The Fall Of The House Of Usher Essays - English-language Films

The Fall Of The House Of Usher Regarded as his ?most famous piece of fiction,? ?The Fall of the House of Usher? inspires the usual horror found in most works by Poe. Every aspect expected from a Poe piece is found within this story. There is the first person narrative, the division of personality, and Gothic style; which all characterize classic Poe. Although some critics feel that the tale is ?difficult to read? and ?an overdone and vulgar fantasy;? most recognize it as the masterpiece it is. From the gloomy beginning to the shocking conclusion, ?The Fall of the House of Usher? implements every attribute needed to create a model narration. As in most Poe stories, the unnamed narrator experiences a horrific sight. This harrowing incident is the realization by himself and Roderick Usher that they have in fact buried Madeline Usher alive. The thought of this atrocity causes the narrator to flee from the house indefinitely. He does not know at the time that the house will subsequently cave in after his departure. Almost every tale written by Poe is written in this fashion. Although most stories employ no real plot or characterization, the final terrible experience is typical. This is due to occurrences in Poe's own life involving the illness of his child-bride Virginia. Her untimely death stirred an interest in the supernatural that pervaded his writing from that point on. Therefore, all first person narrators in Poe's work encounter death in some mysterious and grave manner that helps Poe to cope with his personal issues. There is a division of personality found in ?The Fall of the House of Usher,? which also presents itself in ?William Wilson.? In the tale being discussed, Roderick and Madeline Usher are twins whose health is slowly diminishing. While Madeline seems to have accepted her fate, it looks as if Roderick does not quite understand his recent transformation. It is almost as if all the worry and frustration felt by both is channeled through Roderick. While he is slowly losing his mind, Madeline becomes increasingly sedate. The narrator mentions that the master of the house has indeed changed a great deal. Apparently, some ?curse? has overcome him and his sister causing their recent decline in spirits, sanity, and health. Throughout the story, both are equally affected by the other's actions. This element is found in many Poe tales, although usually it involves a dual nature within a single character. Numerous critics castigate Poe's writing for its highly Gothic style. It is ?too serious? and conveys a certain difficulty in reading. They claim that this particular style hinders the reader from being able to handle more than one story at a time. Nevertheless, Poe's writing does reflect upon his own personality. Edgar Allen Poe was a staid and somber man, and these traits shine through his writing. Also, it seems that perhaps he did not intend for more than one story to be dealt with at a time. Poe wrote in a highly stylized way in order to contribute to the overall mood of the piece of fiction. Without that edge, his work would lose much of its eeriness. ?The Fall of the House of Usher? certainly incorporates such language as evidenced by phrases such as ?singularly dreary tract? and ?whither shall I fly.? The elevated language and carefully chosen adjectives weigh on the reader throughout the story. Finally, while some critics may lambaste the work of Poe as ?fanciful ramblings,? it stands to reason that perhaps they are mistaken. Carefully thought out narration, sensible characterization, and appropriate diction pervade not only ?The Fall of the House of Usher,? but every subsequent Poe work also. While the discussed piece is the best example of his genius many other manuscripts fall into these same patterns. Nonetheless, ?The Fall of the House of Usher? is a classic work that holds its own among the most recognized and celebrated short stories ever read

