A Respons to The Joy Luck Club essays

A Respons to The Joy Luck Club essays Upon reading The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan, I was fascinated by the many ways in which a segmented collection of unrelated stories could weave themselves into a book with all the elements of realistic fiction. First of all, I found a good deal of symbolism carried throughout the book. Some symbols were very clear, like Lindo's red candle and Suyuan's pendant. Others, however, were more subtle. In Lena's story, "Rice Husband", I always took her vase to be a symbol of her marriage. It sits upon a wobbly table, always threatening to fall off, and is finally broken by Ying-ying, who claims it to be an accident. Since Lena's husband, Harold, had built the table himself, perhaps the vase's instability was a symbol of his lack of support in their relationship. Lena, however, was always aware of the vase being in danger, but chose to leave it there anyway. I noticed, while reading, that there were several recurring ideas, although I am not quite sure as to what they may or may not represent. For example, many of the characters mention sexism, in one way or another. While it has been a problem in both China and the United States, many of the stories seem to involve sexism. When An-mei's mother is raped by her future husband, she must marry him in order to keep her pride and honor in society. Men, however, are allowed as many concubines as they want, and never seem to be judged or looked down upon. Ying-ying is also taught to be passive as a young child, being told by her nursemaid to listen and not ask. When Lindo is forced to live with her mother-in-law and husband, she is treated very poorly and is practically abused because they expect her to do what she is told to. Ironically, although all the mothers were searching for new lives in America, their daughters experience sexism, too, showing that many cultures, however different, hav e similar flaws. Waverly is driven away when she asks to play chess with the men in the park because they do ...

Thesis Ideas

Thesis Ideas Thesis Ideas Thesis Ideas One of the best ways to learn about writing is to start write, to re-read and to edit your work in accordance to the required style and specified thesis format. Sometimes, a supervisor can seem to be a real pest in exhorting students to 'write it down'. But this is often the best advice. Start by writing your thesis ideas down, and ask yourself whether there is a logical flow of ideas in your writing. There is something about transferring knowledge or information from its mental repository or from some conceptual domain on to a page that tends to clarify thought and build coherence. We think a couple of basic tools are needed: an open mind; a dictionary; a thesaurus and/or style guide. If you possess these, you are in a good position to gather thesis ideas! Thesis Dissertation Writing Your writing will determine whether people understand what you have to say, and whether they agree with it and remember your conclusions. This brings us to the hard reality of who you are writing your thesis for. If you think huge hoards of fellow scholars are going to fall over themselves to borrow your thesis from a library - forget it! In reality, very few people will read your thesis, but many more will (you hope) read subsequent articles, chapters and/or even book derived from your thesis ideas. Your thesis will usually be read only by your supervisor and your examiners. The examiners, your most important audience, are also likely to read the thesis in a short period of time. Thesis Writing Consider this analogy: writing a chapter is like watching the news on television. You turn on the evening news, and what do they tell you? The answer is simple: they tell you the headlines, then they tell the news in detail, then they sum up the highlights. Formal academic writing is much the same: the entire thesis and each chapter should contain some form of introduction, a body and a conclusion. The main ideas or arguments should be captured within the introduction in order to focus the reader's attention on the main theme and motivate them to continue reading. The various sections comprising the body of your project should then continue in a logical format. The conclusion should summarize what has been written in the thesis, and link this summary with the original argument outlined in the introduction. There should always be a coherent, logical and consistent thread woven through each section, through each chapter and throughout the thesis. offers you an opportunity to order professional thesis writing assistance.   We will help you thesis ideas, writing, and editing. Do not miss this chance to ease your academic struggles!

Women's misrepresentation in media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Women's misrepresentation in media - Essay Example Advertisers usually objectify women in their ads; they portray them as sexual objects. In addition, media value women neither for their achievements nor for intelligence. They are valuable for their youth, look and beauty. Jean Kilboune in and Carmen Sering share the same idea that media tend to represent women inappropriately. In Kilbourne’s work â€Å" Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt†, the author shows us how these ads attract consumers, then she starts to explain how these ads affect us more than we think. She claims that bodies are portrayed as objects, which leads to sexual harassment. Jean emphasizes that pornographic ads objectifie women. Providing many examples of different ads she proves how ads portray women in inappropriate way, which shapes the attitude towards women in the communities. For instance, an ad for MTV presents young lady with exposed breasts, and the word â€Å"Bitch† under her bosom. Like Jean Kilbourne, Carmen Siering’s work â€Å" Taking a Bite out of Twilight† discusses how the main character Bella is misrepresented. The author also mentions that there are two teams, which are Edward’s and Jacob’s. But there is no team for the girl Bella. Siering writes about how Bella, the main character of the novel, cannot take care of herself. In addition, Bella always needs someone to help her out making her decisions. The idea of â€Å"Taking a Bite out of Twilight† goes against the feminism. Furthermore, the author writes about how women are manipulated by men. Bella is represented in the novel as an object or a prize. Siering continues explaining that Stephanie Meyer, who is the author of Twilight, does not comsider Bella to be a personality. These two works, â€Å"Two Way a Woman Can Get Hurt† by Jean Kilbourne and â€Å" Taking a Bite out of Twilight† by Carmen Siering, share the same idea, which is the misrepresentation of women in media. Meg Kamerick also talks about the misrepresentation of women in the work â€Å"Woman Should Represent

