20th century works of art - Essay Example

College What it means to live in the twenty-first century There are a lot of changes that are seen in the 21st century. Unlike in the previous centuries this century is characterized by a digital computers and very formal way of doing things. This paper examines various works of art made in the 20th century. These include novels and films that shows how the people lived in other centuries. The various challenges that they faced and how these challenges could be dealt with in the current world. Among the many improvements exists cooperation within the continents whereby each continent has learnt to live together with each other. Most of the things that proved impossible to handle are now working out with no serious challenges. All aspects of life have become easier and manageable especially the social world. Communication is much easier and faster, the economies are improving and politics is getting better. The unity that now exists in the world is amazing (Shaviro 46). In the previous centuries, both natural calamities and wars among people globally were rampant. Management of issues arising, that claimed the lives of many and destroyed lots of property was poor. Disaster management did not exist rather when disasters occurred, the amount of efforts to curb them were minimal. Different countries experienced wars while in others natural calamities took place. However, there exist films and books that describe life in the past centuries and people are able to compare life then and life now. When the Levees Broke (Part 1) compiled in both a novel and a film illustrates the different sufferings faced by people after a natural calamity. A hurricane caused massive disaster reaching the five-storm level of hurricanes. The Katrina hurricane occurred in New Orleans, a state, with African American residents (When the Levees Broke). The citizens knew of the predictions made about the hurricane and urged to evacuate the areas that were prone. Most people failed to leave the area resulting in many deaths and losses of property. Levees that were to stop the sea water from reaching the dry land used by people, broke and caused the water to flow freely onto the land. The buildings did not withstand the pressure of the hurricane, thus they fell apart. The buildings that remained standing were very few and did not stop the water from reaching the inside of all residential areas. Most people took to the roof as seen in the film while others perished in the floods (When the Levees Broke). The streets and roads of New Orleans at the time of the hurricane were not in use. This was due to the massive distractions whereby properties destroyed lay all over the roads while the major floods destroyed most roads. People opted to wade their way in the stagnant waters to safer locations. Citizens helped each other to leave the affected areas. For instance, in the film a young man helps an elderly man on a wheel chair to evacuate along a flooded road. The contents of the book also indicate much suffering of both the young and old (When the Levees Broke). In relation to the twenty first century, conduction of disaster management would take effect in time in New Orleans. The hurricane came at a time when little attention applied on the predictions. Living in the twenty first century, means taking caution and responding to advice given by significant representatives of the society. In the world today, people do not ignore concerns raised for their safety but rather act as required. The results of New Orleans after the hurricane would have been less if the residents took the required measures given. The police and organizations that help in disaster management are always in check in the twenty first century. In case of a disaster, prompt action takes place especially where lives need salvage. Currently, air transport is at large and most organization dealing with disaster control use airplanes and helicopters to save lives. Floods are always occurring but very little damage occurs. This is because people have come up with ways to curb emergencies and control is their first priority. During the occurrence of the hurricane Katrina, predictions occurred but there was no significant control set up in place. Citizens had to figure things out by themselves. In the twenty first century, citizens feel safe and are confident in their governments in case if a disaster. Evacuation is crucial in case of a disaster hence the governments in the twenty first century have technology required in curbing the calamities. People have skills on the use of the recent technology and problems of labor force in the disaster management departments are few. Young skilled men and women have passion in this occupation and as a course in the colleges and universities, most people venture and help reduce the need of workers in times of a crisis. The citizens receive basic information for control of calamities. Therefore, living in the twenty first century means safety. In the novel Zeitoun, families face hurricane Katrina and asked to leave for safer areas. Zeitoun is a man who does not adhere to the orders given. He asks his wife Kathy and children to leave. He remains behind in a bid to protect his property, which he struggled attaining. Kathy leaves for a friend’s house since she was not in good terms with any member of her family. Kathy‘s family criticizes her for converting into Islam religion and abandoning the Christian faith. Eventually, she leaves for her sister’s house, which was in a more safe area. Despite the differences, the sister accepts to house Kathy and her children. Zeitoun helps a friend in need of a safe place to stay by referring him to Kathy’s sister. Later on, Zeitoun has to depart the area due to the excess damage caused by the hurricane. The floods force him out using a canoe he had bought for his children. He leaves a lot of property behind and watches destruction of most of his things. Kathy tries to reach the husband