Pagesreality. In the book of Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, the story is a tale of two drifters working from farm to farm, trying to make a living, and save some money to have their own place someday, which is their dream during the Great Depression. The characters face the hardships of loneliness, poor wages and living conditions, judgemental farm owners, and situations that thwart their success at reaching their dream. In Of Mice and Men, the author Stei nbeck negatively implies that havingRead MoreAnalysis Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck723 Words   |  3 Pagesneed help. In mice and men, Lennie has trouble understanding the outside world and he takes time to process things in his brain. Lennie doesn’t know his strength and he can get into trouble easily. For example, when Curly wants to fight with Lennie, Lennie accidentally breaks his right arm. At the end of the story, Lennie hugs a puppy but accidentally kills it. Also, he kills Curly’s wife by snapping her neck. People with problems, how can they take care of themselves? In mice and men, George takesRead MoreAnalysis Of John Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men 799 Words   |  4 PagesUday Sharma Ms. Hunt ENG-3U0 7/19/2015 Lennie Small: Character Analysis What happened to their dream? What went wrong? Of Mice and Men; by John Steinbeck is a novella about George and Lennie. George is a quick and witty person, whereas Lennie is slow and strong. Lennie Small is a child-like character who is innocent, kind-hearted, and short-tempered, these traits are some of the factors to many of the mishaps throughout the novella and relate to the theme that true friendship requires sacrificesRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of John Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men 1406 Words   |  6 PagesRhetorical Analysis Essay John Steinbeck, writer of the novel, Of Mice and Men, uses many different rhetorical devices and appeals to unravel the essence and truth of the American Dream, while revolving around the world of these characters, George and Lennie. Written during the great depression, the novel itself shares the lives of many different people during that time period. It explored how everyone was treated through that time due to skin color, disabilities, and gender. Life during thisRead MoreEssay about Analysis of ‘Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 1488 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis of ‘Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck ‘Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck is a classic novel, tragedy, written in a social tone. The authorial attitude is idyllic, however, as the story develops it changes into skeptic. It is evident that Steinbeck knew the setting and places he is writing about. Read MoreAnalysis Of John Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men 1199 Words   |  5 Pages Alaura Lopez Period 4 December 18, 2014 Mrs. George Of Mice and Men Final Paper John Steinbeck’s book Of Mice and Men presents the story of two men trying and struggling to find the â€Å"American Dream†. In southern Salinas, California during the 1930’s the main characters Lennie, a giant man with a childlike aura and George, the opposite of Lennie, a small man with strong features are displaced migrant ranch workers, that travel from town to town together in hunt of new work opportunitiesRead MoreAnalysis Of John Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men 926 Words   |  4 Pages In the literary work Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck,the reader is introduced into the depression era where this takes place.This set takes place in the Depression era where everybody is out of a job , the bank crashes , the Stock market crashes. Every man is struggling, trying to find work. Steinbeck teaches the reader about the struggle of working hard for their dreams, having hope, and never giving up. A prime example of this is George, who tells his dream and creates dreams for other people

Mozart Effect Essay Example For Students

Mozart Effect Essay Although it is only in recent times that scientists have started to document theeffects of music, the qualities of music were understood even in earliest times. Evidence suggests that dance and song preceded speech, which means that music isthe original language of humans. Researchers have found that about two-thirdsof the inner ears cilia resonate only at the higher frequencies that arecommonly found in music (3,000 20,000 Hz). This seems to indicate thatprimitive humans communicated primarily through song or tone. The ancient Greekphilosopher Pythagoras, best known for his work in mathematics, thought thewhole universe was comprised of sounds and numbers. There has long been anawareness that music affects us, even if the reasons are