Tuesday, December 24, 2019

The French Revolution Was Inevitable - 2263 Words

Ultimately, the French Revolution was inevitable. The people of France were growing increasingly more upset with treatment they received from the upper and royal classes, mainly due to special privileges and weakened punishments for people of aristocratic families. Further fueling the fire, Louis XVI, the reigning king at the time, had recently levied a new land tax to solve France’s financial issues. The nation’s public banded together to eliminate unjust ruling in their country once and for all. The revolution officially began in June 1789 and quickly escalated, with the Storming of the Bastille, the forced release of French prisoners by the public, occurring less than a month later. While members of the government had anticipated an angry mob, the actual amount of people that showed up at the Bastille far surpassed their prediction of about 100. Eventually, civilians were able to barrel their way into the prison and release the seven inmates, all of which were imprisoned by King Louis XVI. The event left approximately 100 military and insurgents dead and marked a huge leap toward the eventual creation of the Republic of France. The fragmentation of the country of France was essentially caused by its ruler, King Louis XVI. Described as â€Å"weak in character† and â€Å"mentally dull†, Louis didn’t understand what it took to rule a country. Born into his position, King Louis didn’t seem to appreciate hard work. During his time as monarch of France, he did little other thanShow MoreRelatedFrench Revolution: the Solution to Class Inequality1141 Words   |  5 Pages The French Revolution was one of the most important events that occurred in the history of France. The revolution crumpled the Old Regime and completely transformed the social and political system of France. The people of France sought to establish a more egalitarian society through their newly created Republic. When Enlightenment thinkers such as John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Baron de Montesquieu introduced individual liberty, natural rights and equality the ideas of revolution emergedRead MoreComparing and Contrasting the American and French Revolutions805 Words   |  4 PagesAmerican Revolution began for two reasons: political and economic, while the French Revolution began with domination and mismanagement that contributed to the French society. During the Revolution many events occurred having a major effect, such as the sugar act, currency act, and the Townshend act. The French began the Tennis Court Oath, the Storming of the Bastille, and the overthrown of Monarchy . The French Revolution followed in suit with the American Revolution, because the French were in favorRead MoreCauses of the French Revolution Essay1464 Words   |  6 PagesCauses of the French Revolution The French Revolution happened in France around the period 1789-92 (although these dates are disputed by historians), and resulted in the overthrow of the French monarchy and the Ancien Rà ©gime (the system of government). The monarchy in France had been established for many centuries, and the causes of the Revolution were deeply-rooted, including the problems with the Ancien Rà ©gime, the growth of nationalism, the influence of philosophers, and the example ofRead MoreEssay about Causes of the French Revolution640 Words   |  3 PagesThe French Revolution was caused by many factors; some were significant and played a large role while others were of minor consequence. France was one of the richest and most powerful nations even though they were facing some economic difficulties. The French Revolution was a pivotal period in the history of French, European and Western civilization. During this period of time there was the formation of republicanism which replaced the absolute mona rchy in France. Before the French Revolution LouisRead MoreEffects Of Nationalism In The French Revolution1501 Words   |  7 Pagesthe old Latin sense, meant people of the same origin, the most common criteria for a nation were shared a language and history†. In case of France, the nationalism force was very effective and inevitable during the French revolution 1789. It was a great historical event brought many changes in France. Before the revolution, France was controlled by Ancient regime in which common people have had not freedom and rights. The financial crisis made by Louis XVI compelled to establishment of Estates GeneralRead MoreThe Success Of The American Revolution1633 Words   |  7 PagesVolumes of scholastic literature, circulated history books, and an array of multiple sources acknowledge Frances’ contributory role in the success of the American Revolution. Prior to discussing their role in the American Revolution, it is important to mention their historical past in t he colonies in order to understand why they intervened on behalf of the continentals. Frances’ historical past in the 13 colonies is filled with humiliation and resentment due to their defeat against Great BritainRead MoreThe Importance Of The French Revolution777 Words   |  4 PagesThe French Revolution was certainly one of the most important events in Europe’s political history and highlighted the importance of the new age of Enlightenment. The outcomes of the Revolution were many: its short comings led to the rise of the Napoleonic Regime and Robespierre’s reign through terror led other European revolutionaries to step back in fear. However, whilst the revolution failed to achieve all it had aimed to do; it did overthrow its monarchy, creating the first true European RepublicRead MoreThe Causes of the American Revolution Essay1425 Words   |  6 Pagesenforce together made the revolution inevitable. The British were definitely expected to win the dispute because they significantly over powered the Colonists in most areas. They had more money, weapons, people, etc. However the American’s prevailed with the help of the French. Their involvement was largely based on the French losing the French and Indian War to the English. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The American Revolution was an inevitable conflict. The French and Indian War had major effectsRead MoreTale Of Two Cities Analysis704 Words   |  3 Pagesorder to describe the similarities between the forces that led to the revolution and the oppression and unrest occurring in England. The French revolution impacts history because the time period in which it takes place is before and during the French revolution. The French revolution signifies the essence of a rapid change, nevertheless, this change tore France right at the heart, where all the government was â€Å"functioning†. France was torn apart because of the rebellions of the Bourgeoisie, against theRead MoreIndustrial Revolution Essay1731 Words   |  7 Pagesdifferent, yet important revolutions that have taken place in the past four centuries. These drastic and radical changes have been brought about by revolutionaries who desired a free society in which free trade, free markets, and free labor existed for the common man. These revolutions imply sudden forceful change, however, there is also evolutionary changes in society that are gradual and develop over time, which bring about many positive advancements. The French Revolution enhanced a new order of

