Thursday, October 31, 2019

LITERATURE AND MEDICINE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

LITERATURE AND MEDICINE - Essay Example J. Cronin in â€Å"Citadel† remain relevant in terms of the medical service that is available to the citizens of the United Kingdom. The excerpt for the book under evaluation is a discussion between Manson and his wife Christine regarding Manson’s intentions to change from his current mode of general practice and start a fresh initiative in providing medical service by combining the strengths of his experience as a general practitioner with those of a surgeon (Denny) and a bacteriologist (Hope). Manson goes on to justify this decision of his to his wife in the benefit that such an initiative would deliver in the form of â€Å"pooling† the knowledge that each of these specialties in medicine would offer. Such a â€Å"pooling† of knowledge would be of benefit in patient care to provide better outcomes. The existing system of medical care was in the form of the general practitioner carrying out all these responsibilities, even in specialized areas with a limited amount of knowledge, to the detriment of patient care. Manson suggests that this association of specialties into what he calls â€Å"G roup medicine† provides a â€Å"perfect answer† to the near impossible tasks that a general practitioner had to perform in patient care. Such â€Å"Group medicine would be the intermediary fresh breath of air between the monolithic state medical service and the individual effort of practitioners in several parts of the country. Manson clarifies that such Group medicine had failed to materialize only because of the attitude of those in the medical science power centers not wanting any rocking of the boat so that they would remain in control in the provision of medical services to the people. Manson believes that such an effort in Group medicine by the scientifically oriented unit would revolutionize the manner in which medical services are provided and remove the prejudices and ills that plague the medical system. There are three themes

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The legacy of the renaissance Essay Example for Free

The legacy of the renaissance Essay The legacy of the renaissance can be described and defined in many ways and through many great people. For example, one of the main figures of the renaissance was Leonardo Da Vinci born in Italy during the year1452; he was during his time and is still today considered a true renaissance man. Da Vinci dabbled in almost every aspect of the arts and science. He is most famous however for his painting (Mona Lisa) finished in 1506, but he also worked on designs for weapons and sculpted as well as the study of human anatomy. Leonardo Da Vinci died on May 2nd 1519. And it is said that King Francis was at his side when he died, cradling Leonardos head in his arms. Another great figure of the renaissance was the Architect (Andrea Palladio) born in the year 1508, Palladio was a master architect and is often described as the most influential and copied architect in the Western world. Palladio used classical architecture to influence his style and that is what makes him a key figure of the renaissance period. Since the renaissance was based on classical ideals. By the 1540s, Palladio was using classical principles to design a series of country villas and urban palaces for the nobility of Vicenza. One of his most famous is Villa Capra, also known as the Rotunda, which was modeled after the Roman Pantheon. Palladio also designed the Basilica in Vicenza, and in the 1560s he began work on religious buildings in Venice. Palladio died in the year 1580 but left behind a legacy of architectural works and design plans in a book he published called (The Four Books of Architecture) were widely translated, and Palladios ideas spread across Europe and into the New World. American statesman Thomas Jefferson borrowed Palladian ideas when he designed Monticello, his home in Virginia. A final figure during the renaissance was the sculptor Donato di Niccolà ² di Betto Bardi universally known as Donatello, he was born in Florence around the year 1386 and during his time he created many famous works. One of his most famous is the statue (Saint George) a vigilant marble made for the guildhall of Orsanmichele. Although this is an early piece, it still follows the renaissance tradition of a return to classical themes. During his life Donatello created many beautiful and highly influential works that would later inspire such great artists as (Michelangelo) through the 16th century. Donatello died in the year 1466 in Italy but left behind a true legacy of renaissance art for generations to come. The leaders of the Reformation were, Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, Thomas Cromwell, Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer and John Knox. The reformation was set in the ideal of building a new Church and new religion. The idea was good but the men who lead this reform were not fit be called human. If you look at the methods they choose to enforce their ideals of religious reformation you will find them to be nothing more than the sick and twisted methods of mad men. Such methods as torture, hangings and drowning were used and condoned in the name of religion and God. Consider the fact that Aldof Hitler studied the writings of Martin Luther and implemented many of Luthers ideas into his own sick design for genocide of the Jewish race it is easy to say that the reformation was again, a good idea but being lead by mad men. The only good thing to come out of the reformation was the Counter Reformation the Catholic Church was not totally unprepared for the reformers. They had been fig hting opposition, heresy and resistance for over 400 years. SO when the reformation began the church was preparing its own form of attack or anti reformation. The Counter Reformation movement birthed many groups such as the Modern Devotion and the Oratory of Divine Love were organizations that included both clergy and lay people and encouraged a return to simple ethical living and piety, principles that had been championed by Desiderius Erasmus. But the movement that most concerned the Catholic Church was that of the (Protestant church) the Protestant church was growing beyond the Catholic Church and posed a serious threat to the power that the Catholic Church held. From this concern came The Council of Trent The council of Trent was formed in 1545 and lasted for almost 20 years, until 1563. During this time the council worked on the problems in three separate sessions. It was a major undertaking and the outcome was a much needed reform of the Catholic Church but it was still on their terms. Although many issues were addressed and resolved by the council it was too little too late. The Protestant Church had grown too strong and beyond the reach of the Catholic Church. Although the Catholic Church would remain a major religion, it would in a few short centuries no longer be the leading religion in the western world.The Baroque Age was during the years 1600-1750 A.D. During this time period many great advances in the arts were made but none greater the ones made in music. The word  Baroque comes from two words. The first being the French word baroque meaning (irregularly shaped pearl) the second being the Portuguese word barroco also meaning (irregularly shaped pearl) the Baroque Age was after the Renaissance and in a way was a backlash to the simplicity and ideals of the renaissance period. The Baroque age saw a trend in extravagance, bold ornamentation and flamboyance. There were three major movements during the baroque age. The first being Florid Style. This style was brought to life by the influence of seventeenth-century popes and is easily recognized by identifying its name florid with the style. Think of florid the word. Flowers, bright colors and rich textures and shapes all come to mind. This was the florid style. Second is the Classical style. This style of art had a very secular focus and identified itself with Absolutism which at the time was the view of Louis XIV also called the sun king. If you think absolutism you can envision straight clean lines, simple geometric shapes and everything coming together in perfect seamless unison. This style would also influence modern art and artists. The third style of baroque art was the Restrained Baroque. This style again, is easily envisioned by simply thinking about its name. Although most restrained baroque art was being done in the northern regions of the world such as the Netherlands, examples can be found in some regions of Italy as well. Some famous artists who practiced this style were, Rembrandt Van Rijn, Jan Vermeer and Anthony Van Dyck. The Scientific revolution lasted from 1600 to 1715 with its climax between 1685 and 1715. During this time period many great changes took place. First, the changes in astronomy and physics were largely influenced by the new theory that the sun centered the universe as opposed to the old view that the earth centered the universe. This became the official view 1543 and involved an international community of scholars. The result was called Heliocentrism Once this was established as fact; people now began to see the universe in a whole new light. Mathematical calculations were now though to be able to unlock the mysteries of nature and mankind. Many key figures of the time such as Nicolas Copernicus, Sir Isaac Newton and Johannes Kepler all made valuable contributions to the scientific revolution and how it was shaped. There were also conflicts that resulted from this revolution however. The Church, both Catholic and Protestant agreed that this new  theory was dangerous and went against the Holy Scripture. The church felt that if the earth was no longer at the center of the universe then neither was man and his place in the divine scheme of things was then reduced. So it was denounced and condemned as a false system. It was not until 1822 that the Roman Catholic Church accepted the theory as true. Also, sects within the Protestant church slowly began to adapt and accept the theory as true. Thomas Hobbes was born in 1588 in England and theorized that man was incapable of existing without rule over them and in order to for humanity to exist in a civil society they must be ruled by one individual and give up their sovereignity. John Locke was born 1632 in England as well but Locke theorized that people were basically good in nature and could govern themselves but needed a government to protect them instead of ruling them. Both had different points of view on humanity and how a structured system should work but both Hobbes and Locke agreed that a Social Contract was needed in order to keep things balanced. Locke and Hobbes views influenced the Enlightenment but in different ways. Lockes views influenced the Enlightenment by helping give way to such ideas as better public education and a more liberal government. I can not find how Hobbes views influenced the Enlightenment with the exception of reinforcing the ideals of oppression and fascist rule over the people. The resulting views of government based on these theories were both for the greater good of the people based on Lockes theory and for the greater good of the government based on Hobbes views. Works cited. (1) Western Humanities Vol. II fifth edition (2) (The Panorama of the Renaissance) Edited by: Margaret Aston, Abradale Press (3) Various internet research sites.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Philosophy of Freedom

Philosophy of Freedom What is freedom? Is it absolute right? If we ask this question to people around us, we will receive around a hundred different answers, because everyone will understand this phenomenon in his or her own way. Freedom can be defined starting from different aspects, according to different cultures, from different points of view and even from different beliefs. Everyone was born totally free and all of them must have the right to live freely. Based on some articles, we can see that out there people want to be free and independent from each other, but is this concept possible and acceptable by the society? Freedom is the right to do what we want, live where we want, eat what we want, learn what we want to learn, for example we choose what religion we want to believe, without caring about others judgments! Honestly, I am not sure if this in of right really exists because we were taught in a way where we are allowed to choose, but at the end someone will do that job (choosing) for us. So are we really free?! Are we following the definition of Freedom? In my opinion, freedom is an absence of pressure and enforcement from other people, where people is free to do what laws and social customs do not prohibit. We can hardly say that all societies are free in the same way. Personally, I believe that we, Human beings are God creatures. God is the one who made us and gave us the right to life. According to the Bible, God started to create the heavens and the earth, then the morning and the night where He allowed the existence of life, starting from birds to all the animals and till the end the creation of the Man, called Adam. Since Adam was so alone, God decided to give him a company, a partner. Based on all this, God made a society for Humans and with it, we were taught to obey and follow rules. Can we try to imagine what the world might turn into if every one of us could do whatever we wantedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ with no limitations and respect towards the rules and others? After all, how can we live freely? From my point of view, we can live freely by respecting others rights to live freely too, by taking other people rights into consideration. In other words, the main idea behind the word freedom is to be respectful and responsible to the society. Freedom is a very important thing to every human being because as we had encounter in the past decades a lot of debates have started debating about this topic. For example, I would like to talk about the freedom of speech. I think freedom of speech is the most important part when we try to see what the meaning behind freedom is. As we know, out there is a lot of people that are convicted because of their creative mind and even, some of them are buried just because the society cannot accept their way of expressing their feelings. In my research, someone said that freedom of expression will never result in hostility among people if they respect each others ideas. As I mentioned before, freedom is not an absolu te right, and there are too many limitation on it. First of all, the society right including national security which is very important, security is the most important thing in freedom. Our freedoms should never cause to threatening our national security. I have stated some of my opinions about freedom, now I would like to describe the word freedom by a definition. According to Wikipedia, freedom is innate to human and that he will fights as long as he lives to restore his innate right to be free man, I like this definition very much because I think it is true, our freedoms are settled by us, no one can set it! Since God gave us freedom for free, we must do our best to maintain and keep this right. I think the most humiliating ways to punish a human, is to deprive him or her from freedom, for example when someone goes to jail, that person is deprive from freedom and so he is suffering. Freedom is not absolute, it must be limited. We cannot just do what we like and say I am a free man!. We cannot kill, smuggle drugs or violate the laws and rules for freedom, they should be respected and I totally agree with this sentence the freedom of anyone ends where the freedom of another one begins!. For me, every youngster should be taught to be free, planting in them the love for freedom, but they might be supervised, it should not be without limits. Freedom in teens state is very important for building a good character and a stable personality. Teens want to hang around with friends, do whatever they like, or do not like, they want to experience everything. If they are given freedom with no limits, they may get lost, so parents should tell them what is right or wrong, so there is no limit or restriction. That is why parents guidance is really important for our existence. Only freedom with no guidance will lead to a bad actions and cause destruction in the society. Freedom is a state, a process of interaction of individuals and groups with the environment, when the society is changing or a person makes some changes so that there appear more opportunities of choice and realization of important purposes and values. The most important thing that we must care about is enjoying our freedom without harming our security. For conclusion, freedom is an innate right, something that humans are born with. Nothing in this planet can threaten our freedom, deprive us from our rights. As mention before, our right of freedom must never cause harm to any other human being, directly or indirectly. We must respect freedom as everyone in the world/society has it, if you want others to respect your freedom, firstly you must learn to respect them. And following this ways, we can enjoy and live our freedom through our life. Last but not the least, I want to quote a sentence that my teacher in high school used to say Quanto mais liberdade, mais responsabilidade., it means the more freedom you have, the more responsibilities you face. After all, this sentence is really reflective and I hope that that people out there have realize this little secret!