not clear. Around 900B.C., David played the harp to cure Sauls derangement (Gonzalez-Crussi). One os the worlds oldest medical documents, the Ebers Papyrus (circa 1500B.C.), prescribed incantations that Egyptian physicians chanted to heal thesick. This is perhaps the first recorded use of music for therapy. The positiveinfluence of music may have also saved Beethovens life in the early eighteenthcentury. In a letter he wrote, I would have ended my life-it was only myart that held me back (Kamien). Every human civilization has developedsome sort of musical idiom and has used it as a form of tranquilizer, as alullaby. Great civilizations have developed without the wheel, without a writtenlanguage, without money, but the use of soothing sounds seems to be a very basiccomponent of human physiology. There are distinct differences betweencompositions of different societies, but in spite of this, they can convey thesame moods, the same feelings, in all people. As Louis Pasteurs Germ Theory ofIllness launched the era of scientific medicine, music largely faded from formalmedical sett ings. Fortunately, it never completely disappeared. Americanmedicine first started experimenting with the therapeutic use of music duringthe nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. As early as 1804, Edwin Atlee,wrote an essay in which he hoped to show that music, has a powerfulinfluence upon the mind, and consequently on the body. Modern musictherapy began to develop in the 1940s when psychotherapists used music to calmanxious patients, and music therapy programs were established in severaluniversity psychology departments. The relatively new field of neuro-musicologyhas been developed to experiment with music as a tool and to dissect and shapeit to the needs of society. The auditory sense The visible portion of the earconsists of an external shell, with an aperture known as the meatus or auditorycanal in the lower half. At the other end of this canal, about an inch insidethe head is a small membrane of skin about 3/1000 of an inch thick. This pieceof skin is stretched tightly ove r a framework of bone much like skin isstretched over a frame of wood to make a drum, and hence the name eardrum. Justbehind the eardrum lies a chain of three small bones known as ossicles. Thefirst ossicle is in contact with the eardrum, and the last presses against theoval window that leads to the cochlea. The ossicles serve to amplify the tinychanges in air pressure. The oval window passes the motion on to the fluidinside the cochlea. The neural tissue in the cochlea lies on the basilarmembrane. The basilar membrane holds the auditory receptors, tiny hair cellscalled cilia. Waves in the fluid of the ear stimulate the hair cells to sendsignals to through the thalamus to the temporal lobes of the brain. Soundreaches the ear in the form of waves which have traveled through the surroundingair. When the waves reach the ear, they exert varying pressures on the ear-drumand it is sent into motion. This motion is eventually detected by nerves andsent to the brain (as described above). The ear-drum is a remarkably sensitiveinstrument, an air displacement of only a ten-billionth of an inch is enough tosend a signal to the brain. This is far more sensitive than the best barometersthat scientists have today. Although the ear is very sensitive to minute changesin air pressure, it is only when these pressure changes are repeated in rapidsuccession that the messages are passed to the brain. Music Therapy HeartAttacks The latest research demonstrates that music therapy has a variety ofhealing effects. A study was conducted on three separate coronary care units inhospitals. One group received only standard care, the second group practiced aform of meditation, and the third group listened to sedative classical andpopular music. The patients who received only the standard care all showed highlevels of stress hormones in their blood, and rapid heart rates. These are bothundesirable reactions that can impair the immune system and slow healing. Themeditation and music groups show ed significantly lower heart rates and levels ofstress hormones. The music group was the least stressed. Cancer In a study atthe Montefiore Hospital in Pittsburgh, fifteen adults suffering from a varietyof cancers were receiving chemotherapy. Common side effects of chemotherapyinclude nausea and vomiting. A music-imagery program significantly reduced thenausea and the amount of vomiting. Immune system Stress triggers the release ofcertain hormones that suppress the immune system. In one study of night-shiftnurses who suffered from health problems, a twenty-minutes tape of sedativemusic and guided imagery reduced their levels of stress hormones. BloodPressure/Heart Rate A study at the State University of New York suggests thatmusic could help prevent the rise in blood