Monday, December 16, 2019

Succubus Shadows Chapter 19 Free Essays

â€Å"Real,† I gasped out. â€Å"That was†¦real. Seth didn’t give in to temptation. We will write a custom essay sample on Succubus Shadows Chapter 19 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Seth stayed with Maddie.† â€Å"Maybe,† said One. The instinct to claw his eyes out rose within me, strong and sudden. It was animal and rash – and impossible since I had no form here. It was an urge I’d had on more than one occasion with the Oneroi. â€Å"True. It was true.† This was like a child’s game with them, over and over. Or maybe the true/false section on the SAT. Circles. Circles. My life was a circle. â€Å"And Jerome†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The end of the dream came to me where my boss had spirited Seth away. â€Å"He’s coming for me. He took Seth. They’re going to do that ritual. Erik’s going to set it up.† â€Å"Yes. And he’s going to fail.† â€Å"No, he won’t,† I cried. Every ounce of me had become desperation: voice, mind, soul. â€Å"Jerome will come for me. He’ll save me.† â€Å"No one is coming for you,† said Two. â€Å"They will try, but they will fail.† Again, they sent me back to my world, and as much as I yearned for familiar faces, the doubt and uncertainty the Oneroi kept bringing up filled me with a despairing kind of confusion. I was at Erik’s. And apparently, so was everyone else. His store had a large back room used for storage that I’d only once caught a glimpse of. It reminded me of a garage, with unfinished cement floors and plain drywall on the sides. A small table held a bowl of burning incense that made the air hazy. The edges of the room were stacked with boxes and crates that appeared to have been shoved to create an empty space around the edge of the room. Also along the edges was the Seattle immortal club: Hugh, Cody, Peter, Carter, and even Mei. Roman was probably there too, hidden because of Mei. In the center of the room, Erik was drawing chalk patterns on the floor. Jerome stood nearby, and Seth hovered uneasily between them and my friends along the wall. I think he was having a hard time deciding who was safest. If not for Mei, he probably would have chosen my friends. Mei watched Erik and Jerome with disapproval, her nearly black eyes narrowed and brick-red lips pursed. At last, she uncrossed her arms and strode toward the center, her stiletto heels clicking loudly against the cement. Seth scurried out of her way, retreating to the safety of my friends. â€Å"This is ridiculous,† Mei said. â€Å"You’re wasting everyone’s time. Even with all of them† – she gestured to the wall gang – â€Å"it’s not enough to bring her back. You need to report it and get another succubus.† â€Å"I report it, and there’ll be another archdemon here too.† Jerome cut her a look. â€Å"I’m kind of surprised you haven’t done that already.† Good point. As his underling, Mei obeyed him, but she was ambitious. If Jerome got in trouble for losing me, it could be to her advantage. â€Å"I don’t need to,† she said flatly. â€Å"You’ll be telling them yourself soon. Why do I have to be here? I have no connection to her.† â€Å"Because I told you to! Stop arguing.† Jerome glared at her, and the two demons locked gazes. At last, Mei gave a sharp nod, but it didn’t seem like she gave in because of his authority. It was more like he’d communicated something, and she was acknowledging it. She returned to the side of the room, opposite my friends now. Erik had to lean and get on his knees for a lot of his chalk work, something that had to be agony on his back. With a sigh, he finally stood up and examined his design. It showed two large concentric circles, filled and surrounded with a number of arcane symbols. Some I knew; some I didn’t. Jerome studied the pattern too, and for the first time ever, my boss looked†¦nervous. â€Å"Is it ready?† he demanded. Erik nodded, one hand absentmindedly rubbing his back. â€Å"Barring the spell itself, yes.† Jerome’s eyes fell on Seth, who flinched. â€Å"You,† said the demon. â€Å"Come here.† Seth eyed the pattern almost as uneasily as Jerome had. â€Å"What will happen to me?† â€Å"It won’t kill you, if that’s what you’re worried about. And you can leave the circle whenever you want. Now stop wasting time.† I didn’t like hearing Jerome boss Seth around. It stirred up those coals of rage that had been burning within me lately. I even grew angry seeing Seth obey; I kind of wanted him to defy Jerome. A moment later, I tried to banish such thoughts. I needed to save my fury for the Oneroi, not this group. Surely Jerome wasn’t lying. Carter, who’d remained quiet throughout all of this, would have called Jerome on it. I hoped. Seth walked over to Jerome’s side, careful not to step on any of the chalk lines – like how superstitious people avoid cracks on sidewalks. Erik gave Seth a small smile. â€Å"He’s right, Mr. Mortensen. This won’t hurt you. Though it will be†¦strange.† Mei suddenly went rigid again. â€Å"Him? That’s all you’re using? Jerome, one person can’t – â€Å" â€Å"Enough!† roared Jerome. â€Å"I’m tired of listening to everyone backtalk me. Can we get on with this?† Erik nodded and walked over to the table with the incense. There was also a small bowl of water and a long, roughly hewn piece of stone. Smoky quartz, I thought. Erik picked it up carefully, reverently. He pushed the tip of the wand into the smoldering incense, and then held it up so the smoke could swathe it. A couple seconds later, he dipped the wand’s end into the water. When that was completed, he began carrying the wand to the circle. â€Å"Wait,† Carter suddenly said. He straightened up from where he’d been slouching against some boxes. â€Å"I’m going in too.† â€Å"You’re all crazy,† muttered Mei. â€Å"She has a point,† said Jerome. â€Å"If you’re in here – â€Å" â€Å"I know, I know,† said Carter, stepping over the lines to join Jerome. â€Å"And I also know what might come out.† The two of them looked at each other, more silent messages passing, and then neither spoke again. Erik returned to the circle’s center, holding the wand up high. Both Carter and Jerome had moved as far from the humans as possible without crossing the inner circle. As Erik’s arms reached heavenward, he suddenly didn’t seem like a weak old man. True, his body was frail and growing gaunter every day, but as he stood there and began chanting, he became so much more than human. Dante was a better magician when it came down to it, but Erik wasn’t without his own power, even if rarely used. If I’d been there in the flesh, I would have felt the magic he was summoning. Knowing it was there almost made me believe I could see it. He finished his chant, spoken in words I only knew a little of, and then walked around the circle. He touched it in four spots with the wand, all equidistant from each other. The instant his wand touched the fourth spot, every immortal in the room suddenly flinched and looked uncomfortable – even the greater ones. Seth mostly looked confused. As a disconnected observer, my view was like Seth’s. I saw nothing happen either. But I realized then that if I’d been there, I would have felt what all the other immortals had as well. Erik had locked the circle, slamming invisible walls into place. All magical circles were different, but he’d told Seth that he could cross out – meaning this was a circle to keep only immortals in. It wasn’t exactly like a summoning. Summonings required massive amounts of magic because they were enslaving an immortal against his or her will. This circle was a prison too, but it required less magic because the immortals had entered it by choice. Jerome and Carter had just knowingly allowed themselves to be entrapped. This was why he wanted Mei around. For an unscrupulous magic user – say, like Dante – this was a golden opportunity. Two imprisoned greater immortals? It had infinite possibilities for a magician. Whatever Erik was doing here, I didn’t believe he’d abuse this situation. But Jerome, being a demon, didn’t trust anyone. Jerome had wanted Mei on hand to do some smiting if Erik wouldn’t release his prisoners. Of course, she would be powerless to do anything until Erik left the circle – which he’d have to do eventually. If they were all trying to rescue me, though, Erik couldn’t have created this circle with the intent of trapping Jerome and Carter specifically. The angel’s words came back to me: I also know what might come out. Erik stood in front of Seth, who was growing more nervous by the second. The strain in Erik’s face showed the power he was keeping in check. He couldn’t play kindly old man right now, but he did what he could. â€Å"Do you care about Miss Kincaid?† he asked Seth. â€Å"Do you want to save her?† â€Å"Yes,† answered Seth swiftly. â€Å"Then you must think about her. Focus every ounce of your being on her. Imagine her. Cry out for her. There must be no other thoughts in your head – only her.† Seth looked puzzled but nodded. Erik turned to Jerome and Carter. â€Å"And you must stop him from going in entirely. You can’t enter yourselves, but you can keep him here. You have to, or you’ll lose both of them.† Erik waited for no acknowledgment from the angel and demon. He held up his wand again and touched Seth on his forehead, both cheeks, and chin. Seth shivered. â€Å"Remember,† said Erik. â€Å"When the gate opens, think of her. Only her. Reach for her. And when you find her, do not let go.† â€Å"Gate?† asked Seth. â€Å"What – â€Å" But Erik was chanting again, and a wind emerged out of nowhere, ruffling the hair of those in the circles. His voice grew more and more powerful, and then – I was back with the Oneroi. â€Å"What happened?† I exclaimed. For the millionth time, I wished I could beat on the walls of my prison. I wanted to claw their eyes out again. I wanted to choke them. â€Å"Show me what happens!† â€Å"Failure,† said One. â€Å"They won’t succeed,† added Two. â€Å"The demoness was correct. A dozen humans who loved you couldn’t reach you, let alone – â€Å" He stopped speaking. His eyes met One’s, and then both glanced around as though searching for something. I tried to see what they saw or heard, but there was nothing for me. Only blackness and silence. Then, I felt the stirring of another dream coming over me. The dark world started to go blurry, and both Oneroi jerked their heads toward me. â€Å"No!† exclaimed Two, extending his hand. Everything grew clear again. I didn’t dream. I stayed where I was. Georgina. My name. For the first time in – well, I had no idea how many days – I heard something that wasn’t the Oneroi. It was so faint, a whisper lost on the wind. My name. One of them, at least. I couldn’t tell where it came from, but every part of me tried to focus on it, to figure out its origin. Georgina. â€Å"Yes?† I said aloud. â€Å"I’m here!† The world grew blurry again. I didn’t hear my name, but it was like the siren song all over again. Music without sound, colors without description. â€Å"Stop this!† cried One. I had never heard the Oneroi raise their voices. They always spoke in those low, sly tones. But they were pretty upset now. â€Å"Fight it!† This was Two, speaking to One. â€Å"Join me! Don’t let it – â€Å" I left them for another dream. Or, well, more like another place. No, it wasn’t even a place. It was like I was floating in space, in a nebula. Perhaps a hurricane was a more accurate way to describe it because things were swirling around me and blowing past. Wisps of smoke. Bits of colors. Brilliant stars. Some touched me. Some went through me. And every time I made contact, I felt an emotion – an emotion that wasn’t my own. Happiness. Terror. With that emotion came a brief flash of an image. A green field. An airplane. A monster. It was a snowstorm of stimuli. I was lost and adrift, almost more scared than in my prison with the Oneroi. At least that had had some substance, no matter how insignificant. But this†¦what was this? Every once in a while, it would start to dissolve to black, like I might be returning to the box†¦. Then, the darkness would fade, again leaving me helpless in this mad riot of sensation. Georgina. My name again. And with it, that pull. That pull of familiarity. Though I technically had no body here either, I searched for that voice and that pull, looking through the riotous color. Georgina. It was stronger. That sense of summoning. I burned with the need to get to it. It was part of me. It was home. And then, in all that chaos, one light shone brighter than all the others. It was white, pure and pristine amidst the kaleidoscope raining down upon me. I stared at it, reached for it in as much as I could. The world started to fracture to black once again, but it was the last time. I wouldn’t return to the box. Not with this light before me. It’s hard to say if it became brighter and brighter or if it just grew closer and closer, but suddenly it was before me. It was around me. I was it. Just like when I’d brushed against those other dreams, I had a flash of vision that snapped me briefly from the whirlwind. I was in Seth’s arms. Or was I? As he held me, his face seemed to shift over and over to different forms. No, it was him. I would know him anywhere. He was so familiar, and now this close to me, I couldn’t let go of him. He was home. Georgina. The voice came again, and it was his. Georgina, don’t let go. No. I wasn’t letting go. I was never letting go again†¦. That brief moment of human contact gave way to the starry field of dreams, but this time, I had an anchor. I was with the light. I was the light. I felt it pulling me, but I needed no urging. I would go wherever it took me. I released all control. I had the sensation of floating, of being stretched and reaching forward. Behind me, something tugged at me, but it wasn’t strong enough. I was moving forward. Forward and forward