Historic Preservation and the Imagined West Term Paper

Historic Preservation and the Imagined West - Term Paper Example It is the oldest and most historic block of the Mile High City. The buildings of the area tell a lot about the birth and the early years of the city of Denver. The Lower Downtown was formed with the intension to encourage the preservation of a significant area which is vital because of its historical area, architectural look and economic value. The historic resources were given protection due to the historic status of the area. Protection was also given to the 127 contributing historic structures by the act of zoning ordinance. This ordinance included building height limitations and encouraged mixed use development. For rehabilitation and new constructing purposes it provided strict design guidelines. This LoDo District was formed when an unorganized group of Lower Downtown property owners joined District Collaborative, a marketing entity, to form the so called LoDo District. This joint effort was focused on the needs of the neighborhood as it produced a diverse group of people whose community and philanthropic interests were based on those needs. Denver City was named after James Denver who was the territorial governor or Kansas and the main street was named after his son General Larimer. Larimer’s cabin which was torn in 1961 and a one-story false-front store was built at its place until in 1982 when the Granite building was constructed. The first bank, bookstore, photographer and dry goods store of Denver was housed at the city block of Larimer Square. Denver’s first post office was also built on the same block, where currently the Bent Lens is located. The block also had Denver’s first theatre in the Lincoln building, currently where the store Eve is located. The North West corner of Larimer Streets had a building which was once a legendary watering hole for politicians, policemen and city hall reporters known as Gahan’s Saloon. Dana Crawford, an award-winning