pressure that some people experiencewhile performing potentially stressful tasks. The study tested the effects ofmusic on 50 male surgeons as they performed mental arithmetic tasks. Thesurgeons performed this task under three conditions: while listening to music oftheir own choice, listening to Pachelbels Canon in D, and insilence. Blood pressures increased the least when the surgeons were listening tomusic of their own choice. Blood pressure rose when the surgeons performed thetask while listening to Pachelbel, and increased the most in complete silence. The average heart rate followed a pattern similar to the blood pressure. Speedand accuracy was the best while listening to Pachelbel. The type of music thatthe surgeons selected for themselves did not seem to affect their outcomes. Forty-six of the participants selected classical music, two selected jazz, andtwo selected Irish folk. This study gives strong evidence that a soothingenvironment can help reduce blood-pressure elevations that result frompsychological stress. The entrainment effect offers one other explanation forthe physiological effects of music. Entrainment is the bodies ability tosynchronize its rhythms with the rhythms of vibrating bodies around it. Forexample, babies in neonatal care units have been known to synchronize theirnatural rhythms with those generated by nearby computer monitors, matching theirheart rate to the monitors beeping. Studies on adults have also been able toduplicate this effect with music. When volunteers were subjected to stress,their heart rates rose as expected. However, when they listened to a simulatedslow heart beat, their tension levels decreased and their heart rates slowed. Itis possible to change a persons heart rate with music that is written in aspecific tempo. When patients with a racing heart listen to music with about 50to 60 beats per minute, their heart rate usually slows down to synchronize withthe slower rhythm of the music. Autism Nonverbal communication between andautistic child playing the drums and a therapist on the piano can serve to bringa child out of isolation, the Journal of the American Medical Associationreported. Clive E. Robbins, Ph.D., says its a way of reaching into thechilds mind. He compared the musical interaction to verbal communication. Witch Hunts: Salem And McCarthyism EssayRauscher says that, listening to complex, nonrepetitive music like Mozartmay stimulate neural pathways that are important in thinking (Castleman). Rauscher used the same experimental design to test other types of music. In alater study, Rauscher was able to duplicate the effect of Mozarts music. Healso tested compositions by Philip Glass and other highly rhythmic dance pieces. No increase in students IQ was observed after listening to this type of music. This seems to suggest that hypnotic musical structures will not enhance mentalabilities. In a different study, scientists explored the neurophysiologicalbases of this enhancement. Spatial intelligence was tested by projecting sixteenabstract figures similar to folded piece of paper on an overhead screen for oneminute. The exercises tested whether seventy-nine could tell what the shapeswould look like when they were unfolded. Over a five-day period, one grouplistened to Mozart, another to silence, and third to mixed sounds. The studiesshowed that all the groups improved their scores from day one to day two, butthe Mozart groups score rose 62% percent, compared to 14% for the silent group,and 11% for the mixed-sound group. The Mozart group continued to achieve thehighest scores on subsequent days. Rauscher also conducted a study that showedthat music lessons or listening to music can enhance spatial reasoningperformance. The spatial reasoning of 19 preschool children who received eight months of music lessons far exceeded the spatial reasoning performance of 15preschoolers who did not receive music lessons. A variety of other people havebeen discovering the benefits of Mozarts music. For example, in monasteries inBritain, monks play music to the animals in their care, and have found that cowsserenaded with Mozart give more milk. In Washington State, Department ofImmigration and Naturalization officials play Mozart and Baroque music duringEnglish classes for new arrivals and reports that it speeds up their learning. The city of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada plays Mozarts string quartets into thecity squares to calm pedestrian traffic. Officials have found, in addition toother benefits, drug dealings have decreased. Many theories have been proposedto explain the Mozart Effect. According to Gordon Shaw, a theoretical physicist,Mozarts music may give the brain a warm up. He suspects that complex musicfacilitates certain complex neuronal patterns involved in high brain activitieslike math and chess. According to David Sobel, M.D., At