and – The sound of screaming filled the room. My screaming. Screaming over the pain of being torn apart and reassembled. Pain from being stripped of all energy within me. I was weak. Raw. Nothing. What room was this? I saw faces. Faces near me, faces along the room’s wall. They looked at me like they knew me. Did they? Did I know them? My legs buckled underneath me, weak like a colt’s. One of the men standing near me reached out, but I scrambled backward, needing to escape. I couldn’t let him touch me. Of that, I was certain. My mind had been shredded and ripped open. I didn’t want to be touched in any other way. The floor was cold and smooth as I scurried over it, but I was stopped by a wall. At least, it felt like one. I saw nothing there, only a blue line upon the floor. The invisible wall was familiar and triggered fear. It reminded me of the box. I drew my knees up to me, trying to make myself small as I trembled. The men near me – four of them – were speaking in a language I didn’t know. They were arguing. One kept trying to come to me, but another stopped him. That one was terrifying. His features were nothing extraordinary – tall, with dark brown eyes and hair – but there was something about him that made me cold all over. There was power in him, power all around him. I could feel it and see it. It reminded me of sulfur. His eyes fell on me as he spoke harshly to the others, and I cringed further. I felt certain I knew him, but he still scared me. Suddenly, another of the men exclaimed something and touched the dark-haired one’s arm. This man was blond. I sensed power around him too, but it felt different. It was clean and crystalline. All four turned around, putting their backs to me as they stared at something. Nothing was there at first, then I began to see and feel it. A glowing purple orb appeared before them, becoming larger and larger. As it did, I saw it was more of a spiral, its arms whirling as it grew. The two men who didn’t radiate power stepped back. If the unseen wall had let me, I too would have moved away. Out of the purple light, two black forms suddenly materialized and stepped forward. Two black figures who were somehow luminescent at the same time and had brilliant blue eyes. My own eyes widened. I might not know anything else that was going on around me, but I knew them. I knew them, and I was going to kill them. I’m not sure how I did it since there seemed to be no spark of life left within me, yet somehow, I mustered the strength to spring up and run toward them. My shrieked words were incoherent, but it didn’t matter. Only their destruction did. I would rip them apart. I would make them suffer the way they’d – Strong arms grabbed me, stopping me as surely as the wall had. It was the blond man, and his grip was like iron. â€Å"Let me go!† I screamed. â€Å"Let me go! I’ll kill them! I’ll kill them both!† The dark-haired man glanced back toward us. â€Å"Do not let her go,† he said mildly, this time in a language I understood. I fought in vain against the arms but made no progress. The dark-haired man turned to the Oneroi. â€Å"This isn’t your world,† he said. â€Å"We’ve come for what’s ours,† said one of the Oneroi. â€Å"You took her.† â€Å"I took back what was mine,† the dark-haired man countered. â€Å"You stole her.† â€Å"We won her. She came to us of her own free will.† The dark-haired man snorted. Jerome, I suddenly remembered. His name was Jerome. â€Å"We have different definitions of ‘free will,'† he said. â€Å"We want her back,† protested the Oneroi. â€Å"You’re taking nothing back,† countered Jerome, voice hard. â€Å"Go before I change my mind.† I’d gone slack while they spoke, but now my fury was renewed. I struggled again. â€Å"Let me kill them!† I screamed. â€Å"Jerome, it’s my right! Let me destroy them!† Jerome turned back, maybe surprised I’d used his name. â€Å"I don’t think you’re in any shape to kill anything.† â€Å"It’s my right,† I said. â€Å"After what they did – they’ll suffer like I did. I will shred them. I’ll rip their souls out!† â€Å"They don’t have souls,† he said dryly. â€Å"But I like your enthusiasm.† He turned back to the Oneroi. â€Å"So, you stole my succubus and tortured her.† His voice carried that reptilian chill. It froze my blood. It made the air crackle with tension. The Oneroi shifted uncomfortably. They weren’t unaffected. â€Å"Because of her, our mother was recaptured,† one of them said. But he didn’t sound as confident or outraged as before. â€Å"We are entitled to revenge.† â€Å"You believe insult to another justifies revenge?† asked Jerome. Oh, that voice. That voice made the air grow still. â€Å"Yes,† said the Oneroi as one. â€Å"Me too,† replied Jerome. He didn’t even move, but I felt the power flare out from him, like a torch thrown into dry tinder. It exploded – and so did the Oneroi. Well, it was more like they imploded. That power hit them, and then – they were no more. Just like that. â€Å"Oh, Jerome,† said the man holding me. â€Å"Do you know what you’ve done?† Jerome glanced back at us and shrugged. â€Å"I don’t like people taking my things.† The swirling purple gate had never left, and now it began to grow brighter and rotate faster. â€Å"Shit,† said Jerome. â€Å"I was hoping no one would notice.† The man holding me sighed. He looked down at me, and silvery gray eyes pierced my soul. â€Å"Listen to me. Do not move. Do you understand? Stay right here.† When I didn’t answer, he sighed again. â€Å"Do you know me?† Did I? Yes. The eyes. I knew the eyes. â€Å"Carter.† The word came out strangely on my tongue. â€Å"Yes,† he said. â€Å"You know me. Trust me. Do not move.† He let go of me, waited to see what I’d do, and then walked up to join Jerome when I stayed in place. Nothing could have made me move anyway, not when I saw what came through the gate. It was monstrous. Literally. Yellow-eyed and scaly, mottled purple and gray. It had what looked like a pig’s snout, and seven horns ran over its head like points on a crown. It towered over Jerome and Carter as it emerged from the gate, but the two of them stood where they were, regarding it defiantly. â€Å"You destroyed my subjects,† the creature growled. Its voice came from deep within its throat and made the floor vibrate. â€Å"You broke the laws.† â€Å"Your subjects were in our realm,† said Jerome. He was perfectly calm. â€Å"They stole one of my people and abused her. They broke the rules.† â€Å"That doesn’t give you the right to do what you did,† came the response. â€Å"They would have destroyed her if they were capable of it. Next time, keep a better watch on your employees so that they don’t go causing trouble where they shouldn’t.† The monster’s nostrils flared. â€Å"I could destroy you for this.† â€Å"Try,† said Jerome. â€Å"Try taking on both of us.† Those yellow eyes flicked over to Carter. A few teeth showed in the creature’s mouth. I think he was smiling. â€Å"An angel and a demon fighting together. It would almost be worth seeing.† Heavy silence fell as everyone sized each other up. I had no sense of the monster’s strength. Physical size was not proportional to power. Jerome and Carter, however, were burning like small suns, ready to burst at any moment. At last, the monster shrugged. Or did his equivalent of it. â€Å"But it’s been enough just to see you defend each other’s honor. I will not destroy you†¦today. There will be no more assaults on my people. If there are, I won’t be so forgiving.† â€Å"And if your people don’t leave mine alone,† said Jerome smoothly, â€Å"I won’t be as forgiving either.† The creature snarled, and for a moment, I thought he might very well change his mind. He didn’t. Instead, he stepped backward toward the purple light. He merged into it, vanishing to our eyes, and then the gate itself disappeared as well. â€Å"He is such a fucking liar,† said Jerome. â€Å"‘Forgiving’ indeed. He knew we’d blast his scaly ass out of here.† â€Å"Yeah, well, I hope we never find if that’s true or not,† said Carter. â€Å"Fighting a Morphean demon would generate paperwork even on my side.† Jerome’s lips twitched into a smile. â€Å"Now that would be worth seeing.† I looked between both of them, my fear from the near-confrontation fading. With the last of my energy, I lunged for Jerome, beating my fists against his chest. He caught them and stopped me as easily as Carter had. â€Å"You should have let me do it! You should have let me destroy them! It was my right!† â€Å"That’s what you’re pissed off about? Georgie, I’m not even sure how you’re still standing.† â€Å"It was my right,† I repeated. â€Å"You don’t know what they did.† â€Å"I can make some good guesses.† I stopped in my struggles, and at last, the full force of everything that had happened descended on me. My being’s full depletion hit me. I sagged in his arms, and he caught me. The sights and people around me were still a little muddled, but lots of things were starting to come back. â€Å"You were supposed to keep me safe,† I said in a small voice. I felt my eyes grow wet. â€Å"You shouldn’t have let that happen – let them take me. You’re supposed to protect me.† Jerome looked truly surprised and didn’t respond to me immediately. I was afraid he’d get angry, but instead, he said quietly, â€Å"Yes. I am. I did in the end, but – I was late.† â€Å"Great apology,† said Carter. Now Jerome’s anger returned. â€Å"I have nothing to apologize for!† He turned back to me, and again, his voice was calm and patient. Almost gentle. I knew this was uncharacteristic for him. â€Å"I brought you back. You’re safe now. They will never harm you again. Do you understand?† I nodded. â€Å"Good. Now it’s time to finish this.† Jerome turned toward the humans. One of them was old, very old – with dark brown skin and graying hair. His eyes were compassionate. The other man was younger, with messy hair and brown eyes that turned honey-amber when the light caught them. He was staring at me like he knew me, which wasn’t a surprise because I knew him too. I didn’t know how, but I did. In fact, I was beginning to realize I knew everyone in this room. Other names were coming back to me. This one man’s name eluded me, though, largely because several kept popping into my head. He studied me intently, like he was trying to figure something out, and I found myself falling into those golden brown eyes. Jerome said something to the gray-haired man in that other language. I still couldn’t understand it, but there was something familiar about its sounds. The old man didn’t answer or move right away, and palpable tension fell over the entire room. At last the old man took a wand he was holding and began touching points on the circle upon the floor, murmuring softly as he did. When he touched the circle a fourth time, it was as though a great pressure – one I hadn’t even known was there – was released from the room. Jerome exchanged a few curt words with the man and then turned to me. â€Å"As I was saying, how you’re conscious is beyond me – but considering all the other absurd things you do, I shouldn’t be surprised.† He stepped toward me and pressed his fingers to my forehead. I gasped as a jolt of†¦something†¦raced through me. At first, it was shocking and prickly. Then, it transformed into something sweeter and more wonderful. The most wonderful thing on earth. It filled me up, energizing me, making me whole. Until this moment, how could I have thought I was alive? The world came into greater focus, the sights grew more familiar. I staggered, not from weakness this time, but from the pure bliss of life Jerome had gifted me with. He said something to me in that other language, and I frowned, not understanding. He spoke again in my own words. â€Å"Change back, Georgina. Time to go.† â€Å"Change to what?† â€Å"Whatever you want. Your current favorite, I’d imagine. Not this.† His hand gestured toward my body. I examined myself for the first time. I wasn’t quite as tall as him, a few inches shorter, maybe. My legs and arms were long and lean, my skin tanned from the sun. A plain ivory dress covered me, and I could see the tips of black hair falling onto my chest. I frowned. This was me†¦and yet not me. â€Å"Change back, Georgina,† he repeated. â€Å"That’s not my name,† I said. â€Å"Shake off what they’ve done,† he said, clearly impatient. â€Å"It’s over. They’ve fogged your mind, but you can clear it. Change back, Georgina. Come back to this time.† His next words were in that other language, and I shook my head angrily. â€Å"I don’t understand. I shouldn’t be here. This is my body, but this isn’t my time.† He gave another command that I still didn’t comprehend, and I uttered the same response. Three times we went through this, and then on the fourth, his words came through to me, perfectly understandable. I knew what he was speaking. The English language exploded in my mind, and with it, much more. I held out my hands before me, staring long and hard as though seeing them for the first time. â€Å"This is my time,† I murmured in English. I looked down at my long legs. A strange sense of revulsion ran through me. â€Å"This is not my body.† Yet†¦it was. It was, and it wasn’t. With no energy, it was what I had reverted to. â€Å"What’s your name?† he demanded. Letha. My name is Letha. â€Å"Georgina,† I said. And with that, I summoned the power to make my body’s shape change. Slim and short, with light brown hair, and golden green eyes. The off-white homespun shift became a blue cotton dress. A moment later, I changed it to jeans and a blue shirt. Jerome glanced at Carter. â€Å"See? No harm done.† Carter didn’t acknowledge that. Instead, he asked, â€Å"So now what?† â€Å"Now?† Jerome’s gaze fell on me again. â€Å"Now Georgina sleeps.† â€Å"What?† I cried. â€Å"No! Not after†¦no. I’m never sleeping again.† Jerome almost smiled before touching my forehead again. I slept. How to cite Succubus Shadows Chapter 19, Essay examples