Friday, October 25, 2019

On Euthyphro: Notes by Sidney Fein :: Euthyphro

On Euthyphro: Notes by Sidney Fein They say that, in his youth, Rabbi Israel studied eight hundred books of the Kabbalah. But the first time he saw the maggid of Mezritch face to face, he instantly knew that he knew nothing at all. I have on my desk one of my daughter's college textbooks, the Mentor edition of Great Dialogues of Plato as translated by W. H. D. Rouse. It cost $4.95. It is a good book with helpful footnotes and a minimum of scholarly obstruction. The editor has included half a dozen dialogues: Ion, Meno, Symposium, Republic, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo. With a little bit of searching I've dug out my old high school text of Plato, a $.35 Pocket Library edition of the Jowett translation, its edges yellow as the molars of a lifelong Latakia smoker, its brittle pages as loose as if he never brushed. It includes Symposium, ample selections from Republic, and of course the indispensable threeact tragedy of Socrates' trial and death. Plato, however, left us a fouract play, or at least three acts with a very curious prelude. The dialogue that both textbooks leave out is the short, hilarious, perplexing Euthyphro. In the edition I have in front of me this work is described as "a conversation on the nature of piety," myopically in my opinion. Euthyphro is seldom included in introductory texts and so only rarely taught to undergraduates. When it is included in the curriculum Euthyphro is usually assigned in upperlevel courses where it is not discussed in connection with Socrates' trial. It's easy to see why Euthyphro gets dumped. Who wants to read a conversation on the definition of piety, especially one that fails to tell you what the definition of piety is? For that matter, who would want to teach such a thing? While Euthyphro has the pedagogical virtue of brevity (under 20 pages complete) it appears to be little more than a circular argument that ends in bafflement. Worse, though Socrates and his young interlocutor are both facing capital cases and speak on the very porch of the King Archon, and though their topic is an undeniably lofty one, the tone of the dialogue is barely serious. Here Socrates' irony is transparently sarcastic and even the most sympathetic reader is bound to feel that he ought to pick on somebody his own size. There is no obvious connection between tying Euthyphro up in dialectic knots and the solemn proceedings to follow.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Should Juvenile Criminals Be Tried as Adults?

February 1, 2013 English 1250 Argument Essay Should Juveniles be tried as Adults? Juveniles are children who fall under the age of eighteen and have committed a crime. Since they are so young it plays a part in the decision of whether they will placed in a trail that an adult will be placed under or not. The age of the person who commits the crime is the reason why juvenile delinquency punishments are less harsh at times then if an adult would’ve committed the same crime. I feel that if a crime is harsh enough than a juvenile should be tried as an adult.Anyone who commits a crime and breaks the law should be held accountable no matter what the age is. We should all be responsible for our own actions. Many people wonder if trying a juvenile in the same way as an adult will turn out to be a better solution to stop crime. I believe if a child is made responsible for his or her actions she will think twice the next time before he or she reacts. People who commit crimes and then go unpunished for what they did are more than likely to commit another crime or duplicate the first crime they committed.If children think they can get away with their actions they will continue to do the same things over and over again. As a criminal justice major I think everyone should pay a price if they decide to break the law. There should be no special treatment no matter what age the defendant is. A crime is a crime no matter where you go or who you are. I know understand that some children who commit crimes a fairly young and people feel like they don’t have the mental ability to understand what they did because they are so young. Children are taught right from wrong from infancy.We guide our children their whole lives until adulthood. Children are more than capable of understanding right from wrong. The problem is we as parents defend our children because we don’t feel like they’re capable of understanding, when the truth is we are merely just handicappi ng our children. As parents don’t underestimate what your child is capable of. These kids need to know there are consequences for their actions. By us not punishing our children we are just letting them know its ok for them to continue in an unruly matter. We are also teaching them it’s ok and there will be no consequences.Parents need to prepare their children for the real world. I stand strong when I say it is the parent’s responsibility to teach their children, I couldn’t agree more. However, what happens when the parents have done all they can? You can bring your child up to the best of your ability and he or she may still go astray. This is why we can’t shield them from the light. Let them know for every action there’s a reaction. Educate on what could possibly happen if they commit a crime. By shielding these kids from reality we make it harder on them when they have to enter into society on their own.It’s imperative that as a p arent we do our jobs but this still doesn’t mean that that they will follow in our footsteps. People say a child can’t remember what he or she did. I totally disagree. I believe that if a child commits a crime and he has to suffer dire consequences will remember if the consequence is as harsh as the crime. I don’t think that kids are too young to remember what they did. I think that’s just an excuse. As we keep making excuses for these children they are tearing society apart with their violence.It shouldn’t matter the age if you commit an adult crime you should you pay just as an adult would. Get these kids off the streets so the kids who are trying to do something to better themselves can stand a chance. It’s ridiculous how kids get away with so much. Everyday it’s getting worse and the majority of crimes that are being committed are from juveniles but yet we continue to want to slap them on the wrist with something easy like a curfe w. That’s crazy! The law is the law and kids are no exception. They are no different from anybody else.If they choose to act in an adult manner then they should be treated as such. The law is not made to be broken. This is why we have rules and laws, they are to be followed and if they are broken then whoever has acted in this situation should pay. Now, in some cases I believe that you can be cut a break. Of course I believe in second chances but not just getting off simply because you’re a child. You should pay for your actions no matter the age. The law is not made to flex around your age. It’s simply made for the type of crime you commit. If you are old enough to act in a rationale matter then take the consequences.Just because a kid commits a crime doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been committed. It definitely doesn’t mean that the victim’s family didn’t suffer either. What about the victim’s family they suffer as well. I know that violent crimes receive the harshest punishment for adults but the same guidelines should be carried out for the juveniles as well. Trying them as adults will make them understand the consequences of their actions and second guess committing any future crimes. This may lower the crime rate in society and make us feel a lot safer in our own homes.This could stand as an example and others will learn from their mistakes. A lot of the times kids are following in another peers footsteps or just simply trying to fit in. no matter what the reason or situation is if a crime is committed then you should suffer the consequence. I think the juvenile should be subject to more severe sentencing, including the life sentence. If you take a life than yours should be shouldn’t be spared. I don’t believe that you should give a child the death sentence but they can definitely spend a life sentence in jail.What good will it do having them out on the streets to commit more crimes . I don’t think you should have the benefit of seeing daylight when you have chosen to take a life. You should suffer just as they are. You have no right to take the life of someone so why shouldn’t you pay for what you did. A lot of kids commit crimes simply because they know the punishment will be easy. Children have gotten away with so much these days they aren’t scared of the law anymore. Kids know when they get in trouble they will be detained for a few months or perhaps just a night.Maybe they will be on house arrest where they can still do what they want they just have to do it at their house. The juvenile system is too easy on kids these days. We have almost lost the battle when it comes to teens and crimes. This is why we need to try them harsher as adults so they will get the message we are trying to put out. You have to punish by crime and not age it’s the only way these kids will learn. In order for society to do better we have to be better at what we do. To allow one person one punishment and another person an alternative for the exact same crime is not fair and highly ridiculous.It destroys the structure of our society. Juveniles who commit murder should be tried in the same matter as an adult. We also need to keep in mind that kids will be more willing to that they know they won’t have consequences for. Let’s not forget the victims or the victim’s family members who suffer. They deserve justice as well. They have suffered a great lost. As a parent we never want to see our children go astray or perhaps follow the wrong footsteps but they choose to take on that responsibility when they decide to disobey.When they commit a crime they have to be punished and yes if the crime is harsh it should be as an adult. You make your bed hard you lay in it. Just as you make people suffer from your actions you should suffer from them as well. Children are old enough to know right from wrong. They can comprehend t hat it is against the law to commit a violent act against another person. I feel very strongly that in the United States juveniles with violent felonies should definitely be tried and treated as adults in the criminal justice system.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Origin of the Word Protestant

Origin of the Word Protestant A Protestant is someone who follows one of the numerous branches of Protestantism, the form of Christianity created during the Reformation of the sixteenth century and spread across Europe and later the world. The term Protestant, therefore, came into use in the sixteenth century, and unlike many historical terms, you can work out what it means with a little bit of guesswork: it is, quite simply, all about protest. To be a Protestant was, essentially, to be a protestor. Origin of Protestant In 1517, the theologian Martin Luther spoke out against the established Latin Church in Europe on the subject of indulgences. There had been many critics of the Catholic Church before, and many had been crushed easily by the monolithic central structure. Some had been burned, and Luther faced their fate by starting an open war. But the anger at many aspects of a church considered corrupt and venal was growing, and when Luther nailed his theses to a church door (an established way of starting debate), he found he could gain patrons strong enough to protect him. As the Pope decided how best to deal with Luther, the theologian and his colleagues effectively evolved a new form of the Christian religion in a series of writings which were exciting, frenzied, and which would be revolutionary. This new form (or rather, new forms) were taken up by many princes and towns of the German empire. Debate ensued, with the Pope, Emperor, and Catholic governments on one side and members of the new church on the other. This sometimes involved genuine debate in the traditional sense of people standing, speaking their views, and letting another person follow, and sometimes involved the sharp end of weapons. The debate covered all of Europe and beyond. In 1526, a meeting of the Reichstag (in practice, a form of German imperial parliament) issued the Recess of 27 August, stating that each individual government within the empire could decide which religion they wished to follow. It would have been a triumph of religious freedom, had it lasted. However, a new Reichstag which met in 1529 was not so amenable to the Lutherans, and the Emperor canceled the Recess. In response, the followers of the new church issued the Protest, which protested against the cancellation on April 19th. Despite differences in their theology, Southern German cities aligned with Swiss reformer Zwingli joined other German powers following Luther to sign on to the ‘Protest’ as one. They thus became known as Protestants, those who protested. There would be many different variations of reformed thought within Protestantism, but the term stuck for the overall group and concept. Luther, amazingly when you consider what had happened to rebels in the past, was able to live and thrive rather than be killed, and the Protestant church established itself so strongly, it shows no signs of vanishing. However, there were wars and much bloodshed in the process, including the Thirty Years War which has been called as devastating for Germany as the conflicts of the twenty-first century.​​