Sugary Drinks or Diet Drinks Essay Example for Free

Sugary Drinks or Diet Drinks Essay Abstract Better beverage choices can help fight and prevent obesity and diabetes. Water, of course, is the best beverage option. It delivers everything the body needs—pure H2O—with zero calories. But for some tastes, plain water is just too plain—and it may be unrealistic to ask everyone to kick the sugar-water habit overnight. We must instead work to retrain the American palate away from sweet drinks. Cutting our taste for sweetness will require concerted action on several levels—from creative food scientists and marketers in the beverage industry, as well as from individual consumers and families, schools and worksites, and state and federal government. Sugary Drinks or Diet Drinks? What’ the Best Choice? Soft drinks are the beverage of choice for millions of Americans. Some drink them morning, noon, night, and in between. They’re tasty, available everywhere, and inexpensive. They’re also a prime source of extra calories that can contribute to weight gain. Once thought of as innocent refreshment, soft drinks are also coming under scrutiny for their contributions to the development of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. Diet soft drinks, made with artificial sweeteners, may not be the best alternatives to regular soft drinks. The term â€Å"soft drink† covers a lot of ground. It refers to any beverage with added sugar or other sweetener, and includes soda, fruit punch, lemonade and other â€Å"ades,† sweetened powdered drinks, and sports and energy drinks. In this section of The Nutrition Source, we focus on non-alcoholic sweetened drinks. Drunk every now and then, these beverages wouldn’t raise an eyebrow among most nutrition experts, any more than does the occasional candy bar or bowl of ice cream. But few people see them as treats. Instead, we drink rivers of the stuff. According to figures from the beverage industry, soft drink makers produce a staggering 10. 4 billion gallons of sugary soda pop each year. That’s enough to serve every American a 12-ounce can every day, 365 days a year. The average can of sugar-sweetened soda or fruit punch provides about 150 calories, almost all of them from sugar, usually high-fructose corn syrup. That’s the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of table sugar (sucrose). If you were to drink just one can of a sugar-sweetened soft drink every day, and not cut back on calories elsewhere, you could gain up to 15 pounds in a year. Soft Drinks and Weight Historians may someday call the period between the early 1980s and 2009 the fattening of America. Between 1985 and now, the proportion of Americans who are overweight or obese has ballooned from 45 percent in the mid-1960s to 66 percent today. (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has an online slide show that shows the spread of obesity in the U.S. ) There’s no single cause for this increase; instead, there are many contributors. One of them is almost certainly our penchant for quenching our thirst with beverages other than water. Once upon a time, humans got almost all of their calories from what nature put into food. That changed with the advent of cheap sugar, and then cheaper high-fructose corn syrup. High-fructose corn syrup has been fingered as one of the villains in the obesity epidemic, but in fact, table sugar and corn sweeteners likely have the same physiological impact on blood sugar, insulin, and metabolism. Sugar added to food now accounts for nearly 16 percent of the average American’s daily intake. Sweetened soft drinks make up nearly half of that. Dozens of studies have explored possible links between soft drinks and weight. It isn’t an easy task, for several reasons (read Sorting Out Studies on Soft Drinks and Weight to learn why). Despite these research challenges, studies consistently show that increased consumption of soft drinks is associated with increased energy intake. In a meta-analysis of 30 studies in this area, 10 of 12 cross-sectional studies, five of five longitudinal studies, and four of four long-term experimental studies showed this positive association. A different meta-analysis of 88 studies showed that the effect appeared to be stronger in women, studies focusing on sugar-sweetened soft drinks, and studies not funded by the food industry: Studies in children and adults have also shown that cutting back on sugary drinks can lead to weight loss. On the surface, it makes sense that the more ounces of sugar-rich soft drink a person has each day, the more calories he or she takes in. Yet that runs counter to what happens with solid foods. People tend to compensate for a bigger than usual meal or for a snack by taking in fewer calories later. That’s how weight stays stable. This compensation doesn’t seem to happen with soft drinks. No one knows for sure why this happens, but there are several possibilities: Fluids may not be as satiating as solid foods. That means they don’t provide the same feeling of fullness or satisfaction that solid foods do, which might prompt you to keep eating. The body doesn’t seem to â€Å"register† fluid calories as carefully as it does those from solid food. This would mean they are added on top of calories from the rest of the diet. It is possible that sweet-tasting soft drinks—regardless of whether they are sweetened with sugar or a calorie-free sugar substitute—might stimulate the appetite for other sweet, high-carbohydrate foods. Use headings and subheadings to organize the sections of your paper. The first heading level is formatted with initial caps and is centered on the page. Do not start a new page for each heading. Subheading Subheadings are formatted with italics and are aligned flush left. Citations Source material must be documented in the body of the paper by citing the authors and dates of the sources. The full source citation will appear in the list of references that follows the body of the paper. When the names of the authors of a source are part of the formal structure of the sentence, the year of the publication appears in parenthesis following the identification of the authors, for example, Smith (2001). When the authors of a source are not part of the formal structure of the sentence, both the authors and years of publication appear in parentheses, separated by semicolons, for example (Smith and Jones, 2001; Anderson, Charles, Johnson, 2003). When a source that has three, four, or five authors is cited, all authors are included the first time the source is cited. When that source is cited again, the first author’s surname and â€Å"et al. † are used. See the example in the following paragraph. Use of this standard APA style â€Å"will result in a favorable impression on your instructor† (Smith, 2001). This was affirmed again in 2003 by Professor Anderson (Anderson, Charles Johnson, 2003). When a source that has two authors is cited, both authors are cited every time. If there are six or more authors to be cited, use the first author’s surname and â€Å"et al. † the first and each subsequent time it is cited. When a direct quotation is used, always include the author, year, and page number as part of the citation. A quotation of fewer than 40 words should be enclosed in double quotation marks and should be incorporated into the formal structure of the sentence. A longer quote of 40 or more words should appear (without quotes) in block format with each line indented five spaces from the left margin. 1 References Anderson, Charles Johnson (2003). The impressive psychology paper. Chicago: Lucerne Publishing. Smith, M. (2001). Writing a successful paper. The Trey Research Monthly, 53, 149-150. Entries are organized alphabetically by surnames of first authors and are formatted with a hanging indent. Most reference entries have three components: Authors: Authors are listed in the same order as specified in the source, using surnames and initials. Commas separate all authors. When there are seven or more authors, list the first six and then use â€Å"et al. † for remaining authors. If no author is identified, the title of the document begins the reference. Year of Publication: In parenthesis following authors, with a period following the closing parenthesis. If no publication date is identified, use â€Å"n. d. † in parenthesis following the authors. Source Reference: Includes title, journal, volume, pages (for journal article) or title, city of publication, publisher (for book). Appendix Each Appendix appears on its own page. Footnotes 1Complete APA style formatting information may be found in the Publication Manual. Table 1 Type the table text here in italics; start a new page for each table [Insert table here] Figure Captions Figure 1. Caption of figure [Figures – note that this page does not have the manuscript header and page number].