An Investigation Into the Density of Mock Blood Essay Example

An Investigation Into the Density of Mock Blood Essay Example An Investigation Into the Density of Mock Blood Essay An Investigation Into the Density of Mock Blood Essay Essay Topic: There Will Be Blood INTRODUCTION The aim of this investigation is to find out the relative densities of three different mock blood samples representing three different people. Sample A represents blood taken from a normal, healthy adult male who lives at sea level. Sample B represents blood taken from the same male after he has undergone six months of regular aerobic exercise. Sample C represents blood taken from the same male after he has spent three months undergoing aerobic training at altitude. PREDICTION I predict that the density of sample A and B will be fairly similar with not a lot of difference between them. However, there will be a difference between samples A and B compared to sample C. APPARATUS * 100cm3 sample A * 100cm3 sample B * 100cm3 sample C * 24.96g copper (II) sulphate * 1dm3 distilled water * three 1cm3 plastic syringes fitted with long needles * three 100cm3 measuring cylinders * stopwatch or clock METHOD 1. Fill three measuring cylinders with a 0.1mol/dm3 copper (II) sulphate solution, to a depth of approximately 5cm above the 100cm3 level. The copper (II) sulphate solution should be made up by dissolving 24.96g of copper (II) sulphate into 1dm3 of water. NB this must be done accurately. 2. Introduce some blood into one of the syringes, fitted with a long needle. 3. Place the tip of the needle just above the surface of the copper (II) sulphate solution. Gently press the plunger on the syringe to release a small drop of the blood into the copper (II) sulphate solution. 4. Record the time taken for the drop to fall between the 100cm3 and 10cm3 marks. 5. Repeat the procedure to obtain TEN readings. 6. Carry out this procedure for the two other blood samples. 7. Record results in a suitable format. RESULTS SAMPLE READINGS (time taken to fall in seconds) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A 11.78 11.54 12.22 12.25 11.87 11.04 11.90 11.22 12.13 11.62 B 12.41 13.19 12.75 12.07 12.53 13.81 12.22 12.50 12.53 13.03 C 8.59 9.34 8.97 8.35 8.88 8.44 8.62 9.02 8.56 8.94 Averages: A = 11.75secs B = 12.70secs C = 8.77secs To help me make a comparison between the samples I worked out values of t for the difference between A and B, then the difference between A and C. Then I used the students t Distribution to see what percentage of my values lie outside the range -t to +t . (These calculations are on the separate sheets provided). CONCLUSION I believe my results prove that my prediction is correct. Samples A and B are relatively similar, if you compare the means, for example, the mean for sample A is 11.75 seconds and the mean for sample B is 12.70 seconds. These are fairly similar. Especially when in comparison to sample C, for which the mean was 8.77 seconds. These results show that the blood in sample C is denser than the blood in samples A and B. This is due to the structure of the blood in each sample. An investigation into the density of mock blood Essay Example An investigation into the density of mock blood Essay An investigation into the density of mock blood Essay Essay Topic: There Will Be Blood An investigation into the density of mock bloodSample A blood taken from a normal healthy adult male who lives at sea level.Sample B blood taken from the same male after six months of aerobic exercise.Sample C blood taken from the same male after training for three months at altitude.ResultsTime taken for a drop of the sample to fall through 100cm3 of Copper (II) Sulphate Solution.Sample A(Seconds)Sample B(Seconds)Sample C(Seconds)11.512.010.011.513.08.014.512.010.014.012.07.512.013.510.012.514.011.014.016.07.012.512.08.516.514.59.512.011.57.5Mean 13.10Mean 13.05Mean 8.5Now I am going to carry out some statistics on my results to find if they occurred by chance or not. I am going to use the t-test because I need to compare two sets of results that I collected.T-test tablesSample Axx-x(x-x)211.51.602.5611.51.602.5614.51.401.9614.00.900.8112.01.101.2112.50.600.3614.00.900.8112.50.600.3616.53.4011.5612.01.101.21x = 13.10? = 23.4Sample Bxx-x(x-x)212.01.051.1013.00.050.3012.01.051.1012 .01.051.1013.50.450.2014.01.051.1016.02.958.7012.01.051.1014.51.452.1011.51.452.10x = 13.05? = 18.63Sample Cxx-x(x-x)210.01.101.218.00.903.6110.01.101.217.51.401.9610.01.101.2111.02.104.417.01.903.618.50.401.969.50.600.367.51.401.96x = 8.5? = 21.52T-testsSample A compared to Sample BDegrees of Freedom = 18Variance (S2) = S2A= 2.60S2B= 2.07Sample A compared with Sample CDegrees of Freedom = 18Variance (S2) = S2A= 2.60S2B= 2.40Analysis of t-testSample A compared to Sample BThe P value for this t-test was P 0.1 (P was greater than 0.1). The value means that there is not much difference between the times taken for sample A and sample B. It also means that is a greater than 0.1 chance that it occurred by chance. This makes sense as my research showed me that aerobic exercise only affects the heart and muscles not the density of the blood.Sample A compared with Sample CThe P value for this t-test however is very different. The value was P0.001, this means there is a difference and that th is out come was not reached by chance. If you did this test again the same result would occur 99.9% of the time. Training at altitude can change the density of the blood. The kidney keeps a constant check on the oxygen in the blood as part of homeostasis and when they are low because you are at altitude a hormone is released. This hormone tells the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells. The more red blood cells in your blood the more dense it is and this showed up in our tests.EvaluationI believe that the experiment was accurate enough for the results needed to do our coursework.There were however some anomalous results, in the test for sample A there was a result of 16.5, which is a full, two and a half seconds slower than the other results. Also in the test of sample B there is a 16 second result that is also much larger than the others.There were quite a few sources of error in the experiment. Each time the experiment was repeated the droplet changed size. The timing of the experiment was also hard to judge even at eye level, this did have adverse effects on the results as we cant know if the results are correct. After about 5 repeats of the experiment the Copper (II) Sulphate solution became full of floating blobs of mock blood, this meant that the last 5 tests of each sample could be affected by them. The recording of the time taken for the sample to fall through the Copper (II) Sulphate solution was not at all accurate. It was fine for our needs but relied heavily on our reaction to seeing the droplet pass the start and finish marks. We used a stopwatch operated by us at eye level with the measuring cylinder. The size of the drop could not be measured either which meant we had variations in that too. The size of the drop would affect the surface area and therefore friction acting upon it; this would slow down the droplet. The shape that was usually a doughnut shape could also change. These are all reasons for my results to be anomalous.To counter s ome of these problems we could use other equipment or methods. We could use a light gate that works by detecting a break in a beam of light caused by a blob of mock blood falling through the solution. This would greatly improve the accuracy of the results, as would having two people to record and time the results.The main sources of error in the experiment were mainly human error in the fact that the person carrying out the experiment controlled the drop size and timing. Most of the time there werent any problems with our techniques but errors were still made.