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Business Ethics and Sustainability Management Issues Approach

Question: Discuss about the Business Ethics and Sustainability for Management Issues Approach. Answer: A corporation can be moral with good ethical framework. With realistic goals, proper planning and management, every organization can be moral. The employees can be trained and work up to the standards. The company must also be honest and fair in all business dealings that would help in creating a sterling reputation increasing sustainability (Ferrell et al., 2015). A company is an artificial person created by law and it does not possess physical attributes of a natural person. However, it cannot be treated as a fictitious entity as it exists in reality. The managers or executives handling the company are conscious and have to make decisions about the right and wrong path. Therefore, the acts are undertaken knowingly and with a purpose (Weiss, 2014). An organization can be held morally and ethically responsible for an action. An organization shall be held accountable for its actions if they follow a strict code of conduct. However, individuals in the organization may be held accountable for their deeds if it violates ethical grounds. It is argued that a company can be held morally responsible and accountable for its actions despite unsatisfactory conditions of personhood (Weiss, 2014). For businesses, every act is either right or wrong. Legal is not always ethical. There may be a few behaviours that the organization would not want to accept. If an organization is trying to justify some profitable behaviour which may be unethical in nature, but is not yet illegal shall put the organization in a dilemma (Ferrell et al., 2015). References Ferrell, O.C., Fraedrich, J., Ferrell, L. (2015).Business Ethics: Ethical Decision making and Cases. Boston, Mass.: Cengage Learning. Weiss, J. (2014). Business Ethics: A Stakeholder and Issues Management Approach. San Franciso: Berrett-Koehler.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Titus Andronicus Monologue Essay Example For Students

Titus Andronicus Monologue Essay A monologue from the play by William Shakespeare TAMORA: Have I not reason, think you, to look pale? These two have ticed me hither to this place, A barren detested vale you see it is; The trees, though summer, yet forlorn and lean, Overcome with moss and baleful mistletoe. Here never shines the sun; here nothing breeds, Unless the nightly owl or fatal raven: And when they showed me this abhorred pit, They told me, here, at dead time of the night, A thousand fiends, a thousand hissing snakes, Ten thousand swelling toads, as many urchins, Would make such fearful and confused cries As any mortal body hearing it Should straight fall mad, or else die suddenly. No sooner had they told this hellish tale But straight they told me they would bind me here Unto the body of a dismal yew And leave me to this miserable death. And then they called me foul adulteress, Lascivious Goth, and all the bitterest terms That ever ear did hear to such effect; And had you not by wondrous fortune come, This vengeance on me had they executed. Revenge it, as you love your mother\s life, Or be ye not henceforth called my children. We will write a custom essay on Titus Andronicus Monologue specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Free Essays on The Love Of Christ

A True Love Story Growing up, I dreamed of the perfect love story in which I had witnessed on cartoons and in â€Å"Disney† movies. I always believed that I would be the hero that saved the day, but instead came to the realization that I was the one in need of a Savior. It was not until I witnessed this savior’s purpose, life, and love, that I began to fall in love with Him. This man was accused of blasphemy and brought to trial before the world in which He came to save. He was accused of this because of the many miracles that He performed and the fact that he professed to be the Son of God and even â€Å"one with God.† It was after these events that the world began to believe that He might actually be the Son of God, and that scared them so they decided to punish Him... the one who loved them more than anything else. He was then taken in chains to a room where he was mocked and spit on by Roman guards. They laid Him chest down in a position in which they began to lace into the flesh of his back with a whip that had glass-shards and pieces of rock tied into the ends. After turning his back into â€Å"hamburger meat† He was given a robe, wooden staff, and a crown made of thorns. The robe on His back soaked the blood and began to scab, while being beaten with the splintered-staff. And the crown was smashed upon his head, causing blood to pour from his brow. After the hours had passed of being tortured, this man was brought before a crowd that taunted Him. The robe was ripped from His back, reopening the wounds ripped earlier. A crossbeam was thrown onto His shoulders that He had to carry through the mocking crowd, and up a hill to where there were two men hanging. In between the two men there stood a wooden post in which the crossbeam was nailed to. They then drove nails through His wrists between the two bones that form the arms. Next His feet were nailed to the cross, and it was there that He hung for hours. His la... Free Essays on The Love Of Christ Free Essays on The Love Of Christ A True Love Story Growing up, I dreamed of the perfect love story in which I had witnessed on cartoons and in â€Å"Disney† movies. I always believed that I would be the hero that saved the day, but instead came to the realization that I was the one in need of a Savior. It was not until I witnessed this savior’s purpose, life, and love, that I began to fall in love with Him. This man was accused of blasphemy and brought to trial before the world in which He came to save. He was accused of this because of the many miracles that He performed and the fact that he professed to be the Son of God and even â€Å"one with God.† It was after these events that the world began to believe that He might actually be the Son of God, and that scared them so they decided to punish Him... the one who loved them more than anything else. He was then taken in chains to a room where he was mocked and spit on by Roman guards. They laid Him chest down in a position in which they began to lace into the flesh of his back with a whip that had glass-shards and pieces of rock tied into the ends. After turning his back into â€Å"hamburger meat† He was given a robe, wooden staff, and a crown made of thorns. The robe on His back soaked the blood and began to scab, while being beaten with the splintered-staff. And the crown was smashed upon his head, causing blood to pour from his brow. After the hours had passed of being tortured, this man was brought before a crowd that taunted Him. The robe was ripped from His back, reopening the wounds ripped earlier. A crossbeam was thrown onto His shoulders that He had to carry through the mocking crowd, and up a hill to where there were two men hanging. In between the two men there stood a wooden post in which the crossbeam was nailed to. They then drove nails through His wrists between the two bones that form the arms. Next His feet were nailed to the cross, and it was there that He hung for hours. His la...

