Fine Arts of Spain at the end of the Golden Age Essay

The Spanish society during the late 1600s seemed to be a confused society as there were some developments that were so dominating. First is the series of defeats in war against France that had given Spain it first taste of what it means to be a conquered nation, second is the decline of Castile hegemony resulting to the weakening of the imperial state prompting Castilian aristocracy to take advantage of a weakened monarchy, and began to take affairs of the imperial states in their own hands, and third, is the shift of gender emphasis which may have caused all this declines and defeats. Feminization spread all through out Spanish society. According to Sedney Donel (2003), the â€Å"fear of imminent feminization of the general male populace in Imperial Spain is especially visible in certain pictorial images of the spiritual disintegration of Castilian hegemony† (Donell 2003, p. 152). According to Donell, during most artist painting illustrates â€Å"the feeling of despair and fatalism that swept over Spain as its empire began to crumble† (Donell, p. 152) What does it mean when stated that a System of Values was arising†¦? I would say that the above statement refers to the gender problems that gripped Spain during the so-called ‘golden age. ’ The rise of cultural anxiety over gender brought about by feminization has created a new value system that is associated with the love of art had contributed to the decline of the Spanish nation. Donell noted that aristocracy had embraced feminization, and even most members of this group â€Å"no longer had the means to build lavish palaces, but they consumed lavishly and became ostentatious patrons of the arts† (Donell, p. 157), which resulted in the unfolding national tragedy. Donell aptly calls this â€Å"a paradox between an economy in ruin and a cultural production that had entered a golden age† (Donnel, p. 157). It means that the values that were in Spain during this time were about the love of arts and female gender appreciation. Both Philip III and Philip were lovers of drama and did not spend much time on governing but on leisure and court fiestas. Characteristics that can be seen in El Greco Paintings The characteristic of El Greco’s paintings defect his deep devotion to Roman Catholicism and his wide knowledge of his religion. His painting also defect masculine character probably in response to the prevailing gender emphasis attracting men even in the aristocracy. Quoting Marcelin Defourneaux, Donell described the scenario, he stated â€Å"The fashion of short hair had given place to the wearing of it long, or a wig; the use perfumes and even make-up was common among of high distinction that you no longer know whether you are talking to men or to their sisters† (Donell 2003, p. 156) Thus the characteristic of his paintings seemed reminds the role that men ought to be in the society. The Paintings of Diego Velasquez Based on his available paintings, Diego Velasquez interest in paintings was not focus on religion alone. Obviously he loves to paint monarchs depicting their everyday lives, and many of his paintings were of the princess and prince and king and queen of Spain. His relation to El Greco was that he was a disciple of El Greco about modern arts. Beyond this nothing more was said about their relations. The Paintings of Bartolome Esteban Murillo Most of Murillo’s paintings expressed the childish figures and expression of serenity, sweetness, innocence, faith, tranquility, and devotion. He would also love to present the cheerful aspect of spiritual life. His religious compositions emphasized the main subject usually surrounded by angels with vaporous background to accentuate the central theme. Murillo’s painting has some similarities with that of Velasquez and El Greco. Murillo and Velasquez both created paintings that depict everyday living having children as the central subject. Both had influence of Italian way of paintings. El Greco’s painting could be considered similar with that of Murillo in such a way that they loved painting religious images. The Habsburg Kings and their Rule in Spain The Habsburg refers to the royal family that ruled Europe for over six centuries. They were known for their contribution in the advancement of Roman Catholic Church. Their regime started in old Switzerland (Swabia) and extended its holdings to other parts of Europe. The Habsburg kings in Spain that began in 1516 contributed in the centralization of Spain and the advancement of Roman Catholicism in that county. During this period, Spain reached the pinnacle of its power to many nations such as Philippines and many American colonies. Castile and Separatism Castile or Castilla is a former kingdom in Spain, which derived its name from the large castles built in that place. It was under the rule of Moors from 8th century to 1035 until Ferdinand I conquered it. The kingdom expanded when Ferdinand II married Isabella I of Castile in 1469. The merging of the two kingdoms strengthened Catholic religion and weakened the Arab strongholds, and even to the point of vanishing of them. It was during this period that Spain had divided political structure because of religious values and regional identity. Moriscos Morisco is a term given to Moslems in Spain and Portugal who were converted by force to Catholicism but continuously practicing their own faith. These Moriscos suffered from discrimination and persecution so they were driven out to North Africa. Prior to expulsion, these people were given religious freedom under the Treaty of Granada though; they were persecuted, which caused rebellions in 1499 and in 1568 to 1571. And in 1609 to 1614, these Moriscos with an estimate number at around 300,000 were totally expelled from Spain Religiosity Spanish people’s religiosity is articulated in such a way that parents transmit this belief to their offspring. It has often seen in this country some religious practices that are performed by almost all family members such as attending mass and festivities. As a practice, Spanish people observed religious festivals in remembrance of saints. Religion has the biggest contribution in the development of their culture as a country. The State of the Spanish Society Spanish society was characterized by strong regionalism and religiosity. However, a unified Spain was achieved when they finally confided themselves in one religion and one political structure especially during the reign of Ferdinand II and Isabella I. Most of the members of their society comprised the knights, bishops, nobility, and townspeople. During the reign of Ferdinand II, they had a unified Spain with advancement in trade, centralized institutions, central banking system, and advance science and discovery. Philip IV, His Son Charles, and the Pope: The French to the Spanish Crown Philip IV inherited the crown in 1621, at the age of 16, and through his reign the dream of hegemonic Spain was pervasive despite the kingdoms vulnerability both internationally and domestically. Though he implemented several economic reforms yet his reign was characterized as the end of Spain’s hegemonic era, and Castile experience utter defeat. After Philip IV’ death his son Charles II inherited the throne in 1668. However his reign was characterized by weak monarchy, and was known as golden age for the privileged classes particularly the Castilian aristocracy who took advantage of the weak monarchy. According to Charles Knight (1840), the Pope’s interest in Spain was that he wanted to restore Spain to her rank and power among nations (Knight1840, p. 78). It can be recalled that Spain under Philip IV suffered humiliating defeat and lost her prestige as hegemonic nation. Reference List Donell, S. (2003) Femenizing the Enemy: Imperial Spain, Transvestite Dramma, and the Crises: USA: Bucknell University Press. Knight, Charles. (1840) Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. London: Encyclopedias and Dictionaries.

How to challenge discrimination Essay

You should always challenge discrimination, but to do this it is essential that you can recognise anti-discriminatory practice. Your role is to protect children from discrimination. If you ignore it when it happens, this will be regarded as tolerating discrimination. Consider how a child may feel if they experience discrimination which is then unnoticed by a member of staff who is there to support them. The child could feel that you share the view of the guilty party or believe that the way they are being treated is ‘normal’. They may feel that they are in some way substandard. At the very least, they will feel let down that you did not protect their rights. It can be difficult to challenge discrimination, particularly if it is institutional or practised by a colleague, so it is important that you consider how to deal with different and often difficult situations. To be able to challenge discrimination you require knowledge of policy, procedures and practice. If you feel confident about what is good practice, you will be able to deal more effectively with incidents that arise. When discrimination happens it may be intentional, but it can also be because of inexperience. It is not easy to change the views of others but you must challenge discriminatory comments and actions. It is important to learn assertiveness strategies that can help when you recognise discrimination. When challenging discrimination, you should: 1. Explain what has happened or what has been said that is discriminatory 2. State the effect of this on the individual, group and others 3. Suggest or model ways to ensure anti-discriminatory practice. When you are concerned about anti-discriminatory practice, whether by staff or pupils in the school, you should speak to your manager or supervisor at the school. You must also be aware of the school’s policy when racism is happening.

Beating Poverty with Income Support

Orwell (1945) was correct when he wrote that â€Å"All animals are created equal but some animals are more equal than others,† actually referring to human beings whom scientists refer to as animals. Throughout the history of humanity, people have generally known that they were created equal. And yet, there have been separations, discriminations, dissimilarities, and inequalities, for the reason that God, Nature or Evolution – depending on what we choose to believe in – did not grant equal abilities, talents, and gifts to all human beings.Some men are richer and more intelligent than the others. Some are born deaf, dumb, and blind. And, some must rely on income support because they just cannot beat poverty on their own. Then there are the leaders of mankind who cannot think like the rest seeing as they are set apart from the others in the position of leadership. If leaders were to act as though they were the equals of their followers, the position of leadership wo uld have to be abolished.Hence, those that have special gifts or utilize their abilities in special ways would never be truly equal to the rest, despite the fact that they were essentially created the same way. According to the conservative view, poverty is mostly unintentional; that is, poor people are working hard enough to be able to support themselves but they remain poor nevertheless. The liberal view is that poverty is caused by discrimination; that is, those that are considered disadvantaged, e. g.the single mothers and the African Americans, are believed to be at a loss because society would not grant them enough opportunities to raise their standards of living, which happens to be the reason for the affirmative action policy. The radical view, on the other hand, exclaims that it is the culture of corporatism that has failed to raise the standard of living of the entire population. This is the reason why the rich keep getting richer, while the poor keep becoming poorer, as p roved by the statistics.Regardless of our beliefs about the reasons for poverty, the government has shouldered the responsibility to care for the poor by spending almost half of its spending budget on income support programs such as social insurance, public assistance, and work/employment programs. In order to raise the standard of living of the poor, the government also considers education as an essential social welfare program. After all, if the government were to stop supporting the poor by whatever means it can, our country would be pretty much like a third world nation where the majority is poor and sleeping on the streets.Yet, a number of literate people among our population – most definitely those who are not poor enough to be on income support – argue that the government may be wasting its money on the poor and lazy folks. Such people further argue that the poor and hungry people will become dependent and virtually useless if the government were to go on suppor ting them. But, how would such people consider answering the question of poverty that is facing the third world? The poor people in the least developed nations are certainly not dependent on their governments for income support.Their governments cannot afford to support the poor and needy people as they ought to – seeing that leaders are not equal to their followers. Hence, we should be glad that we live in a nation where the government (the leader) is in a position to support the people (the followers) to an extent that should make us all grateful citizens. What is more, we are in a position to guide the least developed world with respect to policy in the matter. References Orwell, G. (1945). Animal Farm. London: Secker and Warburg.

