February 25, 2009
30 S. Court St. Apt. 4
Athens, OH 45701
Clear Concepts
To Whom It May Concern:
I am interested in applying for the Chemical Engineering position available in the R&D Department. The company’s development and manufacturing of Photovoltaic equipment is an area to which I would be able to apply my strengths and previous experiences.
Please see my attached resume. I believe I would excel in the R&D department, as I already have research experience. By working on an undergraduate research project and planning my own experiments, I have learned critical multi-tasking, time-management and organizational skills. My research experience has also taught me to adapt quickly to new technology, and the importance of experimental design. Aside from my research experience, I have gained valuable team-working experiences through heat transfer process design projects and general engineering experimental design projects. My position as a peer mentor has also enhanced my communication and organizational skills.
Aside from my strong work ethic, my research experience along with my communication and team-working skills make me a well-suited candidate as a Chemical Engineer in the R&D Department. I will contact you again by March 10 to assure that you have received all my necessary application materials. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Courtney Abram
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Notes on B Film Noir
Paul Kerr made many interesting points on the origins of many qualities of film noir. Prior to reading this essay, I, like many critics that Kerr writes about, thought that film noir was mostly a result of the movie industry’s “unmediated reflection of an all-pervading postwar gloom” (p. 108) and of “an audience that no longer needed cheering up” (p. 108). Kerr goes on to attribute film noir qualities not to public attitude and ideology, but rather, to the current economics of the industry. This idea makes sense, as it is obvious that most noir films were low-budget. The darkness and scenery of these movies, along with the montages that commonly appear in them can all be attributed to the fact that the directors and producers did not have much money to work with.
Kerr also goes on to say that film noir is not characterized by content, character, setting and plot, but by style (p. 110). To be completely honest, I do not agree with that observation. Yes, noir films are characterized by contrast lighting and sharp camera angles, and certain qualities that make them obviously low-budget films. However, unlike Kerr, I would definitely characterize them not only by style, but also by the characters, content, setting and plot. In almost every film noir movie that I have analyzed, including Out of the Past, and Double Indemnity, I have mentioned how the characters and certain recurring themes in these movies are characteristic of noir films. The femme fatale appears in almost every noir film, and, as far as I know, these were the first films that such a character appeared in (although I could be wrong, I’m no film expert). Aside from other common character types, the idea that ‘one cannot escape his or her past’ also seems to come up over and over again in film noir. Therefore, I do not possible see how to characterize film noir only in terms of style. I realize that this was only a very small portion of the essay, but it was just something that stuck out to me.
Detour is obviously a B film noir. Kerr mentioned that due to money shortages, filming was often rushed and an entire movie was shot over the course of a week. Perhaps this was one of the issues that the director of Detour had to face, as I felt that the acting was often not believable in some of the scenes. For example, in the beginning of the movie, Al is describing his new romance with Sue as “the most beautiful thing,” yet as he does so, he still seems depressed. Then, when he speaks to Sue on the phone after receiving the ten dollars in the club, he seems overly-ecstatic (which I thought was fake and cheesy). Maybe if the actors had more time to film the movie, these scenes could have been performed better.
Detour definitely displayed one of the recurring themes of film noir. Although I have yet to see the end of the movie, I am almost certain that Al will never be able to escape his situation with Mr. Hasco. Al will never escape his past, and no matter where he goes, “fate will stick out a foot to trip him.”
Kerr also goes on to say that film noir is not characterized by content, character, setting and plot, but by style (p. 110). To be completely honest, I do not agree with that observation. Yes, noir films are characterized by contrast lighting and sharp camera angles, and certain qualities that make them obviously low-budget films. However, unlike Kerr, I would definitely characterize them not only by style, but also by the characters, content, setting and plot. In almost every film noir movie that I have analyzed, including Out of the Past, and Double Indemnity, I have mentioned how the characters and certain recurring themes in these movies are characteristic of noir films. The femme fatale appears in almost every noir film, and, as far as I know, these were the first films that such a character appeared in (although I could be wrong, I’m no film expert). Aside from other common character types, the idea that ‘one cannot escape his or her past’ also seems to come up over and over again in film noir. Therefore, I do not possible see how to characterize film noir only in terms of style. I realize that this was only a very small portion of the essay, but it was just something that stuck out to me.