Monday, October 21, 2019

Composite Volcano (Stratovolcano) Facts

Composite Volcano (Stratovolcano) Facts There are several different types of volcanoes, including shield volcanoes, composite volcanoes, dome volcanoes, and cinder cones. However, if you ask a child to draw a volcano, youll almost always get a picture of a composite volcano. The reason? Composite volcanoes form the steep-sided cones most often seen in photographs. They are also associated with the most violent, historically-important eruptions. Key Takeaways: Composite Volcano Composite volcanoes, also called stratovolcanoes, are cone-shaped volcanoes built from many layers of lava, pumice, ash, and tephra.Because they are built of layers of viscous material, rather than fluid lava, composite volcanoes tend to form tall peaks rather than rounded cones. Sometimes the summit crater collapses to form a caldera.Composite volcanoes are responsible for the most catastrophic eruptions in history.So far, Mars is the only place in the solar system besides Earth known to have stratovolcanoes. Composition Composite volcanoes – also called stratovolcanoes – are named for their composition. These volcanoes are built from layers, or strata, of pyroclastic material, including lava, pumice, volcanic ash, and tephra. The layers stack on each other with each eruption. The volcanoes form steep cones, rather than rounded shapes, because the magma is viscous. Composite volcano magma is felsic, which means it contains silicate-rich minerals rhyolite, andesite, and dacite. Low viscosity lava from a shield volcano, such as might be found in Hawaii, flows from fissures and spreads. Lava, rocks, and ash from a stratovolcano either flow a short distance from the cone or else explosively eject into the air before falling back down toward the source. Formation Stratovolcanoes form at subduction zones, where one plate at a tectonic boundary is pushed below another. This may be where the oceanic crust slips below an oceanic plate (e.g., Japan, Aleutian Islands) or where the oceanic crust is drawn below the continental crust (e.g., the Andes mountains, the Cascades). Subduction occurs when two convergent tectonic plates collide with each other. jack0m / Getty Images Water is trapped in porous basalt and minerals. As the plate sinks to greater depths, temperature and pressure rise until a process called dewatering occurs. Release of water from hydrates lowers the melting point of rock in the mantle. Melted rock rises because it is less dense than solid rock, becoming magma. As magma ascends, lessening pressure allows volatile compounds to escape from solution. Water, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and chlorine gas exert pressure. Finally, the rocky plug over a vent pops open, producing an explosive eruption. Location Composite volcanoes tend to occur in chains, with each volcano several kilometers from the next. The Ring of Fire in the Pacific consists of stratovolcanoes. Famous examples of composite volcanoes include Mount Fuji in Japan, Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens in Washington State, and Mayon Volcano in the Philippines. Notable eruptions include that of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD (which destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum) and that of Pintaubo in 1991, which ranks as one of the biggest eruptions of the 20th century. Most composite volcanoes occur in a region called the Ring of Fire. Gringer To date, composite volcanoes have only been found on one other body in the solar system: the planet Mars. Zephyria Tholus on Mars is believed to be an extinct stratovolcano. Eruptions and Their Consequences Composite volcano magma isnt fluid enough to flow around obstacles and exit as a river of lava. Instead, a stratovolcanic eruption is sudden and destructive. Superheated toxic gases, ash, and hot debris are forcefully ejected, often with little warning. Lava bombs present another hazard. These molten chunks of rock may be the size of small stones up to the size of a bus. Most of these bombs dont explode, but their mass and velocity cause destruction comparable to that from an explosion. Composite volcanoes also produce lahars. A lahar is a mix of water with volcanic debris. Lahars are basically volcanic landslides down the steep slope, traveling so quickly that they are difficult to escape. Nearly a third of a million people have been killed by volcanoes since 1600. Most of these deaths are attributed to stratovolcanic eruptions. Semeru Volcano in Indonesia is an active stratovolcano. Photography by Mangiwau / Getty Images Death and property damage arent the only consequences of composite volcanoes. Because they eject matter and gases into the stratosphere, they affect weather and climate. Particulates released by composite volcanoes yield colorful sunrises and sunsets. Although no crashes have been attributed to volcanic eruptions, the explosive debris from composite volcanoes poses a risk to air traffic. Sulfur dioxide released into the atmosphere can form sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid clouds can produce acid rain, plus they block sunlight and cool temperatures. The eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815 produced a cloud that lowered global temperatures 3.5  °C (6.3  °F), leading to the 1816 year without a summer in North America and Europe. The worlds biggest extinction event may have been due, at least in part, to stratovolcanic eruptions. A group of volcanoes named the Siberian Traps released massive amounts of greenhouse gases and ash, starting 300,000 years before the end-Permian mass extinction and concluding half a million years after the event. Researchers now hold the eruptions as the principal cause for the collapse of 70 percent of terrestrial species and 96 percent of marine life. Sources BroÃ… ¾, P.; Hauber, E. (2012). A unique volcanic field in Tharsis, Mars: Pyroclastic cones as evidence for explosive eruptions. Icarus. 218: 88. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2011.11.030Decker, Robert Wayne; Decker, Barbara (1991). Mountains of Fire: The Nature of Volcanoes. Cambridge University Press. p. 7. ISBN 0-521-31290-6.Miles, M. G.; Grainger, R. G.; Highwood, E. J. (2004). The significance of volcanic eruption strength and frequency for climate (PDF). Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society. 130: 2361–2376. doi:10.1256/qj.03.60Sigurà °sson, Haraldur, ed. (1999). Encyclopedia of Volcanoes. Academic Press. ISBN 0-12-643140-X.Stephen E. Grasby, Hamed Sanei, Benoit Beauchamp.  Catastrophic dispersion of coal fly ash into oceans during the latest Permian extinction.  Nature Geoscience, 2011; doi:10.1038/ngeo1069

Sunday, October 20, 2019

My interpretations of the Wizard of Oz Essays

My interpretations of the Wizard of Oz Essays My interpretations of the Wizard of Oz Paper My interpretations of the Wizard of Oz Paper The Wizard of Oz is a popular Childrens Literature in the world. After reading various of interpretation theories in internet. For example, Parable on Populism of Littlefield, Henry , Analogy between the Yellow Brick Road and the Information Superhighway of Gandy, Oscar , The Wizard of Oz as a Secular Myth of Nathanson, Paul and Salman Rushdies Theories of Oz and so on. Actually, there are huge difference thoughts between these scholars, most of them are more than ostensible story beyond The wizard of Oz itself. Take for example, Rushdie rejects the conventional view that its fantasy of escape from reality ends with a comforting return to home, sweet home. On the contrary, Rushdie think it is a film which speaks to the exile. The Wizard of Oz shows that imagination can become reality, that there is no such place as home, or rather that the only home is the one we make for ourselves. Being a grown-ups of both non-native speakers of English and non-western culture, I hold the different view on the story itself. Backing from my first impression of knowing the Wizard of Oz is when I was 10 years old elementary kid. The most attracting part is the interesting characters scarecrow, tin-man and cowardly lion but except for Dorothy-the little girl. In my view, I think the story it self has a clear explanation of finding ourselves. All of characters are looking for something that they thought they dont have. However , is that true? I , as be a Taiwanese, has influenced by American culture little by little since I was a kid. We watch American TV programs , American movies and American value all the time. However, the most unforgettable culture shock for me is Searching for our identity. I still remember there was a time that some typical characters in American soaper. They sometimes get themselves do nothing but thinking, wearing different clothes or fooling around. Those characters seem to be young man mostly. They always answer like I am looking for myself if people ask them. Comparing with western culture to Chinese culture, our education doesnt courage young man to think independently. We tend to follow what our seniors thoughts. In other words, we seldom think about what do we lack in ourselves not mention about the identity of ourselves. According to my personally observation, lots U.S students or European students ,they would like to spend some time which is probably years to travel or work after compulsory education. They make themselves stop moving forward to next step in their life for a while. After getting to know themselves better, they will devote themselves to their further education or work again. Obviously, people who grow up in Chinese cultures seems dont do so. Before getting to know ourselves better, we tend to rush to next step. And the worse thing is that we follow the others view when we encounter with choice. Other parts such as the viewpoint of family value itself in the story which also stands for typical American value. Dorothy is a little girl with full of curiosity and eager to find a way to resolve her problem in reality which could represent for American characters in some respects. By meeting other three main characters, they also stand for some kind of symbols of finding their identity as well. Through consistent will of finding a way to go home in the story, The story then highlights the family values of American culture. On the other hand, it took me spend decade to understand that tin man is used to be a real man and the real reason that he become to be a tin man is because of some accidence. I used to think that tin-man is a robot. I even ever ask other classmates view on tin man in class while our teacher- River was teaching the literature. To my surprised is other classmates also hold the same view as I have before reading the novel. What a coincidence. After all, as far as I am concerned, reading childrens literature is a totally fresh experience because what Ive learned from the story is not only the difference values between western culture and Chinese culture but also the similarity on values which might be an universal tendency of finding out the goal of life. We maybe all lack something, thats why we are here for experiencing this life.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

The concept of genre in studying Die Hard. (1988) Assignment

The concept of genre in studying Die Hard. (1988) - Assignment Example 67). In order for a successful Action film, the expectations of the readers ought to be fulfilled to enable the listeners to be fascinated and interested. Action is the most appropriate genre that I have chosen with respect to the Die Hard film of 1988. The entire movie is an action genre movie. Genres in respect to film are diverse forms of recognizable classifications of films recurrent with similar acknowledgeable patterns, syntax and filming conventions that include: backgrounds and props, substance and subject matter, themes, period, mood, motifs, structures, plot, circumstances, central narrative events, recurring icons, characterizations and stars. Numerous films are viewed as hybrids because they include multiple film genres. With regards to definitions, genre itself is a French word meaning type or kind. It can, therefore, be said the kind of a movie is principally the type or category a movie falls into for instance Comedy, action, western, thriller, horror and numerous others (Wright, 2004 p. 35). Genres are also sub-classified according to unique qualities for example horror genre, sub-classes are the supernatural, gothic, ghost films, occult, monster movies, slashers, psychological horror, body horror, gore movies, splatter and many others (Dixon, 2000 p. 101). Some film professionals develop new genres and sub-genres to explain amalgamation of films such as action comedies. Universally, nonetheless, many films created in a given type, for instance, film noir follow the fundamental construction and plot shapes of that particular kind. Genres assist the audience in movie choice as well as indicate for whom a given film was created and what they should anticipate seeing for instance in an action film such as the Die hard, the audience expect to see hard work that involve, use of heavy artillery, use of choppers, massive destruction of vehicles,