Religion in Chatharine Sedwicks Hope Leslie, Stephen Jay Goulds Dinos

Religion in Chatharine Sedwick's Hope Leslie, Stephen Jay Gould's Dinosaur in a Haystack and Norman Mclean's A River Runs Through It In Hope Leslie, by Catharine Sedwick; Dinosaur in a Haystack, by Stephen Jay Gould, and A River Runs Through it, by Norman Maclean; the authors use religion in order to give the reader an insight on the stories and ideas they present, as well as gaining respect in the reader’s minds. All people can relate to religion, in one way or the other. Therefore, people have a sense of what the author is trying to express as well as giving the author a universal sense of respect. Although these literary pieces are based on totally different settings, 17th century puritan lifestyle, scientific evolution, and rural Presbyterian family life, religion is the common theme that relates these works. In Hope Leslie, Sedwick’s 17th century puritan characters are so well presented you overwhelmingly have a sense of respect for not only the characters, but also to Sedwick. Even the character’s names, like Hope and Faith makes the reader think of them as good puritan people. Sedwick describes in great detail the nature of the puritan lifestyle to give you the perception of the strict, yet honorable puritan life. Sedwick clearly writes her novel so even if you have no background on puritan religion, you feel a sense of what is was like. Religion was the key element in this novel. It showed basis for most of the actions the characters. In 17th century puritan communities, religion is the law of the town. For example, when Sedwick is talking about the Sabbath day she states, "Not a human sound is heard without the dwellings, and but for the lowing of the herds, the crowing of the cocks, and the gossiping of the bi... ...onal beliefs of these religions are. For example, he shows Pauls rebelliousness very early in the novel when he doesn’t eat his oats like the traditional Presbyterian would. It shows that even though Paul respects religion, he doesn’t let it make decisions for himself. After reading this novel, I had an overwhelmingly large respect for Maclean. His religious viewpoints were expressed clearly and without any discrepancies and his morals are regarded as almost untouchable. In conclusion, religion is a belief that everyone can relate to and have a sense of respect for. In these three extremely different literary works, all is tied to religion in some way. Even if you are not a religious person, you still have respect for the religion. These authors have totally different religious backgrounds, but as the reader, you have an equal amount of respect for each of them.

An Analysis of William Shakespeare’s Othello Essay

In the play Othello, the characters depend only on their eyes, and with that, they jump to major conclusions. Many times in life we often take things for what we see them as or what they appear to be instead of looking to see what something or someone really is. Reality is often disguised by appearance. The tragic plot of Othello hinges on the ability of the villain, Iago, to mislead other characters, particularly Roderigo and Othello, by encouraging them to misinterpret what they see. Through Iago’s manipulation of Roderigo, treachery towards Othello, and Desdemona’s deception towards her father, Shakespeare demonstrates that appearance is not always reality. Although Iago made it look as if him and Roderigo were partners in crime, it turns out Roderigo was just being manipulated. Roderigo is one of the many characters who are duped into believing Iago is actually trying to help him. He convinces Roderigo to to keep his hopes up for Desdemona by saying, â€Å"It cannot be that Desdemona should long continue her love to the Moor–put money in thy purse–nor he his to her . . . â€Å"(1. 3. 338-340). Iago is convincing Roderigo that the love between Othello and Desdemona cannot last much longer so he should just wait and everything will work out. â€Å"Honest† Iago, who only wished to further his plan of revenge on Othello, lied to Roderigo who had come to his â€Å"friend† for help. Roderigo had left after their conversation believing his good friend was helping him. Later in the play, Iago also convinces Roderigo that Desdemona loves Cassio. Iago subsequently manipulates Roderigo’s jealousy and resentment towards Cassio and Roderigo helps remove Cassio of his lieutenancy. Roderigo is merely a puppet to Iago’s treacherous plot to eliminate Cassio. To Othello, it may seem that Iago is an honest and trustworthy friend, but it turns out he is the opposite. Virtue! a fig! ’tis in ourselves that we are thus†¦ and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills. (1. 3. 5). When Iago makes an analogy between gardening and exercising free will, we’re reminded of the way that Iago is the ultimate master gardener, so to speak. Part of what makes him such a brilliant manipulator of Othello is his ability to plant the seeds of doubt and jealousy in Othello’s mind. Iago is only doing this to serve his own purposes so that is plan will work out in the end. Iago is able to manipulate people into falling for the traps he sets. This misplaced trust is what leads Othello to his downfall. Desdemona is continuously distrusted by those who love and trust her most, especially Brabanito. Brabantio refuses to believe Desdemona loves Othello. Brabantio thinks Othello used witchcraft to woo Desdemona. Desdemona elopes with Othello without her father’s permission. Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: She has deceived her father, and may thee. (1. 3. 10). Brabantio suggests that, because Desdemona deceived her father when she eloped with Othello, Desdemona will likely deceive her husband. Desdemona, as we know, is completely faithful to Othello. Desdemona deceives her father in order to be with Othello. All of this manipulation, treachery, and deceit is what leads each character to their own downfall. Not only are looks deceiving, but looks alone, only cause trouble, trouble that is sometimes unfixable. People today, just like those in the Shakespearean period, jump to conclusions just by seeing. It is important to get all the facts before something tragic happens just like in Othello. Seeing isn’t always believing.