Cuba As An Example Of Sustainable Living Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cuba As An Example Of Sustainable Living - Essay Example The country has relied on aid for several years in the past years, but due to its political inclination, it benefited a great deal from the collapsed Soviet Union. The Soviet Union used the country to propagate their ideology especially as a way of countering the American capitalism dominance. Since the attainment of independence in 1902, the republic of Cuba has passed through economic stormy periods characterized by its radical politics and social strife. The period of dictatorship characterized by the leadership of Fulgencio Batista before 1952 almost brought the country on its economic toes. The ousting of the dictatorial regime saw the full fledge of communism under Fidel Castro who gave more focus on military strength and less concern over the people. However, several economic developments were experienced during his tenure; some of the ideologies developed favoured the entire population at the expense of individuals. The Cuban population today relies mainly on food from Venezu ela after the collapse of the Soviet Union that provided him some good support. Cuba does not provide the best example of sustainable living because a century after independence the country still relies on foreign food aid coupled with a huge foreign debt and several other challenges. Cuba’s dark past was evident with the inability of the governments to enact concrete and sustainable economic policies to help the country get to an economic destiny. Fulgencio Batista turned the economy of Cuba upside down through his dictatorial regime. In 1959, he was overthrown by the July 26 Movement that was under the leadership of Castro (Coltman 1). They took over the country and imposed a purely communist regime. He received massive support from the Cuban peasants and workers because of the humiliation that they had faced under the ousted regime. The revolution brought up many changes, by 1960 Castro’s regime had expropriated up to 37% of the entire nation’s land and later on decided to nationalize the land, which stood at up to 80%, this was a landmark achievement because there has never been another country in the world to successfully implement such a policy. Most of the big companies and well established businesses were all nationalized resulting into suspicion by foreign countries especially the United States whose companies had been nationalized. It was reported that approximately sixty-one American sugar mills were victims of the new development. Largely, the nationalization policy did not find a solution to the predicaments of the poor workers but instead extended the exploitation (Uriarte 3). State apparatus were established that had control over the population’s social, economic and political life, a factor that not only attempted to make all people equal but also ruined the labour compensations turning them even more exploitative. The state apparatus created a lot of bureaucracy, Castro and his brother, Raul together with the July 2 6 Movement members were the dominant figures in dictating the policies of the country. The state owned all property that was being worked on by the members of the public who received poor wages, they had no option since the land and firms were purely owned by the state. The oppressive state apparatus were advanced by the establishment of the Ministry Of Industry in 1961that looked into policy

Is democracy necessary to bring development Discuss with examples Essay

Is democracy necessary to bring development Discuss with examples - Essay Example The meaning of development has evolved over time and so have the development paradigms and approaches. Development has been defined much more broadly to include the question of the quality of life of people. Seers had argued that in evaluating a country’s progress towards development, we should ask what has been happening to poverty, inequality and the general quality of life of the people. Development is also about the respect for human rights and the creation of equitable and inclusive systems of governance (Lipset, Seong and Torres, 1993 pp.156). Most people believe that democracy is a valuable component in enhancing the process of development. However, there has been a negative relationship between democracies in improving development, but it is not clear whether it can hinder any economic growth. Democracy can be viewed in three aspects, one relates to issues relating to civil, and political rights which citizens of a country enjoy, secondly it may relate to issues of dai ly accountability and administration. Thirdly, it relates to periodic exercises during election of representatives. The strengths of the three aspects vary in different countries or states. Development can be viewed as improvement of economic growth within a country resulting to improved sectors like education, infrastructure and agriculture. Different empirical studies have shown positive and negative views on democracy as necessary components to development (Horowitz, 1990 pp.75). Emergence of democracy and development The fact that developed and richest countries like UK, US and Netherlands are democratic forced the debate and expectations that democracy and development will entirely co exist in the same space, and there is a causal link of relationship between them. A number of Sub-Saharan African countries did embrace multi-party rule (democracies) in the years 1990s after a decade of single party rule and dictatorship. This led to a renewed optimism and increased poverty level s, corruption, coups and conflicts, the governance system was unable to provide any development, peace, security or even fight for human rights. However, after two decades of such type of governance countries have recorded progress by creation of democratic institutional infrastructures and there is improved security, peace and consideration of human rights leading to economic growth. Nevertheless, despite the improved democratic process and systems a number of analysts and parties have argued that there is some link between democracy and development because these countries still have high poverty levels and are less developed Sub- Saharan Africa has the highest incident of poverty than the rest of the world (Lipset, Seong and Torres, 1993 pp.156). Democracy and Development It is not clear whether this matter will ever be resolved or how soon this will be particularly because evidence is mixed and almost contradictory. It may not be easy to prove causality in this case but a relatio nship between the two does exist. It is obvious that development cannot take place under conditions of instability, war, or even major conflict. It is also a fact that democracy is the only system known today which can generate conditions of peace and security and sustain them. Democratic regimes are more likely to come up with policies that are reflective of the will of the people. These policies provide the environment and context for development to

FridgeCom Case Study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

FridgeCom Case Study - Assignment Example Generally speaking a leader is a one who can lead his or her followers to achieve a common goal (Haslam, 2004, p.53). Scholars on time to time basis made several attempts to define leadership but they realised that â€Å"leadership has been a complex and elusive problem largely because the nature of leadership itself is complex† (Daft, 2007, p.4). Traditionally leadership was viewed as an influence of leader over the followers to achieve the common goal but in contemporary business environment leadership can be considered as â€Å"the process of producing direction, alignment and commitment in collective† (Velsor, 2010). Many a time, people do get confused with the concept of leadership and management. Leadership is just one of the basic characteristic to be possessed by the manager to fulfil their job responsibilities. Apart from the leadership quality, a manger must possess other qualities like motivational skill, time management ability and efficiency to conduct planning, managing and execution of day to day activities (Cherry & Jacob, 2005, p.367). However, it must be understood that a manager may not possess leadership qualities and a leader not necessarily be a leader. The leadership style followed by different leaders varies from individual to individual. These leadership styles are influenced by several internal as well as external factors. The internal factors are specific to a leader and these can be called the leadership traits. Again, the external factors such as the organisational culture, the job responsibility and the internal situations are equally important. In the early days the scholars identified some of the vital traits which must be present in a leader and this theory was called â€Å"trait theory†. This theory was proposed by Sir Francis Galton in 1869. Some of the common teats to be possessed by the leader were need for

The Cause and Effect of Learning the English Language Essay

The Cause and Effect of Learning the English Language - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that not so many people can speak the English language well in the companies in Saudi Arabia and such, employees who could speak the language well are often paid high salaries. In addition, English speaking employees also get promoted easily compared to the non-English speaker because companies prefer those who can interact with more people. This is becoming more important today because employees now have to work with other people from other countries and culture with the globalization of our economies. Such, learning English is becoming more and more important to be effective in one’s job in the future. This explains why many of us flocks in English speaking universities in order to improve our English. We would like to get paid well and get easily promoted in the companies that we will work in the future when we go back to our respective countries after graduation. It is hard but it is worth it.  

Mutli-National Company Entering India Research Paper

Mutli-National Company Entering India - Research Paper Example Gazprom operates in the industry of natural gas. From the demand side the factors affecting sales of the company and its profitability are weather, demographics, economic growth, fuel consumption, storage and exports. From the supply side, the factors affecting sales are pipeline capacity, storage, gas drilling, natural phenomena, technical issues and imports. The demand of natural gas has followed the cyclical pattern. It depends on time and season changes. The peak season of demand is the coldest months while demand is low in the hotter months although demand increases slightly in summer to meet the requirements of electric generators. The price of natural gas can affect demand of particularly those consumers who have the capacity to switch the fuel of their dependence. An expanding economy tends to give rise to more demand for the industrial consumers. The study of the recent activities of Gazprom will reveal whether the company is utilizing its resources. The company in collabora tion with Shell is on the discussion to take joint efforts abroad with Russia as the epicenter. The company is progressing with the joint projects of EDF and Total. The company launched the informatorium website in English (Gazprom, 2012). It recently completed the pre-commissioning of Bovanenkovo. Along with DONG Energy the company is developing investment rationale for the projects of power generation in North Western Europe. Brief Summary of the business A straight forward market structure characterized the market for natural gas prior to deregulation and unbundling of pipeline. The industry has changed dramatically in the present times and exposed to choice and competition. Free market regulates the prices. Interstate pipelines offers on the components of transportation which is under the regulation of the federal. LDCs are continuing to offer bundled products although many states allow the use of distribution network but only for transportation. Producers or LDCs are the suppli er to the end users. Marketers are present in the existing market structure. They serve in the process of mobilizing natural gas from producers to end users. Marketers can have their mark in sale and transport of natural gas. Fluctuations In exchange rate The following chart and the table show the fluctuations in the exchange rate: SDRs per currency unit for the period January 31, 2010 - January 30, 2011 Date Indian rupee(INR) Russian ruble(RUB) 1-Feb-10 0.01393 Â   0.0212344 Â   2-Mar-10 0.0142143 Â   0.0218208 Â   5-Apr-10 0.0147268 Â   0.0225517 Â   4-May-10 0.0149466 Â   0.0227324 Â   1-Jun-10 0.0146398 Â   0.0219997 Â   2-Jul-10 0.0143573 Â   0.0214848 Â   2-Aug-10 0.0142177 Â   0.0217556 Â   1-Sep-10 0.0140855 Â   0.0214345 Â   1-Oct-10 0.0143587 Â   0.0210278 Â   1-Nov-10 0.0142717 Â   0.0206002 Â   1-Dec-10 0.0143023 Â   0.020779 Â   10-Jan-11 0.0144437 Â   0.0216247 Â   1-Feb-11 0.0139117 Â   0.0214905 Â   1-Mar-11 0.0140906 Â   0.0221084 Â   6-A pr-11 0.0142449 Â   0.0223142 Â   3-May-11 0.0139446 Â   0.0226197 Â   1-Jun-11 0.0139248 Â   0.0223499 Â   1-Jul-11 0.0140143 Â   0.0224329 Â   1-Aug-11 0.014103 Â   0.0225737 Â   2-Sep-11 0.0136119 Â   0.0214996 Â   3-Oct-11 0.013013 Â   0.0197337 Â   1-Nov-11 0.0129771 Â   0.0207838 Â   1-Dec-11 0.0124078 Â   0.0207745 Â   9-Jan-12 0.0124032 Â   0.0203137 Â   The factors that contribute to the changes in the exchange