Friday, November 22, 2019

ACT Math Questions, and What to Do About It

How You'll Get Stuck in SAT/ACT Math Questions, and What to Do About It SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips So you’ve been staring at one math problem for what feels like forever, or maybe you’ve gone through your solve and none of the answer choices match what you found. Or maybe you just feel like somewhere along the way you made a huge mistake†¦. Well, never fear! Right now you might be stuck on a math problem, but we’ve all been there and there is always a way to recover. We’ll walk you through both how to recognize when you’re stuck (it’s not always obvious until too late) and what to do about it when it happens. Overall Test Structure The SAT math section and the ACT math section are designed and structured differently. Though many principles of how to solve a math problem (and how to get out of a math bind) will hold true for both tests, there are some unique pitfalls and benefits hidden in each test. So let’s look at a little background and structure for both the SAT and the ACT to give a better foundation for the kinds of ways you can get stuck on a math problem and how to get out of it. About the SAT Math Section The SAT math section requires that you put your mathematical knowledge to work in ways that may seem strange or unfamiliar to you. Most SAT math questions won't look like the kinds of questions you see on your math tests in school and this may be a challenge to deal with at first. But while the questions may be unusual, each and every math topic used on the test is one that you are likely familiar with and have studied for a number of years. If you’re not used to the structure of the SAT, there are two main ways you can find yourself trapped into the no-man’s-land of selecting wrong answers: by overestimating the difficulty of each question or by underestimating the difficulty of each question. (Yikes!) Some students get so turned around by the twisting and unusual presentation of the questions that they forget the fact that they will be familiar with most, if not every topic on the SAT math section. This kind of student tends to panic and either make wild guesses or leave many questions blank that she likely could have solved. Other students, however, go in the complete opposite direction and underestimate how tricky the questions on the SAT can be. Many questions (though not all) are set up in ways that will steer anyone who isn’t paying close attention off the right track. And all the answer choices on the multiple choice section are most often generated by common student errors, so it can be easy to fall for the many â€Å"bait† answer choices available. In the next section, we’ll show you how to tell when you’re falling into one of these traps and how to get out of it. About the ACT Math Section The ACT math section will occasionally give you a question that is set up in a strange or unfamiliar way, but for the most part, ACT math questions will be fairly â€Å"straightforward.† Do you know how to set up and solve for an average? Do you know what a rational number is? A significant portion of your ACT math questions will look just like the ones you've seen in school. Though many ACT math questions are far from easy, the presentation of the questions is not specifically designed to trick or trap you. ACT math questions are challenging mostly for two reasons: you will be on a much stricter time crunch than you would be on the SAT (see our article on the differences between ACT math and SAT math for more detail on this) and the topics in question may be more obscure to you. For instance, most students will be far less familiar with trigonometry or sequences than they are with single variable equations, but these are all topics that will be on the ACT. Because the ACT math section must be completed quickly, it's crucial that you realize when you’re going down the wrong mathematical path. So let’s take a look at how to spot it when it happens. Time is a precious resource on both tests, so it's important to change course quickly if something's going wrong. How to Tell When You’re Stuck (or Going Down the Wrong Path) Almost every math question on both the ACT and the SAT can be solved in 30 seconds or less. If you’re familiar with the material, you can absolutely solve almost every single math question with plenty of time to spare. In addition, each and every question on the test is designed in such a way that a student can solve it without a calculator. Though you should use a calculator on the test to boost your speed and accuracy, always keep in mind that you don’t technically need one. How does this knowledge help you? Well, if you find you’re going down the rabbit hole and need 30 steps to solve a problem, or if you start getting bizarre strings of decimals or weird root systems, then stop! If the problem is taking two or three minutes to solve or you think it would literally be impossible (or just really, really difficult) to solve without a calculator, then something went wrong and you should stop and go back to the beginning. Let’s look at a few examples of ACT and SAT problems and some common student errors to see this in action. Let’s say you got to this problem and were going so quickly through the test that you misread the word â€Å"area† and thought you were supposed to solve for the perimeter instead. This may seem like an obvious mistake right now, but never underestimate the effects of adrenaline and fatigue on your ability to think logically. It’s all too easy (and all too common) to make a mistake like this on the test and pay the price in lost time if you do. But if you read â€Å"area† as â€Å"perimeter,† then you would see that the â€Å"perimeter† of triangle DFH was 10, which would mean that each side was $10/3 = 3.33$. Hmm. This is already mighty suspicious. Remember- you should be able to solve any question without a calculator, so if you have decimal points, they will almost always be 0.5 or, more rarely, 0.25. To get a decimal of 0.33 is suspect. But if you kept going, you would find that each side of triangle DFH is made up of two sides of the smaller triangles. This would mean that the side of each smaller triangle was: $3.33/2 = 1.67$ Now a red alert should be sounding in your head! You’ve gotten two â€Å"weird† decimal values in a row and you still haven’t found your answer yet. It’s a good idea to pause and see if you’ve made a mistake somewhere before you waste time going any further. [Note: the way to actually solve the problem is to either find the area of each small triangle- $10/4 = 2.5$- and multiply by the total number of small triangles, or to set up a proportion of the area of DFH to AFK. Either way, your final answer will be E, 62.5] Now let’s take a look at another example, Last time, we said that perhaps you simply misread the problem. This time, maybe you thought you knew enough about the topic to solve the problem, but ended up stuck halfway through. For instance, let’s say you were familiar enough with quadratic equations to recognize that this was one, but didn’t know a whole lot else about them. Well it says that the value of $x$ is -3, so that must mean we replace $x$ with -3 and solve from there, right? $x^2 + mx + n = 0$ $-3^2 + 3m + n = 0$ $9 + 3m + n = 0$ Hmm. Well this doesn’t look promising. We could try to isolate $m$ to find it’s value, in which case we would say: $3m + n = -9$ $3m + -9 - n$ $m = -3 - {n/3}$ But we still don’t know the value of $n$, so that doesn’t help us much. We could try to factor it, but without knowing the value of $n$, we still can’t find $m$. We’re well and truly stuck. [Note: the way to solve the problem is by understanding how factoring quadratic equations works at its core. If -3 is the only value for $x$, then it must mean that our quadratic factors out to be a square. Our factors must therefore look like: (x + 3)(x + 3) for $x$ to equal -3 since $x + 3 = 0$ = $x = -3$. If we properly distribute $(x + 3)^2$, we will get $x^2 + 6x + 9 = 0$, which means the answer is C, $m = 6$.] Sometimes, you’ll be able to see pretty quickly (as with our first example) when you’re going wrong, and sometimes it will take a few steps before you hit a wall (as with our second example). But, as you get more practice solving SAT and ACT math questions, you’ll start to get instincts to feel when you’ve taken a left turn somewhere, and this is the point at which you must take a step back. But what do you do once you realize you’ve run into a problem? Let’s take a look. We can save this, not to worry. Well...probably. Pretty sure. (Gross) What to Do When You’re Stuck As you go through your test, answer your questions by following these steps: Step 1: Always Answer the Easiest Questions First As a general rule of thumb when taking the either the SAT or the ACT, always root out and answer the questions you can complete the fastest and with the most confidence. Remember- each and every question is worth one point, so it doesn’t matter if it was the easiest problem or the hardest. No one is judging how you complete your test, so don’t feel you have to ignore the simpler problems for the sake of the more difficult ones. Get your points where you can and keep moving forward. The ACT math section is arranged in ascending order of difficulty, so the earliest questions will also be the "easiest." The SAT is a little more complicated, since the math portion of the test is divided into three sections- two entirely multiple choice and one combination multiple choice and grid-in. SAT multiple choice questions are also arranged in order of ascending difficulty (so the early questions will also be "easiest"), but the difficulty level resets for the grid-in section. This means that the first question on the grid-in portion will be much easier than the last multiple choice question in that math section. Be especially careful in the combination multiple choice and grid-in SAT math section for this reason. If any question starts to give you trouble or seems to be taking a long time, mark it and come back to it only after you’ve completed all of your easy questions. Once you’ve identified these potential â€Å"problem questions,† approach them based on why they were problematic in the first place. Step 2: If You Can See Your Error, Redo the Problem Once you’ve identified that you’re going down the wrong track, stop working and read the question again. Did you try to find the wrong variable? For instance, did you solve for $a$ instead of $2a$, the perimeter instead of the area? Did you write down the wrong values for your givens? Or did you realize you simply don’t know enough about, for instance, functions to solve the problem? If you can spot your error and correct it in a few seconds, go ahead and start over and solve the problem again the right way. If you really think you can solve the problem this time, then it’s definitely worth your time to work through it again. If you can’t spot why or how you went wrong (just that you did), move on to the next step. Step 3: If You Can't See the Error, Find an Alternative Solving Method Sometimes you might know enough about the topic (or are just familiar enough with the test) to see that you don't know how to solve a particular problem in the traditional way. Now is a good time to turn to one of your alternate solving methods, namely plugging in answers or plugging in your own numbers. Let’s say that you went up against this question: Maybe you didn’t know where to begin, or maybe you attempted the problem and felt that you started getting trapped in the algebra. Well luckily, there is almost always another way to solve any ACT or SAT question! In this case, we have variables in both the problem and in the answer choices, which is a key feature for a PIN question. With that in mind, we can pick our own value for $x$ and find the answer choice that corresponds to this value. Let’s say that we said $x = 2$. (Why 2? Why not!) Now we find the value of our given function. ${x + 1}/{x^3 - x}$ ${2 + 1}/{2^3 - 2}$ $3/6$ $1/2$ Now we need to find which answer choice is equivalent to $1/2$, when we use the same value of $x$ ($x = 2$). Answer choice F gives us: $1/{x^2} - 1/{x^3}$ $1/4 - 1/8$ $1/8$ This does not match our found value of $1/2$, so we can eliminate answer choice F. Answer choice G gives us: $1/{x^3} - 1/x$ $1/8 - 1/2$ $-{3/8}$ This does not match our found value of $1/2$, so we can eliminate answer choice G. Answer choice H gives us: $1/{x^2 - 1}$ $1/{4 - 1}$ $1/3$ This does not match our found value of $1/2$, so we can eliminate answer choice H. Answer choice J gives us: $1/{x^2 - x}$ $1/{4 - 2}$ $1/2$ This does match our found answer of $1/2$, so we can keep answer J in the running. We should still test answer choice K, however, just to make sure we do not have any duplicate correct answers. Answer choice K gives us: $1/{x^3}$ $1/8$ This does not match our found answer of $1/2$. We can eliminate answer choice K. This leaves us with only one answer that matches what we found as our given when $x = 2$. This means that answer choice J (and only answer choice J) must be correct. Our final answer is J, $1/{x^2 - x}$ Step 4: If Your Alternate Solve Doesn't Work, Move On Sometimes taking a standardized test means learning to let go of a question. Your time is precious and limited, so if you can solve two questions in the time it takes you to solve one, it’s always best to solve the two. If you find yourself trapped on a question and can’t find any way to solve it, let it go (for now). If you’re taking the ACT, bubble in your best guess answer, but do so lightly enough that you can come back and change it later, time permitting. If you’re taking the SAT, simply skip the question for now (don’t bubble in a guess!) and come back later. If you have time after you’re done with the rest of your questions, come back to any that you had to skip or bubble a guess on. Sometimes all you need is fresh eyes, and then the method to solve the problem will become apparent. If you still can’t find the correct answer in any of the â€Å"traditional† ways, you can try to strategically eliminate answer choices until you’ve at least narrowed down your odds. For more information on how to do this, check out our guides for how to best guess on the SAT math section and how to best guess on the ACT math section. Otherwise, simply let it stay blank (if taking the SAT) or stick with your first guess answer (if taking the ACT). Learning to let go of a problem can be just as important as learning when to stick with a problem and try an alternate solving method. The more you practice, the better you'll get at balancing these techniques. The Take-Aways The more practice you have with taking standardized tests, the more skilled you’ll become at spotting your mistakes and heading them off at the pass. So don’t despair if it seems like an impossible task right now- you’ll get better at it. Be sure to practice on quality ACT and SAT study materials and stop if you feel any misgivings while solving any particular question. Remember- if it takes more than 30 seconds, or you think you would absolutely need a calculator, you’re probably on the wrong track. Take a breath, back up, and see where and how you can resolve the problem. And don’t be afraid to let a question go if you need to. One question won’t matter too much in the long run, but getting stuck for five minutes will absolutely take away time from other questions and have a detrimental impact on your final score. What’s Next? Worried about your math formulas? Learn which formulas you'll need to memorize for the ACT, which formulas you'll need to know for the SAT, and how to put your formulas to their greatest effect on both the ACT and the SAT. Running out of time on your math sections? Learn how to beat the clock on both the ACT and the SAT so you can reach your greatest potential in the time allowed. Trying not to procrastinate? Our guide will help you beat those procrastination urges and get you back on track. Want to get a perfect math score? Check out how to get a perfect 36 on the ACT math section or a perfect 800 on the SAT math section. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Math strategy guide, you'll love our program. Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial: Disappointed with your ACT scores? Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Research Paper on the topic of The greatest Prime Minister in Canadian