New Testament interpretation also referred

The apostle Peter addressed the crowd for the first time after the Holy Spirit had come down on the apostles and the disciples on the day of the Pentecost.The crowd was amazed as they had heard them speaking in languages that they could understand. They knew they were Galileans but the crowd as made up of people from all over the region, including Parthians, Medes, Elamites.The quotation followed after a clarification from Peter that they were not drunk, instead they were speaking in tongues because of the pouring of the Holy Spirit. They were also prophesying in the Spirit. Prophecy was something that was prominent in Christianity and it was highlighted in the New Testament Christianity.The verses showed a relationship with how the Christians was conscious with the spirit of prophecy and how it had returned to them as community (Perrin 62). The importance they had attached it was evident in this speech that was a passage understood to be about the end of time as it was being fulfill ed among them.Historically, the book of Joel was grouped with pre-exilic prophets such as Amos and Micah. But there was little data to pinpoint the exact period by which it was written. If it was a plague of locusts, there was no data available for it. On the other hand, if locusts stood for an army invasion, there was little clue as to which threat it was (Barton 15).The entire book of Joel was seen to have no immediate relevance to anyone but had messages of how God would pour out spirit on all flesh as fulfilled in the book of Acts (Barton 3).Joel 2:28-32 was written in a context wherein there was an emphasis that not every one could benefit from the new order that was to come, not even everyone in Israel but only call on the name of the Lord (Barton 7).The previous passages before this verse represented Joel’s plea for the people to render their hearts to the Lord because of who God is. It was followed by how the Lord called His people to come back into His care.The gener al flow of the story started with presenting the dire state of the nation by which they need to proclaim a public lamentation (Barton 14). Following this lament, there were God’s promises for restoration as well as a glorious future.Difference in MeaningThe quotation in the New Testament also referred to the gift of the Spirit that was connected to the prediction Joel had made about how it would be given to mark the last days. In Joel’s time, the reference to the last days was not used. It was inserted precisely because it was the Apostolic Church and it was an eschatological event that took place (Filson 72).  (Filson 72). There were significant additions and changes that Peter had made in his speech that quoted the prophet Joel. The quotation was opened up with â€Å"In the last days, God says† (Acts 17) as well as â€Å"they shall prophesy (Acts 18) that was not originally seen in the Old Testament passage (Perrin & Duling 62).However small the additions t o the verses were, they provided for a deeper meaning and significance especially in the context by which it was pronounced in the New Testament.The prophet prophesied of the days of the Lord, something that was still connected to the restoration that God would bring from the period of lamentation and strife in the country. It was interpreted in the New Testament to be the start of the fulfillment of the prophecy for the last days.While in the book of Joel, there was only one set of signs that indicated the coming of the â€Å"day of the Lord,† the book of Acts showed two sets of signs that referred to the â€Å"sky above† and the â€Å"earth beneath† (Perrin & Duling 62).This referred to the differences in the time period. The signs of the sky above were about the signs that were outstanding and were still waiting to be fulfilled.On the other hand, the signs of the earth below referred to the coming of Jesus and how he fulfilled this prophecy that pointed to th e signs of the last days (Perrin & Duling 62).The additions were also significant in how the people saw themselves and characterized themselves as a community.While in the context in the book of Joel referred to these signs to be the immediate experience and imminent expectation, the New Testament interpretation also referred to the Christian’s conviction of being the End Time community wherein they were experiencing the first act of the divine drama that would shortly be followed by the second coming of Christ (Perrin & Duling 62).