Hotel Human Resource Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hotel Human Resource - Essay Example ty industry has enhanced the overall productivity of the industry as more innovative and competent workers are being engaged in tour companies and hotels. This paper discusses current issues regarding human resources in the hotel sector. Human resource development in the tourism sector is the foundation for successful business. Hotels offer a package of services in contrast to many other businesses that offer a single product. A customer may require accommodation and catering services, transport as well as links to experienced tour guides. Each of the departments must be equipped with competent employees that contribute to the overall quality of customer experience. Failure in the provisions of any of the departments may negatively affect the entire package offered by the hotel and hence the recent efforts by hotels to engage in strategic human resource management practices. According to (Busquets, 2010), tourism is expected to employ more than 290 million people by 2020 and is currently contributing 30% of global export services. The hotel sector needs to enhance human resource development to cope with the rising demand for quality services. Competition is constantly increasing as more business people continue investing in the sector thereby offering customers a wide range of choices. Hotel managers have to ensure that they attract as many customers as possible through offering quality services and maintaining innovativeness to preserve market leadership. However, Clark and Chen (2007) observe that competitiveness in the sector significantly depends on the ability to satisfy customers, which in turn is associated with staff competence, especially at the customer contact zone. The managers need to maintain a supportive role to ensure that front line employees maintain the expected standards to attract and retain customers. Employee satisfaction is critical to the accomplishment of the goals of the hotel sector. Human resource managers may be wrong to expect

Summarise The Preparations That Need Essay Example for Free

Summarise The Preparations That Need Essay The preparations required will include the planning of appropriate approaches to information collection There should be interrogation/analysis of the data collected during implementation of internal quality assurance. Preparations should be made to ensure clear and effective communication and negotiation with learners/assessors/colleagues/employers. Preparations should be made for administrative arrangements such as timing, venue, agenda. Within the administrative arrangements for CPD activities schemes need to be set up to prepare participants. Preparations should also include resources such as assessors’ records, assessment plans, sampling schedules, organisation documentation, templates for recording outcomes, and new technology.

Mekong River Upstream Privileges And Downstream Threat Environmental Sciences Essay