On the topic of The greatest Prime Minister in Canadian History for promoting ethnic diversity and communities was Pierre Trudeau - Research Paper Example Trudeau can be regarded as the most important Prime Minister in Canadian history for promotion of ethnic diversity and enhancement of community. The concepts that Trudeau established came from his regard toward these philosophies of diversity. More important, the time frame in which Trudeau lived and the external environment which created change allowed the Prime Minister to make specific decisions that were directly linked to the need for ethnic diversity and community. World War I, changes in Canadian ethnicities and expansion into a global perspective were some of the several alterations which forced the Prime Minister to create a specific perspective about the concepts of ethnic diversity. This research paper will examine how Trudeau offered this to the country as well as whether his policies for reform allowed him to become the greatest leader in history for Canadian diversity and community. The examination in this paper will look at the trends which were established by this Prime Minister as well as how he began to alter policies because of personal beliefs as well as external pressures which were creating a demand for ethnic diversity and changing communities. The examination will not only include actions which were taken by the Prime Minister, but also will incorporate other aspects of the changes made, such as how responses occurred throughout Canada and what the other demands in politics altered in terms of ethnic diversity and community. These perspectives will show how and why Trudeau became the most effective Prime Minister for establishing ethnic diversity and community. When looking at the research, there were several resources which were used. The library began the main search, which led to various books and reviews that were associated with Canadian politics and the way in which this related to the time frame of Trudeau as a leader. When looking at the books and pieces of information, questions began to arise

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

What Part Did Religious Ideals Play In The Renaissance Voyages Of Essay

What Part Did Religious Ideals Play In The Renaissance Voyages Of Columbus - Essay Example European monarchs broke away from feudalism to form powerful alliances with the new and wealthy merchant class, whose members were eager for new trading routes, for access to spice markets and for the fabled wealth of the East. Each of these elements was significant for the voyages of discovery, but they were heightened by the missionary character of Christianity and the ideals urged upon its followers by the New Testament. To conquer lands, not just for their riches but also in search of converts, proved to be powerfully motivating.1 So alluring in fact that concerns over navigational knowledge paled into insignificance and ‘faith’ was substituted for sound maritime practices. Without the powerful lure of Christianizing the New World, their Catholic Majesties may perhaps never have sponsored the voyages. And without the conversion zeal exhibited by Christopher Columbus, there may not have been four voyages. Thus the religious ideals of the Renaissance world, of the Span ish Monarchs of Columbus the man played a major role in bringing about the voyages. There can be no doubt about the religious commitment of Isabella of Castile. She ascended to the Spanish throne in 1474 and in the following years contributed greatly to strengthening the dominance of Catholicism in Europe. She was a woman who would be famed throughout history for her great political foresight but who would also plunge all of Christendom into a frenzy of religious ‘cleansing’, through her ‘devotional fanaticism’.2 Isabella was determined to reclaim ‘Christendom’ from the Moors, to which purpose she had committed Spain to quasi-religious wars in the Middle East and on Spanish soil for nearly two decades. She finally completed her Reconquista of Spain with Granada, which was retaken in 14923 and the mood of victory heightened into an atmosphere of pious euphoria throughout the Mediterranean.  

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Relationship of a Father and Son Essay Example for Free

Relationship of a Father and Son Essay The moment where everything changed was the day Manning finally won his first arm wrestling match, his father gained some respect towards him and they both learned valuable lessons. One was manning learned that his father was a great parent in his own way and his father learned that being rough isnt the only way you can show affection to your son. On the other hand, in Shooting Dad†, Sarah Vowell describes the political differences her and he father have. In the house she states that one was a republican and the other was a democratic (171). Every time they would try to start a normal conversation they would end up arguing, and having discussions of who beat who. In the end she matures and realizes that they both are actually very alike. Communication is not as easy as it seems but if you take the time to listen and pay attention to details in life you’ll find that your parents’ views aren’t so far off of yours. The fathers competitive side was his way of showing his communicative relationship with his son. Manning used to be able to enjoy a relaxed game of arm wrestling with his father before but as time passed everything became more real and competitive. He states, I always had to lose Want to try it again? he would ask, grinning. and with squinting eyes he would laugh at me, a high laugh, through his perfect white teeth (163). The relationship between the father and son was a physical rough relationship. The attitude of the father impedes the communication to surpass the bond of strength that they have now. The father was seen as the protector of the family. He was the tough guy, who wouldnt show emotions. The son realized that his father has been the person he was for them. He guided them and helped them in the toughest situations in life. The age difference impeded the positive communication between them. This all started when he was a teen. The mental state of a son differs from the mental state of a father. The awareness, attitude, and strength all change as he matures over the years. As he grew he started working out more and became stronger while the dad was aging. The moment he realized he had matured and now viewed life different was when his dad challenged him to what was his last arm wrestling challenge between them. He felt sorry but the power that he was gaining was too exciting to let go of. When he was small the dad was the one with the power, he was the man of the house but now that he won he has now taken the responsibility to take that next challenge and soon be the adult, the head of household the one to take care of the family. He learned a lesson that changed the communication between him and his father. In my life as Ive grown Ive noticed a difference between the communication of my father and I. Before we would talk about dolls and makeup and now we communicate by being rough. We have competitions about the smallest things like whats that color to who will win the wrestling match or soccer game. At first to me all that was boring and bland, but as he started to get older he distanced himself from me. What stopped us from being able to communicate was the fact that we both had different views in life. I was focused on school and focused on achieving my goal to graduate and his focus was on his work and sports. We would spend limited time together that we had so much to talk about yet we would stay quiet for hours. He slowly became more involved in my school and studies and I would get pointers from him on how to play the sport correctly. Now during weekends we go to baseball games, basketball games, or to the library. Our bond has grown to be a strong relationship. The love between families is always there, it’s just that people choose to show their affection in many different ways. Manning and Vowell explain how they struggled to communicate with their father’s but overall they ended up figuring out that they are similar in many way to their father’s. The form that Manning was able to communicate or interact with his father was through a physical tough relation and the Vowell was through nature as she took photos and as he killed it. Learning to communicate can be the key to life; its just the matter of finding happiness between the people.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Oedipus Essay -- Literary Analysis, Sophocles