Friday, October 18, 2019

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 38

Ethics - Essay Example If every individual would lie to get a loan, then the process would fall apart lending the maxim impossible. Such acts are perfomative contradiction since they undermine the basis for their existence. The humanitarian principle suggests that pertains to the notion of saving life and alleviating suffering. It is mostly related to an emergency response whether during war, natural or man made disasters. They govern how individuals respond in a humanitarian way. Thus, the principle of humanity is one of the humanitarian principles. It states that individuals should always treat human beings as an end and not as means. Treating individuals as means is treating them to achieve our own goals (Shafer-Landau, The ethical life, 2014). Treating as an end is dealing with individuals with the respect they deserve. The principle, however, fails to give us advice on how to determine what people deserve. According to The Principle of utility, our actions or behaviors are morally right as long as they promote happiness and pleasure. Such actions are wrong if they tend to promote unhappiness and even pain. It is associated with hedonism since a hedonist only believes in the feelings of pleasure and pain. Such feelings are biological experiences involving human’s central nervous system and controlled by the cerebral cortex. Human beings experience pleasure whenever they perform certain acts that fulfill their biological functions including eating or drinking. Pleasure is also experienced in the event of performing various intellectual activities including reading. Sometimes, pleasure is experienced by doing the right thing. Pain on the other hand is experienced when such functions are left unfulfilled. Many utilitarian believe that pleasure and pain can be quantified. Thus, the main interest here is acting in private interest as opposed to public interest as long as individuals are gaining pleasure and pain. An example that can bring about the conflicting sides of all the

Strategic Planning Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic Planning - Case Study Example In the next part of the report I will be highlighting the areas on which the company needs to stress more and will also make some necessary recommendations. The first thing that GIFC needs to accomplish is that it should define its business, goods and services and also the target customers. Also defining a clear vision for the organization which clearly expresses the intentions of the company and where it wants to be in the future will also help to serve the purpose. Defining their thoughts on social responsibility, culture and ethics will further strengthen the standings of the organization. The company can think of commencing operations in the global market by using effective expansion strategies. This will not only help the company to earn more revenue, but will also allow them to cater to a number of segments around the world. However the growth is directly related with the quality of their service, level of customer service and also the location of the outlets. In order to develop core competencies for itself the company must focus on various aspects. Some of the evident factors are variety of dishes, authenticity of the ingredients, and ambience of the outlets. Furthermore the company should also develop a strong customer relationship management tool, which will ensure highest level of customer satisfaction and they could even become a word of mouth promoter for the company. One of the important suggestions for the company is that while getting into any new kind of activity, the company should perform an analysis of the macro environment. This will help them to make decisions purely based upon the external situations and can sustain with it for a longer period of time. Strategic planning is defined as the process by which the management personnel of the company decides about the objectives of the company and also defines the proper courses of action required to achieve the objectives (â€Å"Strategic Planning†). It is also referred to as a

Vincent Van Gogh at the National Gallery of Art Essay

Vincent Van Gogh at the National Gallery of Art - Essay Example Reproductions of his work appear on posters, calendars, mouse pads, and other widespread consumer items. His influence was especially strong on the French Fauvists and German Expressionists immediately following his death. Even those works not immediately known today are quickly recognized by his unique style and approach, yet Van Gogh himself saw little of this success or popularity while he was alive. No publications can be found discussing his work while he was alive and only a few mentions of him, mostly negative, are found before 1910. However, paintings such as Wheatfield with Cypress reveal a great deal of the artist’s approach and emotion as well as the various ways in which he revolutionized the art world. Wheatfield with Cypress is an example of Van Gogh’s work while he was a resident at Saint-Remy hospital for the mentally unstable. It is a member of a series of paintings in which Van Gogh explored an image or a theme. Whether it was this painting or another one of the series, he wrote to his brother Theo that the trees â€Å"are always occupying my thoughts, I should like to make something of them like the canvases of the sunflowers, because it astonishes me that they have not yet been done as I see them. The tree is as beautiful of line and proportion as an Egyptian obelisk. And the green has a quality of such distinction. It is a splash of black in a sunny landscape, but it is one of the most interesting black notes, and the most difficult to hit off exactly that I can imagine† (cited in Wallace, 1969: 144). His fascination with the trees themselves as well as their contribution to the landscape overall is evident within this painting. The image depicts an initially confusing scene. The brightly lit landscape is covered by a swirling mass of clouds in a sky that seems eternally blue. The scene depicts a golden wheatfield not far from the hospital in which Van Gogh stayed in southern France.

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Surrealism in American Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Surrealism in American Film - Essay Example The essay "Surrealism in American Film" discusses the American film and surrealism. Three American films are good examples of surrealism in the American Cinema. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) by Michel Gondry, Blue Velvet (1986) by David Lynch, and Spellbound (1945) by Alfred Hitchcock all draw upon the cultural movement of Surrealism in order to create their works. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) was written by Charlie Kaufman, well known for his surrealist concepts. David Lynch, who wrote and directed Blue Velvet (1986), is also a well known surrealist who has dealt at length with the theme of the illusory nature of reality. Alfred Hitchcock, whose talents for creating suspenseful films that leave the audience in wonder and shock, has long been an influence to contemporary film directors and writers for the modern interpretations of Surrealism in film. His film Spellbound (1945) is a primary example of this influence. Surrealism is a style of art that was developed to create an expressive expansion of the dreams of artists so that the internal could be expressed rather than the external repeated. For Salvador Dali, the work of the Surrealist is â€Å"based on phantasms and representations brought about by the materializations of unconscious acts†. The style utilizes what is real but puts it into an unreal framework. A good example of this type of recreation is in Salvador Dali’s Lobster Telephone, 1936, where a lobster has been substituted for the receiver of the telephone.

Buying & Merchandising Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Buying & Merchandising Project - Essay Example In propounding such a vision of capitalism, Schumpeter extrapolated the business model framework for competitive markets, stating â€Å"capitalism, then is by nature a form or method of economic change† (Schumpeter, 1942). Furthermore, Schumpeter argued that innovation was the key to success and survival in a capitalist state and Reinert refers to the fact that the term highlights how failure to be innovative in business results in a â€Å"vicious circle where developing countries, lacking the necessary technological and institutional infrastructure, fall further and further behind† (Reinert, 2004:11). Therefore according to Schumpeter’s model, capitalism is the central change embodied in technological advancement and innovation as a form of economic evolution (Aghion, P., & Howitt, P., 1992). From a retailing perspective, it is evident that proliferation of the multi-channel retailing paradigm as required retailers to â€Å"innovate† in order to maintain position in the marketplace (Levy & Weitz, 2008). Schumpeter further argues that internal innovation within a business operational framework produces lower costs, which in turn permits companies to sell products at lower prices, which is referred to as dynamic efficiency (Utterback, J. 1996). This in turn highlights a key element of Schumpeter’s model that competition for innovation as opposed to competition for customers is the most important, which arguably underpins contemporary multi-channel retail strategy (Diamond & Pintel, 2004). Innovation in the context of multi-channel retail strategy essentially becomes essential to effective capitalism, providing the foundation of dynamism in line with Schumpeter’s theory that the evolution and sustainability of a successful business model is not dependant on how capitalism administers existing models, but rather with how it destroys them through creativity to survive long term growth (Metcalfe, J.S. 1998; Levy & Weitz,

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Vincent Van Gogh at the National Gallery of Art Essay

Vincent Van Gogh at the National Gallery of Art - Essay Example Reproductions of his work appear on posters, calendars, mouse pads, and other widespread consumer items. His influence was especially strong on the French Fauvists and German Expressionists immediately following his death. Even those works not immediately known today are quickly recognized by his unique style and approach, yet Van Gogh himself saw little of this success or popularity while he was alive. No publications can be found discussing his work while he was alive and only a few mentions of him, mostly negative, are found before 1910. However, paintings such as Wheatfield with Cypress reveal a great deal of the artist’s approach and emotion as well as the various ways in which he revolutionized the art world. Wheatfield with Cypress is an example of Van Gogh’s work while he was a resident at Saint-Remy hospital for the mentally unstable. It is a member of a series of paintings in which Van Gogh explored an image or a theme. Whether it was this painting or another one of the series, he wrote to his brother Theo that the trees â€Å"are always occupying my thoughts, I should like to make something of them like the canvases of the sunflowers, because it astonishes me that they have not yet been done as I see them. The tree is as beautiful of line and proportion as an Egyptian obelisk. And the green has a quality of such distinction. It is a splash of black in a sunny landscape, but it is one of the most interesting black notes, and the most difficult to hit off exactly that I can imagine† (cited in Wallace, 1969: 144). His fascination with the trees themselves as well as their contribution to the landscape overall is evident within this painting. The image depicts an initially confusing scene. The brightly lit landscape is covered by a swirling mass of clouds in a sky that seems eternally blue. The scene depicts a golden wheatfield not far from the hospital in which Van Gogh stayed in southern France.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Buying & Merchandising Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Buying & Merchandising Project - Essay Example In propounding such a vision of capitalism, Schumpeter extrapolated the business model framework for competitive markets, stating â€Å"capitalism, then is by nature a form or method of economic change† (Schumpeter, 1942). Furthermore, Schumpeter argued that innovation was the key to success and survival in a capitalist state and Reinert refers to the fact that the term highlights how failure to be innovative in business results in a â€Å"vicious circle where developing countries, lacking the necessary technological and institutional infrastructure, fall further and further behind† (Reinert, 2004:11). Therefore according to Schumpeter’s model, capitalism is the central change embodied in technological advancement and innovation as a form of economic evolution (Aghion, P., & Howitt, P., 1992). From a retailing perspective, it is evident that proliferation of the multi-channel retailing paradigm as required retailers to â€Å"innovate† in order to maintain position in the marketplace (Levy & Weitz, 2008). Schumpeter further argues that internal innovation within a business operational framework produces lower costs, which in turn permits companies to sell products at lower prices, which is referred to as dynamic efficiency (Utterback, J. 1996). This in turn highlights a key element of Schumpeter’s model that competition for innovation as opposed to competition for customers is the most important, which arguably underpins contemporary multi-channel retail strategy (Diamond & Pintel, 2004). Innovation in the context of multi-channel retail strategy essentially becomes essential to effective capitalism, providing the foundation of dynamism in line with Schumpeter’s theory that the evolution and sustainability of a successful business model is not dependant on how capitalism administers existing models, but rather with how it destroys them through creativity to survive long term growth (Metcalfe, J.S. 1998; Levy & Weitz,

In Shakespeares Macbeth various devices are used to present the weird sisters as integral to the plot Essay Example for Free