least part of thethrill of music seems to come from the release of endorphines, the powerfulopiate-like chemicals produced in the brain that induce euphoria and relievepain. Administering drugs that block endorphin production significantly bluntsthe joy of music (Castleman). Sedative music reduces the levels of stresshormones, such as adrenaline, and has a calming effect on the limbic system ofthe brain, which plays a key role in emotion. Using special instruments, Tomati sdiscovered that burnout, fatigue, and the debilitating effects of stress comewhen the central gray nuclei cells of the brain run low on electrical potential. These cells act like small batteries, they generate the electricity for brainwaves that can be detected on EEGs. Before and after brain maps made from EEGs,show that the brain is stimulated by high frequency sound. Interestingly, thesecells are not recharged by body metabolism. These cells are charged up bysomething outside the body, namely sound. In particular, high frequency soundsfrom 5,000 8,000 Hz. Interestingly, before babies are born, they hear theirmothers voice at frequencies of about 8,000 Hz as a result of the distortionwhen sound travels through fluid. After checking the music of many differentcomposers, Tomatis found that the music of Mozart was richest in these higherfrequencies. In Cymatics, Hans Jenny, a Swiss engineer and doctor, describes thescience of how sound and vibration interact with matter. Jenny shows thatintricate geometric figures can be formed by sound. He has produced oscillatingfigures in liquids and gases. The forms and shapes that can be created by s oundare infinite and can be varied simply by changing the pitch, the harmonics ofthe tone, and the material that is vibrating. Sounds, especially music, can havea similar effect on cells, tissues and organs. Vibrating sounds formpatterns and create energy fields of resonance and movement in the surroundingspace. We absorb these energies, and they subtly alter our breath, bloodpressure, muscle tension, skin temperature, and other internal rhythms(Campbell). Through this type of research, scientists and physicians have becomeaware that the vibrations transmitted by music can have positive effects onpatients (or negative effects if the wrong type of music is used). A great dealof music has a rhythm analogous to the average human heart beat (70-80 beats perminute). We know the rhythms of music affect the rhythms of the autonomicnervous system, which regulates a vast a array of systems in our body. Therefore, we can understand the physiological and psychological importance ofmusic. BibliographyCampbell, Don. The Mozart Effect. New York: Avon Books, 1997. Campbell, Don. The riddle of the Mozart Effect. Natural Health January-February1998: 114. (Reprinted by Information Access Company) Castleman, Michael andSpangler, Tina. The Healing Power of Music. Natural HealthSeptember-October 1994: 68. Gonzalez-Crussi, Frank. HearingPleasures. Health March 1989: 65. Hoffman Janalea. Tuning in to thepower of music. RN June 1997: 52. (Reprinted by Information AccessCompany) Jeans, James. Science and Music. New York: Dover Publications, 1968. Kamien, Roger. Music: An Appreciation. New York: McGraw, 1994. Long, Synthia. Doctors Find Music Works Well With Sedatives and Anesthetics.Medicine 23 December 1996: 41. Marwick, Charles. Leaving concert hall forclinic, therapists now test musics -charms (Medical News andPerspectives). JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association 24January 1996: 267. (reprinted by Information Access Company) Ostrander, Sheilaand Schroeder, Lynn. Superlearning 2000. New York: Dell Publishing, 1994. Pert,Candace B. Molecules of Emotion. New York: Scribner, 1997. Ramo, Joshua Cooper. Music Soothes the Savage Brain: Listening to Mozart Improves IntelligenceTest Scores. Newsweek 25 October 1993: 51. Rosenfeld, Anne H. Music,the Beautiful Disturber. Psychology Today December 1985: 48. Uretsky,Samuel D. Music Therapy. Independent Living ProviderJanuary-February 1996: 32. ( reprinted by Information Access Company) Weiten,Wayne. Psychology Themes and Variations. Pacific Grove, CA:Brooks/Cole, 1997. Whitmore, Barbara. Musical Birth: sound strategies for relaxation.Mothering Fall 1997: 56. (Reprinted by Information Access Company)

Zombie Research Paper Essay Example Essay Example