Detour is obviously a B film noir. Kerr mentioned that due to money shortages, filming was often rushed and an entire movie was shot over the course of a week. Perhaps this was one of the issues that the director of Detour had to face, as I felt that the acting was often not believable in some of the scenes. For example, in the beginning of the movie, Al is describing his new romance with Sue as “the most beautiful thing,” yet as he does so, he still seems depressed. Then, when he speaks to Sue on the phone after receiving the ten dollars in the club, he seems overly-ecstatic (which I thought was fake and cheesy). Maybe if the actors had more time to film the movie, these scenes could have been performed better.
Detour definitely displayed one of the recurring themes of film noir. Although I have yet to see the end of the movie, I am almost certain that Al will never be able to escape his situation with Mr. Hasco. Al will never escape his past, and no matter where he goes, “fate will stick out a foot to trip him.”
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
"The Dilemma of the Dead Lady"- Not Pulp Fiction, but rather, Noir Fiction.
As far as the pulp stories we have read from The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps, I think “The Dilemma of the Dead Lady” is the darkest story yet. In the foreword to the story, Woolrich is described as a “master of noir fiction” (p. 406) and based on this story, I would agree. I would definitely classify “The Dilemma of the Dead Lady” as noir fiction rather than pulp fiction; there is no “good guy” in this story, unlike in other pulp stories we have read, and it is full of darkness and suspense from beginning to end. No matter how evil the villains were in the other pulp stories, there were always a few characters with some moral standards. However, in “The Dilemma of the Dead Lady,” there are no moral characters at all. Woolrich succeeded in portraying Babe Sherman as a ruthless, evil villain (I would even go as far as to say he was so evil, he gave me the chills). Even Fowler, the supposed detective and only hope of a “good guy,” turns out to be a criminal. This story is more similar to a noir film, rather than a pulp story.
As I mentioned previously, Babe Sherman is one of the most evil characters I have yet to read about. What makes Babe’s character even more interesting is the fact that he seems to sense his own demise as he brings it on himself. His blatant actions portray him as evil; however, Woolrich adds little descriptions that make Babe seem cowardly and afraid as well. After Babe murdered the girl, he “wasn’t as cool as he looked, by any means, but he wasn’t as frightened as a decent man would have been, ether” (p. 410), and he even spoke to the dead body as “a defense mechanism, to show himself how unfrightened he was” (p. 410). It seems as though Babe is trying to convince himself from the very beginning that he is capable of following through with this horrible crime scheme, but really in fact, knows he will eventually be brought down. As the story continues, Babe feels his own death coming on. Every time some type of suspense occurs in the story, Babe feels as though he “died a little then inside himself” (p. 417). I think that these subtle insecurities contribute to the drama and suspense of the story.
I also found the ending of the story to be satisfying, not in the sense that “good prevailed over evil,” but in the sense that Babe receives the ultimate punishment. Once he discovers that Fowler was a criminal as well, it becomes obvious that Babe could have avoided any altercation with him, and been able to fully commit his evil crime, which is a torturous thought to him. Success would have been his had he been a bit more patient. However, like in almost all noir films and pulp stories, Babe, the criminal, got the punishment he deserved in the end.
Questions:
Did Fowler truly know Babe was hiding a body in his chest?
As I mentioned previously, Babe Sherman is one of the most evil characters I have yet to read about. What makes Babe’s character even more interesting is the fact that he seems to sense his own demise as he brings it on himself. His blatant actions portray him as evil; however, Woolrich adds little descriptions that make Babe seem cowardly and afraid as well. After Babe murdered the girl, he “wasn’t as cool as he looked, by any means, but he wasn’t as frightened as a decent man would have been, ether” (p. 410), and he even spoke to the dead body as “a defense mechanism, to show himself how unfrightened he was” (p. 410). It seems as though Babe is trying to convince himself from the very beginning that he is capable of following through with this horrible crime scheme, but really in fact, knows he will eventually be brought down. As the story continues, Babe feels his own death coming on. Every time some type of suspense occurs in the story, Babe feels as though he “died a little then inside himself” (p. 417). I think that these subtle insecurities contribute to the drama and suspense of the story.