In Shakespeares Macbeth various devices are used to present the weird sisters as integral to the plot Essay In Shakespeares Macbeth various devices are used to present the weird sisters as integral to the plot. In a modern context, are they still plausible figures? So witherd and so wild in their attire, that look not like thinhabitants othearth, and yet are ont? This description of the three weird sisters given by Banquo on first setting eyes on them creates an illusion of hell like hags; decayed and disfigured creatures. They are unnatural: they seem to be women but are not. It is Banquo who thinks they are evil: What! Can the devil speak true? Macbeth does not. Macbeth is intrigued by the sisters and later tells Lady Macbeth that he burned in desire to question them further. Macbeth asks the witches to stay showing he is interested in their predictions; Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more. The sisters speak dangerous thoughts, the same perhaps already plaguing his mind. If their predictions were already thoughts in the back of Macbeths mind, then the sisters lack power over him at this point. By examining the first conversation he has with Lady Macbeth on first returning home from battle, And when goes hence, tomorrow as he purposes this could be seen as evidence of couple having discussed the downfall of Duncan on an earlier date. If this is true then the sisters could be seen as mere triggers; they release the fiery evil within Macbeth. The fact that the sisters are in the first scene of the play confirms that they are important characters and from what they say, When the hurlyburlys done, when the battles lost and won gives the impression they know what is going to pass in the rest of the play. They meet in foul weather and talk of thunder, lightening and the fog and filthy air, giving the audience a first impression that Macbeth is a dark, dangerous play in which the theme of evil is central. They embody a malign and demonic intelligence. Their information does tempt Macbeth-but it is crucial to remember: they do not invite him to murder Duncan or even suggest a thing. Information is morally neutral until human beings begin to interpret it. The three hags prophecy that Macbeth will be king, they make no inclination whatsoever how he will come about this regal title. A lingering question still remains; had Macbeth given thought to killing Duncan before, and if the sisters had not made their prophecy, would Macbeth have murdered Duncan that night at the castle? In fact this is an unanswerable question but at the same time also very crucial. For if the answer is yes, the sisters would no longer be integral to the plot but be there just for the means of a supernatural subplot. On the other hand taking it as is given in the play, the implications of this are that Macbeth relies wholly on the sisters to spur him on. Macbeth is not a fool he realises that the prophecies cannot be ill, cannot be good and the forecasts of the future must come at a cost. Later on though, Macbeth no doubt driven by the success of his murdering of Duncan, seems to forget the sisters haunt that none of woman born shall harm Macbeth and the movement of Birnam Wood. Banquos warning to Macbeth concerning the instruments of darkness might also be seen as prophetical; Macbeth is betrayed as a result of believing these truths, and he comes to realise this in his final confrontation with Macduff. As the play goes on Macbeth is mixing his conscious life with his subconscious and the weird sisters become like a drug for him; the more you get, the better you feel, the more you want. The weird sisters prophecies draw out the evil within Macbeth; everyone has the basis to be truly wicked but not all of us have the trigger to pull it off, most of us are too full of the milk of human kindness. Regarding Macbeth, the weird sisters were his trigger. The evil does not come from anywhere else other than human nature. The sisters have not completely managed to corrupt Macbeth though. Both before and after Duncans murder Macbeth shows signs that his own natural feelings are still present in his character and that the witches do not have total power over him. He is foul for the things that he has done but is somewhat fair as he still has a natural human conscience. Before the murder Macbeth thinks that it would be cruel to kill innocent Duncan: Besides, this Duncan hath borne his faculties so meek, Had I but died an hour before this chance I had lived a blessed time. His feelings about Duncans murder are very similar to those about Banquos murder although he only acted out the first himself. He is sick with worry and guilt about Banquos murder, so much so he is turned to near madness by the bloody ghost of Banquo haunting him. On stage, Shakespeare sought to make the Witches actable and recognisable to his audience.In Britain we either rationalise Witchcraft or mock it and we have the added problem of an audience having seen Macbeth a countless number of times, often in very unconvincing renditions of Double, double toil and trouble it has even become some what of a comic joke book. With hooked nosed women dressed in black with pointed hats chanting round a cauldron; not quite a depiction of three terrifying, blood curdling, residents of hell. Shakespeare himself had to make adjustments to keep up with stage fashion. Originally he had three devils in place of the weird sisters, but the theatrical currency of devils was already starting to devalue through overuse, and they were more likely to induce laughter than fear. James I who was on the throne when Macbeth was written, famously believed in witches, he even wrote the novel, Daemonologie on the subject. Yet, during the lifetime of the king, attitudes to stage witches shifted and they started down the same comic route as the devils before them. This might be why no one in the text of Macbeth uses the word witch. When Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, weird characters were deemed capable of prophecy. Macbeth makes the association when he asks why the sisters stop our way, with such prophetic greeting. The modern mind, though, hear the modern denotation of weird, which incidentally, is used to describe those bearded ladies who vanish into the air. Formerly, weird ladies; those who endowed prophetic powers, were presumed to have magical powers as well. Now, ladies who think they have magical powers are presumed to be weird or peculiar Therefore it is becoming increasingly more difficult to make a contemporary western materialistic audience believe in them. Directors struggle to think of new interpretations of how to represent them. Are they young or old, male or female, disfigured or beautiful? Or even to represent them with the appearance of normal human beings, for that in itself is probably the most frightening understanding. Robert Cohen, in his 1982 Colorado Shakespeare Festival production, cast three beautiful women as the witches. Dressed in topless gowns they seduced Macbeth into a life of crime and corruption; here the weird sisters were depicted as real women more psychic than supernatural. Perhaps they too like Macbeth had morality, but had all the goodness sucked away and the evil human nature was dragged out of them and they were left even more corrupt than Macbeth is, at least he has the next life; hell we assume, they have to spend eternity festering in this world. This of course would be going against Shakespeares description of them but in my opinion in order to create three plausible figures in a modern context it is essential to create three characters; if they do even have any character that will make todays critical and realistic mind really believe that they are looking upon true forces of evil, rather than three women in black cloaks chanting round a cauldron. Personally it would not be plausible in my mind that they would be able to take the evil out of a man, who could do such terrible deeds. Perhaps a modern interpretation might be that it is genetics which control the way people make decisions; for if a director were to stage a futuristic Macbeth with the weird sisters as genetic engineers controlling the future, this would gain the desired effect on the audience; pure fear. Also, at the same time keeping up with stage fashions, test tube babies; the idea of creating humans unnaturally. For all our scientific rationality, modern society still acknowledges that there are forces we cannot explain. Some people believe in supernatural phenomenon; ghosts witches, evil forces; others would explain everything as from within the human mind; for example Lady Macbeth who generates the evil is already within Macbeth, therefore are just plot devices, there to release it from him. Even though they cause no first hand evil themselves, they evil that they thus create by delivering their riddle like prophecies is integral to the tragedy of Macbeth and without them fair would not be foul and foul would not be fair.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Effects of Confirmation Bias on Consumer Attitudes Toward GM