but communication fails to go through appropriately due to lack of power. Kathy unites with her family members during their stay together because of the hurricane. Zeitoun seems like a hero in the novel due to the help he offers his friend. He sees his home as very important and that is the reason he remains longer. The media during this time do not relay the right information to the people rather they hide certain facts from them. Living in the twenty first century is much different. During such a crisis, the media always plays a major role in informing the public of the on goings without distorting the information (Eggers 45). This proves their honesty and support to the public in comparison to the media in the novel. In the twenty first century, religion has grown less important to the people. Criticism is not as much as before and everyone joins the religion that he or she find suitable for his or her spiritual needs. Unity in a country during disasters is important with the government always taking the lead to protect the citizens (Eggers 45). Zeitoun remaining behind in a danger prone area would not be the case in today’s century. Heroism in the current century comes in when the governments succeed in securing the citizen’s lives and controlling the damage before it gets out of hand. Power went down and Kathy was unable to communicate with her husband Zeitoun. Today, technological improvements make everything easier and the impossible possible. Communication through cell phones, the internet and the media allows people to reach one another and in case of a natural disaster such as a hurricane, communication is still effective. The Road is a novel and a film that describes a journey of a man and his son to unknown safety. Most of the life on earth was dead due to a sudden catastrophe that claimed their lives. The earth was devoid with only few people remaining alive and facing starvation (McCarthy 14). The situation was very severe that people resorted to cannibalism. The man and his son took to the road while looking for food and safety. During this time, no one trusted another. The father kept telling his son, “there exists no dependable people” (McCarthy 34). Due to long hours of trekking in risky areas with no food and many threats, they abandoned their belongings as they headed for the sea. For safety, they had a gun to protect themselves from any cannibals. During their journey, they came across a man who proved to be a cannibal. The gun came in handy, as they were able to protect themselves (McCarthy 57). The father and his son almost died of hunger but luckily their efforts bore fruit and they found food, which kept them going for a few days (The Road). However, they left the place because it was unsafe. Unfortunately, the man contracted a disease that claimed his life, leaving his son helpless. After a few days of mourning his father’s death, the boy meets a man with his family who assures him that he is a good person (The Road). In the twenty first century, cannibalism does not exist and the world is a better place to live in. Famine and drought are tragedies that most countries still face. However, cannibalism has never been an option to people. Countries aid each other by donating food, funds and other necessities hence curbing the drought. Each country has its own organizations that help solve issues regarding famine. On the other hand, governments save money that comes into use in case of calamities. This money set aside helps in buying food from other countries and rescuing people located in remote areas of their country. In the twenty first century, the world is less prone to insecurities. More technological advancements have come up thus help the people in tracking danger. The recent technology includes mobile trackers, cameras on buildings accessed by the public, CCTVs and other special tracking devices. Enhancement of efficient network in remote areas in the twenty first century helps all citizens acquire the assistance they need on time. People use their mobile phones to reach out for help easily from the concerned departments. Different from the previous centuries, the twenty first century gives people a chance to trust each other as people are able to communicate with the many technological social sites. Countries share information thus developing trust among them. Therefore, in case of a calamity that affects most regions of the globe, countries will merge and help each other. No country will claim to be superior of the other in relation to the accepted virtues of humanity. The hurt locker is a story of three men whose aim is to serve their country by detonating bombs in Baghdad. The story is put in both a film and a novel. It describes how these three men prevent deaths and destruction of property in Iraq. They are the United States military soldiers from the department of bomb control (The Hurt Locker). They conduct their duties and assignments as a team. At the beginning of the novel, their team leader dies during a bomb detonation errand. The remaining two claim that the death of their leader was controllable if only a man in the scene was not on phone. The two soldier later acquire a new leader who seems to perform the duties alone and not as a team. As much as the new leader is good at his job, the two feel inferior and left out as the leader does most of the job (The Hurt Locker). All their assignments turn out successful and the two finally realize the leader, James, has good intentions of working together. In a bid to save one of them from the enemy, James unfortunately shoots one of his teammate’s leg leaving him too hurt to continue working in the field. They move him back to the United States for both treatment and safety. This soldier does not take the accidental mistake well as he knows the injury will take time to heal and get back to the field for duty (The Hurt Locker). The remaining soldier together with James remains and carries on with duty for the remaining time. Both return safe