Anger is expressed through a variety of reasons. Vague with many divisions and levels, it comprises of different types. Anger is a powerful emotion that reveals the state of a person. Often, this emotion is uncontrollable because it is used to recompense for what has been lost and creates positive and negative effects. Particularly, it is evident when expectations and goals are unfulfilled or do not meet reality. In Sophocles’s Oedipus the King and Shusaku Endo’s Silence, the protagonists experience anger for reasons that differ. Sebastian Rodrigues's non-acceptance towards others for their lack of moral values and dignity together with Oedipus's hubris and indignation bring a similar result of emotional change. Led by pride, s shows asperity towards those that he feels have the audacity to unfairly mistreat him. When Tiresias refuses to inform him of the murderer, Oedipus answers â€Å"What, nothing? You miserable old man! You’d drive a stone to fury. Do you still refuse? Your flinty heart set in hopeless stubbornness† (Sophocles 19). Through his questions, his anger is aroused. â€Å"Old man† (Sophocles 19) is a connotation to degrade Tiresias while the â€Å"stone† (Sophocles 19) is personified to erupt from anger due to his loathsomeness. Likewise, his heart is personified to be recreant for scheming together with a supposed assassin. After Tiresias divulges that Oedipus is guilty, Oedipus alleges, â€Å"So this is what he wants, Creon the loyal, Creon so long my friend! Stealing up to overthrow and snatch!† (Sophocles 22). Accusing Creon through his sarcastic tone, positive adjectives such as â€Å"loyal† (Sophocles 22) and â€Å"friend† (Sophocles 22) otherwise heightens a sense of betrayal. As he is unjustly surmised, chided and accused as self-cen... ...d the possibilities are hindered by pride, and the most unexpected and impossible can occur. Frequently, people are oblivious to their own flaws by unknowingly holding the same malfeasance and chiding others. By judging others, they become the very aspect and evil that they hate. Oedipus’s anger, while incognizant about the entire plight, seems more justifiable than that of Rodrigues who continues criticizing people after having seen the entire perspective of the situation. He focuses on the narrower view rather than evaluating it as a whole. Both characters exhibit different sides of anger and pose the question, ‘what extent anger is justifiable?’ Perhaps the message that the authors’ intended to convey was that human beings are biased based on their limited point of view, and therefore fallible. This is an ongoing and innate flaw that we must learn from. Oedipus Essay -- Literary Analysis, Sophocles Anger is expressed through a variety of reasons. Vague with many divisions and levels, it comprises of different types. Anger is a powerful emotion that reveals the state of a person. Often, this emotion is uncontrollable because it is used to recompense for what has been lost and creates positive and negative effects. Particularly, it is evident when expectations and goals are unfulfilled or do not meet reality. In Sophocles’s Oedipus the King and Shusaku Endo’s Silence, the protagonists experience anger for reasons that differ. Sebastian Rodrigues's non-acceptance towards others for their lack of moral values and dignity together with Oedipus's hubris and indignation bring a similar result of emotional change. Led by pride, s shows asperity towards those that he feels have the audacity to unfairly mistreat him. When Tiresias refuses to inform him of the murderer, Oedipus answers â€Å"What, nothing? You miserable old man! You’d drive a stone to fury. Do you still refuse? Your flinty heart set in hopeless stubbornness† (Sophocles 19). Through his questions, his anger is aroused. â€Å"Old man† (Sophocles 19) is a connotation to degrade Tiresias while the â€Å"stone† (Sophocles 19) is personified to erupt from anger due to his loathsomeness. Likewise, his heart is personified to be recreant for scheming together with a supposed assassin. After Tiresias divulges that Oedipus is guilty, Oedipus alleges, â€Å"So this is what he wants, Creon the loyal, Creon so long my friend! Stealing up to overthrow and snatch!† (Sophocles 22). Accusing Creon through his sarcastic tone, positive adjectives such as â€Å"loyal† (Sophocles 22) and â€Å"friend† (Sophocles 22) otherwise heightens a sense of betrayal. As he is unjustly surmised, chided and accused as self-cen... ...d the possibilities are hindered by pride, and the most unexpected and impossible can occur. Frequently, people are oblivious to their own flaws by unknowingly holding the same malfeasance and chiding others. By judging others, they become the very aspect and evil that they hate. Oedipus’s anger, while incognizant about the entire plight, seems more justifiable than that of Rodrigues who continues criticizing people after having seen the entire perspective of the situation. He focuses on the narrower view rather than evaluating it as a whole. Both characters exhibit different sides of anger and pose the question, ‘what extent anger is justifiable?’ Perhaps the message that the authors’ intended to convey was that human beings are biased based on their limited point of view, and therefore fallible. This is an ongoing and innate flaw that we must learn from.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Children with Disabilities and Their Shot at Education Essay

The widening gap between the rich and the poor attest to the saying that â€Å"the rich is getting richer and the poor is getting poorer† (Houck, 2006). The book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America which was written by Barbara Ehrenreich showed a vivid picture of how those occupying blue collar jobs fail to make ends meet with a meager income. The irony here lies in the fact that these people occupy jobs whose services or products they can’t even buy. This phenomenon is described by the great philosopher Karl Marx as the Theory of Alienation (Pappenheim, 1959). A worker can no longer claim that the product he is making is truly his, hence, he is alienated from his products and can’t even afford to buy it himself. Alienation is said to be a product of capitalism. Barbara Ehrenreich related in her book that even hotel maids can’t afford a decent place to stay in when in fact they toil more than most middle class men do. Those who work at Wal-mart can’t even buy half of what is being sold in the store that they are working for (Ehrenreich, 2006). Though they work even harder than those who are buying their products they earn only six to seven dollars an hour. Poverty therefore is not caused by laziness because those who are poor work tremendously harder as compared to rich individuals who only sit behind the desk all day and wait for the paycheck (Anderson, . et. al. 2006). These people exhaust every possible way to make ends meet and that includes finding a second job just to pay the rent and cutting down on basic necessities. Even so, what they earn is not enough to cover for all the household expenses. If you take into consideration everyone in a community, only a small fraction of its population enjoys living a well-off life. A majority suffers from lack of resources or doesn’t have enough food to fill their stomachs. Imbalance in the distribution of resources and wealth affects majority of the citizens. The sad reality lies on whom are the ones getting much and who are the ones not getting anything at all. Majority of the people suffer from low wages while people like Ms. Ehrenreich would not even give a wink at dispensing 40 dollars for a pair of khaki pants (Ehrenreich, 2006). Forty dollars for a pair of pants for some would be too much when 15 dollars would do. The ones in the higher echelons of the society are the ones who are not doing actual hard labor. They capitalize from the hard work of the poor working class, literally giving their sweat, sweating their lungs out and blood just to make money. They work hard and gets paid less, barely enough to make a living out of it. Here is where we come to ask, why do they settle for menial jobs? Is there a job shortage in our country? Apparently, there is none. Even foreigners find fulfilling jobs in our country so why cant our own citizens find one? That is because of skills and qualification. Most jobs that pay above minimum wage are those that require a college degree or educational attainment. Not everyone has the opportunity to study in college; therefore not everyone is qualified to get a high paying job. Even if they get to study college, more often than not they are not able to maximize the learning in the school because of factors such as lack of sleep and decent meal. More so for children with disabilities and are from a poor family. There are other factors that affect a child’s learning and comprehension in class and more often than not, these factors are often overlooked especially in a normal class setting. These children are categorized as lazy, mentally slow or hopeless. They suffer from discrimination and â€Å"labeling† which according to psychology, will damage and weaken the child’s perception and self-esteem. Barbara Ehrenreich, in her book, was able to somewhat apply sociological imagination which was coined by C. Wright Mills in 1959 in her analysis on the state of the people in the labor force. She was able to show why these people are often found by their supervisors slack and not so enthusiastic in their jobs. This is due to lack of sleep and fatigue caused by having two jobs, not having proper and complete meal, and lacking other necessities that makes a worker productive. She went beyond the conventional notion that they are inherently lazy and is not competitive. The sociological imagination links poverty to larger picture, one that occurs in society as a whole and not just on the individual (Mills, 2000). If sociological imagination is to be applied in a classroom setting, a child with disabilities coming from a poor family not being able to keep up with the lessons will not be viewed as sheer laziness by the child or the parents. Rather, a broader picture will enable the teachers to analyze the complexities of poverty that ultimately caused the child to exhibit slow performance in class or even cause the child’s disability. For one, an impoverished family can’t afford regular check ups and medicines upon conception of the child. This alone increases the risks of having complications during pregnancy. We can’t blame the parents if they have no money in preparation for the pregnancy because this family is caught up in the complex web of poverty. The parents might be working hard to give the child a better future but factors such as inflation, epidemic, wide scale cost-cutting of companies, national depression and other factors may have hindered them from preparing for the birth of the child. The rate of poverty for families with children below 18 years of age is 27% (Jackson, 2000). Poverty for a child with disabilities can cause him his future. For one, parents fail to give these children proper medicines and other necessities for them to function normally. Consequently, these parents can’t afford to enroll their child in a school for children with disabilities. As a result, they either become the laughing stock of the entire classroom or they stop going to school. Either way, if they don’t get proper education they too will be caught up in the vicious cycle of poverty (Zou, 2005). Inclusive Classrooms The philosophy of inclusion operates on the premise that a child with disabilities will learn more about society and will have better chances at his future when he is not segregated from society itself. Simply put, inclusion setting allows for children with disabilities to participate in a normal class and encourage him to participate like a normal student instead of discriminating him on the grounds of his disabilities (Salend, 2007). The classroom then becomes a pool of diverse students wherein children with disabilities learn to socialize with normal children and normal children will then learn to respect and not discriminate children with disabilities or those who have cultural background (Salend, 2007). This setting is said to be beneficial to both the normal and special children since they will be able to socialize and prepare for their encounter with diverse individuals in the future. Inclusive setting entails collaboration with the parents and is a tedious process. It is a participatory process wherein the children and the parents are part of the planning and not just mere receivers. They asses the needs of the students and adjust to it so that they will be able to address their individual needs. However such task requires much effort from the teachers, parents and the students (Salend, 2007). This is where most of the dilemma comes from. If the effort of the teachers in the inclusive setting is the same as those in the special learning institution, they ought to be paid much higher than normal teachers. A participatory classroom setting really needs much effort and patience for it to work, however if the goal of the educator/teacher is to teach efficiently then effort should not be an issue. As an educator it is their duty and pride to see their students learn. The success of inclusive learning is a case-to-case basis since the needs of the students are different. There are students who require stringent measures in a classroom setting because of health risks of aggressive behaviors. While inclusive setting is good for the social and emotional skills of a child, the safety and health of the students should be taken into consideration. Conclusion Inclusive classrooms give a ray of hope for those who are financially challenged. It increases the chances of a physically challenged child to have a better shot at his future. Much like most of the children from poor families, the chances of these children in getting low-wage or below minimum wage jobs will also decrease. Once they acquire the skills needed for high paying jobs then the cycle of poverty in their own family will be broken. However such is just a small part of the poverty puzzle. The U. S. as an industrialized country, has one of the widest inequality gaps in the world in terms of income (Schifferes, 2003). Despite its ability to generate income, it remains a fact that even powerful corporations and few individuals still hold more than 60 percent of the economy. Capitalism as Marx would put it will always divide and widen the gap between those who do labor and those who sit and watch them work, thus, the rich and the poor. Poverty will never be resolved overnight or it may not be the concern of the government or the society, but it is the duty of the government or the state to ensure equal distribution of wealth. They should protect the basic rights and interest of its people because the state is created by the people and for the people. The government must provide better programs with regards to education, in which it will cater the need of poor families. Education must be considered as a right not a privilege. It is indeed true that the chances of getting a good quality of education for the poor is thin, however by maximizing the resources such as the ordinary classroom setting and transforming it to inclusive classroom setting, even poverty can be alleviated. It is through collaborative and participatory action that a society can achieve progress.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Fossil Fuels – discovery, utilisation and future