I also found the ending of the story to be satisfying, not in the sense that “good prevailed over evil,” but in the sense that Babe receives the ultimate punishment. Once he discovers that Fowler was a criminal as well, it becomes obvious that Babe could have avoided any altercation with him, and been able to fully commit his evil crime, which is a torturous thought to him. Success would have been his had he been a bit more patient. However, like in almost all noir films and pulp stories, Babe, the criminal, got the punishment he deserved in the end.
Questions:
Did Fowler truly know Babe was hiding a body in his chest?
Sunday, February 1, 2009
The Femme Fatale "with the silver eyes" doesn't fool all the men...
For the most part, the characters in pulp stories and noir films are all very similar. Each film or story has a detective who is stoic and clever, and one of two types of female characters- the first of which is the “damsel in distress” who needs to be rescued, and the second is the “femme fatale” who uses her good looks to fool men and further some sort of criminal scheme. I found the characters in “The Girl with the Silver Eyes” to be typical of pulp fiction, although this story did differ from other pulp stories in the interactions of the detective and the femme fatale.
It seems as though in most pulp stories or noir films involving a femme fatale, this seductive female character manages to deceive (even if only very briefly) the detective or protagonist of the story. We have not read many pulp stories with a femme fatale, but in almost all of the noir films we have watched, this has been the case. However, in “The Girl with the Silver Eyes,” Jeanne Delano, the heartless femme fatale, does not manage to fool the unnamed detective. After attempting to convince him of her motives and intentions in the murder of Burke and the other men, she attempts to fool the detective by admitting that she has “played with” men in the past, but is now intrigued and attracted to the detectives seeming disinterest in her. As the reader, it would be easy to believe Jeanne’s story at first. Personally, I was not fooled by her excuses, as I expected her to be the same as every other femme fatale we have come across- lying and deceiving until the very end. However, I also expected the detective to believe her for a moment, and give in to her seduction. As I mentioned previously, all the detectives we have come across have fallen into this trap, and I expected this one to do the same. I found it surprising, but definitely satisfying, when the detective called her a liar and resisted her temptation.
After reading this story, I continue to notice a distinct difference between film noir and pulp stories, even though the characters seem to be very similar. It seems as though had “The Girl with the Silver Eyes” been a noir film originally, rather than a pulp story, the detective probably would have been deceived by the femme fatale’s lies, and probably destroyed in some way in the end (I realize that this is a somewhat broad generalization, but it just seems like the protagonists in film noir commonly manage to die in the end). However, because the story is a pulp story rather than a noir film, good prevails over evil and the detective is able to punish the femme fatale rather than be destroyed by her.
It seems as though in most pulp stories or noir films involving a femme fatale, this seductive female character manages to deceive (even if only very briefly) the detective or protagonist of the story. We have not read many pulp stories with a femme fatale, but in almost all of the noir films we have watched, this has been the case. However, in “The Girl with the Silver Eyes,” Jeanne Delano, the heartless femme fatale, does not manage to fool the unnamed detective. After attempting to convince him of her motives and intentions in the murder of Burke and the other men, she attempts to fool the detective by admitting that she has “played with” men in the past, but is now intrigued and attracted to the detectives seeming disinterest in her. As the reader, it would be easy to believe Jeanne’s story at first. Personally, I was not fooled by her excuses, as I expected her to be the same as every other femme fatale we have come across- lying and deceiving until the very end. However, I also expected the detective to believe her for a moment, and give in to her seduction. As I mentioned previously, all the detectives we have come across have fallen into this trap, and I expected this one to do the same. I found it surprising, but definitely satisfying, when the detective called her a liar and resisted her temptation.
After reading this story, I continue to notice a distinct difference between film noir and pulp stories, even though the characters seem to be very similar. It seems as though had “The Girl with the Silver Eyes” been a noir film originally, rather than a pulp story, the detective probably would have been deceived by the femme fatale’s lies, and probably destroyed in some way in the end (I realize that this is a somewhat broad generalization, but it just seems like the protagonists in film noir commonly manage to die in the end). However, because the story is a pulp story rather than a noir film, good prevails over evil and the detective is able to punish the femme fatale rather than be destroyed by her.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)