back to their country and take different paths of lives. Wars still go on in some parts of the world today. In the twenty first century, leaders embark on negotiations instead of going for war in the battlefields. These negotiations take time before the parties involved reach an agreement. However, with time, things settle down and war ceases. During wars, soldiers fight relentlessly for their countries sake and ensure safety for their citizens. They always have the necessary equipment and a medical team with them. As much as they risk their lives in wars, in the twenty first century, the lives of the soldiers are a priority. The governments ensure the soldiers’ conditions are good enough to perform duty effectively. Any of them who is injured is shipped back home. Jarhead is a novel that depicts the lives of marine soldiers. Their call on duty left them no choice but to leave their families behind for a risky assignment. Their duty involved protecting the border of Saudi- Kuwait against their enemies (Swofford 67). During the initial periods of the task, the soldiers tolerated the harsh environmental conditions at the border while on guard. The heat and aridity while patrolling the border, was not conducive for the soldiers. When the war finally began, the soldiers performed different tasks and eventually won the battle. Unfortunately, one of their soldiers died while others were injured (Swofford 67). During their time away from home, most of these soldiers worried about their families, especially the faithfulness of their wives and partners. In the camp, they received photos and information that proved some wives being unfaithful. On the other hand, most soldiers were also unfaithful to their partners (Jarhead). However, some soldiers like Swofford remained faithful hoping that his partner did the same. On return, all soldiers parted ways after that assignment. Swofford found out that his girlfriend unfaithful as she moved on with another man while Swofford was away on duty (Jarhead). In the twenty first century, military soldiers also leave their families behind for duty. Infidelity is a norm and most couples suffer from it. The soldiers are normal people with homes, the only difference is they serve their countries and little time remains for them to be with their families. Currently, the governments ensure soldiers are not on duty for a long time and efforts to give soldiers long breaks succeeded. They work for months away from their homes and go for holiday for about two to three months. Therefore, the twenty first century gives morale to soldiers for them to perform duty efficiently as they have special rights due to their risky occupation. People in the first twelve years of the twenty first century expect a lot as time goes by. Safety is one among many, of the issues people consider vital for peaceful human survival. Governments globally, ensure ways of curbing insecurities are up to date. The different countries work hand in hand and share information to support each other in relation to security matters. The world therefore is a safe place to be in. In the event of a crime, police and the other concerned departments promptly conduct the required procedure to arrest the responsible suspects hence restoring safety. Developments are major expectations of people in the twenty first century. These developments and innovations are political, technological, economical and social all needed to improve the lives of people. With the many upcoming ways to improve conditions in the world, technology takes the lead. It is a crucial part of everyone and people work endlessly to achieve the set goals. Organizations formed make work easier as division of work into sections helps taking action on various professions hence faster improvements. Democracy is a style of governance embraced by most countries globally. This is a development as citizens participate in governance. The main thing that I get from all this is that communication is a vital part of people’s lives and the people expect major improvements. Today enhancement of communication tools occurs via technology. Presence of electronic mails and social networking sites for instance twitter help people from different countries to communicate hence sharing information and ideas. Education in the twenty first century is a serious sector of all countries. People travel to different regions of the universe in a bid to acquire education. In conclusion, satisfaction of the many expectations of people in this century is successful. Work Citation: McCarthy, Cormac. The Road. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print. Hillcoat, John, Joe Penhall, Nick Wechsler, Paula M. Schwartz, Steve Schwartz, Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce, Molly Parker, Michael K. Williams, Garret Dillahunt, Charlize Theron, Cormac McCarthy, Nick Cave, and Warren Ellis. The Road. Culver City, CA: Distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2010. Lee, Spike. When the Levees Broke. USA: 40 Acres and Mule Filmworks, 2006. Eggers, Dave. Zeitoun. San Francisco: McSweeney's Books, 2009. Print. Mendes, Sam, William Broyles, Douglas Wick, Lucy Fisher, Jake Gyllenhaal, Scott MacDonald, Peter Sarsgaard, Jamie Foxx, Jacob Vargas, Lucas Black, Brian Geraghty, Chris Cooper, Roger A. Deakins, Thomas Newman, and Anthony Swofford. Jarhead. Universal City, CA: Universal Studios Home Entertainment, 2006. Swofford, Anthony. Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles. New York: Scribner, 2003. Print. Bigelow, Kathryn, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier, Greg Shapiro, Tony Mark, Barry Ackroyd, Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Christian Camargo, Suhail Al- Dabbach, Christopher Sayegh, Evangeline Lilly, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Guy Pearce, Karl Juliusson, Bob Murawski, Chris Innis, George Little, Marco Beltrami, and Buck Sanders. The Hurt Locker. Santa Monica, Calif.: Summit Entertainment, 2010. Read More