Effects of Confirmation Bias on Consumer Attitudes Toward GM Literature Review: Evaluating the Effects of Confirmation Bias on Consumers Attitudes Toward Genetically Modified Foods Genetically modified foods (GMFs) have been a part of American life for more than twenty years, with the USDA approving the first commercial crop in 1994 (Bruening Lyons, 2000). Since then, genetically modified (GM) crops have boomed, with an estimated 70% of processed foods on grocery store shelves containing GM ingredients (Chrispeels, 2014). The United States Department of Agriculture has recognized many benefits of GM crops, including greater yields, increased nutritional value, and better seed quality (Fernandez-Cornejo et al, 2014). Given the current global food climate, with hunger and starvation still being prevalent in many countries, this is an important benefit. Since the introduction of GM crops into the food chain, a lot of questions have been asked regarding their safety and much research has been done in this regard. A 2014 meta-analysis of the previous ten years of data indicates that GMOs do not pose any direct threat to human health (Nicolia et al, 2014). Indeed, most scientists (Funk et al., 2015) and the World Health Organization (2015) believe that GM foods are safe to eat. Despite this data, only just over a third of Americans believe GMOs are safe for human consumption (Funk et al, 2015) and many will spend more for foods that they know are non-GMO (Fernandez-Cornejo et al., 2014). This indicates that GM foods continue to be a contentious issue, and it is one that is often played out on social media (Stevens et al., 2016). Food safety is an inherently emotional issue (Anderson 2000), and contentious issues, particularly emotional ones, are often hyped up in the media (Stieglitz Dang-Xuan, 2013). When consumers go to the media seeking information on the emotionally charged issue of GM food, they will find that much of information that is easily accessible to them is negative and centered more on popular opinion that scientific facts (Mahgoub, 2016; McCluskey, Swinnen, Vandermoortele, 2015). The medias negative portrayal of GM food has been linked to consumers negative perception of the products (Marques, Critchley, Walshe, 2014; Vilella-Villa Costa-Font, 2008). Both public opinion and scientific data play a part in how governments and regulatory bodies develop their policies, highlighting the importance of understanding the evidence and what shapes consumer attitudes toward GMOs (Druckman Bolsen, 2011; Page Shapiro, 1983). Public opinion is formed from the attitudes of individuals (Katz, 1960). Hostility to GMOs can lead to limiting development of research about them (e.g. Ceccoli Hixon, 2012) and restrict or ban the use of the technology (e.g. Siegrist, 2000). The success of GMO foods on the market depends on public opinion (Moschini et al, 2005). Facebook is the most popular social media platform in the United States. Nearly 80% of online Americans use Facebook, and of those, 76% use it every day, and 55% visit it several times a day (Funk Rainie, 2015). Many American adults (62%) get their news from Facebook and nearly a fifth (18%) do it often (Gottfried Shearer, 2016). Facebook offers near-instantaneous access to news and information in users newsfeeds, offering a greater ease of selectivity over more traditional media sources (Westerwick et al, 2013). However, the selectivity is biased towards users preexisting beliefs and attitudes, and serves to limit the amount of information available to them through the use of their algorithm that provides messaging consistent with previous likes of the user, as well as web searches, thus increasing the effect of selective exposure (Bakshy et al., 2015; Pariser, 2011), and an effect to which most people may be unaware of (Powers, 2017). This leads to tailoring a news feed that is i ncreasingly fragmented and polarized to the existing attitudes of the individual user (Westerwick et al, 2013). Facebook also elicits quick responses from users by way of how information is presented and does not require the user to put much cognitive effort into assessing its veracity. Users will often accept the first message they encounter without doing any further investigation (Flanagin Metzger, 2007; Chen et al, 2015), engaging in what Petty and Cacioppo (1986) termed peripheral processing. This is common in user assessment on online media (Fogg et al, 2003) and when making food-related decisions (Frewer et al., 1997). In this type of processing, people rely on simple cues (Andrews et al., 2011; Walters et al, 2012) and cognitive heuristics, such as confirmation bias, to evaluate information and form an attitude about it. This is particularly true when people want to decide about an issue that they do not know much about and are uncertain about the risks, benefits, and consequences (Tversky and Kanehan, 1975). With peripheral processing, no higher-order thinking, or central processing, goes into their formation of opinion. While engaged in peripheral processing, people will discredit the attitude incongruent information off-hand or will alter their perception of it so that it fits into their pre-existing schemas (Petty Cacioppo, 1986; Festinger, 1957). People generally prefer messages that fit with their pre-existing beliefs, and regardless of how much importance they attach to an issue, they are not likely to spend much time looking for credible information (Westerwick et al, 2013). The problem with engaging in peripheral processing when encountering messages on a platform like Facebook is that the credibility of the information they are accessing is often not verified (e.g., Moody, 2011) and people rarely verify the credibility of this information (Metzger, 2007). The information may be based on inferior data, is often driven by personal opinion (Ennals et. al, 2010), has no real standards for quality control or regulatory controls, and can be easily altered (Metzger et al, 2013). As mentioned earlier, confirmation bias is a cognitive heuristic that may be utilized when people are engaged in peripheral processing. The confirmation bias is a tendency for people to pay more attention to and attribute greater importance to information that is congruent with what they believe while overlooking or discrediting information that does not fit their preexisting beliefs (Klayman and Ha, 1987). Confirmation bias with regards to media exposure is well documented, with the first instance noted over seventy years ago (Lazarsfeld et al., 1944), however, the effect of confirmation bias on user attitudes is not consistent across different types of messaging. Political messaging and confirmation bias are well documented, but this is not the case for health messaging. Westerwick et al. (2013) found that people are generally more likely to look for credible information sources when it comes to their health. Alternatively, confirmation bias may be more pronounced if media coverage about an issue is negative, as could also be the case with GM foods (Lusk et al, 2014; Slovic, 1987). Given the impact of food safety on ones health, the question arises as to the role that confirmation bias has in consumers attitude formation toward GMOs, and this has not yet been adequately addressed by existing research. Research in this area would contribute to the knowledge of how to best design messaging to positively persuade public opinion regarding GMOs. Purpose and Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of attitudinally congruent and attitudinally non-congruent messaging concerning GMOs on how consumers self-evaluate GM foods under the Elaboration Likelihood framework. To accomplish this purpose the following objectives were constructed: Collect data on the pre-existing knowledge and beliefs of the audience about GMOs. Compare the perceptions of attitudinally congruent and attitudinally non-congruent GMO messaging. Compare the beliefs and attitudes of consumers pre and post-message exposure. References Andrews, J. C., Burton, S., Kees, J. (2011). Is simpler always better? Consumer evaluations of front-of-package nutrition symbols. Journal of Public Policy Marketing, 30(2), 175- 190. Anderson, W. A. (2000). The future relationship between the media, the food industry and the consumer. British Medical Bulletin, 56(1), 254-268. Baker, G. A., Burnham, T. A. (2001). Consumer response to genetically modified foods: Market segment analysis and implications for producers and policy makers. Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 26(2), 387. Retrieved from http://proxy.mul.missouri.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/214697691?accountid=14576 Bakshy, E., Messing, S., Adamic, L. (2015). Exposure to ideologically diverse news and opinion on Facebook. Science, 348(6239), 1130-1132. doi:10.1126/science.aaa1160 Bruening, G., Lyons, J. (2000). The case of the FLAVR SAVR tomato. California Agriculture, 54(4), 6-7. Ceccoli, S., Hixon, W. (2012). Explaining attitudes toward genetically modified foods in the European Union. International Political Science Review, 33(3), 301-319. Chen, K. J., Kim, J., Lin, J. S. (2015). The effects of affective and cognitive elaborations from Facebook posts on consumer attitude formation. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 14(3), 208-218. Chrispeels, M. J. (2014). Yes indeed, most Americans do eat GMOs every day! Journal of  Integrative Plant Biology, 56(1), 4-6. doi: 10.1111/jipb.12147 Druckman, J. N., Bolsen, T. (2011). Framing, motivated reasoning, and opinions about emergent eechnologies. Journal of Communication, 61(4), 659-688. doi:10.1111/j.1460- 2466.2011.01562.x Ennals, R., Byler, D., Agosta, J. M., Rosario, B. (2010, April). What is disputed on the web? In Proceedings of the 4th workshop on Information credibility (pp. 67-74). ACM. Fernandez-Cornejo, J., Wechsler, S., Livingston, M., Mitchell, L. (2014). Genetically engineered crops in the United States Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. Fischer, P., Jonas, E., Frey, D., Schulz-Hardt, S., 2005. Selective exposure to information: the impact of information limits. European Journal of Social Psychology, 35, 469-492. Fogg, B. J., Soohoo, C., Danielson, D. R., Marable, L., Stanford, J., Tauber, E. R. (2003). How do users evaluate the credibility of Web sites? A study with over 2,500 participants. In Proceedings of the 2003 conference on Designing for user experiences (pp. 1-15). ACM. Frewer, L. J., Howard, C., Hedderley, D., Shepherd, R. (1997). The elaboration likelihood  model and communication about food risks. Risk Analysis, 17(6), 759-769.  doi:10.1111/j.1539-6924.1997.tb01281.x Funk, C., Rainie, L., Page, D. (2015). Public and scientists views on science and society. Pew Research Center 2015. Retrieved from: http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/29/public- and-scientists-views-on-science-and-society/ Goodwin, J. N. (2013). Taking down the walls of agriculture: Effect of transparent  communication and personal relevance on attitudes and trust within the Elaboration  Likelihood Model (Doctoral Dissertation). Retrieved from:  http://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/E0/04/53/18/00001/GOODWIN_J.pdf Gottfried, J., Shearer, E. (2016). News use across social media platforms 2016. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from: http://www.journalism.org/2016/05/26/news-use-across-social- media-platforms-2016/ Jang., S. (2014). Seeking congruency or incongruency online? Examining selective exposure to four controversial science issues. Science Communication, 36(2), 143-167. Health Focus International. (2015). Global shopper views on GMOs. Retrieved from http://www.healthfocus.com/hf/global-shopper-views-on-gmos/ Katz, D. (1960). The functional approach to the study of attitudes. Public opinion quarterly, 24(2), 163-204. Klayman, J., Ha, Y. W. (1987). Confirmation, disconfirmation, and information in hypothesis testing. Psychological review, 94(2), 211. Lazarsfeld, P. F., Gaudet, H., Berelson, B. (1944). The peoples choice: how the voter makes up his mind in a presidential campaign. New York: Duell, Sloan, and Pearce. Lusk, J. L., Roosen, J., Bieberstein, A. (2014). Consumer acceptance of new food technologies: Causes and roots of controversies. Annual Review of Resource Economics 6, 381-405. Mahgoub, S. E. (2016). Genetically Modified Foods: Basics, Applications, and Controversy. CRC Press. Marques, M. D., Critchley, C. R., Walshe, J. (2014). Attitudes to genetically modified food  over time: How trust in organizations and the media cycle predict support. Public  Understanding of Science, 24(5), 601-618. doi:10.1177/0963662514542372 McCluskey, J. J., Swinnen, J., Vandemoortele, T. (2015). You get what you want: A note on the economics of bad news. Information Economics and Policy, 30, 1-5. Metzger, M. J. (2007). Making sense of credibility on the Web: Models for evaluating online information and recommendations for future research. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 58(13), 2078-2091. Metzger, M. J., Flanagin, A. J. (2013). Credibility and trust of information in online environments: The use of cognitive heuristics. Journal of Pragmatics, 59, 210-220. Meyers, C. A. (2008). The agricultural angle: Effect of framing agricultural biotechnology  messages on attitudes and intent to publish within the Elaboration Likelihood Model  (Doctoral Dissertation). Retrieved from http://gradworks.umi.com/33/34/3334488.html Moody, K. E. (2011). Credibility or convenience? Political information choices in a  media-saturated environment. Media International Australia, 140, 35-64. Moschini, G., Bulut, H., Cembalo, L. (2005). On the segregation of genetically modified, conventional and organic products in European agriculture: a multià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ market equilibrium analysis. Journal of Agricultural Economics, 56(3), 347-372. Nicolia, A., Manzo, A., Veronesi, F., Rosellini, D. (n.d). An overview of the last 10 years of genetically engineered crop safety research. Critical Reviews in Biotechnology, 34(1), 77-88. doi: 10.3109/07388551.2013.823595 Page, B. I., Shapiro, R. Y. (1983). Effects of Public Opinion on Policy. The American Political Science Review, (1). 175. Pariser, E. (2011). The filter bubble: How the new personalized web is changing what we read and how we think. Penguin. Powers, E. (2017). My News Feed is Filtered?: Awareness of news personalization among college students. Digital Journalism, 1-21. doi:10.1080/21670811.2017.1286943 Petty, R. E., Cacioppo, J. T. (1986). The elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. In Communication and persuasion (pp. 1-24). Springer New York. Siegrist, M. (2000). The influence of trust and perceptions of risks and benefits on the acceptance of gene technology. Risk analysis, 20(2), 195-204. Slovic, P. (1987) Perception of risk. Science, 236, 280-285 Greenwood, S., Perrin, A., Duggan, M. (2016). Social media update 2016. Pew Research Centre. Retrieved from: http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/11/11/social-media-update- 2016/ Stieglitz, S., Dang-Xuan, L. (2013). Emotions and information diffusion in social media- sentiment of microblogs and sharing behavior. Journal of Management Information Systems, 29(4), 217-248. Stevens, T. M., Aarts, N., Termeer, C. J. A. M., Dewulf, A. (2016). Social media as a new playing field for the governance of agro-food sustainability. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 18, 99-106. Tversky, A., Kahneman, D. (1975). Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases. In Utility, probability, and human decision making (pp. 141-162). Springer Netherlands. Vilella-Vila, M., Costa-Font, J. (2008). Press media reporting effects on risk perceptions and  attitudes towards genetically modified (GM) food. The Journal of Socio-Economics,  37(5), 2095-2106. doi:10.1016/j.socec.2008.04.006 Walters, A., Long, M. (2012). The effect of food label cues on perceptions of quality and purchase intentions among high-involvement consumers with varying levels of nutrition knowledge. Journal of nutrition education and behavior, 44(4), 350-354. Westerwick, A., Kleinman, S. B., Knobloch-Westerwick, S. (2013). Turn a Blind Eye If You Care: Impacts of Attitude Consistency, Importance, and Credibility on Seeking of Political Information and Implications for Attitudes. Journal of Communication, 63(3), 432-453. doi:10.1111/jcom.12028 World Health Organization. (2015). Frequently asked questions on genetically modified foods.  Retrieved from http://www.who.int/foodsafety/areas_work/food-technology/faq-genetically-modified-food/en/

Sunday, October 13, 2019

International Tribunal Courts, Truth Commissions, and Reparations Commi

I. Introduction No one can possibly deny or ignore the overwhelming amount of mass atrocities that took place during the twentieth century. From the â€Å"Great Purge† orchestrated by Stalin in the former Soviet Union to the Holocaust of World War II led by the Nazis, South Africa’s apartheid, Argentina’s â€Å"Dirty War†, and the tactics of terror, repression, and torture used by many military regimes, not to mention Rwanda’s Genocide (Minow, 1998, p. 1). More surprisingly, these unspeakable and horrifying events took place during the past century. However, such unforgettable atrocities helped to raise consciousness among the international community, which led to the formation of needed international norms to protect, avoid, and prevent similar atrocities from ever happening again. In addition, several mechanisms were developed by the international community with the finality to repair, reconcile, and prosecute perpetrators. Such mechanisms include International Tribunals, Truth Commissions, Reparations, among others (Minow, 1998). But, how successful have these mechanisms been at achieving such intended goals? Professor Minow provides a compelling answer to this question in her book titled â€Å"Between Vengeance and Forgiveness†. Minow explores the formal responses of some nations to mass atrocities and argues that the acknowledgment of past event is of vital importance in the process of forgiveness, reconciliation, and reconstruction of a society as whole. In addition to that, she notes the importance of Truth Commission, International Tribunals, and Reparations for past damages. Nevertheless, she recognizes that such mechanisms have limitations that might, in some cases, hinder a nation’s healing process. Thus, the author concludes that ... ...logical change. However, such reconciliation cannot emerge without a truthful acknowledgement of past events that permit victims to get closure as well as a shared vision of the future. Additionally, the reconciliation and the healing process of a society entail forgiveness that can only be granted by the victim himself. But what if a society is not ready to forgive or let go of the past? The unwillingness of a society as a whole to forgive hinders the process of reconciliation. In the absence of this willingness to forgive, truth commission could become compromised, reluctant, or simply turned into merely platforms to criticize old regimes. Chile, Uganda, and Chad are some examples where truth commissions were less effective in achieving their intended purpose of reconciliation due to the unwillingness of the society to forgive past actions (Avruch, 2010, p.35).

