Analyse the opening sequence of desperate housewives Essay

Analyse the opening sequence of desperate housewives - Essay Example The pop-up format is reminiscent of childish cartoons, with sudden swerves and changes in viewpoint. It serves the dual purpose of maintaing a pretend childlike environment, where serious syntagms and paradigms are displayed under the cloak of lighthearted comedy and of speedily moving the viewer from one realm of intertextuality to another.The undercurrent of dark humor flows through the entire sequence, mainly through the subversion of iconic signs in order to show unusual meanings that invoke surprise and incongruity, and hence laughter. The sequence opens with the iconic images of Adam and Eve at the very moment of temptation.In the original painting, Lucas Cranach the Elder, known for some of the most explicit nudes in the history of art, uniquely captures the instant of original sin in the salacious expression of Eve. She is not seen here as the traditionally naive primal woman, but one fully aware of her sexual prowess, hence becoming a coded sign for woman as the femme fatale. "....... the color "red" implies different things. .....If a woman wears a red dress, or a man wears a red armband, it means something different. So red in western culture means usually danger, hot, sexy.....". ( Yildiz, 2002) The moment The moment gains a new meaning when the animated Adam, instead of eating the proverbial apple, is promptly squashed by a car-sized, shining red apple that falls on him. Despite being farcical at the denotation level, the falling of the apple becomes a symbol of female power within the bounds of the sequence. It is a power not yet understood by the iconic woman Eve, who is still holding her proffered apple, but nonetheless lethal. The next pop-upshows the painting of a hapless Egyptian lady of rank, who is overwhelmed by a flood of children, and drowns in the process.This is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the various goddesses of fertility, who were invariably connected with the yearly flooding of the river Nile as this was what gave Egypt its fertility.Fertility for an Egyptian woman was as important as that of the land, and despite possessing equal regal rights as men, women were only considered as successful as the number of children they could produce. As Caroline Seawright says about ancient Egyptian sexuality, "To the ancient Egyptians, the most attractive women tended to be the fertile ones. A women who had children was seen to be more fortunate than ones without... In the Egyptian community, men had to prove their masculinity by fathering children, while the women had to be able to bear these sons and daughters. Being a mother meant being able to keep her marriage secure and to gain a better position in society." (Seawright, 2001) The animation sequence takes this Egyptian way of living and turns it on its head, attributing on a symbol of fertility a completely different meaning by showing the cause of a woman's misery or downfall to be her children! This is a comic, modern take on the pains of motherhood never openly spoken of in our society.It is clearly seen in Lynette's character played in the series by Felicity Huffman whose name

Jean Watson's Theory of Caring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Jean Watson's Theory of Caring - Essay Example In the modern days, caring science is a field of study that has many disciplines of study that includes nursing, feminist study, ecology, philosophy, arts and other humanities. Application of Jean Watson’s theory The Jean Watson’s theory has been applied in several ways as the literature in the theory suggests. The theory has been used in the creation of a humanistic system. These are values which develop at an early stage of the nurse. They can also develop as a result of sharing with parents and the people around him or her. Life experiences and personal exposure to the real world can also create these humanistic values in the life of a nurse. These experiences  have of great  necessity  in nurse’s maturation, this in return leads to the development of altruistic nature of the nurse towards other people (Watson, 1999). Hope and faith of nurses  are some of the traits that have been  greatly improved by the creation of this theory. Faith and hope are v ery essential character traits that every nurse should possess. The theory describes it to be of great importance for both carative as well as curative stages. When the doctor has no more to offer to the patient the nurse should use the faith and hope aspects to show a sense of recovery to the patient (Watson, 1999). The theory has also enabled the nurse to cultivate sensitivity to oneself and to his or her patients. If a nurse is willing to hold a genuine conversation between himself and the patient he needs to be in the same emotional state as the one with the patient. As the nurse becomes more sensitive he or she also develops an authentic value. This encourages the nurse in self growth as well as self-actualization to both the nurse and other people whom he or she interacts with. When a personal relationship  has been   developed, there is a higher level of functioning and also the promotion of health (Watson, 1999). The theory has been used in the creation of a helpful and trustful relationship. This can be described as the strongest tool in a relationship because it demonstrates caring for each other. The major characteristics that the nurse holds in order to develop this kind of relationship are warmth which is demonstrated towards the patient, empathy which shows that the nurse Cleary understands what the patient is going through and congruence. The nurse employs the use of both verbal and nonverbal methods to make the communication effective (Watson, 1999). The theory has also been used to improve the use scientific process as one way of solving problems. The design is very necessary in a nursing career as it is the most important decision making tool. The scientific method of solving problems is the only available method that enables prediction and control. The process also offers a room for self-correction. The theory has preferably described the caring science as one should not always be objective and neutral. The theory also promotes the learn ing and teaching role. This is vital because the nurse needs to focus on learning from others as well as teaching them (Watson, 1999). Framework of Jean Watson’s theory The theory describes the nursing process to be carried out in a number of steps. This will provide a platform for decision making in the workplace. The use of the theory will greatly help in solving problems in the structure. The first step in decision making is achieved by assessing the issue at hand. This can also be termed as the problem. The assessment of the problem is