The impact of violent video gaming on aggressive behavior of high Essay

The impact of violent video gaming on aggressive behavior of high school students - Essay Example   Earlier, researchers found that violent content as a variable had a greater contribution to aggression because they did not equate non-violent and violent games based on the speed of action, difficulty and their competitive nature at the same time. For example, the aggression of high school students tends to be more in those who play competitive and difficult games because they need to put more effort to win the game. Therefore, there is a need to determine the effect of the aforementioned characteristics of video games to aggression either separately or in combination (Adachi et al., 260).The research findings were similar to those reported by Morrow and Anderson found that competition affects aggression by altering the heart rate and that competition leads to aggression more than it causes cooperation on the subject studied. Moreover, since the purpose of a competitive video game is to outdo the opponent. The participants were found to develop negative thought and frustration i n an attempt to prevent the opponent from winning (Adachi et al, 260). The effect of competition on aggression is also seen in other games such as soccer and hockey that may lead to violence and fighting. Thus, the effect of competition on aggression is evident and more significant than that of violent content in video games.Olson & Cheryl studied the patterns of M- rated games among students and the effects on their behaviors. They found that 20% and 44% of girls and boys respectively were found to have played an M- rated game known as Grand Theft Auto recently. From the statistics, boys were more likely to play the game than girls (Olson & Cheryl 7783). The game could, therefore, be considered a risk indicator for girls. The majority of the students were found to have played an electronic game with boys spending more time in the games than girls.  

Ethics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 11

Ethics - Assignment Example Human are increasingly becoming greedy. This way, the destroy nature to achieve personal gratifications. Question 4: I look forward to learn about preservation. In the midst of the foretold destruction, humans will have to preserve the resources. I therefore look forward to studying the role that preservation will play in saving the future of humanity. Question 5: Property rights do not and should not outweigh the long-term survival of nature. In fact, laws should always protect the long-term survival of nature. Nature sustains human among other forms of life. Question 6: Animals have rights too and the governments should always formulate appropriate laws to safeguard the rights of animals. Poaching has proven that human activities continue to threaten the survival of nature. Recognizing the rights of animals is the surest way to both preservation and conservation. Question 7: The society and culture is indeed ill. The claim provides a rational explanation to the fact that a human would hunt and annihilate rhinos, elephants and other rare wild cats just for money. Such wanton selfishness is a sign of illness of the human culture. Question 8: conservations and preservation of watershed boundaries is a feature of bioregionalism that promises hope for the biodiversity in nature. Bioregionalism provides effective ways of protecting the environment since it creates small and manageable portions of nature thereby making it easy for governments to protect and conserve nature. Question 9: Western mindset promises better environmental ideology. Such basic ideologies as regionalism and preservation are western and they both provide ways for humans to use nature to achieve their personal gratification while safeguarding nature. This way, both humanity and nature win. Question 10: The chaotic attractors in the modern society include pollution, which influences climatic change thereby causing numerous life threatening consequences. Pollution

Introduction to Emergency Planning and Operations; Types of Essay

Introduction to Emergency Planning and Operations; Types of Emergencies and Disasters - Essay Example can be undertaken by the government and other organized movement toward the achievement of goal to lessen disasters (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters CRED, 2008). There are different types of disasters that are needed to be given attention. These events can be related to natural disasters and calamities, social, economic and health issues. The main focus of the study undertaken is related to the effects natural calamities specifically earthquake and the terrorism in different groups in the society. The attention needed by the students and workers of schools can be considered one of the most fundamental aspects due to the vulnerability of the said population. There are different actions and policies that can be related to both the local and national responses and plans. Included in the most important policies implemented in the different states and localities in the United States is the National Response Framework. Basically, the application of the processes inculcated in the policy in connection to the specific needs of the different parts of the country. For example in the case of the preparedness in terms of the natural disasters such as earthquake, there are some areas more susceptible to earthquake than others. In such cases, for example in the western region of the US, more actions are undertaken. Although this is the case, a multifaceted policy in terms of emergency planning and preparedness is required to be able to continuously protect the population and prevent cases such as the 2002 earthquake disasters in New York and the Midwest (Department of Homeland Security, 2008). When the policies of local, national and international coverage are then applied, the consciousness can be considered holistic. The NRF is in collaboration with the local governments, the state and tribal governments, the federal government and the private sectors and NGO’s. Each sectors and organizational systems has different visions and missions to

SWOT and PESTEL Analysis of Samsung

SWOT and PESTEL Analysis of Samsung Samsung was founded by Lee Byung-chul. In 1938 Samsung was born as a company that was dealing with fruit vegetable and dried fish. The company was exporting its product from South Korea to Beijing in China. In 1969, Samsung Electronics was born. From there, the company started acquiring and creating different business establishments including a hospital, paper manufacturing plant, life insurance company, department stores and many others. The company was destined to become a household name starting in its mother country and spanning its reach to many other cities internationally. http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/116664/electronics/the_history_of_samsung.html In 1974, electronics started catering to the international market in the seventies kicking off with the corporations acquisition of half of Korea Semiconductor which made it the leading electronics manufacturer in the country.The success of Samsung as a technology provider continues to grow through the eighties as Samsung Electronics was merged with Samsung Semiconductors and Telecommunications. This paved the way towards a stronger hold on the international market with high-tech products that will become a staple in every home. This development continued on through the next decade as Samsung kept on going beyond its boundaries and restructuring its business plan to accommodate the global scene. Adopting a new form of management proved to be a wise move for the company as its products made their way on the list of top must-haves in their various fields. TV-LCDs, picture tubes, Samsung printers and other high-tech products became popular acquisitions due to their high quality. When Sa msung ventured into the LCD industry in 1993, it became the worlds best. http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/116664/electronics/the_history_of_samsung.html To date, Samsung continues to maintain its status as the worlds best technology provider. Its highly qualified workforce is still striving for excellence in their respective fields making the whole company a huge success in the making. The secret to the companys continuous success is in the constant improvement of its management structure and the application of its philosophies: We will devote our human resources and technology to create superior products and services, thereby contributing to a better global society. http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/116664/electronics/the_history_of_samsung.html MICRO ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS OF SAMSUNG The aim of this section is to conduct an internal environment analysis of Samsung which will investigate the environment in which Samsung operates in. components of the analysis will be those in which the company has control over, as known as internal environment. Organisation Size Strengths Samsung is the second biggest telecommunication industry in the world through its innovation smart phone. Samsung has wide range of product includes Cell phones, Tables, Tvs Cameras, Home appliances, laptops, etc. Samsung have increase their brand value in this past three to four years Samsung is leading in design features. For example Samsung was the first one produce dual screen phones, and they have a thinnest and lightest note pad ever. Their design are attractive and stylish at the result their sales are moving in high volumes Weaknesses Their prices are low, hence their product loss value easy in the market They launch a new phone after another that can cause confusion to the customers. Poor creativity in terms of software, mostly they steal Apples software ideas Their products are not use friendly, as compare to Nokia phones They are leading in hardware but they have too much dependence for their software from other parts. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS OF SAMSUNG This section will focus on the Macro environment of Samsung and I will explain how the external factors affect the company by looking in their opportunities and threats also go through PESTEL analysis. Opportunities Samsung need to introduce user friendly products and educate their market about their product, because there is a big market in Africa yet the majority is uneducated, Here in South Africa they need to open their own stores, where they go to sell only their own products Samsung could launch no name brand like MTN and Vodafone whereby they will take the out date old model, change only a cover and sell with cheaper price. Threats Low cost competitors from China can affect Samsung All Samsung competitors bought their product parts in Chine that can lead a future fall to Samsung. The war between Samsung and Apple might contaminate the image of Samsung Samsung was banned from importing their products in a Euro Zone Apple use Chine to fight Samsung Amalgamation of Apple and Nokia could be a threat to Samsung http://www.marketing91.com/swot-analysis-samsung/ PESTEL ANALYSIS The PESTEL analysis is an analysis of the external macro environment in n n which an which an organization operates. These are often factors which are beyond the control or influence the business (RapidBi, 2013). PESTEL will be used as a tool to analyze the Macro environment of Samsung. Political environment Looking at the political environment, how the impact of politics affecting Samsung globally, As much as Samsung is a good company not everybody see like that, due to the strong competition between Apple and Samsung it ended up involving government in other countries. American government trying to stop Samsung influences the Euro zone to block Samsung to have market around Europe. Specifically in German Samsung was forced to withdraw its Galaxy tablet. Also South Korea stops Samsung to operate in there due to the political differences between Japan and South Korean government. Economic environment Samsung has expanded its business to more than 58 countries. Samsung mostly they invest heavily to the infrastructure in each end every country they have a business in. Here in South Africa they bought a land whereby they going to build the big plant, whereby it will manufacture or assemble its products for whole Africa, it means there are employment opportunities coming and there is an opportunity for South African economy. This plant is expected to employ more than 3000 people. Social Environment Social trend in South African environment are constantly changing as new innovation technology and services have impact to the needs and wants of South African communities. The stats show that there is an increase attraction to the technology which has become the primary means of communication. Samsung find that gaps to improving peoples lives. The challenge is that many people do not know how to use Samsung products in a proper way especially these new tablet phones. People steal need to be educated on how to use these tablets phone that is a challenge of our societies. Technological environment Technology in South Africa has advance and grown rapidly over the years and has affected the way we do things here in South Africa. Technology has change the way the business is done as social media has a crucial role in sustainability strategy of most businesses. Samsung find a way of take a business out of the building structure to the pocket. By introducing Galaxy Note 2 is more tablet like than phone like, it mean that you can do you work in the public transport, in the restaurants, anywhere, without filling intermediated of carrying big machine. Ecological environment Samsung Electronics is operating its own voluntary take-back system across Korea (Republic), using a network of 130 of service centers and Anycall Plaza retail outlets (exclusive outlets for Samsungs Anycall brand). End of Life mobile phones are collected either free of charge, or in some cases with a customer reward. The returned phones are then sorted and transported to recycling facilities for scrapping. They makes an effort to develop environment-friendly product that minimizing an impact to environment through whole process from getting raw materials, production, transportation, usage and end-of-life disposal by adding environment on function, price, quality, design that were the essence for product development, Samsung reporting the recycling amounts for Korea and Japan from 2004, for Europe from 2005, and for the United States from 2006. For 2006, they have forecasted an estimate of volumes they expecting to recycle this year. http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/corpcitizenship/environmentsocialreport/environmentsocialreport_VoluntaryPrograms.html Legal environment The South African government has decided in April of 2011, the Consumer Protection Act68 of 2008 should come in operation. This might have a negative impact to the company like Samsung because they have a tendency of dumping their low quality product in third world country to maximize their profit as they did in India. There are strong labour laws in South Africa which might have a strong negative impact to Samsung operating in South Africa as they intend to open a big factory in Johannesburg as a distribution center for Africa; it will be a challenge to them if they think they are going to exploit people in South Africa. MARKETING ENVIRONMENT This section will be focusing on the Marketing Environment in which Samsung operates and I will be evaluating its effects on the new Tablet in term of the competitive in the industry. Industrial Challenges This section will be broken into three parts: Porters 5 forces, competitive analysis by comparison and industry trend Michael porters porters fives forces Porter five forces analysis is a framework for industry analysis and business strategy development formed by Michael E. Porter of Harvard Business School in 1979. It draws upon industrial organization (IO) economics to derive five forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market. Attractiveness in this context refers to the overall industry profitability. An unattractive industry is one in which the combination of these five forces acts to drive down overall profitability. A very unattractive industry would be one approaching pure competition, in which available profits for all firms are driven to normal profit. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Porters_five_forces.PNG http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Porters_five_forces.PNG http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Porters_five_forces.PNG This model will be used to analyse the Industry Challenges faced by Samsung The threat of potential new entrants (Low) High capital is required to compete in technology industry. Capital to buy the equipments and capital to carry out the marketing activities and other expenses should be available. However, Microsoft will release its new first Tablet soon, this mean Microsoft will be a new threat to Samsung. Microsoft will lavage on the success of their software Product Differentiation So far theres no different on how the market design its software, hence the market hope that Microsoft will bring something new in the market, if not they will not survive in this industry because this only way they can differentiate themselves Even then, overcoming issues such as customer loyalty and switching costs would be another large barrier to entry such as Microsoft. The threat of substitutes (High) The threat of substitute products within the industry, however, is low. Even though there is an increased popularity of Tablets, they are busy doing same thing. However Samsung is the one who inventing a new trend that shift from tablet to galaxy phone which it have all feature that tablets has and smart phone features. This is the only direction the market goes. The bargaining power of buyers (High) Reliability is one of the area the companies should concentrate in, however if an organisation loss its focus on customer wants, it is easy for customer to move to another company. Companies should know how much the customer is will to pay. Buyers easily switch cost with the increased of choices of mobile companies because this products are similar to one another; If the company does not beat market, the buyer will switch to those companies that have better features or better price. However Samsung is sitting on top of the game, they always want to beat the market by releasing designs and they consider their prices they offer their customers, even now Samsung is the one have a cheaper tablet in the market. Bargaining power of supplier Samsung is its own supplier of most components. Samsung also happens to be its own supplier for raw materials and they design for themselves. The bargaining power of suppliers is high because suppliers goods are critical to the buyers marketplace success, for example Samsung is a supplier of Apple which is the have a significant role in Apple prices. (The intensity of competitive rivalry (High) The smart phone industry has many competitors that are equally balanced, and thus rivalry is high. The market for smart phones has slowed in growth since its boom, so pressure to take customers from competitors is also high. Differentiation in the smart phone industry is also at a point where it is very short-lived (Huvard et al, 2011, p.9)

VESTMENTS IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH :: Essays Papers

VESTMENTS IN THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH An important aspect of the Catholic Church is its vestments. The Church is always beautifully decorated and holy people beautifully dressed. These decorations have changed very much since the beginning of time. Although we don’t always realize it, there is much symbolism in the colors that priests, bishops, cardinals and even the Pope wears. There are also strict guidelines that these people must follow when dressing. This paper will tell of the history of this clothing. EARLY CHRISTIANS To study the history of the Church in the first century, we have to rely on the writings of the Early Christians, mainly the New Testament. At this time, Christians were waiting for the second coming of Christ, which they expected very soon. Since they thought that Christ would come again in their lifetime, they didn’t feel the need to really formalize their religion or create any clothing that was specifically Christian. In 64 in Rome, St. Peter and St. Paul were executed. Right after the executions of these men, Nero began to execute other Christians. At this time it would have been dangerous for Christians to wear distinctive clothing. As these persecutions began, people began to realize that the Church would outlast the lives of the men who had actually known Jesus Christ. After these persecutions ended, there was peace until 95 when Diocletian, a ruler, began taking action against the aristocratic Christians in Rome. In Asia at the same time there were persecutions of bot h Jews and Christians. After this, a few general Christians adopted a few general styles of clothing. First was the tunic, worn by St. Augustine. This came out of Rome and was an indoor garment. During worship, it was required that it was clean and white, which may be why Christians shied away from the traditional Roman wool tunic. Wool fades to yellow after time so Christians began wearing linen tunics because the more linen is washed, the whiter it becomes. It has been said that St. Peter wore a pallium with his tunic. It was wrapped around the body in a simple way. It was a plain garment, except that it had embroidery in each of it’s four corners. Apparently Jesus and His apostles had also worn palliums and so they became part of the ornamental dress of Christians. Christians also wore the paenula. It was a hooded garment and was worn by Christians in worship starting in the second century.

Beethoven Informative Speech Essay

You can realize that he probably wasn’t the easiest of people to be with. Impressive, certainly; exciting, perhaps; but rarely cosy and good-natured. This might be the common impression about this talented composer. Ladies and gentlemen, in my today’s speech I’m going to inform you about Beethoven’s individualism with two parts. 1. How individualism spirit helps him to success 2. A controversial individualist /we can say his arrogant. Beethoven is usually seen as an individualistic hero in the classical music world. There are many stories of how he did not take crap from the nobility. He removed Napoleon from his dedication of his third symphony after Napoleon declared himself to be royalty. He heard thunder on his death bed, raised up and shook a fist at it before expiring saying that I will take fate by the throat. And so on. Here, Individualist I mean is not in general context with any derogatory sense, but Beethoven devoted himself to fighting for individual’s fate and freedom, personal dignity and equality. As Beethoven said Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life. His individualism spirit also presented in his artworks, which have five specific features: passion, power, pride, freedom and independence, and makes him become one of the greatest composer in the world. Stravinsky once said his individualism like this : â€Å"Beethoven is the friend and contemporary of the French Revolution, and he remained faithful to it even when, during the Jacobin dictatorship, [hju,m? n? ‘t? r n] humanitarians with weak nerves of the Schiller type turned from it, preferring to destroy tyrants on the dramatic stage with the help of cardboard swords. Beethoven, that ordinary genius, who proudly turned his back on emperors, princes and magnates – that is the Beethoven we love for his indubitable optimism, his virile sadness, for the inspired sympathy of his struggle, and for his iron will which enabled him to seize destiny by the throat. † Romain Rolland evaluated him as: Perhaps he was unfortunate, poverty, disability, loneliness and pain continue to hover over his fate, but he still could see the dawn – the world did not give him happiness, he is a source of pleasure and power! He is the brave souls of all the world wrote the best motto – happy with the pain in return. So much for this point, I would now like to shift to the controversial of Beethoven’s individualism. Actually, as an individualist, Beethoven sometimes magnified his personality to a level of disgust. The highly praise in Romain Rolland’s masterpiece cover up some of Beethoven’s piu? disrepute behaviors, which mislead us away from a fully recognize of him. After reading some biographies and periodicals, I find he has really bad temper and absolutely not a perfect person. In order to show off his own talents, he described his variations on Mozart’s work as â€Å"I should never have written down this kind of piece had I not already noticed fairly often how some people in Vienna after hearing me improvise one evening would next day note down several characteristics of my style and palm them off with pride as their own. . . But there was another reason, too: my desire to embarrass those Viennese pianists, some of whom are my sworn enemies. I wanted to revenge myself on them in this way because I knew beforehand that my variations would here and there be put before the said gentlemen and that they would cut a sorry figure with them. † There are still many examples, but I think this one is enough to proof Beethoven’s arrogant. And Beethoven’s personality problem is also why Tchaikovsky admired him but did not love him†¦. that love was reserved for Mozart†¦. respect to these two genius’s personality, he thought of Beethoven as the Jehovah of music while he thought of Mozart as the more approachable Jesus So, to sum up, I have to say I won’t bias Beethoven’s achievements for his personality problem, that’s not an objective attitude. What I mean is that, it is necessary to have a fully recognition on Beethoven, so that we can really understand his music. Even though his over-individualistic personality makes him an arrogant and unpleasant genius, his spirit and art works are still highly admired generation by generation. That’s all. I hope I have made myself understood. Thank you for your attention.

North vs. South, 1861 Face to Face. Strengths and Weaknesses

North vs. South, 1861 Face to Face. Strengths and Weaknesses Among the most memorable events that had the greatest impact on the development of the United States, the war between the North and the South takes the first spot, not only for being one of the greatest bloodbaths in the history, but also for its results, which established final and complete abolition of slavery and heralded the new epoch which would follow soon, the epoch of equal rights.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on North vs. South, 1861: Face to Face. Strengths and Weaknesses specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, it must be mentioned that, like any other war, the Civil War could have had the most unpredictable consequences and could have resulted in anything unless one of the sides used their resources in a different way. Therefore, assessing and estimating the factors which caused the existing results and finding out the strengths and the weaknesses of each side, as well as the goals of South and the reaso ns the latter were not reached, one can possibly understand why the North finally took its victory. Starting with the Confederates and the factors that defined their war strategy and tactics, one must keep in mind the specifics of the South and the lifestyle which the residents of the South led. Having their fighting and shooting skills perfected, the dwellers of the South were rather tough opponents (Gallagher, 2001, 23). In addition, the military leaders of the South were far more resourceful than their North opponents: â€Å"Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. (â€Å"Stonewall†) Jackson were more skillful military leaders than those the Union initially brought forward† (Boyer, 2001, 130). The last and the most important thing that could have made the South invincible, if not for several crucial mistakes and the numerous disadvantages, was the location of the battles. It is quite important that the fights which the Confederates led were located mostly in their native lands, which meant that the South had to fight in their homeland. Since the given advantage allowed to locate the troops in the most successful way and make use of the fact that the North army could not choose the proper tactics in a completely unknown location, the given factor is of crucial importance – in fact, it could have even changed the results of the war, had the Confederates taken advantage of their sudden luck. However, once the South did not make use of its profitable position, the chance was lost. Still, there were considerable problems in numerous aspects with the South and its political, economical and social factors. The first and the foremost, the South had less population, which meant that the quality of their fighting skills had to level the gap in quantity. In addition, the Union and its forces blocked all the ports in the South, which meant that the latter could not obtain any outside help or even continue the trading relationships.Advertising Looking fo r essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, the industry in the South was underdeveloped and the war funds were not provided in the required amount. Finally, the Confederate states made too large an area to defend its every corner, which the Union knew and made efficient use of (Donovan Griess, 2002, 92). As for the North, its obvious advantages practically predetermined the outcomes of the war. As Gallagher (2001) said, â€Å"The North entered the war with seemingly decisive advantages in almost every measurable category† (22). In addition, as Gallagher (2001) explained, â€Å"The North far outstripped the Confederacy in almost every economic category.† However, when dealing with the North advantages, the industry must be mentioned first: â€Å"in 1860, there were 110,000 northern manufacturing establishments employing 1,300,000 workers.† Moreover, the North had its transportation sys tem up to the notch – its mileage was about 220,000, while Confederacy had about 9,000 (Gallagher, 2001, 22). In addition, the manpower and the Navy forces were more than powerful in the North. To top it all, the North had Lincoln – and this man alone was worth the Navy and the army altogether. However, the Union also had its weak spots, and the notorious military leaders leaved much to be desired. At best they were harmless; at worst, they put the entire Union under a threat (Gallagher, 2001, 23). In addition, the Union had no African people recruited, while the South used their slaves as the key force. Hence, the North had everything to win the battle. Despite the few disadvantages concerning the lack of the number of soldiers and a more serious concern about the military leaders, who, apart from Lincoln, hardly satisfied the requirements and could not stand the comparison to their more adequate and competent South opponents, the North had the advantages which the So uth could not compete with. Though it cannot be assumed that the North knew they would win the war even before they actually started it, the South had very few chances to take the victory in this battle. Perhaps, these were not only the tangible factors that helped the Union take over the Confederates, but also the very idea that millions of Africans will be freed, and that slavery would soon become a distant memory.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on North vs. South, 1861: Face to Face. Strengths and Weaknesses specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Reference List Boyer, P. S. (2001). The Oxford companion to United States history. Oxford, UK: Oxfords University Press. Donovan, T. H., Griess, T. E. (2002). The American Civil War. New York, NY: Square One Publishers. Gallagher, G. W. (2001). The American Civil War: The War in the East 1861 – May  1963. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing.

Burkina Faso essays

Burkina Faso essays Until the end of the 19th century, the history of Burkina Faso was dominated by the empire-building Mossi, who are believed to have come from central or eastern Africa sometime in the 11th century. For centuries, the Mossi peasant was both farmer and soldier, and the Mossi people were able to defend their religious beliefs and social structure against forcible attempts to convert them to Islam by Muslims from the northwest. When the French arrived and claimed the area in 1896, Mossi resistance ended with the capture of their capital at Ouagadougou. In 1919, certain provinces from Cote d'Ivoire were united into a separate colony called the Upper Volta in the French West Africa federation. In 1932, the new colony was dismembered in a move to economize; it was reconstituted in 1937 as an administrative division called the Upper Coast. After World War II, the Mossi renewed their pressure for separate territorial status and on September 4, 1947, Upper Volta became a French West African territory again in its own right. A revision in the organization of French Overseas Territories began with the passage of the Basic Law (Loi Cadre) of July 23, 1956. This act was followed by reorganizational measures approved by the French parliament early in 1957 that ensured a large degree of self-government for individual territories. Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French community on December 11, 1958. Upper Volta achieved independence on August 5, 1960. The first president, Maurice Yameogo, was the leader of the Voltaic Democratic Union (UDV). The 1960 constitution provided for election by universal suffrage of a president and a national assembly for 5-year terms. Soon after coming to power, Yameogo banned all political parties other than the UDV. The government lasted until 1966 when after much unrest-mass demonstrations and strikes by students, labor unions, and civil servants-the military intervened. The military coup de...

Museum of natural history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Museum of natural history - Essay Example An enormous component of my fascination with them is their use of sword like items which have great meaning to their culture. My specific choice of swords is the Phurba. Some say that they were in use during the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, over 2500 years ago, particularly in the indigenous communities of Tibet. Others speculate even earlier origins. Padmasambhava is credited with the invention of the phurba. During the struggle against the demons that were fighting the establishment of Buddhism in Tibet, he is said to have pulled out a peg from the tent of a non-believer and, using the peg to nail down evil spirits, consecrated the ground on which the Samye Monastery was established in the eighth century. This simple peg became the Phurba, an important tool of religious practice that is used to this day. The Khadga is known as the fire sword which is paired with phurba. The Bodhisattva Manjursi, who is the embodiment of wisdom, is shown wielding the symbol of enlightenment. The fire is used to destroy the darkness of ignorance by the fiery rays which burst from the end of the sword. Wisdom is the sword that slices away illusion and wisdom is the final symbol of awareness. The first cut of the sword of wisdom is the decisive one, which is the dawn of enlightenment.

Culture, Ritual and Religion, International Development in the Research Paper

Culture, Ritual and Religion, International Development in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone - Research Paper Example In Africa, countries have experienced recurrent and various forms of armed conflicts and violence due to power struggles and control over natural resources. Sierra Leone and Democratic Republic of Congo have bore the brunt of violence and armed conflicts in past decades, a fact that has led to development mishaps and stagnation. This paper examines the role of ritual, culture and religion in the shaping up of the social, economic and political stability of Sierra Leone and Democratic Republic of Congo. It further explores the role of violence and conflicts in the development process. Sierra Leone is located on the west Coast of Africa on the Atlantic Ocean and it is bordered to the North with Guinea, Liberia on the Southeast and Atlantic Ocean on the Southwest (Harris, 1992). Different ceremonies were held in Sierra Leone as part of the culture and religion of the people. One of the ceremonies that were more conspicuous was the movement in rings or circles during ceremonies to honor ancestors (Harris, 1992). The movement of people in circles during ceremonies defined the art and religion of most communities in Sierra Leone. It is reported that the culture and tradition was seen as heathen by the missionaries and as such, they searched for strategies of eliminating and eradicating the practice. The missionaries did not succeed in eradicating the practice due to the strong influence that culture had among communities in Sierra Leone. ... e purposes included story telling, singing of songs, drumming and dancing, pouring of libations, cleansing ceremonies, proper burials, respect for the dead and forgiveness (Kaarsholm, 2006). The traditional cultural practices and rituals have played significant roles in the development process of Sierra Leone. Modern development strategies have incorporated traditional cultural practices in various health and human welfare initiatives such as fight against HIV/AIDS, ending of harmful traditional practices such female genital mutilation, understanding of human rights and other initiatives that are associated with human welfare and development in Sierra Leone (Burnell, 2008). The uptake and use of various traditional cultural practices and rituals in modern human development initiatives in Sierra Leone has been premised on the notion that the use of culturally appropriate interventions that are drawn from the experience and knowledge of communities has the potential of increasing the l ong-term self-reliance of communities, families and children (Francis, 2006). In addition, the use of traditional practices and rituals encourages community members to take active roles in identification of development problems that affect them and formulation of strategies and solutions to mitigate such problems. The role of culture and traditions of Sierra Leone communities was relevant and instrumental in the truth and reconciliation process that paved way for political stability and tranquility. Most of the healing activities and initiatives were based on the culture and traditions of the people of Sierra Leone. The Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission of Sierra Leone relied on the assistance and help from traditional and religious leaders in resolving conflicts and promotion of