Mekong River Upstream Privileges And Downstream Threat Environmental Sciences Essay The Mekong River (Langcang Jiang) is located in Southeast Asia, and it is considered as the seventh largest river in the world in terms of discharge and the tenth longest river in terms of length. Its origin is at Tibet Plateau, Yunnan Province, China, then flowing 4200 kilometers through Myanmar, Laos PDR, Thailand, Cambodia, and finally through the extensive delta in Vietnam into South China Sea. The Mekong basin contains full of natural resources including fishes and other aquatic diversities living in that region. The body of river is divided into two parts. First, the upstream part includes its origin in Tibet Plateau belongs to China and Myanmar and the downstream part is belonging to Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The study reported that the Mekong River would benefit to hydropower production, expansion of irrigated land, reduction of the threat of flooding in the delta region, natural resources and the extension of navigability of the river as far as northern Laos. Th e catchment is resource rich and is represented as largely under-utilized. It also lies with a geopolitical region that benefit to riparian states in terms of politic, economic and environment development. Given this, the Mekong stands out as one of Southeast Asias most pressing and large scale resource and environmental management concerns. Moreover, the riparian states importantly depend on the Mekong River due to its abundance of resources; as a result, they ultimately formed a committee to maintain Mekong river regime. That is Mekong Committee in 1957. From this time, the principles, norms, rules and decision-making procedure specifically concerns with development of Mekongs resource have been maintained and changed through this regime. Inter-state conflict vis-à  -vis the use of the Mekong Rivers water resources emerged for the first time in the early 1990s. The dispute was employed as leverage in a disagreement between Thailand and Vietnam over the fair and equitable utilizat ion of the Mekongs water resources. At a deeper level, it reflected broader concern regarding strategic shifts throughout Southeast Asia and in Thai-Vietnamese relation following the peaceful conclusion of the cold war. The device of the committee is to coordinate the lower Mekong basin (Mekong Committee) and designed to facilitate the use of the Mekongs resource since 1957. In 1995, a new arrangement was established that Mekong River Commission (MRC) was renewed to deal with the management or the issues of sovereignty, non-interference and condition of interdependent. The Mekong River Commission consists of the lower basin countries including Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Moreover, among the riparian states of Mekong basin, China is the most upstream country and a political and economic superpower in the region. China has often been considered to exhibit unilateral behavior toward the lower Mekong River riparian. MRC is not the only institution in the Mekong Basin, many oth er mechanisms such as the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) which includes China as a major partner was agreed to establish in 1992. The sub-region is covering 2.30 million square kilometers and feeds around 250 million head of total population. There are four international rivers within this sub-region, namely, the Greater Mekong River, Irrawady River, Yuanjiang-Honghe (Red) River and Nujiang-Salween River. All of the four rivers flow from Yunnan Province into respective Mainland Southeast Asian Countries. Among them, the three rivers of Mekong, Irrawady and Yuanjiang-Honghe are with great potentials for water transport development. These rivers could become water passage and transport network connecting Chinas Yunnan Province with the five Mainland Southeast Asian countries by joint cooperation and development. In following section, I will explain the main issue in Mekong River Basin Upstream privilege, downstream threat, and some mechanisms to deal with this complex issue. Upstream Threat The upstream countries are considered as China, Myanmar and Lao PDR in Mekong River Basin. They claim resources and development in their occupied areas in upper Mekong Basin. As a matter of fact, most of the riparian states try to extract as much as benefits as they can such as dam development, hydro power plan, energy project and navigation or passageway since the Mekong River is regarded as one of the mainly rich in resources for those purposes. Therefore, the country put much attention on development in Mekong Region. Of course, among the upstream states and all the riparian countries, China emerges as the most powerful state, and it is also the super power in the world in term of economy and more likely in the future the military super power. The industrialization of Chinas economy from agriculture base, it needs many factors to improve its economy such as electricity as the main part, raw materials, transportation, tradeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Moreover, as a strong economy in Mekong reg ion, China acts unilaterally in relation to development of dam. China adopted two approaches to ASEAN countries especially in Mekong River Basin. Beside this, it projected many plans for dam development to transfer energy to Chinese industries consumption and navigation. The first approach is non-cooperation, meaning it develops its own plans by itself without negotiation with other sovereign countries in Mekong River region. However, the downstream see it as a threat because the development might change the natural flow of river. Sometimes, it may cause the serious flood in rainy season and drought in dry season in the lower countries such as Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. Therefore, the downstream countries try to get China in negotiation in order to make better use of Mekong River resource and sustainable development in that area. In 1970, Chinese planners began planning a scheme of the mainstream of upper Mekong in Yunnan involving 7-8 dams which can produce the capacity of 15, 550 KW or 17% of Chinas project on power demands (Pech SokhemKengo Sunada, 2008). The second approach is that China has implemented the active engagement with Mekong river shareholders as well as the ASEAN members. It sees the advantages of cooperating with ASEAN countries particularly the downstream countries including Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. In November 2001, Chinese Premier Zhu Rong Ji provided $5 millon for major shoals, rapids, and reefs along the 331 Km Mekong River stretch from China-Myanmar border to Luang Prabang. In addition, China provided fund as well as the technical assistance to downstream for dam development or hydro power plan. Therefore, China plays an active role in investment in regional energy trade in downstream countries. In 2005, Chinese Premier, Wen Jia Bao, promised at 2nd GMS summit, China would like to cooperate with other Mekong members for future energy development and dam plans, and he also laid out Chinas plan for Common prosperity with each other in Mekong region. It tries to foster mutual trust, treat each other with sinc erity to calm down the downstream countries perception to China. All in all, even though China has cooperatively with other upstream and downstream countries, it still serves as China interest in term economy and power. The main threats to downstream are as following (i) dredging of river bed in the upper Langcang Mekong for improving the commercial navigation; (ii) large scale dam plans in Yunnan, China and ambitious dam development; (iii) Cambodias concern over flooding from the flood control measures along Vietnam -Cambodia border; and (iv) Vietnams grave concern over flooding and dry season low flow in the Mekong Delta due to the upstream development and so on. Downstream Impact Previous section, I have mentioned the Chinas acting in international relation with ASEAN states especially in Mekong River Basin. China usually use it sole power to develop many dam projects in order to develop its economy since it now needs much electricity for factories and water to connect from Yunnan province to South East Asia countries. Therefore, China makes change the natural flow of water in Mekong river basin. On the other side, downstream countries including Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam are affected by hydropower plant in Mekong basin. Particularly the most affected ones are Cambodia and Vietnam for they are located in lowest part of Mekong River. However, I would like to focus on overall threat to downstream states and effect of water management in Cambodia as a result of upstream unilaterally adopted project on those areas in their country. Actually, countries in downstream states are living in the complex ecosystem. As the Mekong River serves water resources and natural resources and benefit to roughly 60 million people, the people are accordingly affected by eight large dams in Yunnan province, China. More importantly, most of the dam projects of China do not have environmental impact assessment. Sometimes, the negative impacts do not need hundred years to see the environmental deterioration. For instance, hydropower project, Xiaowan, was started in December 2001 and expected to finish in 2012. This dam development is at 292 meter height and considered as the highest dam project in the world; however, the impact on Lao PDR is that it will meet flood in the dry season. Another case in Vietnam, it will cause the serious flooding in Southern part of province. Moreover, the large dam project not only causes the flooding in downstream countries, but also they many incur other crises including ecosystem, aquatic diversities, climate change, uncontrollable flooding, food scarcity, prolong floods and droughts, decrease sedimentation biodivers ities, deforestation, land clearance. Now lets look at some particular impact as following: Destruction of fish and fisheries: flooded in dry season will seriously damage the fish-feeding. Impact on agriculture: 80% of rice production in lower Mekong basin depends on water, silt, nutrient provided by seasonal flooding of Mekong. Flood in dry season will erode and decrease sediment and it affects long-term agricultural yield. IV. Cambodia Challenge: Water Management in Cambodia After getting familiar with upstream and downstream problem, I will elaborate more on Cambodia case. Cambodia is located in downstream countries among riparian states in Mekong River Basin. This location can either give opportunities for Cambodia or threaten the water management in Cambodia. In fact, 85% of agricultural activities in Cambodia, depends on Mekong River flowing from upper stream countries. The benefits which Cambodia can get are that due to potential situation it can absorb many resources such as fish and other aquatic biodiversities that move from upper stream because of changing of water management in those countries. Prior to explaining the water system and challenges that Cambodia face, I would like to describe about brief background of Cambodia. Cambodia is situation in South East Asia and located in latitude between 10o and 15o in North and Longitude between 102o and 108o in East. It covers roughly 181,035 km2 in territory and has total population around 14 million people dispersed in 24 province and 4 cities. The people mostly gather in city of Phnom Penh due to the fact that it is the economic, politic, cultural city of Cambodia. Among total population, 71% are farmers, 21% are employed in service sector and 8% works for industrial sector. Since most of population are doing agricultural activities; therefore, it needs high and systematic water supply to operate this field. The question is that where can Cambodia access the water for supplying its agricultural activities. In fact, Cambodia can access the water from two main sources such as from Mekong River and Great Lake ( Tonle Sap) located in center of the country. During the wet season, water will flood the surrounding areas and especially the water supply from Mekong River Delta and Tonle Sap all in all will direct to Great Lake; as a result, it will lead to the flood. Whenever there is a flood, it will bring the tilt and nutrition to the soil which was flood; therefore, it is useful for agriculture and cultivation. In addition, due to the fact that Cambodia highly depends on water supply from Mekong River; the changes in water flow in Mekong River Basin will accordingly damage the agricultural and cultivating area in Lower Mekong River especially in Cambodia since the 85% of the flow of river is situated in Cambodia. Moreover, there are many causes that can damage to the water supply in Cambodia. First of all, the upper stream countries such as China, Myanmar and Lao PDR developed 14 hydropower plans which can get generate the capacity of 222,600 MW. Since the Upper stream countries developing their dam project particularly in China, it may block the flow the water to run the engine to produce the fulfill the dam process; there will incur irregular flow of water; as a result, the fish resources will decrease due to alternation of ecosystem. Moreover, people will usually depend on fisheries will lack of fish, therefore, their income will accordingly lower. Furthermore, in mid-2006 downstream states agreed to develop 11 dam projects comprising of 2 in Lao PDR, 2 for Thailand, and 2 for Cambodia. As a result of the developing the plans for dam projects for hydropower plans to generate the electricity for local consumption, it is seriously affects the livelihood in Mekong river. That can reduce the quantity of fish supply particular in Cambodia. All in all, due to the plan of dam projects in both of upper and lower stream in Mekong River Basin, the suffer will likely affect the livelihood and species. V. Solution to the problem: Suggestion to the use of GMS As I have mentioned in the previous section about the challenges of downstream of Mekong Basin especially Cambodia which is one of the large stake country in Mekong River Basin, in this section, I will introduce some proposed solutions which suggested by countries in Mekong River as well as external superpower countries call for water protection since the world will be facing the water security in the future if there are not enough mechanisms to manage it. Therefore, in order to make sustainable consumption of Mekong River, every involving state has responsibility to cooperatively work with all the members in Greater Mekong River. If there are not suitable methods or system to control the effective use of Mekong River, it may be in one day damaged, and it will cause serious catastrophe among riparian states particularly downstream countries namely Lao PDR, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam such as flooding in rain season and disastrous drought in dry season in low areas of Mekong Basin. In order to cope with this problem, there are many mechanisms to deal with this issue ranging from strengthening of the role of Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) to the newly established of Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI). In 1992, the concept of Greater Mekong Sub-region was proposed by Asian development bank (ADB) for promoting all involvement of all member states in Mekong River including China, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. This regional cooperation is partitioned to promote building relationship among riparian states of Mekong River for express idea platform, negotiation platform, and sharing information platform. It facilitates the cross-boundary negotiation since every member has to share the idea when they want to develop the plant in Mekong Basin. If there is not information sharing from each state; therefore, the state will cause damage of water usage in Mekong River as the fisheries stock availability inside the Mekong River. To this instance, the cooperation is very useful and necessary because state can receive information and take action in prevent the crisis from happening. Thats why it is deemed necessary to strengthen the role of GMS. Beside this, the GMS can includ e all member states especially China which is the most upper stream of the basin since China formerly act unilaterally on its dam projects and power plants in upper stream, which can cause serious damage to lower stream of water use and fisheries stock. Moreover, the effective mechanisms are being used for dealing with any kinds of issue regarding the Mekong River. In brief, we will see the sharing information in regional cooperation will help strengthen the make use of water as well as the resources in Mekong River too. Following the establishment of regional cooperation, Greater Mekong Sub-region, the states in low basin also try to build firm relationship for effective use of the river and help each other for any necessary skill and ability building. In 1995, the states such as Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam initiated the Mekong River Commission (MRC) for regional economic cooperation. In the MRC, each member tries to work together for better use in Mekong River. Moreover, they conduct the meeting every year in order to share the idea and information in term of power plant development and other dam projects that may affect the water flow to lower delta of the river. Furthermore, each member every year meet each other to strengthen more relationship and study on dam project from upper level to lower level of Mekong River. MRC is very useful in term of regional cooperation since 1995 because the states regard as an effective commission for sharing idea in term of water use in the basin. Moreover, in 2009, the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called for creating the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) in Waters Day. This creation aims at promoting more tied relationship among member states. There has been much regional cooperation in order to make better use and sustainable development of water and resource in the Mekong River because if there is no maintenance or cooperative work, we will meet the crisis in the future. In conclusion, upstream states lead to many effects on downstream countries in terms of economic, politic, and environment. Therefore, downstream ones call for regional integration among riparian states along Mekong River. Moreover, Mekong River Committee plays significant role in coordinating and promoting cooperation in Mekong River Basin. Many referendums and treaties have been signed in order to ensure the sustainable use of resources and benefits. In addition, Greater Mekong River embraces China to negotiation and cooperation. We will see the role of GMS to solving the internal conflict in Mekong River.