Sample Research Paper on War

Sample Research Paper on War Attempting to evaluate the origins of World War One is both a complex and contentious issue, highly debated amongst historians with discussion centering on war guilt and the main contributing factors. Amongst the most topical problems in this area are the extent of Germanic blame concerning the war guilt dispute, and also the degree of blame that can be placed on the Alliance System in creating a warm climate. The view that the Alliance System was the key element of the war climate can be supported by the argument that it is what caused the war to transform from an isolated incident to a global war. Whereas, this can be defended by the view that the whole tension of the European powers before the 1914 outbreak can be attributed to all elements of the environment equally. When analyzing which nation was the main aggressor of war, Germany, according to many historians deserves to shoulder much of the blame. Contrary to this, the Revisionist school of thinking does not see Germanys pre- war actions as offensive but rather defensive. This school of thought shares the blame equally amongst the powers when considering some of the factors on the pre 1914 Germany. The joining of these two arguments shows the complexity of the origins of the war to end all wars, and show that there is validity in many of the viewpoints when considering the arguments and the bias that each historian is inevitably subject to. Of all of the components within the pre-war environment, the Alliance System is the element that determined the creation of a global war and additionally was a factor in generating suspicion between the powers during the lead up to the war. By the outbreak of war in August 1914, Europe and through imperialism much of the world, was divided into two sharply opposed and hostile armored camps, due to the Alliance System. The alliances were comprised of France, Britain, and Russia on the one side under the Triple Entente agreement (1907). The opposing force was the Triple Alliance (1882), which included Germany, Austro-Hungary, and Italy. The alliances held the fundamental purpose of mutual military assistance in time of attack or defense. Additionally, they acted as the balance upon which power was rested, so each Alliance was counteracted by an equal and opposite force. This system is what ensured that as war broke out, it spread rapidly due to alliance obligations engaging other nations and their empires in the first local conflict. This view is expressed by Paul Kennedy when saying, These coalitions mean that even if one belligerent was heavily defeated in a campaign or saw that its resources were inadequate to sustain further conflict; it was encouraged to stay in the war by hope and promise of aid from its allies. The alliance system itself virtually guaranteed that the war would not swiftly be decided The words of Paul Kennedy show assuredly that the comparatively insignificant assassination of Austrian heir, Franz Ferdinand in the Balkans, the crisis would not have escalated to the death of ten million soldiers without all the nations being dragged down the vortex of war due to allied responsibilities. The significant role of the Alliance System and its repercussions on the war to end all wars is demonstrated in this argument, but tends to exclude evidence supporting other causes of war. The Alliance System had a bearing impact on the magnitude of the Great War but does not account for the many other contributing elements that created the tensions between the European Great Powers during the early twentieth century. The war climate also undoubtedly involved militarism, nationalism, and imperialism. The belief that each nation should build up to it army, navy and military techniques to the point that would be intimidating to its opposition, can be considered as what turned Europe into a metaphoric powder keg, waiting for the lethal catalyst. Additionally, the aggressive colonial interests of each Great Power fuelled the war climate, particularly the Kaiser who sought colonies as a key part of his foreign policy. However, this argument is also countered by the France and Britain alliance, as they were strong colonial enemies. Finally, the view that nationalism had a significant impact on the climate which mounted into the Great War is supported by the historian Gordon Greenwood, when he wrote in 1973, The underlying reason for the struggle may be found in.. each nation acting in accordance with what appeared to be at the time for its rulers to be its own best interests. This interprets the value of nationalism as a provocative element in the origins of World War One, with each nation standing to defend the interests of that nation aggressively and to prove the strength which their respective nations were capable of. Thus the evaluation of the pre1914 war climate can be considered with Alliance System in the fore frontal position as the main cause, but the historical analysis can also logically place any one of the other elements of the war climate as the main basis for war. The climate of the Great War was merely the stage set for the instigation, for which the argument of war guilt is exhaustive and multifaceted. Combining the notoriously aggressive nature of the German people with the confrontational and suspicious nature of Kaiser Wilhelm IIs foreign policy, many historians view the tensions and instigation of World War One as largely responsible of Germany. The unification of Germany