Zombie Research Paper Essay Example Paper Zombie Research Essay Introduction ichard Petaccio 11/17/10 Dirmeyer My thesis focuses on the social commentary found in the second entry of George A. Romero’s â€Å"Living Dead Tetraology† Dawn of The Dead (1978), specifically on issues of the representation of race, class, culture and violence in the four films, and how these representations, along with the social critique evident in Romero’s work, change in response to the upheavals and developments which have occurred in the American social, cultural and political climate over the past four decades. While many may assume that the blood, guts and the horror genre are the ingredients for mindless entertainment, George Romero’s 1978 film Dawn of the Dead is concrete proof that extreme gore and violence doesn’t always equal a dumb movie and that the two can make very nice bedfellows. Dawn of the Dead is used by Romero primarily as examine and critique the state of race and class issues in the United States, including the very consume r culture that feeds the industry. The plot of this film follows four survivors of the zombie apocalypse that has ensued after the events of Night of the Living Dead as they hold up in a shopping mall to try while the dead shamble aimlessly. However, this poses another problem, as once their home has been built up in the midst of the atrocities; will our hero’s be able to give up all that they have built? Dawn of the Dead is an epic view of a civilization in decline†. Zombie Research Essay Body Paragraphs It is the violence at the heart of the American experience that Romero turns his critical eye towards in Dawn of the Dead, and the only way to adequately showcase it is through the extremes of exploding heads and splattering viscera. The movie, which takes place at the Monroeville Shopping Mall outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a biting satire of the modern consumerist way of life. It may also be considered a mocking portrayal of mankind’s persistent inability to cooperate or make decisions based on logic ather than emotion in the face of danger, a consistent theme throughout the entire Dead series. The setting of Dawn of the Dead is â€Å"a follow-up on the zombie invasion that began in Living Dead, when, in Yeats’s classic phrase, ‘mere anarchy is loosed upon the world† (McCarty 118). Romero takes full advantage of the opportunity provided by this location to parody American consumer culture. In fact, much of the film’s black humor derives fr om â€Å"the idea of the dead returning robotically to a mall where they once spent many happy hours,† particularly when coupled with â€Å"scenes of the living dead falling into fountains, stumbling on escalators, and clamoring for admission to department stores† (McCarty 119). There is a great deal of irony to be found in the fact that â€Å"three decades later our entire country is one big mall governed by a man who, responding to one of the greatest tragedies ever to befall it, urged its citizens to go shopping,† Nick Shuit (10). But Dawn of the Dead is more than just a zombies-at-the-shopping-mall critique of consumer culture, as elements of racism and class war are also included within its framework. In one of its opening scenes, â€Å"a SWAT team clears out a tenement building in Pittsburgh. The residents are primarily Puerto Rican and Latino, kept captive by the undead both within and without the building† (Rider 7). Despite the abject poverty of these residents, one of the police officers makes a statement reflecting what Stephen Harper calls â€Å"the film’s theme of material insecurity and envy† (5). â€Å"Shit man, this is better than I got. Harper further observes that the tenement sequence â€Å"invites the audience to consider zombiedom as a condition associated with both racial oppression and social abjection and, therefore, sanctions socio-political interpretations of the film as a whole† (6). The tenement sequence also introduces the audience to two members of the film’s core quartet of protagonists, Ken Foree’s Peter and Scott Reiniger’s Roger, a pair of SWAT officers, one black, one white, who manage to remain civilized as their fellow officers â€Å"end up indiscriminately murdering residents and zombies, uttering racial epithets and generally being ysterical† (Rider 7). When Peter and Roger decide to leave the tenement and their posts in order to fend for themse lves, they are both aware that military and civil authority has been stressed to its breaking point and that their best chance for survival can be found in separating themselves from organized society. On the other side of the equation that makes up Dawn of the Dead’s quartet of heroes are Francine (Gaylen Ross), a television news producer, and Stephen (David Emge), the television station’s helicopter traffic reporter. Francine and Stephen, in fleeing the â€Å"safe† confines of the television studio, form a matched pair to Peter and Roger, but while Peter and Roger were escaping from the breakdown of civil and military power structures, Francine and Stephen are evading the collapse of rhetoric and dialectic. As they commandeer the station’s helicopter and fly off towards uncertain fates, a pair of experts argue the emotional dilemma before the television cameras, attempting to make sense of the zombie invasion. People aren’t willing to accept