Life And Works Of Robert Mapplethorpe Film Studies Essay

Life And Works Of Robert Mapplethorpe Film Studies Essay The third of six children, Robert Mapplethorpe was born into a working-class Catholic family in Floral Park, Long Island on November 4th 1946. His childhood and adolescence were difficult because of his gawky physicality, his brothers athletic and academic success and his own early demonstration of artistic talent. After an accelerated career in high school, Mapplethorpe entered the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn to study technical illustration and where he became a member of the ROTC (Reserve Officers Training Corps) in a bid to placate his father who disapproved of his artistic ambitions. Because of his experimentation with hippy culture and his fathers hostility, he never completed his degree at Pratt; instead he moved to Manhattan just before the summer of 1969. Mapplethorpes early artistic endeavours focused on collage work with found objects and jewellery design. In 1970 a fellow resident of the Chelsea Hotel introduced him to photography with the gift of a Polaroid camera and Mapplethorpe started by experimenting with self-portraits. Mapplethorpe had his first one-man show in November 1970, but did not achieve recognition in the New York art world until 1977. On February 4th 1977, Mapplethorpe had joint shows at the Holly Solomon Gallery and the Kitchen. Although both shows were organised by Solomon, the mainstream exhibition featured his flowers and portraits while the avant-garde exhibit consisted of his sex pictures. This segregation of subject matter would continue throughout Mapplethorpes career. Just over a decade later, Mapplethorpe was the subject of retrospectives in Amsterdam, London and the United States. In July of 1988 the Whitney Museum of American Art honoured Mapplethorpe with a retrospective exhibition, their first for a photographer. In December 1988, a slightly larger retrospective, The Perfect Moment, opened at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia. Mapplethorpe was able to experience his rise to the pinnacle of the art world, but, as he commented to numerous interviewers, he was unable to take advantage of the fame. He died from complications related to Aids on March 9th 1989. Memorial services were held at the Catholic Church Mapplethorpe had attended as a child in Floral Park and at the Whitney Museum in New York. Populated mainly with members of New York Citys social and artistic elite, Robert Mapplethorpes book of portraits, Certain People, has a title with more than one possible meaning as noted in Susan Sontags essay. There is certain in the sense of some and not others; and certain in the sense of self-confident, sure, clear. Certain People are, mostly, people found, coaxed or arranged into a certainty about themselves. That is what seduces, that is what is disclosed in these bulletins of a great photographers observations and encounters. Although they are not famous in the same way as Annie Liebovitz, Philip Glass or Bruce Chatwin people who appear in Certain People Brian Ridley and Lyle Heeter are exceptional in their own right. In their stance and with their defiant gaze, they have the same self-assurance as the celebrities that Mapplethorpe photographed. His camera treats them with the same dignity as that reserved for Lord Snowdon or Louise Bourgeois. Their portrait exemplifies many of the formal and thematic concerns that inform Mapplethorpes larger body of work. Brian Ridley and Lyle Heeter (1979) (fig. 1) is a portrait staged according to the conventions of the royal couple portrait of Enlightenment Europe or the formal family portrait of the Victorian Age. Ridley and Heeter are centred in the frame and positioned frontally with respect to the viewer. Ridley is seated with Heeter standing at his side. The setting for the portrait is clearly domestic, presumably the living room of the couple. The heavy buttoned wing-backed leather chair in which Ridley is seated, the Oriental carpet beneath his feet, the modern lines of the console table to his right as well as the objets dart on the various surfaces indicate a degree of taste and wealth. The just-so arrangement of the furniture clearly signifies a gay male aesthetic of a particular kind. The parallel costuming of Ridley and Heeter indicate a gay male aesthetic of a very different but equally stylised kind. Heeter stands to Ridleys left casually holding two metal rings from which hangs a chain connected to the studded leather collar around Ridleys neck. In his left hand, Heeter holds a riding crop, angled toward Ridley, resting inside the arm of the chair, in ominous proximity to Ridleys body; much as a rider would hold it against the flank of his mount. Heeter is adorned in full leather drag: cap, jacket, studded belt, cod-piece trousers and biker boots. To emphasise the confidence with which he carries his power, he leans against Ridleys chair and crosses his right foot over his left in a relaxed, semi-swaggering stance. Ridleys leather uniform is virtually identical to Heeters biker boots, leather chaps, biker jacket. The differences between Ridleys and Heeters costumes indicate their respective positions in the relationship: instead of a cap, Ridley wears a collar, instead of a riding crop, he sports chains; these differences, along with the pairs physical positions gesture toward the power differential that the couple perform. From this description of the photograph, Brian Ridley and Lyle Heeter could be characterised as a family portrait of a sadomasochistic couple. Although hardly as shocking as many of Mapplethorpes other sadomasochistic-themed photographs, the image is still unsettling. First, the portrait disturbs the classificatory terms it invokes. Is it possible for family, sadomasochism or portrait to mean the same thing independently and jumbled up together? If the picture grants Heeter and Ridley a certain kind of elegance, beauty and dignity, is this evidence that notions of family, domesticity and coupling are sufficiently elastic to incorporate sadomasochistic eroticism? If Ridley and Heeter are able to pose their unconventionally adorned bodies according to the codes of the conventional family portrait, is this evidence that family, domesticity and coupling have always already incorporated sadomasochistic eroticism? Second, aside from complicating dominant narratives of familial relationship s, this portrait exposes something about the relationship between the practices of photography and self-presentation. What does the staging of Ridley and Heeter in full leather drag show about the ideological work of portraiture writ large? What does this photograph expose about the relationship between power, eroticism, theatricality and image making? Given that both sets of questions relate to the tension between the pictures subject matter and its representational codes, is it fair to conclude that the relationship between content the sadomasochistic couple and form the family portrait makes Brian Ridley and Lyle Heeter such an arresting photograph? More precisely, is it the photographs combination of form and content which helps us to see the never-before-related phenomena sadomasochistic couple and formal portrait in a different way, that makes this photograph worthy of critical analysis? In the following chapters I will focus on the relationship between form and content in Mapplethorpes images, with attention to his sex pictures. The interaction of form and content in these images, I contend, trains the viewer to see in a new way: not only to see the specific subject matter differently, but to see the practice of image making in art or in life differently. The beauty of Mapplethorpes images renders culturally unpalatable subject matter attractive and desirable. The stylised composition of Mapplethorpes images also reflects in the forms of self-stylisation within the images, using photographic style to expose personal styling as an equivalent staging, construction and performance. Form and content, then, function sometimes co-operatively, sometimes in opposition to make the spectator aware of the assumptions they bring to the photograph. The analysis of Mapplethorpes images will attend not only to how he represents masculinity and the performance of gay male ident ity but also to how his images draw attention to the dynamics of representation itself. Most commentators identify the curious disjunctionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ between the visual appeal of his photographs as pictures and the discomforting nature of his subject matter as the quintessential element of Mapplethorpes pictorial style. Arthur Danto, one of Mapplethorpes staunchest defenders characterises the artists work as both Dionysian and Apollonian at once. According to Danto, the sexual energy of the images content has a dialectic relationship to their chastely classic style of presentation; this tension is so profound, Danto finds Hegels notion of aufhebung a useful concept with which to addressà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Mapplethorpes images. The forbidden and unsettling content of Mapplethorpes images is not erased by their pristine and mannered formalisation, and even the most sexually explicit of Mapplethorpes images both go beyond and fail as pornography, precisely because of their crisp beauty and clean elegance. The content is preserved. But it is also negated, and it is transcen ded, and that means the work cannot merely be reduced to its content. Ingrid Sischy, one of the most eloquent writers on Mapplethorpes sexual imagery, identifies this tension between form and content as the source of shock in Mapplethorpes photographs: What shocks isnt just the material, but how it is so artfully presented. The content, lighting, composition, sense of order and aesthetics all combine to give the photograph an unforgettable impact. The photographs impact depends on the audacious choice to present the forbidden, the transgressive, the underground, the violent, and the repressed in a beautiful manner. As Sischy goes on to observe, Mapplethorpes eye for beauty enables the pictures to challenge, among other things, prevailing notions about sadomasochism and homoeroticism. Germano Celants essay in the catalogue from a Guggenheim exhibition compares Mapplethorpes photographs with Mannerist paintings. He argues that Mapplethorpes style works to both defuse and legitimise th e content of his images by linking them to aesthetic codes of the past. Extending Dantos observation about the importance of the tension between form and content for understanding Mapplethorpes work aesthetically, Sischy and Celant argue that this tension is the key to evaluating Mapplethorpes images politically. Brian Ridley and Lyle Heeter illustrates how the relationship between form and content functions across Mapplethorpes body of work. As already noted the tension between the mundanity of the portraits setting and style and the atypicality of the subjects costume and identity generates the images energy and arrests the viewers attention. As Danto observes: They look as though this were the most natural thing in the world for them to be doing in their middle-class living roomà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. [But] what is a sexual slave doing sitting that way in a comfortable armchair? Form and content also generate tension with respect to time. To what historical moment does this photograph r ightfully belong? As several commentators have noted, Mapplethorpes sex photographs are important, if for no other reason, because they document a certain gay male subculture whose adherents failed to survive the ravages of Aids. This subject matter, closely tied to the sexual exploration of the 70s, was captured, however, using a visual aesthetic associated with late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century photography, if not older notions of symmetry, order and perfection. As Joan Didion observed in her introductory essay to Mapplethorpes collection of female portraits, Some Women: Robert Mapplethorpes work has often been seen as an aesthetic sport, so entirely outside any historical or social context, and so new, as to resist interpretation. This newness has in fact become so fixed an idea about Mapplethorpe that we tend to overlook the source of his strength, which derived, from the beginning, less from the shock of the new than from the shock of the oldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. There was, above all, the perilous imposition of order on chaos, of classical form on unthinkable images. Didions comments clarify that Mapplethorpes images are neither without historical context nor fixed within a single historical context. Instead, subject and style belong to different, and seemingly disparate, historical moments and social milieu. The form of Mapplethorpes photographs, however, renders the content of his images thinkable, palatable, legitimate. Mapplethorpes combination of form and content, then, is anything but dilettantism. Brian Ridley and Lyle Heeter also plays with the distinction between public and private spaces. The space of the picture is a living room, a domestic space, a space hidden from the worlds prying eyes and attendant judgements. The sexual identity evoked by the subjects costumes also signifies private space; they are culturally understood as taboo, necessitating secrecy. The space of the portrait, both generally as a visual form and specifically as an artefact in a book or gallery, is, however, public. The staged presentation of these subjects underlines that they are opening their private space[s] to public scrutiny. This picture is not a snapshot; it is not a candid photo; it is not an image captured on the sly as in the work of Garry Winogrand. It is, instead, a formal portrait that required preparation and planning. As Danto points out, when emphasising the relationship of trust that Mapplethorpe must have developed with his photographic subjects, indicated by the settings, the sta ging, the careful execution and the use of names, in the photographs titles, it is clear that Brian Ridley and Lyle Heeter, like Mapplethorpes other subjects, have consented to having this image made. They have admitted Mapplethorpe (and, consequently, the viewer) into their lives, such that the photographer [and, consequently, the viewer] shares a moral space with them. Heeter and Ridleys consensual act of opening their home works to situate the spectator non-consensually in a common, private space. This exposure of the taboo to public scrutiny compels the viewer to accept this intrusion into the public sphere; by voluntarily opening the walls of their private space, Ridley and Heeter have challenged the boundaries of what is acceptable in the public space. The form of the photograph as a posed portrait, then, sharpens the political challenge of its content. The troubling of the boundary between public and private establishes a complicated relationship between the image and temporality. As a portrait, Brian Ridley and Lyle Heeter is the memorialisation of a single instant in the life of this couple. At the same time, given the disconnection between their regalia and their setting, the portrait necessarily invokes a before and an after. Insofar as Heeters and Ridleys costumes signify a particular set of sexual practices, they are not practices that likely take place (primarily) in the space in which they are photographed. Their costumes suggest the space of the playroom, the dungeon, the sex club places significantly different from the one they occupy. The portrait evokes a place and time outside the environs of the setting for the erotic activity it suggests. Because the sexual activity suggested by this photograph is understood as taboo, as requiring a private space, even though it is being exposed to a public viewing, the portrait als o intimates that these costumes and these roles are not the totality of the lives of these portrait subjects. Just as the picture suggests other times and places for sexual activity, the specificity of the intimated sexual activity, by negative implication, suggests non-sexual times and places in these subjects lives that require different styles of self-presentation. The temporal and spatial limitations on this particular self-stylisation are underlined by the incongruity of costume and setting. The form/content distinctions of this image, then, invest it with a temporal dimension. The photograph suggests a relationship of dominance and submission; the power dynamics at play in the image, however, are neither simple nor singular. On the most basic level, there is the power of the gaze, a power generated by the image that situates both the spectator and the pictorial subject. This gaze arguably belongs to Mapplethorpe and the spectator and is exercised against Heeter and Ridley. Even if Heeter and Ridley have been costumed, posed, lit and framed by Mapplethorpe, to claim that they have been objectified by his gaze fails to account for the complexity of the image. Ridley and Heeter both look at the camera with hard and fixed stares; they are not giving over their bodies, their lives or their subjectivities to the spectator. Ridley and Heeter each adopt a physical pose that underpins the defiance of their respective looks; Heeters nonchalant stance and Ridleys open-legged seating position situate them in the full solidity of their corporeal frames. When looking at Heeter and Ridley, the spectator is just as likely to feel intimidated, challenged and threatened as in control of the image. In this way, the power Ridley and Heeter retain vis-à  -vis the gaze relates to and underscores their consent to the image-making process. At the same time, their tight leather outfits draw attention to the precise contours of their bodies. The silver studs on Heeters codpiece and the positioning of Ridleys legs and hands also draw visual attention to their respective genital regions. In this way the portrait trades in traditional mechanisms of eroticising and objectifying its subjects. Because they have been trapped in the image, and because this photograph will now circulate freely outside of their control, however, their resistance to the power of the scopic regime is limited and partial. The photograph, then, transforms Heeter and Ridley into objects for contemplation. The spectators visual inspection of them, however, is disrupted by their respective l ooks, their physical poses and the iconography of sadomasochism within the photograph. The gaze that structures this image is neither straightforward nor unidirectional. The power dynamic between the portraits subjects is also complex. Heeters superior vertical position along with his grasp of the riding crop and Ridleys chains are evidence of his dominance. At the same time Ridley is foregrounded in the pictorial space and his face is both more clearly visible and more brightly lit, making him the focus of visual attention. Ridleys name is also given priority in the portraits title. While this priority is consistent with Western left-to-right titling practice, it runs against the perceived practice of many sadomasochistic practitioners who often deny the submissive partner the referential use of a name, personal pronouns or even capital letters. As Richard Meyer observed when arguing that the formal properties of Mapplethorpes photographs often work to undo the power dynamics of his images content: The contradictions of this portrait defeat any essentialist interpretation of Ridley and Heeter in (or as) their sadomasochistic roles. Building on a clo se reading of the Meyer article, I would add that it is the compositional elements of the picture that serve to disrupt the meaning of its specific iconography. In other words, with respect to how the picture trades in the erotics of dominance and submission, the form of the image undercuts its manifest content. The incongruity of costume and setting also works to complicate the readings of power in the image. In an essay largely critical of Mapplethorpes images, C. S. Manegold writes that the dreamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ promised by this portrait is one of pain, of submission, of servitude, a willing walk toward death. She goes on to claim that Mapplethorpes sadomasochistic photographs are funded by a fascistic aesthetic. While I agree that this image trades in the iconography of domination and submission, I would dispute that the leather gear is Nazi-esque, it is merely hyper-masculine and owes much more to the motorcycle cop or the cowboy than any sort of Nazi influence, there are certainly no badges or insignia to indicate such a position and is merely Manegold herself showing what her personal/political history brings to the table in terms of domination. Any characterisation of the image as representing only a single form of erotic or gendered self-presentation founders on the details of the ph otograph itself. Looking only at Heeters riding crop and studded cod-piece or only at Ridleys handcuffs and locked collar, Manegolds characterisation of the image as one infused with pain and death and fascinated with a fascistic masculinity may seem self-justified. What happens, however, when the spectator notices the antique brass clock, the carefully arranged books or the delicate figurines that are also part of the picture? Are these details irrelevant? Do they also signify death and embody fascism? Or do they expose the sadomasochistic self-presentation of Ridley and Heeter as convincing, chilling, arousing, and disturbing as it might be as, at root, a performance, a ritual, an enactment? Although it is implicit in what I said about the image and temporality previously, it bears emphasising that insofar as the portrait highlights the performative nature of (sadomasochistic or masculine) identity, this also relates to the temporality of the image. Because a performance require s a repeated bodily gesture, it also requires temporal duration. In other words, does the incongruity between the general setting and the specific costuming show that each signifies an alternative way to fashion a life? A less incongruous picture could have been crafted by stripping the room bare of furniture, positioning Ridley on his knees and painting the walls black. Equally less incongruous a picture could also have been crafted by stripping Ridley of his chains, positioning Heeter on the arm of the chair and dressing the pair in flannels and blazers. The posing of this master-slave duo in a well-appointed, to the point of chi-chi, living room, however, shows that the respective systems of decoration are fully parallel, even though they might imply different relationships to hegemonic masculinity. What Mapplethorpe has done is signify hyper-masculinity and then gone on to problematise it. By focusing the spectators attention on the stylisation of their clothing and props through its sharp focus and bright lighting, the style of the portrait underlines that Ridley and Heeters gear is drag, a costume, a mode of self-presentation, a performance. In addition, by staging Brian Ridley and Lyle Heeter in a setting where their self-presentation as devotees of sadomasochistic eroticism would stand out in exaggerated bas-relief, the portrait calls attention to the artifice, the staginess of their chosen identity. The inherent theatricality of the picture is further emphasised by the dynamics of sadomasochistic erotic play itself. Given its emphasis on roles, costumes, props, scenes, the adornment of the body and implements of sexual arousal, sadomasochism despite the reality of the pain/pleasure experienced by its participants is a complex set of ritualised gestures. With these features in mind, it becomes easier to see how form and content are not merely in productive tensio n, but are virtually undone almost reversed by the portrait. Previously I identified the sadomasochistic couple as the content of the portrait, but the emphasis on performance, artifice and theatricality demonstrates that the term sadomasochistic couple is as much a formal trope enabling a reading of a situation as it is a pre-interpretive category with content. The viewer identifies Lyle Heeter and Brian Ridley as practitioners of sadomasochism not because their portrait contains sexual content, but because it trades in the signifying codes of the leather uniform. Brian Ridley and Lyle Heeter provides no evidence that its subjects participate in sadomasochistic acts; it reveals only that they understand how to participate in sadomasochistic signification. If this portrait were placed next to one of a gay male couple in jeans and t-shirts posed in their living room and another couple in biker gear in a fetish bar, the mobility of sadomasochistic couple as an interpretive grid would be much clearer. By the same token, the classical and mannered stylisation of the image is not merely the formal code by which this portrait has been organised; it is the very subject matter of the photograph. On the one hand, Heeter and Ridley, as a sadomasochistic couple, are irrelevant i.e. negated and transcended. They are little more than one possible signifier that enables a set of meanings and associations to attach to an image. Other visual and cultural incongruities could have been used to achieve the same kind of shock and disorientation. On the other hand, Ridley and Heeters identity as a sadomasochistic couple is absolutely essential to the image, not because it is at odds with the domestic setting of the portrait, but because sadomasochism as a highly theatrical, self-aware, ritualised mode of erotic behaviour fraught with its own contradictions and tensions provides the most useful set of signifying codes for exploring the formal concerns about self-stylisation with which the portrait engages. The theatricality of sadomasochis m, captured in a highly stylised portrait exposes the performance of masculinity that Heeter and Ridley and countless others are attempting. In this way that portraits iconography both participates in and potentially disrupts certain fantastic constructions of the masculine self. Sadomasochism, then, is a useful point of entry into Mapplethorpes larger body of work not only because it is the subject matter of a large number of his photographs or it is the subject matter that catapulted him to fame, but because sadomasochism as a practice is so directly parallel to the notions of theatrical self-presentation with which Mapplethorpes images deal. As noted previously, it is not only the thematic of the photographs that are important, but also how they train the viewer to see.