holds vital evidence to the trademark German aggression, referred to by many historians. In 1848 the democratic Frankfurt Assembly failed to unify Germany. Where diplomacy fell short, the policies of Bismarck are expressed in 1871, when he said, not by speeches and majority votes are the great questions of the day answered that was the mistake of 1848 but by blood and iron ( Cowie, H.R. 1987 page 93) Bismarcks ambitions were successful in 1871, when after three short wars; his unification plan was founded, while amongst historians opinions formed on the impact this event had on the psyche of the German people. About the war climate, L.C.B. Seaman voices this argument by saying the historical traditions of the Reich knew no principle other than that of the exercise of power for its sake the Germans stampeded into war, the mindless and purposeless victims of their history. Although this view was written eight decades after the conclusion of the war and in England, a nation which opposed Germany at war, this evidently illustrates the belief that Germany was actively seeking a fight. Furthermore, a prime example of Germanys aggressive actions was the creation of a navy which rivaled the traditional supremacy of the British Navy and is considered the catalyst which drew Britain out of splendid isolation. As expressed by A.J. P. Taylor, The great navy had no defensive purpose. For that, Germany would have needed coastal forts and vessels, which were not built. The navy was therefore purely a weapon of offensive. The newly formed navy was seen by both the British at the time and historians in retrospect, as an aggressive tactic to draw the world towards war; a war which Germany believed would entail economic and colonial benefits. The extent of German war guilt is hence evaluated from this perspective that German guilt was due to the aggression of the already existing tensions of the war climate. The claim that Germany was the most prominent aggressor of the Great War is agreed to be valid based on the presented facts, but Germany could, to the contrary, be perceived in an entirely different light to show its pre-1914 actions as defensive. The hindsight of historian can be viewed as distorted in the time following 1919, directly due to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, within which Germany was forced to confess to sole war guilt. As expressed by Sidney Bradshaw Fay in 1928, One must abandon the dictum of the Versailles Treaty that Germany and her allies were solely responsible. It was a dictum exacted by victors from vanquished, under the influence of blindness, ignorance, hatred, and the propagandist misconceptions to which war had given rise. This very importantly reminds us that the War Guilt Clause was a punishment on a nation that lost a war, not a valid and educated analysis of historical events. It was upon this basis that in the 1920s, many historians revised the extent of German War guilt, and concluded that it was far less than ever before conceived. This way of thinking, in consequence, became known as the revisionist school. From the time of the creation of the Germanic States in 1871, it had to defend its borders against the surrounding hostile states of Russia and France. Germany very rapidly an aggressively became a Great Power in Europe, but this can be seen as a method for German survival or an action en route to war. The Australian historian, Moses takes an interesting stance on the issue by stating, The Reich was encircled by a group of envious, vengeful and barbaric powers. The Reich had only wished to preserve her ally, Austro-Hungary, from collapse. Germany had thus gone to war for the noblest of motiv es. This is quintessential to the revisionist thought, and presents a strong opposing argument to the belief in German war guilt, and is logically supported. While the full details of this historian were unavailable, the fact that he is Australian and thus not essentially biased to the German view gives the argument a strong authority. The revisionist school of thought is shown to encompass what evidence is seen to be omitted when allocating sole blame on Germany, and thus a strong counter-argument is formulated on this basis. The simplicity of blaming one nation or one contributing factor is undermined when evaluating the true complexity of the Great Wars tensions and instigation. When analyzing the role of the alliance on the war, it can undoubtedly be observed as the transformer from a localized to global conflict. The weather this stands as the main reason for war is queried when analyzing the implications of other factors, these specifically being militarism, nationalism, and imperialism. Similarly, when endeavoring to analyze Germanys role in the war, Fritz Fishers view of German aggression is valid to his presentation of evidence. Contrary to this, the elements which were characterized as aggressive can be seen as defensive actions when considering Germany being surrounded by unfriendly states. The melding of these arguments, show the intricate workings of the pre-war period, and neither the climate can be solely defined by the Alliance System, nor can the instigator be blamed solely on Germany, whe n considering all views and beliefs being subject to the inevitable prejudice of all historians. Despite the controversial nature of Germanys war guilt, it can be said assuredly the Treaty of Versailles is what oppressed Germany during the interwar period and shaped a nation susceptible to the regime of Hitler.