Saturday, October 12, 2019

NASA vs. Public Schools Essay -- Exploratory Essays Research Papers

NASA vs. Public Schools Dozens of cupcakes arrive at Cape Canaveral, baked and iced by astronauts and their spouses. The heads of NASA believe this fundraiser will save the space program for the next year. After all, if everyone who cares about the future of the last frontier buys a cupcake, we can save the funding of the space program. Yeah, right! Sadly, our country spends 13.5 billion dollars on space exploration but can't find enough funding for our public schools. (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/congress/budget1.html) The United States is the richest nation on our planet. Yet, parent clubs all over the country spend volunteer time raising money for public schools. Why do we not have enough funding for our public schools and who is responsible for our lack of funds? An article on NASA's website shows me a testimony by NASA Administrator, Dan Goldin, who spoke before the U.S. House of Representative's subcommittee after the NASA budget received an eleven-percent reduction in funding. Mr. Goldin feels outrage that the space program would be expected to function on such restricted funding. Goldin states this kind of cut would "gut space exploration." With closures of NASA centers and significant layoffs, Mr. Goldin predicts this budget cut will affect employee morale. Mr. Goldin poignantly states, "Perhaps most sadly, we will lose the opportunity to inspire a future generation of children." (http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/Goldin/2000/testimony) Goldin's issue is the reduction in his budget. In my experience with budgets, reduction of the budget means, Goldin and his team are going to have to cut costs. Reading between the lines of his argument, I presume the eleven-percent are costs he does not want to cut. It must be his beli... ...ronomers, or engineers to further our advancing future. We must concentrate on the educational funding of our nation. I perceive the National PTA to have a valid mission in the lives of our children and education. Instead of raising funds through the community, perhaps we can become political advocates and persuade our politicians to allocate necessary funds to our public education; instead of baking cupcakes. Cupcakes in hand, I head to my next PTA fundraiser. I realize cupcakes are not going to save the education system for the next year, just as they cannot save a space program. After all, we do care about the future of education for our children. We need to analyze our issues and decide how to go about trimming the state educational budget. NASA can live through the budget cuts without cupcakes and so can our educational system. But for now, cupcake, anyone?

Friday, October 11, 2019

Discuss the various ways which Robert Swindells presents life in ‘The streets of London’ Essay

â€Å"I’m invisible see? One of the invisible people.† Link, a young 16 year old boy from Bradford who is homeless, desperate to escape his Brutish stepfather feels that he has become an invisible outcast. Another quotation to support this is when Link says, â€Å"They don’t like reminding I exist.† Link says this to show the reader that he is worthless uses this type of language to make the reader more aware of how difficult it is to live on the streets of London. Link’s character in the book also emphasises a feeling of coldness. An example of this is shown when link says, â€Å"Also I kept seeing people I knew Neighbours. Guys I’d even been at school with. I even saw one of my teachers once. And if you have ever been caught begging by someone who you knew before, you can’t possibly know how low it makes you feel† This also makes the reader think that Link has a very lo self esteem and is very depressed. Another quotation to support this is when Link says, â€Å"I was one of them now – poised at the top of that downward spiral†. Kink says this making the reader understand how hard it is to be living on the streets. Shelter, the less predominant character in the novel, who is trying to rid the streets of homeless people uses subject specific Lexis to show the reader that he has a background in the army or has worked for the army. This is shown to the reader as Shelter always starts his chapters with, â€Å"Daily routine orders†. Link uses sarcasm to emphasise a point, for example, â€Å"Good old Vince†. After Describing Vince as a Brutish, evil stepfather who is a boozer and a bastard, Link says, â€Å"Good old Vince†. The author, Robert Swindells uses this to create an irony. At the beginning of page three Link mentions, â€Å"Born March 20th 1977†¦ to Mr & Mrs X†. Link says this to show the reader that he has forgotten the past and wants to get on with life. The main quotation to support and emphasise this is, â€Å"Mr & Mrs X†. Another statement to support this is when Link says, â€Å"I strode out of the station with my backpack and bedroll, and it felt like a new beginning†. This also shows the reader that link was positive life would improve from what it was with Vince. Another quotation to support this is â€Å"Nobody knows you. Where you’re from and what’s gone before. That’s you’re business†. One other quotation to support this is when Link chooses the name to give to Ginger he says, â€Å"‘Link’ I said. I’d seen it on this signpost earlier. Thames – Link. It’s a railway.† Robert Swindells also uses various techniques to make living on the streets look very hard and scary. The reader is informed of this when Link says, â€Å"Sad is what it is, Sad and scary. You’re leaving a place you know and heading into the unknown with nothing to protect you. This also informs the reader that this novel appears to be tragedy in many respects. Link feels very depressed after applying for many jobs in London and not getting any because he was homeless and was looking rough and scruffy, also looking like a tramp because of sleeping in the same clothes on the solid concrete floor. When Link started living on the streets of London he thought he was a hard boy who everyone would be terrified of after hitting an old bloke but his hopes were soon dashed after he was kicked out of his ‘bedroom’ by the streetwise, tough person he wanted to be. An example of this is shown to us when Link mentions, â€Å"this guy was what I was kidding myself I’d become†. Robert Swindells uses Shelters storyline as a very good way in which to present living on the streets of London. As Shelter goes around London looking for young and old people, whenever Shelter says, â€Å"Hostel† he always manages to get them to his house so that he can kill them. This shows the reader that homeless people are desperate for somewhere comfortable to sleep at. An example of this is when Shelter gets his first client, â€Å"That got him ‘hostel’†¦he fell for it hook line and sinker†. On page twenty-one Shelter also says, â€Å"I am not a murderer at all – I’m a Soldier out of uniform, killing for his country.† After killing a homeless person shelter mentions to the reader that he is not a murderer but a soldier killing for his country. This statement is not true as Shelter has murdered people who have done nothing to him and his country. Shelter thinks he is doing a good thing and is particularly careful about every step he takes. The author, Robert Swindells uses this to create an irony. As the reader gets deeper and deeper into the book, they start to grasp knowledge of Shelters storyline and start to know the feeling of how it is to be homeless and the different setbacks and failures it may have. The reader also learns not to stereotype homeless people.

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Poor Liza Character in 20th Century Russian Literature Essay