Criminal Behavior Essay -- Biology, Ellis and Walsh

Many scholars have attempted to explain criminal behaviour by identifying a genetic trait or other biological causes or indicator for criminality (Cullen and Agnew, 2011). Ellis and Walsh (2011) argue that while there is not a single â€Å"criminal behaviour† genetic trait, there are genetic trait that are associated with crime. They further suggest that these traits might provide evolutionary advantages to their holders in some circumstances. For example, traits such as deception and cheating would likely be evolutionary advantageous to maximizing a male's reproductive capabilities. Ellis and Walsh suggest that these traits might be genetically inherited. This theory of genetic influence does not however suggest that behaviours are genetically determined. Behaviours are still assumed to be learned, with specific genetic traits influencing this process (Ellis and Walsh, 2011).Rowe (2011) suggests a similarly biologically driven theory. He argues that through their impact upo n the central and autonomic nervous systems, genetic traits and biological harms can influence personality traits including those which are associated with criminality. In support of this notion are studies that have linked levels of testosterone and aggressiveness, low heart rate and criminality, weak skin conductance and criminality, as well as brain damage and lack of moral judgement (Rowe, 2011).Caspi, et al. (2011) present the theory that there are three super-traits which have various relationships with crime. The three super-traits they discuss are constraint, negative emotionality and positive emotionality. They note that the constraint and negative emotionality super-traits are related to self-control and with it criminality. This suggests that some indi... ...larly intimates. Both the methods and attributes associated with the crime are suggested to be learned. Learning of criminal and anti-criminal behaviour is thought to be similar to learning of other behaviours and attitudes in which the learner assimilates into the culture they are surrounded by (Sutherland and Cressey, 2011). This theory is similar to the Shaw and Mckay's explanation for criminality, but also ventures into the methods by which the attitudes are actually developed. Anderson's description of a culture of violence, that establishes a â€Å"code of the street† provides a vivid example of both the environmental conditions described by Shaw and Sutherland and Cressey as well as the learning processes described by Sutherland and Cressey. These clearly environmental and learned factors somewhat weaken the arguments of biological causes presented earlier..