your solutions, Doctor,† shouts the first, â€Å"and I, for one, don’t blame them† (Romero). â€Å"Every dead body that is not exterminated becomes one of them! It gets up and kills! The people it kills get up and kill! † (Romero). It does not matter to these experts that their audience is ever dwindling thanks to the zombie plague, their message becomes tantamount, their rhetoric central to their very identities. The message of the second expert is one of â€Å"feed the zombies or kill them, but decide on a course of action. There’s no middle ground. Learning to coexist with the apocalypse outside your door is not living, it’s just a short postponement of death† (Williams). â€Å"By abandoning their responsibilities of an ever-collapsing society and striking their own path, Stephen, Francine, Roger and Peter have decided on a course of action that may be only postponing death, they are at least fighting against the increasingly dangerous zombie menace. (Ska)† Once the four protagonists arrive at the shopping mall, however, they become complacent. Through this complacency, Romero â€Å"shows how hollow a solution commercial culture really is. The survivors become bored, even when faced with a plethora of products at their disposal† (Rider 7). At first the mall, once it is secured and fortified against the zombies, seems like a paradise. Our heroes â€Å"run amok through the stores, indulging in the same fantasy of unlimited consumption parodied in the zombies’ behavior† (McCarty 119). This complacency is the undoing of Roger, who is bitten by a zombie at the climax of the film’s truck barricade sequence, and becomes a zombie himself, leaving â€Å"the party of settlers [.] at a loss as to what to do next† (McCarty 119). The truck sequence is also notable for Romero’s use of visual style throughout, and its use of â€Å"close ups, medium shots, long shots, visceral, di sorientating angles, rhythm and tension potentials† (Frumkes) serves to make the impact of Roger’s mortal injury even more pronounced and hope-shattering. â€Å"Indeed, this hopelessness is the major framework of Romero’s zombie trilogy,† comments John McCarty, â€Å"wherein goals as we’ve come to know them cease to exist. Money is useless. Nobody cares what car you drive. And staying alive means being constantly engaged in a fight against the undead. † (119). That new threat which complicates the lives of our heroes is a â€Å"gang of marauding bikers which, in the movie’s violent climax, seeks to take over the mall† (Harper 1). With this new complication, â€Å"our heroes, having defeated the immediate threat of the zombies for the time being, are now faced with something worse-their fellow humans† (McCarty 119). In a masterful twist, Romero plays the biker invasion as a chance for the audience to root for the zombies a s our protagonists’ last line of defense against the bikers, showing that, while the zombies are not necessarily â€Å"good,† they are the opposite of which is advantageous to our enemies†. As Dawn of the Dead draws to its climax, we realize that either the ending is going to be all sunshine and happiness. Bibliograpy of The Dead?The Dead Will Walk. Dir. Perry Martin. 2004. DVD. Anchor Bay, 2004. The Gospel of the Living Dead? George Romero’s visions of hell on earth? By Kim Paffenroth David J. Skal. The Monster Show: a Cultural History of Horror Engall, Priscella. â€Å"George A. Romero’s Fears for Horror and Hollywood: The Underbelly of the Monster. â€Å"Metro Win. 2002: 158-163. Communication Mass Media Complete. EBSCO. Sonoma State U Lib. 20 Nov. 2004 . Frumkes, Roy, dir. Document of the Dead. 1989. DVD. Anchor Bay, 2004. Harper, Stephen. â€Å"Zombies, Malls, and the Consumerism Debate: George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead. â€Å"Ameri cana: The Journal of American Popular Culture 1. 2 (2002). 3 Nov. 2004 . Horne, Philip. â€Å"I Shopped With a Zombie. † Critical Quarterly 34. 4 (1992): 97-110. Academic Search. EBSCO. Sonoma State U Lib. 14 Nov. 2004 . Naremore, James. â€Å"The Death and Rebirth of Rhetoric. † Senses of Cinema 5 (2000). 7 Nov. 2004 The cinema of George A. Romero: knight of the living dead By Tony Williams Rider, Shawn. â€Å"The Silenced Majority: Colonization of the Mind and the Flesh Eating Zombie. † Home page. 26 Apr. 2003. 29 Oct. 2004 . Romero, George, dir. Dawn of the Dead. Perf. David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger, and Gaylen Ross. 1978. DVD. Anchor Bay, 2004. Waller, Gregory A. (1986), The Living and the Undead, Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press. We will write a custom essay sample on Zombie Research Paper Essay Example specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Zombie Research Paper Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Zombie Research Paper Essay Example specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer