Friday, December 20, 2019

William Shakespeare s Macbeth Vs. Othello - 1006 Words

Nadia Chilcoat Macbeth vs. Othello Period: â…š 12/12/2014 Macbeth vs. Othello Ancient Greeks believed that a tragic hero must be admirable but flawed, someone the audience can sympathize with, and someone capable of good and evil. The main character must also have a doctrine of free will, in which they are able to redeem themselves, but they continue to fall freely in a downward spiral from a position of superiority. The audience must also be able to see themselves acting in the same way, and the protagonist’s suffering must be greater than their offense. Macbeth is the true tragic hero, because he displays all of the qualities of a tragic hero, and causes himself to fall down from his position as king. Othello is a weak example of a tragic hero, because Iago causes his fall, not his own actions. In Macbeth, by Shakespeare, Macbeth is told by three witches that he will one day rise to power and become king. Macbeth decides to believe the witches, and all of the prophecies they tell him throughout the tragedy. Macbeth kills King Duncan, his best friend, and other innocent people in order to gain power and remain king. Macbeth is killed by Macduff at the end of the play, when the â€Å"forest† of Birnam walked to his castle. In Othello, by Shakespeare, Othello is the general of Venice, and many people are jealous of him because of his high rank and his beautiful wife, Desdemona. Iago decides to plant seeds of doubt intoShow MoreRelatedDefining The Terms Renaissance And Humanism875 Words   |  4 Pagesscientific and artistic transformation and advancement between the Middle Ages and the early stages of the Modern age in Europe (2014). In the New World Encyclopedia article â€Å"Humanism†, Humanism’s scope primarily focuses on human beings: human being s place in relations to nature, human potential, human beauty, etc. etc. etc. (2014). 2. Who were the Medici’s? The Medici family dynasty comprised of former bankers and commerce men who became powerful rulers (four members of the Medici family went onRead MoreThe Controversial Ending of King Lear by William Shakespeare Essays1580 Words   |  7 PagesThe Controversial Ending of King Lear by William Shakespeare Few Shakespearean plays have caused the controversy that is found with King Lear’s ending scenes. Othello kills himself, Macbeth is executed, and of course in hamlet, everyone dies. Lear, however, is different from other Shakespearean classics. Is Lear mad or lucid? Is Cordelia really dead? Is Edmund’s delay explainable? What is the nature of the Lear world that occasioned all of this? How does Knight’s thesis relate to the ending

Thursday, December 12, 2019

RITUAL Essay Example For Students

RITUAL Essay In the mountains, they call it Going Beyond.The way they pronounce the Words endows the sound with a hushed finality as though the meaning had nothing to do with the syllables, the lips just a bit parted, afraid to release The Words altogether.The head is bowed during the utterance, signifying both the solemnity and the apocalyptic nature of the occasion.If you had been there then you would have see how the men, baskets of cabbages and green bananas on their backs, would meet on the muddy trail and whisper to each other.You would have understood from the contour of their lips that The Words were said; and these having been said, they would pursue their individual waysone, perhaps, to wend his way to the Market, the other to wait by the Highway for Tourists to purchase his vegetables at a paupers price.Women sitting on the cold bamboo benches before the village store would suddenly interrupt their conversation by an ominous silence:you knew they were thinking of The Words; they did no t have to say them.In fact saying them would be only anti-climactic, because deep in their minds lurked images that could not be collapsed into a mere couple of sounds.A father queried about the whereabouts of his son would whisper The Words, raising him arms in the direction of the Mountains, and you would be a Fool if you thought he meant his son had gone away to live in another place.The raising of arms is supplementary to the meaning of the Words, at times it means more than The Words.Hes gone beyond, the father would say.No, hes not dead, but hes gone beyond.Beyond is more than the physical boundaries of the Village, more than the physical boundaries of the Mountains, more than the Sea and the Sky and the Land put together.Yes.It is not Death.It is not Life.It is not Life and Death put together.You may give it any name you want, you may declare the people mad, but in the Mountains, they call it Going Beyond. The trouble with you, Roy said, is that you are a coward.I looked at him framed by the last glow of sunset that managed to pour through the misted windowglass.He had just arrived from the City which, from the vantage point of this far-flung Village, was on the other side of eternity.His single bag (I like to travel light) lay beneath the army cot that stood parallel to the wall; this and the other on e I called mine touched ends to form an ell, with the two windows dotting their extremities.It was a small room, though it was room enough for me.Even in the rare event when I had an overnight visitor there was still sufficient space to spare. The trouble with you is that you are a coward, he said again turning to me after quaffing the last drops of his drink.Imagine coming here, living here with God knows what kind of people.This is not the place for you.He walked to the table in the middle of the room to refill his glass; the moment he was embraced by the light, the single light that dangled from a single cord from the ceiling, I saw that the years had not altered him.I do not mean that he had not grown old; I mean that his soul had not changed:he was still Roy, my big brother, my friend trying to save me from distress most of which he had only imagined.Or I may be wrong.Perhaps he had changed, only I was too ensconced in my new world to notice the realities outside it. Hows Luisa? I said.I had not moved from sitting on my cot. Shes going to have a baby.You cannot expect a woman like her to remain alone forever, Roy said. And the man?She cant ask for anyone better.Im glad shes happy.Its not a question of happiness, he said moving back to the window.A lot of people die not knowing they are happy.Its a question of knowing someone is there for you to turn to when you get sick of being with yourself or punching the same infernal machine day in and day out.I did my best, I said, but my mind was groping for some more definite words. You did what you thought you had to do.As to whether that was the right thing to do?He respected my feeling.That one thing kept our friendship alive; I could not help thinking, however, that the sentence would have ended with an undertone of reproach. You kept away, for sure, he said, and I must say you did it magnificently.It came at last.He swept the room with a wide gesture of his arm, a gesture that encompassed also the whole Village.But I came not to speak about that.I know you dont want to speak about that.I came?Yes, why did you come?He was silent for a moment.Then he said, Come to think of it now, I dont know hwy I came? I wanted to see you.It has been two years after all.Two years! How could two years have passed?Probably the Mountains had something to do with it:Time that ordinarily knocked on the doors in the City, that pushed one to work and back to home again, Time that stole but never gave, was here a non-entity, or, at most, an ignored presence:the Mountains leveled it, the winding roads and the cool trees tempered it, so that when it finally arrived at the doorstep, it was all haggard and hungry and begging for a lodging.As to what tow years had done to me I did not know; when you do not bother time it stays away from the fringes of your memory and comes to you only in the guise of images not brilliant in their broken-ness, which you can easily push into that cave of darkness called the Mind; the Mind, no more than Time, reposes when the muscles repose:both speak the same language. Two years.This morning I received a letter from Dayleg, the import of which struck me only when I came to the last passage.Dayleg of the dikes and the downy cogon grass, Dayleg of the dancing uninhibited, Dayleg the devotee turned defiant, Dayleg of the broken skin and white teeth, had spoken at last.Remember the hunt we had two years ago, he wrote, how we crossed the line between heaven and hell in pursuit of the white boar?I remembered.The sacred grove was hardly a forbidding sight:it was like any mountain hunting ground, though there was a sharp tang in the air while the frail twigs crackled louder as we stepped in between the willows and the pines.But then perhaps we really were just half-aware of these, our senses attuned only to the presence of the quarry. Father says this place is a thousand years old, Dayleg said.By the way we are trampling all over it we deserve at least fifty years in Hell.You can start your penance now, I said, Surely the gods will accept contrition by installment.It?s down by the stream.Lets encircle it.The profound significance of the moment sprang before me while I moved as Dayleg directed.We were on forbidden grounds tracking an equally forbidden animal.The fact that I was an outsider did not alter nor lighten the gravity of my involvement.Even as we were encircling the animal a network of guilt was weaving tiny holes of pain in my conscience.By consenting to the hunt I was sharing in the malevolence of a conspiracy. When I arrived by the stream Dayleg was already bending over the dead animal.A single arrowtail protruded form one side of its neck, the arrowhead having shot clean through the other side. Its not white after all.Dayleg was disappointed.They had always told me it was pure as the clouds.What shall we do with it now? I said, eyeing the animal.It was about three feet long, its body covered with thick grizzly hair; mud and blood glistened round its throat.Its tow tusks were ivory in the fading light.In cold repose the boar seemed to cling to its mythic holiness as long as it could. Well bring it to the village and show the elders the lie theyve been handling us all this time.By the light of the fire we had built against the cold I could see Daylegs face as he spoke.It had turned bronze; his eyes shone as though relishing the wickedness of what he had planned to do.His dark slender trunk covered with a dirty G-string was damp with sweat. But wouldn?t that be the height of sacrilege?You asked.You could not hide the shock (or was it fear) in your face.I could not understand your concern for thewhole thing.All you had to do was pack up and go.The gods would have a hard time finding you in the city, crude and walking as they are, if ever they have the mind to meddle in the affairs of a foreigner.Their sovereignty is confined to the mountains. The mountains swelled in darkness as we started our descent to the Village.Dayleg, his sturdy legs punching the sward, the sacred boar stradding his neck, moved easily down the mountain side while I picked my way, stumbling now and then on the rocks or slipping down the moist grass. ?The cat would eat fyshe but he will not weate his feate.WhatI said. I could barely catch up with his steps. ?English proverb,? he said.?A lot of them in the books.Very good for the mind.?We walked in silence most of the time.In spite of the cold night, perspiration soaked my clothes. The knapsack grew heavy on my back.I wiped my face with the sleeve of my shirt.A true son of the mountains, Dayleg never slowed his pace but even whistled once in a while.Looking at him naked save for a piece of loin-cloth I could hardly believe that he was one of the most intelligent men I had met. When first I came to the Village, the first person I saw was a young native squatting by the roadside and cleaning the tip of a ten-foot spear.The spear was common sight in the place, I had been told earlier, for it was both a means of tilling the soil and, during a tribal feud, of disemboweling the enemies.Occupied by what he was doing, he hardly responded when I asked him for directions to the village school.But the word ?school? made him raise his head.He surveyed me from head to foot before giving me the direct ions I wanted. The school was a four-room structure of wood and galvanized iron located in a small piece of flat land the people called ?The Valley.? Big pine trees that protected the structure from both sun and wind gave it a quality of idyllic serenity usually associated with monasteries.You climbed three steps to find yourself in a kind of balcony that overlooked the whole schoolground. ?Of course one can get terribly lonely here, and one usually does,? the Principal, father Van Noort from Belgium, said.I had knocked on the door of his ?office? at the back of the school building and was met by an old man with graying hair and a brownish soutane that used to be white.Like most of the missionaries I knew, he had a fondness for native cigars.The ?office? was a small room in which were miraculously accommodated a roll-top table, a rattan chair, a wooden bed with a feather mattress, a table with several dirty pieces of cutlery, two chairs to the table, bookshelves, books, wastecans, a table lamp, the sculpted figure of a mountain warrior holding the severed head of his enemy in one hand and his sword in the other. Father Van Noort brushed the ashes form his sleeves.?As I mentioned in my letter, you?ll be in charge of the fifth class.Literature and language.?There was a knock on the door followed by the entrance of a dark-skinned man carrying several books.His white trousers and white shirt were spotless; the electric bulb was reflected on his shoes. ?Carlos Dayleg, in charge of the fourth class,? father van Noort said to me by way of introducing the newcomer. ?I think we?ve already met,? Dayleg said, extending his hand.It was only then that I realized he was the man I asked directions from a few hours ago.He must have noticed my surprise.?Yes, we met this morning. In this place it is not uncommon for natives to change to more civilized attires.As for me, I do it only on special occasion.And school is a special occasion,? Father Van Noort said. ?And school is a special occasion,? Dayleg said, ?and going to the movies and visiting the Mayor,?After classes Dayleg invited me for a drink.A few minutes? walk from school, down winding paths that led past the native huts squatting on hard-packed mud, past the curious structure of a cogon roof placed right on the hard-packed mud, the remains of a bonfire in the very center of the space which one could enter only by crawling on all fours, past this nest of love by t4rial, past half-carved coffins drying ion the sun, emerged Dayleg?s hut.We climbed a steep ladder to the center of the room. ?Make yourself comfortable,? Dayleg said.?The old man must be in a feast somewhere.?The clang of brass gongs filled the hut, reverberated against the rafters, seemed to seep down through the bamboo floorings and settled on the ground below.Dayleg took an earthen jar form a corner. He placed two plastic glasses on the low table.With a groan he sat down beside me.The heat of the rice wine snaked through my throat ? that was the first time I ever drank it, and the taste was both strange and sweet.?Here we ferment rice into wine,? Dayleg said.?The longer, the better.Of course if you overdo it you get vinegar.?That night we talked about many things.I learned that Dayleg had finished a course in pedagogy and philosophy in a university in the City, and that he had come back to his village to do his part in ?the education of my people.?But the rest of our talk came to me now in images and impressions that flitted in my brain like cinematic associations, the focus always changing.A jar of ric e wine does so much to blur the memory, though the pictures are nevertheless recognizable:Dayleg, sixteen years old, sitting before the Council of Elders, being reprimanded for shouting at the village High Priest; the smell of pig roasting, its smoke wafted through the pores of houses, everyone poking his head through the window, straining to smell the meat and to hear the familiar sounds, for this feast was for Lumawig, He Who Sends Fruition to the Earth, the men and the women woven into a circle, the fire in the center, swinging to the rhythm of the gongs which constant use turned golden, like the bright deathmasks of ancient mummery, dancing and chanting, amongst them Dayleg handsome in his nakedness; the circle widening with the shouts of combat, in the center Dayleg with a spear in a stance of sciamachy, fearless as a man for whom death had no meaning, resolved only to redeem the honor of his tribe while the circle metamorphosed into many pointed lances; Dayleg alone in the spo t, a bloody wound in his thigh, the circle broken; myself with eyes bloodshot pouring wine into my twenty mouths when Dayleg tipped the jar and the floor bloomed into a hundred wet pieces of clay; a graduation photograph ? left to right, third row ? Manuel Pantig, Jose Arcana, Roberto Galdon, Lauro Canlas, Antonio Morte, Lorenzo Peron, Carlos Dayleg, Mario Tarsus; a dark face lined with the furrows of years, saying ?Hardly were the feet cold that followed your mother?s coffin than you should break her jar.Aie, I tell you, Son, this house will know peace no more!?, the clash of cymbals in a nameless place as warriors without faces whirled up and down in air till one of them, naked, plunged backward shattering his spine against a giant monolith. ?It?s not because my people are uneducated that they cling to ancient tradition,? Dayleg said as we walked around the schoolyard during recess the next day, ?but it?s a reason civilized men like you don?t and can?t fully understand.?Ars longa, vita brevis,? as your philosophers say, yet something longer than art governs the very consciousness of these people.It goes to the very bone of their existence. Lumawig, Creator of Earth, permeates their lives, my life, and these traditions are but extensions of His Being. When one turns his back on these he forfeits glory in the afterlife.Then you?ve already lost a great part of that glory,? I said reminding of the wine jar.?That is pardonable under the circumstances in which I broke it,? he said.He shrugged off the matter.?But what must be obvious to you is that I do things to break these traditions.I believe it?s about time some of them were challenged.?I could hardly understand him for the contradictions in what he said; perhaps he was not aware of them, but on my part the more I got to know him the more complex he became, until an incident that disturbed the elders provided me with the first insight into his character. Bipolar Disorder EssayThree months later, while I was in the city during the semestral vacation, I ran into Father Van Noort; he had been on leave from school for a year now on account of his heart. I invited him to a cup of coffee in a nearby restaurant.Except for a little paleness on his cheeks he looked healthy; I called his attention to this and he said, ?I ought to be healthy.I live in the Order?s hospital, you know, and there they treat me like a kid.Diet.Exercise.I like everything but their denying me my tobacco.Imagine doing that to a man who has all this time subsisted on the weed!:I reminded him that it was for his own good and he shrugged his shoulders in mock resignation.When I related what Dayleg had done to the sacred boar he shook his head; the shadow of sadness passed across his face. ?It was bound to happen,? he said.?Dayleg is what you may call a complex person.I don?t mean that he?s schizophrenic or something, but he?s not transparent either.Some people you can read like a book, Dayleg you have to decipher.He seems simple enough, ? I said. ?Yes, but remember simplicity is not transparency.Beneath Dayleg?s tribal accoutrement lies the tension between self and reality, a tension ? call it paradox if you like ? which is common to persons like him.When will this tension subsideI don?t know.Who knows?Perhaps when he finds peace.I don?t know.I don?t really know why de did it, Sir,? wrote Mario, my best student. His letter reached me while I was still on vacation a few days after I met Father Van Noort.?I was there, Sir, and I cannot describe to you my feelings as I watched him destroy our sacred boar.You may not understand it, Sir, you not being one of us, but from our birth we have always believed that the grove is only for the gods, that whoever enters it and as much as touches a blade of grass in it will be denied eternal happiness.I believer this, Sir, that is why I was horrified by Mr. Dayleg?s action.He did not only bring shame to our village, as you will see, Sir, when you come back.Mr. Dayleg has disappeared.It is be tter that he did not witness the rites the elders held for his expulsion.Under our laws, Sir, such acts as Mr. Dayleg committed are grievous, so the actor has to be driven out of the tribe to lessen the gods? wrath on the innocent ones who have, nevertheless, been tainted with the guilt by their relationship with the sinner.Sir, we have to do a lot of sacrifice to wash this sin.I don?t know how this will be possible.The harvest is not good this year.But the best thing is for the sinner, in spite of his expulsion, to come back, to show repentance.Only then will the gods consider our prayers.But we don?t know here he is.?Two years.,I stood up and walked to the window; with my fingers I rubbed off the mist that had collected on the glass.I peered outside.The world was a blanket of darkness.These two years I had tried to find peace, to re-order my life toward a more meaningful goal, but things eluded me.An indefinite fear was gnawing my mind. ?Anything around here to eatRoy shouted from the kitchen.I could hear him opening and losing drawers. ?There?s a can of beans on the upmost shelf and some meat in the bowl on the table.There?s some rice near the stove,? I said. I smoked as I watched him eat.Outside, somewhere in one of those spare, squat houses with roofs and walls of cogon, I knew, a group of white-haired men was praying to the gods.In these two years that Dayleg had been gone they had not stopped their supplication.The harvest had been regularly poor, a sure sign of the heavenly displeasure.?he?s gone beyond,? they would say alluding to Dayleg, ?the gods have turned their faces away form us.?There had been no rain for the past three months, whereas before it came sooner than the planting season, soaking the terraces and fattening ht frogs that croaked in the mountain crags.Now the rice plots lay barren like a thousand mouths without blood, and plating time was just a week ahead.Only the fog rubbed the soil and tinted it with a whiff of wetness that was gone as soon as the fog had lifted. ?And you have not seen him sinceRoy said after I had told him what had happened. ?No,? I said.I quenched the light of my cigarette in the metal ashtray.?But I have just received a letter form him.Does he say where he is nowNo.The letter bears the City?s postmark.Sounds like a strange fellow to me.He is.I can?t understand him, couldn?t understand him myself.I don?t think anybody here understands him.Maybe he?s an exception to the rule.The ruleI mean in any society or tribe there?s bound to be someone who?d violate traditions and laws.Not that he?d do it for the heck of it, but that in him probably a new personality is emerging.?I though of Father Van Noort. ?A synthesis, we may say, of the old tribal character and the modern patterns that slowly put him in a quandary:he may be alienated entirely from his native roots or he may bridge the past with the present.I?m thinking? Dayleg is an intelligent,? I said. ?Intelligence has nothing to do with it.Why, may I ask, did he do what you said he did if he is intelligent?No, its? a matter of blood, not of intelligence.Well,? I said, ?it?s done.His people are having a hard time appeasing the gods.And to top it, rain has not yet come.I don?t know how this people will survive a year of hunger.Appeasing the gods by prayersYes.And sacrifices.Tomorrow they?ll hold a big one.Killing a cow, you know, changing, dancing.That?s one thing I?d like to see.We?ll be there.?We took another shot of whiskey before going to bed. Early the next morning, while I was boiling some coffee, there was a knock on the door.Roy was still curled up in his cot, so I crossed the living room to see who it was.It was a tall dark man in dirty maong trousers and gray shirt, his hair long almost touching his shoulders; his beard and moustache covered a large part of his face. ?YesI said, not knowing what he wanted. Then he uttered my name. ?It?s me, Dayleg,? he said. I stood there in disbelief; Dayleg.Dayleg, I said to myself.A thousand thoughts rushed to my brain like a flood. ?It?s me, Dayleg,? he said again when he noticed my hesitation. I opened the door wide and he stepped inside.I led him to the kitchen just in time for me to prevent the coffee from spilling all over the stove. ?What happened? Where have you beenI could scarcely conceal my excitement. He sat down by the table on which, so many times before, we had worked till midnight making our lessons.He had lost weight ? his shirt was loose around his shoulders and his veins stood out of the skin of his arms. ?Nothing,? he said. ?I have been living with a friend in the City.But why didn?t you tell me?I could have helped.Nobody can help me.Been workingI could not though I wanted to.You could have taught.Your record is excellent.You don?t understand,? he said and looked at me with his bloodshot eyes.?It?s not that.The gods.WhatI almost dropped the cup I was holding.You received my letterI nodded. ?Then, ? he continued, ?you know what I mean.VengeanceThe gods.You knew about that before, didn?t you?Even before we hunted the boarYes.?His voice was old, tired, excruciated by a force too strong for me to unlock.?But I didn?t believe it then.But I?m not staying,? he said softly. ?What?Then why did you comeTo tell you good-bye and to get the things I?ve left here.You know what you?re doing, of course.?That?s the only thing I can do.I?ll go far enough where no one can touch me.Perhaps, but your people will suffer in the meantime, as they?ve been suffering these past years.They can blame the gods.They?re blaming you, yet they pray for your return.No, I can?t stay.I didn?t want anyone to know I?m here so I came this early.Where will you goAnywhere.I?m alone.?He stood up. ?I must go.?Roy was awakened by our conversation.He came into the kitchen. ?Roy this is Dayleg,? I said. They shook hands.Dayleg turned o me.?I must go,? he said. I followed him to the door.I said, ?Anytime you want to come backThanks,? he said. ?The sacrifice tonightNo, I can?t.?His figure was swallowed by the early morning before I could say anything more. The sacrifice began three hours after noon.Five men, their necks and arms coppery with sweat, dragged a cow down to the village square where a big wooden table had been set.The elders had formed a circle around this table and were already praying.The sun cast their shadows in jagged patterns across the wooden planks as their voices interlaced in supplication, as the cow, being tied now temporarily to an iron stake, gazed at the solemn gathering; the fire burned fiercer under the big iron vats and small tin pots while the brass gongs were brought out of the chieftain?s hut and hung on their wooden pegs near the avocado trees where the young men would take turns beating them.Small boys arrived from the forest bearing in the crook of their arms firewood and dead leaves that would lessen the night?s chill. At sunset, the praying stopped.In single file the elders walked slowly toward the cow; they surrounded the animal and, as if somebody had given a signal, knelt before it.They uttered some inaudible incantation, their heads bowed, giving the impression that they were addressing themselves.Once in a while the leader?s voice rose above the murmurs of the others.He would stand up, stamp his foot several times, then kneel again.Finally, they all stood up ? their ancient faces yellowish in the flickering firelight ? silent.The leader raised his right hand.Immediately a barrel-chested muscular man appeared from outside the circle.He looked at the leader?s eyes and read the message there, for he nodded, the leader having said nothing.Quickly he stepped aside to allow the elders to pass and return to the table to resume their prayer.Not long afterward the deafening cry of the crying cow drowned out the elders? voices:it flew above the clatter of pots and pans and the whispering of the women a s they prepared the boiling water and tended the fire; then, all of a sudden, it was gone.A group of men had converged around the cow; from where we stood we could see knives flashing in the moonlight. ?What are they doingRoy said. ?Cleaning the animal.The entrails will be buried near the sacred grove before the cow is roasted,? I said. They had dug a roasting pit, about six feet wide, ten feet long, and three feet deep, where live coal was dumped.Two big forking branches of mountain pine were hammered into the ground to serve as a cradle for the pole that impaled the animal to turn on. ?A pity to waste such meat,? Roy said. ?It won?tbe wasted.They will eat it after a portion has been properly offered to the gods.This is actually a feast, you know, with lots of wine going around.?As the animal was being raised above the pit to roast, the dancing began.The clang of brass gongs preceded a group of men and women whose feet bent the grass to the strange uneven rhythm, their arms outstretched fluttering in alar animation, who formed two long lines.The strange uneven rhythm had a logic to it for the dancers never missed a step, never hesitated; the strange uneven rhythm had a logic to it for the dancers moved as if synchronized in sure and easy steps even as a couple swung in between the lines to join them.A native told me once that dancing was not really taught to the children ? the children learned by watching and carrying the rhythm in their heads, memorizing it even in sleep, making it a part of their bones.So when they danced they danced as though mesmerized, as these dancers now were, eyes glazy in the m oving firelight.Dance, brothers and sisters, they seemed to say; the gods watch, and the gods must be appeased. We left the dancers and returned to the roasting pit.The cow was now exuding a delicious smell as its fat trickled down the burning coal, producing tiny hisses as it touched the embers; the skin was golden brown and, as the animal was turned by two equally smoke-burnt men while others watched and waited, full of brightness. As the night deepened, more fires were built; but the elders continued praying, the tone of their thaumaturgic throats never wavering nor slowing, while Roy and I sat on a boulder behind them to rest awhile.There was little for us to do.We were strangers:our lives were not entangled in these istic complexities.Our world was on the other side of the Mountains.Yet I felt I was part of all these for I had stepped into the sacred grove and had stalked its sacred occupant.The reality of my guilt had laid a heavy hand on my heart, and even now as I heard the primitive music I could not help imagining that it was exorcising the demon in me. MY thoughts were interrupted by the noise of a commotion emanating from a section of the square.The elders abruptly stopped praying and turned their heads to the direction of the dancers.The natives shouted as they pressed forward nearer the avocado trees.I looked at Toy.Then we ran.The sounds of gongs grew louder and louder than the pounding of my heart against its ribcage as we approached the thick circle of people straining their necks to see the object of the perturbation.We elbowed our way through to the center of the crowd.For a while I rubbed my smoke-filled eyes for I thought I was dreaming, but there, caught in the glare of the bright firelight, was a lone man dancing, the ends of his G-string flapping as he moved unerringly to the strange uneven rhythm of the goings while shifting shadows drew myriad patterns on his golden chest, his arms elegant in their winging, his feet affirming his thanage of the earth, his long hair and loose beard wavelike in the wind while the peop le whispered, ?He?s back,? ?Dayleg, Dayleg,? and the elders caressed the sky with their eyes and gazed at him reduced to a thin pathetic remnant of a man by the mills of the gods, him the hunter, expressing the threads of mountain history that held his muscles and bones in the frenzy of autochthonous grace now unleashed purely, and that contorted his face into a mask of grave pain until tears came to wash his beard and glimmer in the light, and, as his feet stamped the ground in syllables of penance, they commenced carving that portion o fate cow for the gods ? he had returned but the gods had a long memory ? they carved the meat while in the circle, wrapped in a spell, he kept on dancing, figure of a man fallen and rising again, with his feet and arms and soul declaring his inviolable kinship with all that made him what he was and what he would be, there in the circle, oh how he danced. The next morning I packed my bags and told Roy I was going back to the City with him.There were many things I had to do.We could still catch the six o?clock bus.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

The Aborigines Essay Example For Students

The Aborigines Essay Rust red sand underlies the heart of Australia, where the huge monolithsknown as Olgas shoulder above spinifex and grevilea. This old and worncontinent has a look like no other celebrated by both the nativeborn and brief sojourners to the land down under (Portraits 159). Thisold continent also has also a spirit like no other, embodied by the peoplewho inhabited it for so long that they have come to identify spirituallywith the land (Terrill 200) the Aborigines. They have developed a uniqueculture, centered on religious beliefs, and a lifestyle that unites them tothe earth. Many times they have been categorized as primitive, but viewsare changing, and their civilization has come to be recognized assophisticated, their influential role in modern Australia being no longerdenied. Aboriginal history stretches long into the past. They have inhabitedAustralia for thousands of years before the European arrival. Sitesdiscovered around the continent prove that they have been there for atleast 38,000 years (Judge). However, new archeological techniques haveexpanded this figure to 116,000 years, stretching the limit almost to thebirth of Homo sapiens, and it is unclear whether they are the descendantsof modern man (Fullagar), or of a more archaic type (Judge). It isgenerally accepted that the Aborigines have migrated here from Asia,although there are still questions whether they have crossed a land bridge,or have sailed the seas (Fullagar; Judge). Whatever the means they used toget to Australia, the Aborigines have adapted to the continent and havemanaged to survive isolated from all other human groups. They only came incontact with another human population some 200 years ago, at the time ofthe European colonization. At that time there were from 300,000 to 700,000Abo rigines (Gonen; Moore, Aboriginal), and their numbers have decreasedto about 250,000 today (Rajendra, Old people). The British settlersdestroyed the Aboriginal communities and way of life by taking over theland and introducing new animals into the Australian ecosystem. The nativesdied of diseases introduced by the Europeans, or starved as the newlyintroduced animals displaced the ones they traditionally hunted (Gonen). Although recently the Australian government gave them back some land toturn into national parks (Terrill 200) or mine for minerals (Gonen), theAboriginal community is still the one with the highest rate ofunemployment, disease and illiteracy in the country (Rajendra, Oldpeople). The geography of a place will always influence the societies that livethere, and this is especially true of the Aboriginal culture that hasperfectly adapted to the Australian landscape. Australia is a flat and lowcontinent, with an average elevation of 1000 feet. The western sideconsists of a great, arid plateau and several deserts, while the easternpart is a mountainous region. The center of the continent is made up oflarge plains and is perfect for agriculture. The same area is also host toUluru or Ayers Rock, the worlds largest monolith (Powell) and a sacredplace for the Aborigines (Rajendra, Aboriginal). An estimate of 700Aboriginal tribes, were spread throughout the continent at the time ofEuropean arrival (Moore, Aboriginal). Many tribes still survive today,although more than half of the Aboriginal population has moved to urbanareas (Rajendra, Old people). Besides inhabiting all the provinces ofmainland Australia, Aborigines also live in Tasmania, an island on thesouthern tip o f the continent (Gonen). The structure of the Aboriginal society is different from the forms ofgovernment known in most modern societies. Related people are organized insubunits called clans or family units (Moore, Aboriginal). Several ofthese subunits make up a tribe. They speak the same language and gather forreligious ceremonies. A tribes population can vary from a few members to2,000 people (Gonen). All male members of the tribe that have gone throughthe initiations are considered equal. There are some leaders in each clan people who have qualities that others admire or that can perform certainroles. The Elders are the wisest men in the tribe, knowing both the lawsand the tribes mythology. They are the ones who can give advice or settledisputes. In large tribes, the Elders form a council for the purpose ofconducting initiations and regulating other social and religious events,but they are not a government in the modern sense of the word (Moore, A toZ). Because of this organization and the small size of a clan, Aboriginesare not divided into social classes. Men and women have separate roles in the society, and, similar to otheraspects of Aboriginal culture, these are strongly influenced by theirspirituality. People of both sexes have to go through initiation rituals inorder to become adults, and these rituals are kept secret from the eyes ofthe opposite sex (Moore, A to Z). Among the Aborigines, non-initiatedmales are considered women until their initiation, because they only havetheir mothers blood in their veins (Eliade 27). During initiations, thenovices are instructed in the religious traditions of their tribe and theirgenders sacredness is revealed, thus establishing a connection betweentheir adult life and that of mythological beings (Eliade 4 and 42). Theseparation of sexes continues later in life, when each one has a specificrole. Men hunt and carry only their weapons, while women collect plantfood, small animals and take care of babies and household utensils(Humphrey). Because each subunit consists of people related to each other, the familyties in the Aboriginal society are more extensive that those incontemporary societies. Children consider their mothers sisters as mothersand their fathers brothers as fathers. Their cousins are to them brothersand sisters. The only people seen as aunts and uncles are the parentssiblings of opposite sex, and their children are cousins. As tribes areclosed communities, they are divided into two intermarrying groups. Peoplefrom one group can only marry people from the other and this preventsinbreeding. Marriages are arranged when children are very young, and girlsbecome wives at the early age of 11 or 12 years old. Polygamy was notunusual, but both the husband and wives had love and respect for eachother, because this is what they were taught by stories and tradition(Moore, A to Z). Little children are taken care of by all members of theclan, but they still have to learn to fend for themselves. Therefore, froman ea rly age, they try to imitate their parents, girls helping theirmothers and boys going hunting or fishing with their fathers (Humphrey). The Value of Physical Education to the Ancient Gre EssayAll the places where they have retreated to reside (Elwood 34; Moore, A toZ), or where important acts of creation have taken place are considered tobe places of power, tying this world with Dreamtime (Berndt, Ronald 531). Everything has a spirit and is alive because of Dreamtimes power, thusturning Aboriginal religion into a form of animism (Rajendra,Aboriginal). The Aborigines believe that people are born when spirit-children come from Dreamtime and enter a mothers body. When they die, thespirit-children return to Dreamtime and await a reincarnation (Elwood 34;Moore, A to Z). People have been created by the spirits to help maintainthis world and in order to do so, they need to learn the secret spirituallife that animates the world. This can only be revealed in time, duringseveral initiations. Girls initiation into the secrets of fertility andcreation of new life begins with their first menstruation and only endswith the birth of their first child (Berndt, Ronald 533; Eliade 42). Boysinitiations are done in groups and include several ordeals. During theseinitiations, they are told stories explaining the creation and structure ofthe world and taught how to use their knowledge of the spirits to preserve the world (Eliade 4). Religion and its purpose of maintaining lifetransforms all social events like weddings, funerals, births, andmigrations into re-enactings of events that took place in Dreamtime, thuslinking the two worlds together and transferring power from one to another(Berndt, Ronald 531). The Aborigines tied their life to a higher purposeand learned to honor spirituality, yet European settlers have oftenmisunderstood them. As the Aborigines are nomads, moving each season to aplace that can provide them with food in the harsh Australia, the habit ofgoing on a walkabout is entrenched in their culture. In the 1800s and1900s, Aboriginal workers on white-owned farms would disappear for days asthey left on a walkabout. The term was coined by the farmers who saw theAboriginal need to travel as ingratitude, instead of recognizing that itwas something fundamental to their culture. Walkabouts are spiritualjourneys that take travelers to a place where they feel they belong, and insom e cases to their place of birth (Moore, A to Z). The Aborigines have adapted to Australia and they learned to live ashunters and gatherers. They do not practice agriculture, but move fromplace to place, following the pattern of the seasons that makes foodavailable in some areas, and scarce in others (Humphrey). They eat allsorts of animals, from kangaroo stews and soups, to crocodile steaks,snakes, lizards, turtles, fish, worms, and even wild ants and bees. Thevegetarian diet is also diverse, focusing on roots, cereals and grasses,occasionally fruits and even resin. Food can be eaten raw or roasted oncoals (Rajendra, Bush tucker). Although the Aborigines do not need anindustry, they are involved in mining (Gonen), and in tourism, as theyturned their lands into national parks (Terrill 200). The ancient Aboriginal society has changed more in the last 200 years thanin the thousands of years before, yet is still maintains a lot of itsoriginal culture. In most cases, it managed to adapt to the Europeancolonization, yet still maintain its own spirit. Some of the Aborigineshave chosen to follow the path of their ancestors, others to seek a newlife in urban Australia. Whatever their choice, they all are important toAustralia, giving this 200-year old country a 100,000 year-old perspectiveon life. Works CitedBerndt, Catherine. Australian religion: mythic themes. Encyclopedia ofreligion. New York: Macmillan Publishing Corporation, 1987: 547-562. Berndt, Ronald. Australian religion: an overview. Encyclopedia ofreligion. New York: Macmillan Publishing Corporation, 1987: 530-547. Breeden, Stanley. Living in two worlds. National Geographic Feb. 1988:291-294. Breeden, Stanley. The first Australians. National Geographic Feb. 1988:266-290. Doherty, Charles. Art of Australia and New Zeeland. Internationalencyclopedia of art: Far Eastern Art. New York: Facts on File, Inc.,1997: 52-54. Eliade, Mircea. Rites and symbols of initiation. Woodstock, Connecticut:Spring Publications, Inc., 1958. Elwood, Robert, ed. Australian religions. The encyclopedia of worldreligions. Book Builders, 1998: 33-34. Fullagar, R.L.K et al. Early human occupation of northern Australia:archaeology and thermoluminescence dating of Jinmium rock-shelter,Northern Territory. Antiquity 1996: 751-773. Archaeology WorldResources. http://artalpha.anu.edu.au/web/arc/resources/papers/ausdates/jinmium.htm (10 Dec. 2000)Gonen, Amiram, ed. Australian Aborigines. Peoples of the world. Danbury,Connecticut: Grolier Educational, 1998: 83-87. Humphrey, Michael. Aborigines. Coo-eeAustralia calling, 1997. http://users.orac.net.au/~mhumphry/aborigin.html (13 Dec. 2000)Judge, Joseph. Child of Gondwana. National Geographic Feb. 1988: 170-177. Moore, Geoff. Aboriginal tribes of south-east coast of New South Wales.Australian Aborigines History and Culture Research Project, 2000. http://www.aaa.com.au/hrh/aboriginal/tribes1.shtml (10 Dec. 2000)Moore, Geoff. A to Z Encyclopedia of aboriginal information.Australian Aborigines History and Culture Research Project, 2000. http://www.aaa.com.au/hrh/aboriginal/A_Z/atoz1.shtml (10 Dec. 2000)Portraits of the land. National Geographic Feb. 1988: 157-169. Powell, Joseph. Australia. Encarta Online Encyclopedia, 2000. http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?z=1;pg=2;ti=761568792;cid=4#p4(10 Dec. 2000)Rajendra, Sundran, and Vijeya Rajendra. Aboriginal religion. Cultures ofthe world: Australia. Tarrytown, New York: Marshall CavendishCorporation, 1996. Rajendra, Sundran, and Vijeya Rajendra. Bush tucker. Cultures of theworld: Australia. Tarrytown, New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation,1996. Rajendra, Sundran, and Vijeya Rajendra. Old people in a new land.Cultures of the world: Australia. Tarrytown, New York: MarshallCavendish Corporation, 1996. Terrill, Ross. Australia at 200. National Geographic Feb. 1988: 181-212.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Pollution in Beijing, China

Introduction Dangerously high pollution levels shrouded Beijing in smog for several days in Jan, 2013. Poor visibility and 755 air pollution levels as measured by the US Embassy in Beijing shocked all Chinese residents.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Pollution in Beijing, China specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Similar data by the American embassy also showed the PM 2.5 had reached an all-time high of 866 microgram per cubic meter, a figure 25 times that of the standard level in US . Local authorities reacted to this even in the following way, they issued containment orders such as requiring reduced construction and engineering activities, restriction on travels by civil officers and reduced outdoor school activities. Beijing, the mega city capital of China with an estimated population of 20 million has a long history of pollution problems. Sadly to say, but persistent environmental pollution has been br ought about by the massive economic growth of the country and which is yet to be sufficiently addressed by successive communist regimes. Over-reliance on coal for energy, high motorization and poor enforcement of anti-pollution laws have been cited in many areas as the prime causes of pollution . Air pollution involves having dangerous inhalable quantities of particles of soot, organic compounds, heavy metals, acid aerosols and dust . In Beijing, just like in many other megacities in China, coal, auto exhaust and construction are the major agents of air pollution. Importantly to note that natural feature mainly geographical and weather pattern and not just emissions also play key roles in the pollution and pollutants levels of the city . High pollution is associated with adverse effects on human health, environment, animal and economic development. In China, a pollution level is determined from a number of standards specified in the National Ambient Air Pollutant Standards. The part iculate matter (PM) is measured on various scales. PM10 and PM2.5 are used but not TSP which was discontinued in 2001 . Heavy pollution in populous areas of Beijing and near by regions such as Beijing- Tianjin-Hebei region has been attributed to high PM2.5 and ozone concentrations.Advertising Looking for research paper on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More PM2.5 has been widely used in Beijing during the last decade . To underscore the seriousness of pollution in Beijing, it should be stated that in all measurements in Beijing, the level of PM2.5 has remained exceedingly high compared to the WHO standards . This paper discusses the key aspects of air pollution in Beijing with extrapolation of the same to the rest of China cities. Beijing is highly pollution and examining the roots, effects and control measures will present a wider picture of the state of air pollution in China. The content is by no means ex haustive and further reference may be helpful. Various factors account for high level of air pollution in the Chinese capital. These are discussed in the following section. This is followed by the effects and later control measures before conclusion is drawn at the end. Reasons for high pollution in Beijing The causes of pollution in Beijing are not far from those of the greater China. They range from heavy industry by products, high population to poor environmental and enforcement policies.Pollution in Beijing was extremely high in the 1990s . However, since 1998, Beijing authorities continuously publish weekly air quality reports for concentration of TSP, SO2, NOx and carbon monoxide (CO) . Heavy industry Massive industrialization over the years has been a key marker of the impressive economic growth China has experienced the past decades. Throughout the last two decades heavy and high tech industries have replaced traditional â€Å"cleaner† financial and service one . Thes e include steel, petrol, automobile, as well and chemical producers. The top pollutant producing industries in descending order of ranking are electricity, cement, transportation and warehousing .These industries release dangerous particulate matter, gases, volatile compounds and aerosols into the air. Industries insatiable need for energy has overstretched the available sources. To date, coal remains the primary source of energy for majority of industries in Beijing. In fact, coal account for 70% of all energy needs in China. In 2010 Beijing alone spent 27 metric tones of coal . Burning of coal and release of its untreated byproducts adds a lot of CO2, SO2 and soot in the air. SO2 emission has been on the increase in Beijing and other cities in China .Chemically, the combustion of coal accounts for 90% of SO2 air emissions, and over 70% of dust, nitrogen and CO2 .Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Pollution in Beijing, China specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Comparison of coal use, SO2 emission and GDP in China Figure 1. Total coal consumption, national SO2 emissions, and GDP in China during 1995-2006 Between 1997 and 2005 alone the increase was 12%. Industrialization in Beijing can be understood from its contribution to the national GDP. Together, with the cities of Shanghai and those in the Pearl River Delta region such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, it accounts for about 20% of the GDP. Although heavy industrialization is the major source of pollution in Beijing and most China, its development has been necessitated by the high population that calls for constant jobs and improvement of livelihood. The following section examines the role of high population in regards to pollution. Figure 2. Energy production and emission of major pollutants Advertising Looking for research paper on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Huge population Today, China is the most densely populated country in the world. At the start of this decade, its population stood at over 1.2 billion persons. This presents a serious challenge in tackling various forms of pollution. However, even though the country shows a 60% urbanization 60%, the biggest part of the population still lives in rural areas. Notwithstanding, this implies constant pressure on the government to create jobs and provide utility services. Meeting these demands obviously comes at a cost. It is known fact that the astronomical growth in GDP in China has been instrumental in lifting millions of Chinese out of poverty.Fast growing cities continue to attract huge number of people from rural areas in search of jobs. The urban population grew by about 20% between 1980 and 2005 . In Beijing alone, the population currently stands at over 20 million from 15.4 million in 2005 .Overall, the population of Beijing has witnessed an annual rise of about 2% since 1990s . High population translates into more use of solid fuels and coal . Furthermore, despite great economic progress, biomass fuel and coal is still heavily relied on in rural areas. High population has contributed to air pollution in many ways. First, high ever-swelling urban population calls for more housing leading to intensive construction thus compounding air problems. Secondly, massive urban expansion leads to differences in surface temperatures between the main city center and far flung suburban and decrease in relative humidity. This sets perfect condition of accumulation of particulate matter and development of smog in the area. The tall buildings also interfere with moving of air thus clogging the atmosphere pollutants. Lastly, High urban population also led to increased demand and usage of auto transport leading to increased vehicular emissions . Between 1999 and 2005, the number of vehicles in Beijing increased from 1.39 million to 2.65 million . The next section details the impact of high number of cars on air pollution in Beijing. Number of cars Motorization in Beijing has grown relatively fast in similar pattern to swelling city population and growth in economy . Continuous growth of number of vehicles and resultant emission are an impediment to efforts in improving urban air quality . Fig 3.Growth in vehicle numbers in Beijing between 1989 to 2009 Beijing has experienced a steady increase of about 13% in number of vehicles to reach over 5 million today. The bulk of this is personal vehicles and efforts are underway to lessen it through establishment of various public mass transportation systems. This astonishing increase has brought with it challenges in tackling air pollution in the city. In this regard, various investigators has identified motor emissions are key facilitators of air pollution in the area. Emissions from vehicles has been cited as sources of high CO, NOx, Volatile organic compounds and ozone in central and downtown in Beijing. Les s planting of trees Availability of land is a key catalyst of economic industrialization many forested regions have been cleared to set up factories. This has reduced the forest cover of Beijing to just below 1 %. The end result of this is increased suspension of particulate matter in the air and poor sequestration of carbon compounds and other emission from the atmosphere. Inefficient pollution control Despite apparent political will to tackle air pollution, control measures set out are yet to reduce air pollution levels to even just below international standards. The State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) and its successor Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP)goals of time-based cuts in major emissions has not produced little improvement. A notable effort is the 10 stages emergency control measures launched by the Beijing government in 1998. The gains of this initiative have been erratic, partly affected by ballooning vehicle number and the city population. Furt her evidence of challenges in addressing environmental degradation is from the fact that Beijing has twiced postponed the nationwide rollout of vehicle-emissions standards despite the lagging of fuel-quality standards. In addition, emission rates remain relatively high above world standards. A good example is NOx emissions. NOx emissions have actually increased within the last decade despite effort to lower it. Wang Hao (2012) attribute this to slow and/or halted control legislations. MEP has estimated the NOx is over 22mt, a level far above that of United States and Europe. The installations of low NOx burners (LNB), as required by law seem not to have produced any reductions. According to a report by the Washington-based Center for strategic and InternationalStudies (CSIS) (2008), a major impediment to pollution control implementation in Beijing has been the lack of connection between the central and local authorities. Beijing efforts to cut dangerous emission is thwarted by loca l authorities who disregard pollution legislation in favor of emissions control. Fig. 4 Emission of SO2, NOx and TSP (total suspended particle) in china, 2000-2010 In Beijing, NOx has been associated with the 20% rise of nitrate aerosol in PM2.5 and ozone between 2000 and 2008. PM emissions standards have produced mixed effect pointing to the fact that success in cutting dangerous emitted require concerted effort. For example, while PM emission standard requiring adoption of technologies such as installation of electrostatic precipitators (ESP) and fabric filters have produced reduction in some industries ,this has been cancelled out by high PM from traditional steel, cement and aluminum industries. The level of PM10 in Beijing has oscillated between 114-127 g/m3 between 2005 and 2010, way above the 40 g/m3 of European Union’s air quality standard. High pollution in Beijing and greater China has produced the common effects recorded elsewhere touching on human health, environ ment, animals generally the growth of affected cities. The next section details each of these points Effects of high pollution Health effects Massive industrialization in China has produced proportionate decline in environmental quality in most cities. Beijing is no exception. Highly polluted outdoor air is associated with 300,000 deaths, 20million cases of respiratory infection and an annual health budget of over 500 billion Yuan representing roughly 3% of the gross GDP. Data by WHO also indicates that approximately 450,000 premature deaths are due to the used of solid fuels in homes. Most of the health problems have been traced to coal combustion. Some of the health effects of air pollution include reduced fetal and child growth, pulmonary diseases (e.g. asthma), development abnormalities, and risk of cancer. Studies have shown that the most affected are fetuses,infants and young children due to greater absorption and slower toxic elimination by their bodies. Studies have also sho wn the yearly mean density of respirable particles in Beijing and other megacities such as Shanghai to be around/over 100 µg/m3 , a concentration nearly four times of comparable cities such as New York and Tokyo. This may explain the high number of respiratory problems common in Beijing, where face masks are easy to spot.The European Space Agency (ESA) considers Beijing to be one of the Chinese cities with the worst levels of NOx that seriously damages the lungs. It is difficult to estimate the actual mortality and other health problems due to air pollution in China because the local government does not reveal real data to the public . Poor air quality is scarring would-be inhabitants and contributing to abandonment of the city by expatriates. John Pomfret, aWashington Post writer when asked why he moved back to Los Angeles Jokingly said â€Å"for the air†. Although there are no statistical figures of the impact of this migration, it illustrates the dire nature of air pollu tion in Beijing and other Chinese megacities Environmental effects The environment has been a major casualty of severe air pollution in China. Statistics from the MEP for 2010 indicate that 50.4% of monitored Chinese cities suffered from acid rain during that year alone. According to the same report areas with heavy pollution and low PH (.4.5)precipitation increased for the 1995-2010 period. Acidic rainfall can bring about skin infection, corrosion of building and impairment of plants growth. A noted trend in recent years is that Beijing and other northern cities such as Tumen, Chengde, and Shangluo have recorded PH of below 5.6. In general, acid rain problems has escalated in the last two decades with 30% of Chinese territories experiencing acid rain pollution since the 1990s. China has overtaken the United States as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases (Wang Hao,2012; Ma, 2013).Since 2006, China has led the world in CO2 emissions and together with the USA account for about 40% of global emissions . This has resulted in increased external pressure for China to assume greater role in curbing global warming. For example, heavy use of coal and other fossil fuels that during the process of burning release greenhouse gases is the main source of the global climate changes. Recent extremely severe winters attest to these claims. Apart from CO2, China also releases huge amounts of methane, an important greenhouse gas whose source is rice paddies, landfills, coal mines, and a number of natural sources. Marine and ecological effects Particulate matter gets soaked with precipitation and finds way into water bodies. Heavy metals particles may also enter animal ecosystem through general sedimentation. These occurrences alter the ecological balance of marine habitat by affecting the PH, light penetration, aeration and density of water. Death of marine animals arises when their breathing systems get clogged by particulate matter and from poisoning. From the water bodies the pollutants may find their way into the food chain through human consumption of fish and other marine animals. A large shoal of floating dead fish has become a common sight in water bodies around Beijing. Country/city economic development Mitigating the problems and causes by air pollution is an extremely expensive undertaking. Billions that would otherwise been channeled to grow the economy are spent on health costs, technologies to cut harmful emissions and related areas.. In spite of scarce empirical data, the benefit of lessening respiratory illness in children was estimated at 3.5 billion dollars over the period 2002-2011. No example illustrates this better than the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Organizing committee has to spend billion to improve the quality of air and increase the number of â€Å"blue sky† days. High air pollution in Beijing has also drawn sharp criticism from outside and pressure to adopt tough measures which may interfere with local economies. Today Chi na is still under pressure to sign Kyoto Protocol to cut greenhouse emissions and meet targets set for top carbon emitters. Suggested pollution control measures Reducing air pollution is critical to the welfare and progression of Beijing. Although authorities have made commendable strides in cutting harmful emission, a lot still remains undone. Curtailing and reducing major emissions will require concerted efforts at individual, governmental and organization level. Individuals residing in the city should be encouraged to plant more trees, use more public transport, and develop a deep sense of environmental consciousness. This is necessary as by 2010, the total number of vehicle in Beijing stood at 4.87million. Encouraging the use of public transport can lower emission of CO, hydrocarbons, NOx and particulate matter from motor vehicles. Additionally, Investigators have also identified automobiles among the top agents of air pollution in Beijing. Therefore, future air pollution interv ention measures need to consider expansion and revamping of public transportation system as a key mitigating factor. As China become more industrialized farming and related activities such as planting trees continue to loose attention. This needs to be reversed. Authorities should encourage planting as green plants sequester excess carbon from the environment. In addition some plant can act as reservoir for heavy metals, decreasing their concentration in the atmosphere. Authorities also need to encourage and instill and instill a deep sense of environmental consciousness among residents. Such measures have been shown to be beneficial in western countries that once faced similar pollution problems. The central government is continually rolling out ‘cleaning’ technologies and regulations geared towards reducing air pollution in Beijing and the rest of China. This has included flue gas desulfurization (FGD) system that all coal-fired plants are required to use . The adopti on is encouraging given that by 2010 over 81% of such plants had already installed FGD. Coal washing compliance has also increased by an impressive 15% between 2005 and 2010 . A tremendous control of PM has been achieved in Beijing through policy and standards implementation. The 2003 PM emission standard (GB 13223-2003) requires PM concentration in flue gas to be less than 50mg/m3. Installation of electrostatic precipitators and fabric filters in coal units with generation capacity of over 600W resulted in decrease of PM2.5 of between 7%- 69% from 1990 to 2005 in different sectors. However, this gain from technological measures was reversed in the later part of the decade due to an explosive growth of high PM emitting industries such as steel, cement and aluminum. In Beijing, the PM10 remains relatively high fluctuating around 114-125 g/cm3 from 2005 to 2010 . While these traditional approaches are indispensable, the actual solution may lie in promoting energy efficiency and renewa ble energy sources. This intervention approach is to ensure that fewer pollutants are produced from sources. In all respects, Beijing needs to considerably reduce its overreliance on coal, the primary source of air pollution and the main driver of its industries. Past experience has shown that localized actions and policies do not produce lasting reduction in emission primarily due to infiltrations from outside. Therefore, future efforts to cut high emission in Beijing need to take this into account. A comprehensive approach would seek to address various pollution problems including acid precipitation, ozone, particulates, and greenhouses gases. To this end, regional air pollution modeling and networks should be encouraged. This will help craft better forecasts, regulation and emergency systems Anti-pollution organizational practices Beijing could borrow from foreign standards regulating vehicle emissions. Being the capital city, Beijing has to implement the phase emission standard to those in Europe. Encouragingly, Beijing enforced phase 4 emission standards in 2008 and 2009. This control measures are vital in decreasing the overall fleet average emission factors in the city. Indeed, studies have shown that the implementation of phase 1-4 emission standards since 1995 has resulted in annual decrease of fleet –average emission factors of CO,HC, NOx and PM10 in light duty cars by 12.5%, 10.0%, 5.8% and 13.0% respectively. Conclusion Air pollution is a serious problem in Beijing. Massive industrialization has brought with it catastrophic levels of pollution to the city. The dire situation of air quality has earned Beijing the embarrassing label of the pollution capital of the planet. The single most important source of pollution is coal. Combustion of coal leads to increase in various carbon compounds in the air and is the precursor to many greenhouse gases. The primary driving factors of pollution in these like are no different from those elsewhere. They include presence of heavy industries, huge population, high number of personal car and general inefficiency in pollution control by government and local authority bodies. High rate of pollution has caused a number of problems in the city including, high incidence of respiratory diseases and contributed to immigration abroad by foreigners and locals. On the other hand, the problems has negatively impacted the environment through acid precipitation, interfering with plant growth and increasing levels of greenhouse gases that have been associated with the global warming phenomenon. Animal sanctuaries have also been unpurified leading to imbalances in their ecosystem and frequent deaths. The effects of severe air degradation havebeen felt on the economic development of the city. This is because huge invested have to be made to mitigate the harmful effects brought about by the emissions. Whereas efforts in past two decades to contain air pollution in Beijing have produced commendable re sults in mitigating their negative effects, a lot of challenges still remain. With industrialization yet to peak in the city, current mitigation measures are poised to get diluted by upcoming industries, especially those traditionally associated with high particulate matter content. However, current measures should continue to emphasize more vegetation planting, greater use of public transport system, and enhancement of environmental consciousness. The city also needs to adopt more cleaner and renewable sources of energy such as solar and significantly cut it’s over reliance of coal as the primary source of energy. It is equally important for the government and local authorities to work in tandem in implementing emission regulations and policies. Otherwise, reduction in air emissions will not be realized anytime soon. References Associated Press. (2013, Jan 12). Air pollution in Beijing reaches hazardous levels. Web. Chan, C. K., Yao, X. (2008). Air pollution in mega cities in China. Atmosph Env, 42, 1-42. CSIS. (2008). Assessing the Chinese government response to the challenge of enviroment and health. Washingto D.C: CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies. Gao, C., Yin, H., Ai, N., Huang, Z. (2009). Historical analysis of SO2 pollution control policies in China. Env Mngt, 43, 447-457.doi:Doi 10.1007/s00267-008-9252-x. Hays, J. (2012, April). Air pollution in China. Facts and Details. Web. Ho, M. S., Jorgenson, D. W. (2008, September-October). Greening china: Market-based policies for air-pollution control. Harvard Magazine, pp. 32-38. Ma, W. (2013, January 14). Beijing pollution hits highs. Dow Jones Company, Inc. Web. Millman, A., Tang, D., Perera, F. P. (2008). Air pollution threatens the health of children in China. Pediatrics, 122, 620.doi:10.1542/peds.2007-3143. Wang, S., Hao, J. (2012). Air quality management in China:Issues, challenges ,and options. J of Env Sc, 24(1), 2-13.doi:10.1016/S1001-0742(11)60724-9. Wu, Q. Z., Wang, Z. F., Gbaguidi, A., Gao, C., Li, L. N., Wang, W. (2011). Numerical study of contributions to air pollution in Beijing during CARE Beijing-2006. Atmph Chem Phy, 11, 5997-6011.doi:10.5194/acp-11-5997-2011. Wu, Y., Jiewang, R., Zhou, Y., Honglin, B., Xinfu, L., Ebinhe, K., et al. (2009). On-Road vehicle emission control in Beijing: Past ,present and future. Environ. Sci., 12, 322-345. Zhang, J., Smith, K. R. (2007). Household air pollution from coal and biomass fuels in China: Measurements, health impacts, and interventions. Environ Health Perspect, 115, 848-855.doi:10.1289/ehp.9479. Zhang, J., Mauzerall, D. L., Zhu, T., Liang, S., Ezzati, M., Remais, J. V., et al. (2010). Enviromental health in China: progress towards clean air and safe water. Lancet, 375, 1110-19. This research paper on Pollution in Beijing, China was written and submitted by user Averie W. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Free Essays on Italian Rennasissance

How was the Italian Renaissance an age in which life was a work of art?† The Renaissance was an important time. It was a time when new ideas were formed, worldly places became more important, and great people became known. All of which paved the way to future inventions, philosophies, and life as we know it. During the Renaissance, new possibilities were explored. One of which was a group of people who called themselves Humanists. Humanism was a movement based on the literature and ideas of ancient Greece and Rome. Humanists focused on secular themes, rather than those that were religious. They also believed that individualism, human improvement and that people should develop their talents through many activities. Humanism was influential in that more attention was paid to literature, the arts and education. Because education was becoming more important, more schools were opened. Students were taught all that was taught in classical Greek schools such as Greek, Latin, history a nd philosophy. The humanists strongly believed that education could help people to improve themselves. Humanism also inspired literature to become more universal. Many authors were discovered. Also, a form of poetry, called a sonnet, was developed. The humanists were very important to the Renaissance, without their teachings much would have been left undiscovered. The city stated of Florence, Rome and Venice were also important parts of the Renaissance. Florence was ruled by a line of successful and wealthy rulers. Florence produced many great things. Great rulers, great architects, great sculptors and great painters. Thus leading the way through art. Rome was the leading renaissance city during the 1500’s. Many artists and scholars went to Rome to be taught by master craftsmen. Rome also became a site of great religious increases. Venice was a city of great trading. It linked Asia and Western Europe in trade routes, also drawing traders from the rest of the w... Free Essays on Italian Rennasissance Free Essays on Italian Rennasissance How was the Italian Renaissance an age in which life was a work of art?† The Renaissance was an important time. It was a time when new ideas were formed, worldly places became more important, and great people became known. All of which paved the way to future inventions, philosophies, and life as we know it. During the Renaissance, new possibilities were explored. One of which was a group of people who called themselves Humanists. Humanism was a movement based on the literature and ideas of ancient Greece and Rome. Humanists focused on secular themes, rather than those that were religious. They also believed that individualism, human improvement and that people should develop their talents through many activities. Humanism was influential in that more attention was paid to literature, the arts and education. Because education was becoming more important, more schools were opened. Students were taught all that was taught in classical Greek schools such as Greek, Latin, history a nd philosophy. The humanists strongly believed that education could help people to improve themselves. Humanism also inspired literature to become more universal. Many authors were discovered. Also, a form of poetry, called a sonnet, was developed. The humanists were very important to the Renaissance, without their teachings much would have been left undiscovered. The city stated of Florence, Rome and Venice were also important parts of the Renaissance. Florence was ruled by a line of successful and wealthy rulers. Florence produced many great things. Great rulers, great architects, great sculptors and great painters. Thus leading the way through art. Rome was the leading renaissance city during the 1500’s. Many artists and scholars went to Rome to be taught by master craftsmen. Rome also became a site of great religious increases. Venice was a city of great trading. It linked Asia and Western Europe in trade routes, also drawing traders from the rest of the w...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

MPH599 - Culminating Project Mod 2 SLP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MPH599 - Culminating Project Mod 2 SLP - Essay Example Childhood obesity: prevention practices of nurse practitioners, is a study conducted in 2006 by Larson, Mandy Ecole, and Ann Williams. The purpose of the study was to describe the prevention practices of nurse practitioners regarding childhood obesity. He compared the practices of nurse practitioners to those of prevention guidelines. It identified relationships between prevention practices and demographic variables. A convenience sample was used of the patients of 199 family nurse practitioners. These nurse practitioners were from the intermountain area. Participants in the study completed a questionnaire based on guidelines and risk factors for childhood obesity as well as childhood diabetes. The conclusion was that family nurse practitioners in family practice or general practice were not consistently using the BMI for age index to increase the screening for childhood for diabetes. However it was found that they were teaching parents and promoting health food choices and physical activity in these families. The other conclusion that was found was that there are major barriers to him implementing childhood obesity prevention strategies which include parental attitudes, the American lifestyle, and the lack of resources for both the nurse practitioner in the family the results of this study have large implications of children developing child type II diabetes. Many of the practices today are family practices today are run by family nurse practitioners and they must be up to the ability to know what the latest and greatest is in preventing diabetes in children Is there a need for screening for type II diabetes in seventh grade? This is a study done by Whitaker, Davis, and Bower,(2004). The purpose was to determine if screening for type II diabetes in the seventh grade population is unwarranted practice. A diabetes questionnaire was sent home to each participants parent or guardian, the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Homo Sexual- Rogerian Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Homo Sexual- Rogerian Argument - Essay Example Critic’s view: In the paper written by (Smith), child adoption by homosexual couples has been favored. (Smith) has made an extremely biased approach to speak in favor of child adoption by the homosexual couples. This can be estimated from the fact that he refers to the conceptions against child adoption by homosexual couples as myths and those in favor of child adoption by homosexual couples as facts. Smith says that it is nothing but a myth that children raised in homosexual couples may become homosexual themselves. Smith also refers to it as a myth that children raised in homosexual family systems may be harassed by their peers and be put into social exclusion. He says that children have a habit of making fun of one another for any reason. Children are made fun of for being short, tall, skinny or obese. He says that if a child does not grow in a homosexual family system does not mean that he/she will not be made fun of by the peers. However, there is a lot of difference betw een the harassment offered for any reason and that offered for being a part of a homosexual family. A child may be obese or skinny for a short period of time, but his/her association with the homosexual family remains a source of embarrassment for the whole of his/her life. Smith denies the fact that every child requires both male and female parents. â€Å"Children without homes have neither a mother nor a father as role models. And children get their role models from many places besides their parents. These include grandparents, aunts and uncles, teachers, friends, and neighbors† (Smith 4). Justification against the points raised by critics: Environment that cultivates in the home of homosexuals may be extremely harmful to the psychology of the children. The child may remain intact from the effects of his/her homosexual parents’ sexuality, though the child is quite likely to adopt a life style in which monogamy is discouraged, and extremely risky sexual behavior preva ils. Gays assume a very high verisimilitude of acquiring the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) as compared to heterosexual couples. A vast majority of cases in which people acquire this deadly disease happens through wrongful sexual practices. Gayism and lesbianism is the primary source of the spread of AIDS around the world. If either or both of the homosexual parents suffer from AIDS, the children are exposed to the threat of acquiring AIDS. There is a parenting equation that is conducive for the accurate psychological and physiological development of children. This parenting equation lays down respective roles and responsibilities for parents from both the genders. According to the equation, every child requires two parents that belong to opposite genders. Every child requires a male parent and a female parent. The male parent or the father plays the role of sperm donor to make the child gain birth, and later plays the role of bread earner for the whole family. Contr ary to that, the female parent or the mother plays the role of making the baby and giving birth to him/her, and later assumes the responsibility of the child’s psychological and physiological nurturing at home. She makes best use of the money earned by the father and spends it in such a way that is beneficial for the whole family as well as the children. Healthy development of a child requires bo

Monday, November 18, 2019

Micro analysis of Apocalyspe Now (1979) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Micro analysis of Apocalyspe Now (1979) - Essay Example Inspired by the 1902 novel of Joseph Conrad, The Heart of Darkness, Apocalypse Now presents a story of a U.S. Army assassin, Captain Benjamin Willard in his final mission in Vietnam. Willard is tasked to take a voyage up the Nung River into Cambodia, for purposes of finding and killing a renegade Green Beret officer, Colonel Walter Kurtz. Kurtz, who is believed to have gone insane, leads a native Montagnard army in the commission of derange killings. The native army regards Kurtz as their ‘god’. Willard joins the troop of a Navy river patrol boat in order to reach Kurtz. As the journey of Willard continues, his crew comes across Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, chief of a U.S. Army helicopter cavalry group, who led the elimination of a Viet Cong colony to afford an entry point for the Patrol Boat River into the mouth of the Nung River. After several notable episodes of the journey, Willard finally reached the outpost of Kurtz, completing his mission and thereby gaining an acknowledgment of the natives as their new ‘god’. The chosen sequence depicts a part of the journey of battle-weary Captain Benjamin Willard to the ferocious profundity of war. The film sequence focuses on Willard’s mission to attack a Vietnamese village suspected of being an enemy stronghold, with the indispensable participation of Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, who takes Willard on an airborne foray utilizing several U.S. army gunships. The sequence begins on the sound of a trumpet signalling the commencement of the mission as depicted by the movement of the first helicopter gunship elevating from the ground, followed consecutively by the rest of the gunships. As the helicopters soar the sky, Wagner’s â€Å"Ride of the Valkyries† plays in the background. Here, the viewer is being initiated into the spectacle and awesome sight of war. As each of the helicopters ascends in the orange sky, showing overlapping shots of helicopters in tight formation

Friday, November 15, 2019

Impact of the English Civil War (1642â€1651)

Impact of the English Civil War (1642–1651) The English Civil was an important part of English Revolution in 17th Century. It was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. It lasted ten years-from 1642 to 1651. According to the opinions of the historians, the English Civil war in 17th century could be divided into two parts: the first English Civil war and the second English Civil War. At last, the Parliamentarians won the war. It caused a big change in English political system. The parliamentarians and the royalists stood for the benefits of different people. The parliamentarians stood for the benefits of the new bourgeoisies, new nobles, yeomen, and most of the commons.  [2]  The royalists stood for the benefits of the king, the old nobles, the priests and the bureaucrats and the magnates. With the development of the economy, the conflicts between them became more serious. England was one of the blankets of Capitalism.  [3]  Since the 13th century, many nobles and people who had money began to buy lands and managed their farms. Many farmers who lost their lands became the main labors for the development of the capitalism. Many farmers worked in one farm, and the products of the farm will go to market directly. Besides the agriculture, the commerce and industry got a great development. With the development of the economy, bourgeois became an important part of the society. However, under the reign of the king, the economy developed very slowly. The feudality blocked the development of the economy. In addition, Charles I levied upon heavy tax from the citizens for his luxurious life and the war. More and more people opposed the reign of Charles I. Charles I did not care the people, and continued to carry out his policies. He even decided to break the parliament. The conduct of Charles I had enraged people. Rebellions happened in many places. In November, 1641, the parliament made and passed a document to accuse the bad conduct of Charles I, and required him to give industry and commerce freedom.  [4]  The most important point of this document was that the government should listen to the parliament. However, Charles I did not agree with this kind of document. To response the rebellion, he captured the members of the House of Commons, but he failed at last. Further negotiations by frequent correspondence between the King and the Long Parliament through early summer proved fruitless. In August 22, 1642, Charles I declared to crusade against the members of the Parliament who rebelled him. This thing caused the first English war between parliamentarians and royalists. Comparing the powers of the two camps, the camp supporting parliament was in dominant position. The areas the parliament controlled were developed. Four fifths of the tax was got from these areas.  [5]  Most of the people support the parliament. In addition, the army of the parliament controlled important harbors and navy. However, the parliament was in a hard condition in the beginning. To change the bad condition of the war, in 1645 Parliament reaffirmed its determination to fight the war to a finish. It passed the Self-denying Ordinance, by which all members of either House of Parliament laid down their commands, and re-organized its main forces into the New Model Army (Army), under the command of Sir Thomas Fairfax, with Cromwell as his second-in-command and Lieutenant-General of Horse.  [6]  At the Battle of Naseby on 14 June and the Battle of Langport on 10 July, the Parliamentarians effectively destroyed Charles armies. Charles was eventually handed over to the English Parliament by the Scots and was imprisoned. This marked the end of the First English Civil War. After the First English Civil War, the royalists were hurt seriously. The power fell into the hand of the Presbyterianism. All polices they made were for their own benefits. Most of the peoples rights were not protected, and their bad conditions of life were not changed. They thought the first English Civil War was not the end of the revolution. They decided to continue the revolution until their rights and benefits were protected.  [7]  At the same time, Charles I negotiated a secret treaty with the Scots, on 28 December 1647. Under the agreement, called the Engagement, the Scots undertook to invade England on Charles behalf and restore him to the throne on condition of the establishment of Presbyterianism for three years.  [8]  Then, he used all kinds of methods to encourage people to rebel. Suddenly, a series of Royalist uprisings throughout England and a Scottish invasion occurred in the summer of 1648. The second English Civil war broke out. Parties of revolution seek to cooperation to fight the war. During the second war, the army of the parliament conquered every difficulty, and succeeded at last. The second English war ended with the victory of the parliament. Charles I was sent to the court of trial. At the end of the trial the 59 Commissioners found Charles I guilty of high treason, as a tyrant, traitor, murderer and public enemy.  [9]  He was beheaded on 30 January 1649. Shortly after the Kings execution, Parliament abolished the office of the King and the House of Lords. It declared that England shall be governed as a Commonwealth. Commonwealth was established in England. The government ruled by elected representatives of the people. But Englands supposedly republican Commonwealth actually turned out to be a military dictatorship under Cromwell.  [10]  To protect his reign, he tried his best to clean up all threats. At last, he brought Scotland and Ireland under English control. His armies swept though both countries and put down all resisting forces.  [11]   English Civil War is a great fight between parliamentarians and royalists. During the war, the new nobles and the bourgeoisies held the leadership, and most of the common people supported them to fight. That assured the victory of the parliamentarians. The victory of parliamentarians ended the reign of dictator. New nobles and bourgeoisies take the power of the nation. The right of the King was abolished. England was declared to be Republic. Democracy was closer to Britain. It was the climax of English Revolution.  [12]   English Civil War was an important event in the history of British. Besides the political consequence, it had a great effect on the development of the military and the economy. During the English Civil War, Cromwell established advanced army. It improved the strength of the English army. The new nobles and bourgeoisies took the power of the nation. They could make policies that stood for the benefits of bourgeoisies. It promoted the development of capitalism. In addition, the victory of English Civil War encouraged the revolutions of other countries.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Exercise Addiction Essay -- Exercise Dependence

Exercise is often thought of in a positive light. It is common belief in today’s society that a healthy diet and a regular exercise routine will lead to a long, healthy life. And in the simplest sense of the word, it will. It has been a tried and true method to control and lose weight, lift a person’s mood, boost energy, combat a variety of health conditions and diseases, promote better sleep patterns, and even increase libido. (Mayo Clinic, July 23, 2011). So with all of these being possible and probable benefits of working out, why would it possibly be anything other than good? Certainly, something with so many benefits can’t be a bad thing? However, we may overlook the fact that it is like any good thing; in excess it can become dangerous very quickly. In society, there are increasingly more athletes that are pushing themselves so hard to the point they are making themselves sick. Whatever happened to exercising for simple joy, or competing becau se of a love for sport? The motivations behind an individual’s exercise habits are directly related to whether they develop an addiction. There is even a term for this over exercising phenomenon: Exercise Addiction, or Exercise Dependence. Exercise dependence is a craving that a person would experience, manifesting itself in the form of compulsiveness in relation to exercise behaviour. It can show in physiological symptoms, such as withdrawal, or psychological signs like anxiety and depression. (Hausenblaus, Downs. 2000). Some of these psychological symptoms can be observed in anyone who is competitive and/or elite in their chosen sport, but it may not necessarily mean that they are â€Å"addicted†. It is not nearly as likely to see such behaviours in moderate exe... ...iate control that they are more at risk for addiction. Research still needs to clarify many facets of this affliction, so that the general public can access and be educated on the topic. If this is achieved, the incidence of exercise addiction should decrease, and eventually become just a shadow of its current state. Works Cited http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1751359/ http://drugabuse.gov/scienceofaddiction/brain.html http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32573781/ns/health-fitness/t/runners-high-can-turn-real-addiction/#.Ttg0LPLTpMY http://www.anorexiaathletica.com/ Carroll, D., S. Rodgers, I. Cockerill, and D. Bamber. "Diagnostic Criteria for Exercise Dependence in Women." National Centre for Biotechnology Information. British Journal of Sports Medicine, Oct. 2003. Web. 4 Dec. 2011. .

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Writing and Science Fiction Writer

These two articles are similar in that they are both writing pieces by authors writing in first person about their books or writings. Amy Tan and Isaac Asimov are both writing about something specific about their writings. Amy Tan talks about how her experiences with her mother contributes to her writing and Isaac Asimov analyzes why he is a good science fiction writer and what it takes to be one. In the article Mother Tongue by Amy Tan, Amy writes about what it was like growing up with her mother's limited English. â€Å"because when I was growing up, my mother's ‘limited' English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. † (1) As the author implies in this passage and throughout the article, other people's perception of her mother affected her own perception of her. Amy had to pretend to be her mother a lot to professionals because they did not take her seriously or understand her. â€Å"When I was fifteen she used to have me call people n the phone and pretend it was her. In this guise, I was forced to ask for information or even to complain and yell at people who had been rude to her. † (2) Eventually, the author realizes that her mother and the experiences helped form her in to the writer she is today. Those Crazy Ideas by Isaac Asimov is about his fans asking him where he gets his crazy writing ideas. Isaac is a science fiction writer. He explains that to be a science fiction writer, you must possess as many â€Å"bits† (facts or information) as possible, you must be able to combine the â€Å"bits† well, and you must have intuition. (3) These two are articles are both written in first person. Although Isaac and Amy are writing about two totally different subjects, they are both relevant to being a writer. Those Crazy Ideas is more or less Isaac teaching people what it takes to be a good science fiction writer. He attempts to help people understand his thought process while writing and his take on creativity. He analyzes creativity itself. This article is has a more informational purpose than Mother Tongue; which is the first difference other than their subjects. Mother Tongue and Those Crazy Ideas are different in that they have different purposes. Mother Tongue, Amy Tan is sharing a personal story and relating it back to the way it affected her writing style and technique. His main purpose is sharing for understanding. We used a similar routine just five days ago, for a situation that was far less humorous. My mother had gone to the hospital for and appointment, to find out about a benign brain tumor a CAT scan had revealed a month ago. † (4) Isaac, in his article, is essentially answering the question â€Å"Where do you get your crazy ideas? † and is elaborating on that. He uses a lot of factual information and examples to prove his arguments about being a science fiction wr iter. â€Å"To begin with, in 1831, when Charles Darwin was twenty-two, he joined the crew of a ship called the Beagle. (5) The difference in Mother Tongue is that Amy does not use any hard facts but, instead, used her personal accounts to get her point across. These are two different styles of writing that partway has to do with the subjects their writings are about. In the end of their articles, Mother Tongue by Amy Tan and Those Crazy Ideas by Isaac Asimov, they both relate their articles back to something specific about the way that they write. In Amy Tans experience she learned to write in a way people would understand instead of trying to prove her good English by uses big intelligent words that the average person could not understand. Fortunately for reasons I won't get into today, I later decided to I should envision a reader for the stories I would write. And the reader I decided upon was my mother, because these were stories about mothers. So with this reader in mind-and in fact she did read my early drafts- I began using all the Englishes I grew up with: the English I spoke to my mother, which for lack of a better term might be described as ‘broken'; my translation of her Chinese, which could certainly be described as ‘watered down'; and what I imagined to be her translation of Chinese if she could speak in perfect English. (6) Isaac Asimov concludes his article, answering the question â€Å"Where do you get those crazy ideas? † with a blunt â€Å"I don't know. † He reiterates that we need to encourage scientific creativity and experiment more with creativity itself. â€Å"How, then, does one go about encouraging scientific creativity? For now than ever before in man’s history, we must; and the need will grow constantly in the future. † (7) â€Å"I don't know. Here, it seems to me, is where we need experimentation and perhaps a kind of creative breakthrough about creativity. Once we learn enough about the whole matter, who knows- I may even find out where I get those Crazy Ideas. † (8) In conclusion, the two articles, Mother Tongue by Amy Tan and Those Crazy Ideas by Isaac Asimov, are the same in that they are both in first person and both relate back to each author's writings somehow. They are different in that they are on different subjects; they have different purposes and different ways of getting their point across. Amy uses her personal experiences and Isaac uses hard facts. Bibliography Asimov, Isaac. Those Crazy Ideas Tan, Amy. Mother Tongue ? Works Cited (1)Tan, Amy. Mother Tongue pg. 87 paragraph 9 (2)Tan, Amy. Mother Tongue pg. 87 paragraph 10 (3)Asimov, Isaac. Those Crazy Ideas pg. 145 paragraph 28 (4)Tan, Amy. Mother Tongue pg. 86 paragraph 4 (5)Asimov, Isaac. Those Crazy Ideas pg. 143 paragraph 9 (6)Tan, Amy. Mother Tongue pg. 90 paragraph 21 (7)Asimov, Isaac. Those Crazy Ideas pg. 150 paragraph 81 (8)Asimov, Isaac. Those Crazy Ideas pg. 151 paragraph 91

Friday, November 8, 2019

JAWS THE BOOK essays

JAWS THE BOOK essays In Jaws terror strikes. This terror is what fuels the story. When the first attack is learned by the worn everyone is gripped with fear. As more die this grip tightens and slowly chokes the town. The terror starts because the killer is unseen and unknown, impossible to see and impossible to escape. There is also the evident amount of death involved with the shark attack. The town is soon to fail with the attack of a shark on a local water front. The first wave of terror would have to be that there is a creature living right near you but totally hidden. Less then a mile between the shark and people, the shark sees you but you will never see the shark. Not only is it unseen but also heartless and mindless. It has a need to feast and anything in the water is fair game for it, no matter how inaccessible. People realize they kill and feel some amount of remorse or pain for what they do. A shark does not, what he eats, what he kills does not matter to it. The next wave of terror is the death. Christine Watkins went for a swim after a night of fun and out of no where the shark speeds over and takes a chunk out of her left leg. No one sees her die but they sure do find her body, parts. Ever your mother cant protect you. When the young boy Alex Kinter begs for a little floating on his raft he never sees the monstrous beast slide up and swallow him down. When is it safe to swim when there is a large heartless beast that seems to never leave in the water. A quick dip could be your last, a breath of fresh air could be your last word. Terror continues out of water, a community based on vacationers and the water is stopped cold when all of the water is unsafe. Business depends on custimers and with no customers business fails. The pyramid effect takes place first the vacationers do not come in fear of dying. Then local business begin to go down. After the citizens of the town dont make money. People must...