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Veterans Essay -- PTSD in Military

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (commonly known as PTSD) is an important issue associated with military soldiers. The primary focus of this paper will be on the causes of PTSD and the effects it has on returning soldiers from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I will attempt to elaborate on the soldiers' experiences through my own experiences in combat both in Iraq and Afghanistan. I will explain what PTSD is, look at the history of PTSD, how people get it, and differences of PTSD between men and women, and treatment options. As far back in history as we can go, humans have been in a fight for survival. There have been battles with gigantic mammoths, soldiers charging the front line with swords drawn or teachers witnessing neighbors being gassed to death. These are all significantly stressful situations that can lead to PTSD and have been around for centuries. For as long as there have been humans fighting there has been PTSD, it just wasn’t a term yet. During the Civil war, problems with PTSD became so severe that the first ever Military Hospital for the insane was established in 1863 (Bentley). Before that, since Military officials didn’t know what to do, or what was wrong with these physically able men they just threw them on the street or sent them home. With so many insane soldiers walking around, it was the public who insisted that something be done to help these soldiers and keep them off the street (Bentley). It wasn’t until 1905 during WWI that there was a link made between the mental collapse and the stresses of war(Bentley). There were so many cases of PTSD at first that officials believed it was caused by the concussion of shells on the brain, so they called it â€Å"shell shock†. It was the Russians who f... ...t. Bellevue College Lib., Bellevue, WA. 15 May 2011 Greist, John H., James W. Jefferson, David J. Katzelnick Facts For Heath. 11 May 2011. . Hales, Dianne. Wellness at Bellevue College. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning., 2011 Tarrant, David. "Iraq veteran's PTSD is an unrelenting enemy but he's fighting back." The Dallas Morning News 22 Aug. 2010. 11 May 2011 United States. Department of Veterans Affairs. Treatment of PTSD. 05 Oct. 2010. 11 May 2011. . Unknown, Anthony. â€Å"Cognitive Behavior Therapy†. Online posting. 31 Mar. 2011. PtsdForum Supporting Trauma. 15 May 2011.

Hefty Hardware Essay

After reading Hefty hardware case study, I came up with the following analysis for this case: It is very clear that there is communication issues between the business and IT, there is no connection between the IT department and other business departments. To build good relationship between the IT Department and the Business department, the four foundation blocks needed, Competence, credibility, interpersonal interaction, and trust, which all are not considered between the departments. (McKeen & Smith, 2012). The business manager feels that the IT don’t have the enough competence for finding solution for solving business problems. And this is normal because the IT do not have the enough knowledge about Hefty Hardware business process and goals. The very important block in building good relationship between the IT and business department which is the interpersonal interaction is not available and usually the meetings getting failed because the IT people don’t understand the business talk and not ready to understand, also the business managers do not understand the technical talk when the IT start explaining the technical aspects of the solution. Hefty Hardware do not has solid foundation and good relationship between the IT and the Business department, and this issue became the main problem that Hefty should deal with it to make sure that the current and future projects will success. Also it is important that the IT department spend the enough time to explain their plan to support the business functions and make sure that they will work to achieve the organization goals. There is no information sharing between the departments or even between the executives because of the lack of communication. Information sharing will help in reach common goal which will help the organization to be more efficient and productive. Mr. Vogel suggestion was very good to have two from IT and business department travel together as this will improve the relationship between the two departments and make better understanding for the organization goals and will give them the chance to see how Hefty stores operate. The IT department seems to be understaffed and under budget, as Farzad was complaining that he cannot send some IT staff because they have a lot of work to do at the head quarter, the IT department is mainly to perform the support and keep the network and the systems stable but they don’t have the ability to think strategically. In order for the IT and the business can work collaboratively to deliver the Savvy Store program  successfully the below recommendations need to be considered: 1- Hefty Hardware should invest in building a good relationship between the IT and Business department this can be achieved by conducting team building training program where both department can interact and work together. As this will build a trusting and functional environment. 2- Developing the communication skills for Hefty employees and between the different departments, which will help in implementing successful projects. 3- IT and Business managers should work together for removing any communication obstacles to have a successful communication going. (Gartenstein, 2012). By having a weekly meetings which will strengthen the communication more . 4- Interpersonal interaction between the IT and business departments should be improved in the meetings, as most of the time the business team feel that they are lost as then don’t understand the technical points, this can be achieved by train the IT team to improve their communication skills and let then have the ability to communicate with non-technical people (which is not easy) and explain to them in simple way. Visual presentation may help in explaining the technical concepts . 5- Business team should also share the organization business needs and goals with the IT team to let them understand how is the business going and what is the goals of the company. By this cooperation, the gap between the two departments will be bridged and both teams will be able to think more efficiently in finding solutions that will enhance customer experience and will implement competitive solutions. 6- Outsourcing the projects that need to be immediately implemented and do not trouble the IT department while they are overloaded and don’t have enough staff. 7- The Time management & Planning is very important for both departments, the organization should invest in having them trained in time management and planning, which will help them in doing the work efficiently and on time. 8- Do a market research for the same industry and try to implement a competitive solutions that will be a very good advantage for the organization. 9- Hiring more IT staff as the CIO is understaffed and has no ability to accept any new system development, so as to be able to work on Savvy store program. 10- The corporate should not be disconnected from the retail shops. References: McKeen, J. and Heather, S. (2011) IT Strategy – Issues and Practices. 2nd Edition. ISBN-10: 0132145669. Boston: Prentice Hall. Gartenstein, D. (2012, January). Solutions for effective communication. Retrieved from eHow Family website: http://www.ehow.com/way_5765631_solutions-effective-communication.html. Baum, J. (2011, March 18). Team building exercises in the workplace. Retrieved from Livestrong website: http://www.livestrong.com/article/221732-team-building-exercises-in-the-workplace/.

Against School Uniforms Essay

I understand that many schools around the nation wear uniforms for a good reason. Such as if kids could not purchase enough clothes normally. I completely respect that and the schools which choose to do so. However, I do strongly believe that children have the right to wear whatever they want to school as long as it is appropriate. I myself have never attended a school in which uniforms are required. But I do know kids who have and a lot of them say they don?t like it. I mean I can see why. Who wants to wear a school uniform every day? For kids who go to schools that require uniforms, there is no style present. Everyone looks the same. In a normal school where kids can where whatever they want, sometimes you can tell if someone is having a good day or not. You can learn things about people just by looking at how they dress themselves. Someone?s personality is represented by their outward appearance. I bet that whoever decides to make a school have uniforms went to a school that did have uniforms as a kid and just never realized how much better it would have been without uniforms. If that person went to a school without uniforms as a child, they never would have made a school have it required. Seriously, for all you people that thinkschools should have uniforms, think back to when you were in high school or grade school. Did you really want to have a uniform to wear to school? Did you really hope that everyone wore the same exact thing every day? Did you wish back then that when you woke up in the morning to go to school, everyone would look and act and be the same? No, I don?t think so. You wanted to express yourself and see what people were wearing each day. You liked style. But now that your job makes all the employees wear the same thing, you want to drag everyone else down with you. Just because you have to suffer, doesn?t mean everyone else has to as well. I mean think about it. Other than a few exceptions, school is basically the only time in your life when you can dress freely in a work environment. I want to make that count and express myself while I still can. For me at least, that right will be taken away in a few years. But for kids who have always had to wear uniforms, they never even had that right. So I say if you don?t give kids the right to wear what they want while they learn. Then you don?t have the right to teach them.

Poetry Analysis: Persimmons Essay

â€Å"See through.† Surely, most people have experienced this feeling before, the feelings of being seen, but not truly â€Å"seen.† As if every part of their being, their roots, their culture, and history meant nothing and holds no value to anyone but themselves, just as the speaker is raised in a bi-lingual, bi-culture atmosphere although most of us may be forgotten throughout our lifetime from daily encounters or short terms relationships; semester long classmates and professors, the poem â€Å"Persimmons† by Li-Young Lee reveals to us with his brilliant use of imagery, symbolism, and other literary devices, emotions so rooted, that they almost escape words. In the poem, the reality revealed is that we will someday fade away from people and this world. But that the true beauty lies during the events in our lives and until the finale, we are the ones to hold the sweet, ripe â€Å"Persimmon,† a sacred and distinct â€Å"sun inside [each of us]†¦ golden [and] warm.† Li-Young Lee implements imagery and symbolism to underline the metamorphosis of the early life of the struggles of social placement of a young American Chinese boy to the deep passions of a young man. â€Å"Persimmons† teach us that even if we may go blind, just like the speakers father in the poem, it comes to show that our experiences of life, that despite not everyone will appreciate, or understand fully, that it is something that will forever remain etched in our souls. At first the poem starts out a bit scattered. There were several pieces that did not seem to follow the time and meaning, but while seemingly scattered, his memories do in fact connect in several ways. As one specific device, most of his recollections involve the symbol of the Chinese fruit, persimmons. The poem begins with an unpleasant memory from the speaker’s sixth grade classroom where he recalls being slapped on the head and ordered to â€Å"stand in the corner for not knowing the difference/between [the words] persimmon and precision†(3-5). Right at that moment the speaker’s attitude is that of confusion. In the first stanza, we learn that Mrs. Walker was the speaker’s teacher in sixth grade: In sixth grade Mrs. Walker Slapped the back of my head and made me stand in the corner for not knowing the difference between persimmon and precision. How to choose   persimmons. This is precision. (1-6) To Mrs. Walker, the point is simple; the young boy, whose native language is Chinese, simply cannot attain and grasp the elements of English. Clearly he confuses the words that are seen from Mrs. Walker’s point of view to have nothing in common, but maybe only holds similar sounds and that is all. But in the boy’s mind, the two words are connected in a way that Mrs. Walker will never grasp without delving deep. A particular literary device that Lee uses is the choice of enjambment at the word â€Å"choose,† (6) which breaks the first stanza and draws attention to the act of selection, and the process of making choices. Although in the first stanza it is seen that the speaker, as a child and as a student is stripped from the power to choose in the process and codes of the incident of his classroom assimilation, he regains power by justifying his linguistic conflations of the words â€Å"persimmon and precision,† (5) by connecting the words through their sim ilar sounds and by symbolic association: â€Å"How to choose/ persimmons. This is precision† (6– 7) and â€Å"fight and fright, wren and yarn† (31). While justifying the melting pot of his words, he also re-claims control by demonstrating his command of the English language. In the second stanza, however, Lee elaborates on the correct way of carefully selecting and eating a persimmon, and along with that it is affirmed that the speaker does in fact know the difference between the two words. The speaker reveals his understanding of â€Å"precision† in the diction being used by Lee to describe how to pick out and eat a persimmon; the words â€Å"soft,† â€Å"sweet,† â€Å"sniff,† and â€Å"brown-spotted, are given to the fruit characterizing it and transcending the physical sense of the Chinese fruit and transforming it into an important element, and symbol. Whereas the character of Mrs. Walker  would fall in the category of the â€Å"teachers† that one may meet throughout life. It can be anyone: from a school teacher, a semester –long college peer, a random onlooker, or society itself. However, these â€Å"teachers† not judge one’s personality, but are also ignorant. In defined terms; a person may be treated as a sheep, when in fact, they are the ones fenced in, not able to reach, see or feel further; they do not bother to survey into the deep and enigmatic waters of people, Self, and emotions, in this case, the boy’s mind. The teacher is not aware that his mind is full of different worlds; the world or emotions, and his rich culture. The only thing they perceive is that the boy may have a problem; that the boy has trouble with words, which in a way he does, but for him, the words that tend to â€Å"stick out of the page† for him are because of the assimilations that they induce: Ripe ones are soft and brown-spotted. Sniff the bottoms. The sweet one Will be fragrant. How to eat: Put the knife away, lay down the newspaper. Peel the skin tenderly, not to tear the meat. Chew the skin, suck it,  and swallow. Now, eat   the meat of the fruit,  so sweet,  all of it, to the heart. Can Mrs. Walker and anyone belonging to this pragmatic world even care to imagine the world within him? To the speaker a persimmon is precision, because one needs the ability of perceiving a precise persimmon and the persimmon itself is precision by its existence; a soft fruit, the shape, the smell of a ripe one is an art; not everyone has the talent to spot one and the proper knowledge of how to eat one, just like Mrs. Walker incorrectly prepares the persimmons for the class, as she uses a knife to â€Å"cut it up† (41) as if she were â€Å"cutting up† this demonstrates her violation of the Chinese culture of the speaker. The poem takes on a dramatic turn at the third stanza, where the speaker fast  forwards through time. Here the speaker describes the moment of a passionate experience with his lover. Here by Lee’s use of symbolism and contrasting word choice is significant because of specific time and place it is being used. In this moment, the speaker has forgotten his Chinese, this could represent the past problems of assimilation to have faded in the aspect of the triumph over the English language. Although he has perhaps gained societal acceptance as an Asian American, he has also gravely lost, where his loss out wins his gain; the loss of his native language, the loss of his culture. As a second interpretation would be that when the speaker forgets about the â€Å"Dew† and the fact that they are â€Å"Naked,† but recalls the â€Å"Crickets: chiu chiu† and that â€Å"Ni, wo: [means] you and me† represents his total captivation in the moment, the moment when tw o lovers unite, creating a union, one perhaps forgets that fact of nakedness, because perhaps in that beautiful moment, one does not feel naked, because their significant other is there, and they are all they need to feel covered, a moment were all barriers are broken, both feel free comfortable in the bareness, where he even forgets the background sound playing. By the use of symbolism, it is known that â€Å"Persimmon† is the main symbol, and so acts as a metaphor of the love scene, focusing on the passionate experience that marks the speaker for life. In the ninth stanza, a new scene is present and there is another shift in time, this time the speaker is a mature adult, visiting his parents, but also revisiting old memories, that arouse ancient feelings. In this particular stanza, Lee’s use of vivid imagery is openly present, where he describes the speakers elderly father who has gone blind: I rummage, looking for something I lost†¦. I find a box†¦. three paintings by my father: Hibiscus leaf and a white flower. Two cats preening. Two persimmons, so full they want to drop from the cloth. †¦.Which is this? †¦.Oh, the feel of the wolf tail on the silk, the strength, the tense precision in the wrist†¦. Eyes closed. These I painted blind. Some things never leave a person: Scent of the hair of one you love, The texture of persimmons, in your palm, the ripe weight. (62-88). Lee’s use of concrete details allows has a great impact and effect on this particular poem, because it draws the reader in, allowing them to engage and become more attune to the feelings the poet is trying to transmit: the sight of the Hibiscus, the movements of the â€Å"cat’s preening† (75). Although the speaker’s father has lost his eyesight, he can still â€Å"see† the world. When a person goes blind, they are shut out from the world, but the thing that stays with the person transcends the sense of vision; the smell, the texture, the weight of the persimmon that the father speaks of that will â€Å"never leave a person,† (85) that the feel of a ripe persimmon in the palm will remain a part of you , just like the speakers culture, his memories and experiences. This could also represent an important shift in the poems tone, in that the speakers finally accepts his culture or art of reminiscing of familiar emotions, both like being â€Å"back home.† His experiences, although not entirely positive, have helped him grow into the man he is now. Li-Young Lee, by using sensory imagery and â€Å"precise† diction along with the informal stanza structure, reveals to the reader that, despite the speakers his bi-cultural past, he has now realized, through his experiences, that some of the most important things will not always be â€Å"visible† and he is at peace with his culture. The obscurity of words that Lee demonstrates in this poem correlates with the obscure and that of which is not accepted in our materialistic, and practical world. But the bitter-sweet irony of it all is that at times, as soon as something like a marvelous feeling or thought is put into words, its mystical beauty may diminish. This poem is not only a self contained piece of poetry. It is art, a ticket to see, witness, and feel between our and the poet’s inner world. Li-Young Lee, knowing that words cannot directly express these feelings; he us es his poetry as a tool to evoke such feelings in us utilizing the informal poetic form and the advantage of symbolism and imagery, has allowed us to picture detailed, vivid scenes to show us how superficial and apathetic the world around us can be to the secretly immense, and passionate world in each of us. Citation Dmitry, Divov. â€Å"Analysis of Persimmons by Li-Young Lee.† Web. 25 Feb 2012. .

Nature of Work

Marine Biology also refers to Biological Sciences or Biological Oceanography. Marine Science is the general term for research conducted in oceans and coastal or inland waters connected to the sea. This particular field is probably the best known to the public. Marine Biology deals with the study of micro and living organisms such as plants, animals, viruses, and bacteria in oceans, estuaries, and other bodies of salt water. In the feild of Marine Biology you plan, participate in, and administer research programs for government experiment stations such as private research centers, manufactoring irms, and medical service industries. Tools and equipment for this career includes lab animals, X-Ray and other lab equipment, computers, spectrophotometers, collections of specimens, and a Starting no later than high school, a Marine Biologist should obtain a solid education in as many basic sciences as possible including chemistry, physics, and biology. Mathematics is essential. Plane geometry, trigonometry, solid geometry, and two years of algebra are recommended. Good English is no less important, for both written and oral reports are a big part of Marine Biology. The tudy of a foreign language, especially French, German, or Russian should begin early. Degrees in this study are offered only to college graduate students. Most entry level jobs minimally require a Bachelors degree in a natural science from an accredited college or university. Doctoral degree holders face competition for independent research positions. Those with a Bachelors degree or Masters degree in biological sciences can expect better opportunities for nonresearch In order to be a Marine Biologist or in any line of work, you have to be really dedicated to your job. This is the job I have always wanted ever since I was a little girl. I always loved the water especially the ocean. I think there is so much to discover about it and there are so many marine animals yet to be revealed. If I ever do become a Marine Biologist I either want to work in the laboratory or work in the field. I think it would be interesting to travel to different parts of oceans and discover what kind of plants and animals hide beneath the deep blue waters. Laboratory technicians and testers can acquire more education experience. They can work their way up through research ositions and may reach administrative posts in government or industry. As a rule, high paying postions of prestige go to those with a Ph. D degree and a history of successful research. C. Earnings and Working Conditions Marine Biologists may work in a laboratory, classroom, museum and industrial setting, a botanical garden or zoo, or in a field. They may either work alone or with engineers, technicians, and other scientists at various stages of research or product development. Working conditions vary with the kind of work they do. Indoor work areas may be quiet, well lighted, and air-conditioned. Those who work n laboratories or industrial settings must keep work areas very clean. Ventilation systems generally provide protection from dust, fumes, and odors. Special precautions are taken to protect those scientists who work with infectuous creatures or poisonous chemicals. While working in the field some Marine Biologists travel to coral reefs in tropical seas and ocean waters in cooler climates having to work a The earnings of a Marine Biologist are complicated. Most of these researchers recieve a salary directly from an employer. They write proposals in order to have their research ideas funded by private and overnment agencies. The quality of their results often determines whether they recieve money for future efforts, and consequently, whether they work and for how long. The salaries of a Marine Biologist comes down to each persons education, experience, and At the present time the profession of Marine Biology is one of the least crowded of the science fields. There are only a few thousand Marine Biologists in research, with less than three thousand graduates working and teaching in the United States. Since there is a limited number, opportunities in research are few and competition is stiff.