The Persian Achaemenid Dynasty

The Persian Achaemenid Dynasty The Achaemenids were the ruling dynasty of Cyrus the Great and his family over the Persian empire, (550-330 BC). The first of the Persian Empire Achaemenids was Cyrus the Great (aka Cyrus II), who wrested control of the area from its Median ruler, Astyages. Its last ruler was Darius III, who lost the empire to Alexander the Great. By the time of Alexander, the Persian Empire had become the largest empire so far in history, stretching from the Indus River in the East to Libya and Egypt, from the Aral Sea to the northern coast of the Aegean Sea and the Persian (Arabian) Gulf. The Achaemenids Cyrus I (ruled at Anshan)Cambyses I, Cyrus son (ruled at Anshan) Achaemenid Empire Kings Cyrus II (the Great) [550-530 BC] (ruled from Pasargadae)Cambyses II [530-522 BC]Bardiya [522 BC] (possibly, a pretender)Darius I [522-486 BC] (ruled from Persepolis)Xerxes I (the Great) [486-465 BC]Artaxerxes I [465-424 BC]Xerxes II [424-423 BC]Darius II (Ochus) [423-404 BC]Artaxerxes II (Arsaces) [404-359 BC]Artaxerxes III (Ochus) [359-338 BC]Artaxerxes IV (Arses) [338-336 BC]Darius III [336-330 BC) The vast region conquered by Cyrus II and his descendants could not, obviously, be controlled from Cyrus administrative capital at Ecbatana or Darius center at Susa, and so each region had a regional governor/protector called a satrap (responsible to and representatives of the great king), rather than a sub-king, even if the satraps were often princes wielding kingly power. Cyrus and his son Cambyses started expanding the empire and the developing an effective administrative system, but Darius I the Great perfected it. Darius boasted of his accomplishments through multi-lingual inscriptions on a limestone cliffside at Mount Behistun, in western Iran. Architectural styles common throughout the Achaemenid empire included distinctive columned buildings called apadanas, extensive rock carvings and stone reliefs, climbing staircases and the earliest version of the Persian Garden, divided into four quadrants. Luxury items identified as Achaemenid in flavor were jewelry with polychrome inlay, animal-headed bracelets and carinated bowls of gold and silver. The Royal Road The Royal Road was a major intercontinental thoroughfare probably built by the Achaemenids to allow access to their conquered cities. The road ran from Susa to Sardis and thence to the Mediterranean coast at Ephesus. Intact sections of the road are cobble pavements atop a low embankment from 5-7 meters in width and, in places, faced with a curbing of dressed stone. Achaemenid Languages Because the Achaemenid empire was so extensive, many languages were required for the administration. Several inscriptions, such as the Behistun Inscription, were repeated in several languages. The image on this page is of a trilingual inscription on a pillar in Palace P of Pasargadae, to Cyrus II, probably added during the reign of Darius II. The primary languages used by the Achaemenids included Old Persian (what the rulers spoke), Elamite (that of the original peoples of central Iraq) and Akkadian (the ancient language of the Assyrians and Babylonians). Old Persian had its own script, developed by the Achaemenid rulers and based partly on cuneiform wedges, while Elamite and Akkadian were typically written in cuneiform. Egyptian inscriptions are also known to a lesser degree, and one translation of the Behistun inscription has been found in Aramaic. Updated by  N.S. Gill Sources Aminzadeh B, and Samani F. 2006. Identifying the boundaries of the historical site of Persepolis using remote sensing. Remote Sensing of Environment 102(1-2):52-62. Curtis JE, and Tallis N. 2005. Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia. University of California Press, Berkeley. Dutz WF and Matheson SA. 2001. Persepolis. Yassavoli Publications, Tehran. Encyclopedia Iranica Hanfmann GMA and Mierse WE. (eds) 1983. Sardis from Prehistoric to Roman Times: Results of the Archaeological Exploration of Sardis 1958-1975. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Sumner, WM. 1986 Achaemenid Settlement in the Persepolis Plain. American Journal of Archaeology 90(1):3-31.

The Advancement of Technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Advancement of Technology - Research Paper Example On the other hand, at the present, Internet tools and techniques are transforming and modernizing the ways through which business operations are performed. In addition, these tools and techniques are also modernizing the basic technical frameworks on which various corporations are developing their domestic or internal business structures. This paper presents an overview of the developments in technology. This paper outlines the advancement of technology that has been playing a significant role in today’s world. Introduction New advancements in technology are brought through the knowledge of crafts, tools, methods and techniques or special scientific and technology systems. In addition, the technological developments play a significant role in resolving diverse kinds of issues and problems. Basically, these technological developments can be seen different areas such as in information technology, construction technology, space technology, medical technology, communication techno logy, art technology and so on. Moreover, the advancement in the technology refers to the development of all the areas connected with technology. The technology normally influences animal species, human and society. In fact, a lot of researches have been carried out on this subject shown that the advancement in technology plays a significant role in the improvement of human life. Before the 20th century this idea was rare in English. In this scenario, the earlier technology was taken as the explanation of art that was helpful. However, the description of â€Å"technology† has been changed with the development of technology (Advancements in Technology, 2012; Turban, Leidner, McLean, & Wetherbe, 2005). This paper will discuss the advancements in technology. In this scenario, this paper will discuss some of the important developments in the technology that helped the human race to become much faster, competent and more developed. Advancement in Technology in Different Sectors De velopment in technology performs a significant role in a number of areas/fields. In this scenario, one of the main technology based developments is seen in political sectors. With the advancement of technology a wide variety of war tools, guns, bombs are made. Though, they are bad for mass people who are not concerned with the war. On the other hand, the communication technology has narrowed the issues and barriers to the human communication. In fact, the history of developments in technology is both rich and long. Additionally, many researchers have made technology based development in space technology (astronomy), science and mathematics. In addition, the traditional herbal medicine, medicine and acupuncture are at the present replaced by the modern technology. With the improvement of technology shadow clock was created by the scientists, which was the first progress in technology. With the passage of time inventors invented a lot of scientific tools that are extremely large in nu mber and cannot be counted (Advancements in Technology, 2012; Turban, Aronson, & Liang, Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, 7th Edition, 2004; Laudon & Laudon, 1999). The majority of business organizations are at the present making use of the Internet tools and techniques to develop a private internal network which is acknowledged as the