It is no accident that the name that is attributed to the heroine in a number of Russian novels of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries is named after some derivation of the name Elizabeth. Karamzin is the first to revere this name in his work Poor Liza and it is this work that sets off a chain reaction that causes the occurrence of subsequent characters in Russian literature. This character can particularly be found in works such as Pushkin’s Queen of Spades, Griboyedov’s Woe from Wit, and even briefly in Gogol’s Dead Souls. At the time that Karamzin published Poor Liza, Russia had recently seen the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1741-1761) who played a great role in shaping Russia’s identity and culture. Through a close reading of those Russian texts which include the Elizabeth character, an understanding of this name’s historic role in Russian literature can be achieved and its parallels to the monarch that this name evokes. Before tracing t he Liza name in the Russian texts, it is important to better understand the character traits and lives of the empresses after whom this name takes. The more significant of these being Queen Elizabeth of Russia as it was not long after her reign that Karamzin wrote Poor Liza. Elizabeth was born to Peter I of Russia and Catherine I of Russia; however due to the fact that her parents’ marriage was not publically acknowledged at the time of her birth, this would be a detail used to challenge her legitimacy to the throne by political opponents (Antonov, 104).In her outward appearance, Elizabeth delighted everyone, â€Å"with her extraordinary beauty and vivacity. She was commonly known as the leading beauty of the Russian Empire† (Antonov, 104). Politically, Elizabeth was seen as the heroine of the Russian cause as was attributed to her, â€Å"steady appreciation of Russian interests, and her determination to promote them at all hazards† (Rice, pg 121). Russia under Elizabeth’s rule reasserted her power over foreign repression as the country had been under direction of a number of German favorites and pres sure from the West. It was upon her coronation that a royal decree was issued stating, â€Å"the Russian people have been groaning under the enemies of the Christian faith, but she has delivered them from the degrading foreign oppression† (Antonov, 109). Elizabeth is also remembered for championing the arts and scholarship through the vast funding she poured into projects such as the Moscow State University, the Winter Palace, and the Imperial Academy of Arts (Antonov, 106). The image of Elizabeth is also painted by her deep devotion to religion in that she disengaged many of the legislations that her father had done to limit the power of the church (Rice 149). In many ways, Elizabeth I becomes the perfect root from which the image of the heroic Russian woman springs from as is later manifested in Russian Literature following her reign. The first time that Russian is introduced to the Liza character is in Karamzin’s Poor Liza which was published in 1792, following Elizabeth I’s rule . The main heroine, Liza’s, characteristics can be attributed to those of Elizabeth herself. The first of these similarities can be found in both of the female’s fathers. Liza’s father is described as, â€Å"a rather well-to-do settler, for he loved work, tilled the land well† (Karamzin, 80). The hardworking nature of the father can also be seen in the traits of Elizabeth I’s father, Peter the Great who’s restless work made Russia into an empire. However the greater likeness lies in the negative effects caused by each of the women’s father’s deaths. In Poor Liza, soon after Liza’s father’s death, â€Å"his wife and daughter grew poor†¦and they were forced to rent out their land for a pittance sum† (Karamzin, 80). Similarly, after the death of Peter I, â€Å"no royal court or noble house in Europe could allow a son to pay court to Elizabeth, as it would be seen as an unfriendly act to the Empress Annaâ₠¬  (Coughlan, 59). The lowering of stature for both Liza and Elizabeth made it difficult for both to find a fitting husband. In Liza’s case, lest she ends up marrying someone she does not love. When Erast and Liza are discussing the marriage arrangements that are being made for her to be married to a peasant boy and Erast asks if she would marry him instead, she says to him, â€Å"but you can never be my husband!†¦ I am a peasant girl† (Karamzin, 87). Since Elizabeth I was shunned from the royal courts after her father’s death and at the same time she could not marry below her so as not to lose the royal title, the empress died unmarried, as did Liza. However, this is not the only shared experience of the Russian heroines. Another parallel between the empress and Karamzin’s peasant girl can be found in their educational background. For a queen, Elizabeth I was considered lacking of the solid education needed for her role. This could mostly be blamed on Peter I’s focus on state affairs and her mother’s illiterateness and laissez-affair approach to her daughter’s studies (Antonov, 104). A comparable trait can be drawn in Liza, specifically when she is saying good-bye to Erast and she says, â€Å"Oh! Why do I not know how to read or write!† (Karamzin, 89). And so, both women were undereducated for the role they had come to fill, a ruler and a worried-sick lover. Taking a closer look at Elizabeth’s and Liza’s personalities it becomes evident that they share commonalities. For instance, when Karamzin first introduces his Liza character, he says that, â€Å"to soothe her mother she tried to hide the grief in her heart and appear at ease and gay† (Karamzin 81). This gayness can be also found in Elizabeth I as she was well known for her gaiety and playfulness as was evidences by the cross-dressing balls that she held at her court (Rice 136). Another example of their similar characters can be found in the virginal beauty and pious image created by both. Karamzin describes Liza as being a â€Å"rare beauty† (Karamzin, 80) and Elizabeth in her youth was as already mentioned the premier beauty of Russia in her day. It is also important to note the pureness in the aura created by Liza as she is unspoiled by the trivialities of high-society. The color white can be found in a number of images in connection with Liza, the first being the lilies of the valley which Liza sells at the market in Moscow (Karamzin, 81). These flowers are typically small and white in nature and by Christian are attributed to the tears of the Virgin Mary during the crucifixion of Christ, thus by having Liza the vendor of such flowers, she is placed into a wholesome and holy light (Krymow, 18). Another place in which the color white and purity is shown in connection to Liza is when Erast visits her home and says, â€Å"I am very tired. Would you have any fresh milk?† (Karamzin 82). Liza, â€Å"ran to the cellar, brought back a clean earthenware pot, washed it and dried it with a white towel, poured and handed the glass through the window† (Karamzin 82). Even when Liza falls in love she is described as having a , â€Å"pure, and open heart† (Karamzin, 85) and there are more images of purity and whiteness as is seen when the two lovers meet at night and, â€Å"they embrace – but chaste, shy Cynthia did not hide from them behind a cloud; their embraces were pure and sinless.† (Karamzin, 86). Karamzin also describes Liza through Erast’s eyes as a shepherdess, again evoking an image of purity (Karamzin, 86). Even when Liza gives up her virginity to Erast, Karamzin still evokes images of purity when he says, â€Å"like a lamb she submitted to his will in everything† (Karamzin, 89). These holy referents in Karamzin’s Poor Liza, create a sacred image out of the Liza character which is similar to the character traits of Elizabeth I. Part of the reason that the empress Elizabeth built so many churches was that at one point she was considering becoming a nun. For this reason The Convent was built and erected by her order (Bain, 138). She is also attributed to building the most number of churches as compared to any other Russian monarch, the most famous being the Smolny Catherdral (Bain, 138).In her religious devotion, and her unmarried life lie some of the stronger parallels to Karamzin’s Liza character from which the spring the lineage of the Liza characters. Following Poor Liza, other writers also began evoking the image of Elizabeth I in their writing. The next one being Griboyedov’s in his Lizzie character in Woe from Wit. Again the Liza character, in this case being Lizzie, is painted as a picture of pure virginal beauty. Lizzie’s outer appearance is described by Molchalin: There’s one thing I’m thinking of: These cheeks, these veins and all Have not yet seen the flush of love. (Griboyedov, IV.xii.4-6) In the last line, Mochalin especially points out the paleness of her skin which shows her virginity. Another similarity between Elizabeth I Liza, and Lizzie, is that they all reject or lovers who rank higher or equal to them. Lizzie for example pushes away Molchalin when he tries to embrace her (Griboyedov, IV.xii.51-52) and instead loves someone of lower or equal rank: So strange these people seem to be! She craves for him, he craves for me, And I’m†¦ the only one who’s scared of love, Barman Petrusha, my sweetest dove. (Griboyedov, I.xiv.4-6) Lizzie also rejects Famusov when he corners her in the hall and embraces. She is stern with him and shows little interest, despite his rank: It’s you who’s frivolous, let go, will you? Compose yourself, old man. This is corresponds with the relationship dynamics of Elizabeth I in that she was once betrothed to Prince Karl Augustus but he died before they could be married(Coughlan, 23). Instead of seeking a husband of equal stature, which proved difficult because she was not welcome in noble circles she pursued lovers in the military and service, eventually settling on a Ukrainian peasant in a church choir by the name Alexis Razumovsky (Coughlan, 59). Yet there are more similarities that can be traced between Elizabeth and Lizzie’s characters. Elizabeth I’s rule was marked by the extravagant balls and events who would throw. On average, her weekly balls would host approximately 800 guests and she would also often throw smaller parties for her court members (Rice, 135). Lizzie, like Elizabeth, also enjoys a celebrations and parties. For this reason when she is speak with Sofia she reminds her, â€Å"the holiday is coming! Time for fun!† (Griboyedov, I.v.1). Lizzie is referring to the get together that will happen in the play as it will give her a chance to see her beloved Petrushka. Following Lizzie’s character, the Liza image carried over next to Pushkin’s work, Queen of Spades. The Lizaveta character in Queen of Spades is reminiscent of the young Elizabeth I who was unpopular at the royal court. Lizaveta is first described to the reader as the â€Å"martyr† of the house as she was always being scolded and blamed for everything (Pushkin, 348). This again evokes the saintly images created by Karamzin and Griboyedov. Particularly similar to the young queen is Lisaveta in the following passage: â€Å"She had a fixed salary, but it was never paid in full; at the same time she was expected to dress like everyone else, that is, like the few. In society she played the most pitiable role. Everybody knew her, but nobody took any notice of her; at the balls she danced only when an extra partner was needed for a vis-à  -vis.† (Pushkin, 349) This image is similar to that of Elizabeth in that she had royal blood and for this reason was expected to dress and act a certain way; however she was not accepted by the society she was a part of. In addition to the way in which the young Elizabeth fit into society, Lisaveta is also similar to Elizabeth in her later age. When Elizabeth I was growing old she began having complications with her health that caused dizzy spells. She grew increasingly depressed and disallowed the word ‘death’ to be spoken in her presence (Antonov, 109). This antic can also be seen in the actions of Lizaveta in her interactions with Tomskii: â€Å"By the way, methinks she must be getting on, Princess Daria Petrovna? â€Å" What do you mean getting on?† Tomskii answered absentmindedly. â€Å"She’s been dead for these seven years.† The young lady raised her head and signaled to him. He remembered the old Countess was never informed of the death of any of her contemporaries, and he bit his lip.† (Pushkin, 345). In this instance the image of Elizabeth I gets somewhat muddled since it is unclear whether the countess disallows the subject of death to be brought up in front of her or if it is Lisaveta who does not like the idea. The old Countess herself mirrors Elizabeth I in that she cares a great deal about her outer appearance as the countess dressed in a fashion, â€Å"strictly following the fashions of the 1770s, spending just as much time on and paying just as much attention to, her toilette as she had sixty years before† (Pushking, 345). In similar fashion, Elizabeth I in her older age, had a monstrous collection of clothing, having owned 15,000 dresses and would change outfits two to six times a day (sAntonov, 107). Like the young Elizabeth and Lisaveta, the countess did not quite fit into the society she was a part of, â€Å"she participated in all the trivial events of high society life, dragging herself to balls, where she would sit in a corner, †¦the guests, as they arrived, would go up to her bowing low†¦but afterwards would pay no attention to her† (Pushikin, 348). If the relationship between Lisaveta and the Countess is further explored their dynamic can be seen as the countess being an old Elizabeth I and Lisaveta being the young Elizabeth I. Pushkin plays tricks on the reader with the images of Lisaveta and the countess. Perhaps the most striking example of this is that when Hermann is leaving the old Countess’s house and he, â€Å"pressed her cold, unresponsive hand, kissed her bowed head, and went out† (Pushkin, 362). It is not transparent here whether Hermann had just kissed the Lisaveta or the dead countess, which could be done by Pushkin on purpose. Perhaps the reason for the two Elizabeth-like characters is so that the old one can have the young one avoid marrying a person of above or of her own class and instead marry down. This is because the marriage of the countess is what brings the countess the cursed secret she has to keep since the old count refused to pay her debts and she had to seek outside help(Pushkin, 342). For this reason, when the apparition of the old countess comes to Hermann, she tells him, â€Å"I will forgive you my death under the condition that you marry my ward, Lizaveta Ivanovna†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Pushkin, 365) and so the Elizabeth I image is put forth by Lizaveta. The final image of the Liza character appears in Gogol’s Dead Souls, in the form of Manilov’s wife Lizenka. Here the Elizabeth character is portrayed in a sickeningly sweet form. The relationship between Manilov and his wife are described as constantly feeding one another little tid-bits and candies. In the Lizenka character, Gogol is ultimately poking fun at the sentimentalist nature of the Liza character which can be contrived from Elizabeth I’s own character. Gogol does not take Karmzin’s sentimentalist writing as true literature and for this reason names Karamzin in the following instance: â€Å"Nor were his colleauges a wit inferior to him in enlightenment. For instance, one of them made regular practice of reading Karamzin, another of conning the Moscow Gazette, and the third of never looking at a book at all.† (Gogol, 142) Here Gogol takes on a sarcastic tone in describing the â€Å"great works† that the collegues indulge in. For this reason, Gogol choice of the diminutive form of Elizabeth, Lizenka is further support that her character her sweetie pie character is a parody to Karamzin’s Liza. This play on the the Liza character can be seen as a commentary on, Elizabeth I’s character as she was described as â€Å"kind and warm-hearted for the emotions sake alone† (Rice, 135). Gogol sees this type of personality as unintelligent and makes fun of Lizenka’s schooling which is somewhat similar to Elizabeth I’s in that Lizenka only learned French, the piano, and housewifery (Gogol, 22). However, regardless of her schooling, Lizenka through her relationship with Manilov is in charge of the souls which is perhaps a view he takes on Elizabeth I’s rule of the Russian people. By tracing the character traits and life events of Elizabeth I of Russia in Russian Literature following her rule, the emergence of the heroine Liza becomes evident. Beginning with Karamzin who evokes many of the holy and pure images that surround Elizabeth I’s and as well as Gribodev who shows the virginal beauty of the empress in his writing. Their literature is then followed by Pushkin, who focuses more on the outcast member of society that Elizabeth I was growing up under her Cousin Anne’s rule. And so the Liza character, heroine of Russian literature is created in celebration to Elizabeth I only to be ridiculed by Gogol in his brief apostrophes to Karamzin’s original work. So Liza’s character becomes an enigma in Russian literature history in that it is unclear whether her name is ultimately venerated or ridiculed in the minds of the readers of these great works. Works Cited Antonov, B. I., and Kenneth MacInnes. Russian Tsars: [the Rurikids, the Romanovs. St. Petersburg: Ivan Fedorov, 2005. Print. Coughlan, Robert. Elizabeth and Catherine: Empresses of All the Russias. London: Macdonald and Jane’s, 1975. Print. GogolÊ ¹, NikolaÄ ­ VasilÊ ¹evich, Constance Garnett, and Clifford Odets. Dead Souls. New York: Modern Library, 1936. Print. Griboyedov, Aleksandr Sergeyevich. Aleksandr Griboedov’s Woe from Wit: A Commentary and Translation. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen, 2005. Print. Karamzin, NikolaÄ ­ MikhaÄ ­lovich, and Henry M. Nebel. Selected Prose of N.M. Karamzin. Evanston: Northwestern UP, 1969. Print. Krymow, Vincenzina. Mary’s Flowers: Gardens, Legends & Meditations. Cincinnati, OH: St. Anthony Messenger, 1999. Print. Pushkin, Aleksandr Sergeevich, and Paul Debreczeny. The Captain’s Daughter and Other Stories. London: David Campbell, 1992. Print. Rice, Tamara Talbot. Elizabeth, Empress of Russia. New York: Praeger, 1970. Print.