As industry developed and increased, as did the need for reliable and efficient fuels to power the new machinery developed. It did not take long before fossil fuels were discovered, with their innate ability to provide high amounts of energy at seemingly low costs. Fossil fuels are found deposited in rock formations. They were formed between 350 million and 50 million years ago, and so, although are technically renewable, it would take this long to remake them, which does not really help us today, it is due to the fact we need this long to make them that they are considered nonrenewable, and therefore will at some point run out. The processes by which they formed are not totally understood, other than that sediments buried decayed remains of ancient plants and/or animals. This is then effectively baked over millions of years under conditions of very high temperature and pressure, creating coal, oil, and natural gas, which consist of roughly 90% carbon Fossil fuels are used widely in all forms of industry, in fact, coal, petroleum and gas provides over 90% of the energy used in most industrialized countries, compared with just 9% which hydroelectricity and nuclear power provide together. You can read also Waves When looking at the properties of a good fuel, it is easy to see why fossil fuels are used: * A fuel should react with an oxidiser to release large amounts of energy – carbon based fuels release over 30000 kJ per kilogram * A fuel must be oxidised fairly easily, ignite quickly and sustain burning without further intervention – gaseous or easily vaporized fuels (such as oil) usually perform well here as the mix easily and continuously with oxygen which speeds up the reaction. Coal is often crushed to form small powders to make it ignite easier, however it is evident from steam the reliability of steam trains that carbon is easily burnt. * A fuel should be readily available, in large quantities and at a reasonable price – initially this could be said to be true about fossil fuels, but now, as people become more aware of their cons, and of other fuels' pros, they are becoming more expensive and less available. Still, the price of oil is so heavily depended upon by the economy, that even the slight fluctuation in price can cause a country to go to war or a government to fall. * A fuel should not burn to give products that are difficult to dispose of, unpleasant or harmful – fossil fuels definitely do not fall under this category, but the only fuel that does fall under this category is hydrogen. * A fuel should be convenient to store and transport safely and with out loss – fossil fuels are the only type of fuel that people are currently comfortable with storing, hydrogen and methane are so flammable that people get nervous about using them for cars, and until a safe way of storing them is developed, fossil fuels will have to continue to be used You may then wonder what the problem with fossil fuels is as they are obviously good at their job. What we must consider is the fact that they are non-renewable, and that we are consuming them at an incredible rate. It is predicted that most of the Earth's oil sources will be depleted over the century. Also, fossil fuels are used in many important chemical industries, such as making plastics, medicines, and solvents, and by burning them, we are decreasing our the feedstock for these vital products. Fossil fuels such as oil are made into these products through a series of different processes. First the oil is fractionally distilled then the different sections join together to make polymers. These synthetic plastics and solvents are used largely in everyday life, such as polystyrene cups and PVC plastic. Secondly, the burning of carbon based fuels produces large amounts of carbon dioxide that is one of the main contributors to the â€Å"greenhouse effect†. There are such drastically high levels of carbon dioxide in the air that the only real solution would be to ban all use of fossil fuels, but countries have become so dependant upon them that is not feasible. Thirdly, spillages of fossil fuels cause serious damages to local environments. When an oil tanker crashes, immense amounts of sea life and birds die, and the effects are disastrous. Fourthly, inefficient burning of fossil fuels results in the production of carbon monoxide, which is a very harmful and poisonous gas. Inhalation of this gas is likely to cause death as it interferes with the transport of oxygen in the blood stream. Fifthly, combustion of fossil fuels also produces gases such as nitrogen oxides, which cause acid rain. In particular we can look at oil. Numerous countries' entire economies now rely on the price of oil, as their entire wealth is in the drilling, extracting, and trading in it. This is cause for great concern as oil is non-renewable, and we are consuming it so quickly, it will inevitably run out, and counties will no longer be able to rely on it. We have seen in the past that countries' entire economies' have collapsed due to minor fluctuations in the oil market, therefore total collapse of the market would be devastating for many of the world's major and influential countries. Also, there would be immense amounts of job losses that would inevitably affect the society; this can be seen by looking at the destruction caused when the coalmines closed. There are few ways which can be seen to overcome this imminent problem, however, one, most likely solution would be to investigate alternatives to fossil fuels, but all of the possible alternatives have their advantages and disadvantages which must be taken into account before making any changes. * Biofuels (plants can be grown specifically for fuel or the production of fuel, such as wood or sugar cane. Biogas and biomass created by the growing and decaying of plants already produce usable fuel so this could easily be exploited to create a fuel source.) Advantages – renewable, reduces waste, simple technology. Disadvantages – not a large enough supply to totally replace fossil fuels * Methanol CH3OH (this is a simple alcohol which can be made from methane.) Advantages – burns cleanly and completely Disadvantages – more toxic than ethanol, provides less energy per litre than petrol, can cause corrosion of car engines. * Nuclear fission (energy is released when the nuclei of atoms of isotopes of uranium U-35 are split. The energy created can be used to heat water to turn steam turbines.) Advantages – no carbon, sulphur, or nitrogen oxides produces. Disadvantages – radioactive waste, safety systems needed are very expensive. * Nuclear fusion (energy is released when deuterium and tritium â€Å"fuse† to create helium) Advantages – potentially almost limitless as an energy supply as the reactants come from water. Disadvantages – very costly, cannot currently be produced at economic rates. * Moving air (wind turns windmills and wind turbines. Lots of research is already being carried out and soon may provide 10% of the UK's energy) Advantages – renewable, pollution and waste free, can be used in locality to where the energy is needed. Disadvantages – high initial expense, not reliable in calm weather, noise and visual environmental impact * Moving water (Hydroelectricity – water stored behind dams can be released through turbines to generate electricity. Waves – The motion of waves is used to create oscillating motion. Tides – incoming tides in river estuaries fill up large water stores behind barrages, which is then released through turbines.) Advantages – renewable, predictable, pollution and waste free, large scale. Disadvantages – costly to install, environmental impact. * Sunlight (Solar panels – collect solar heat and are used to heat water. Photovoltaic cells – convert light into electricity). Advantages – renewable, pollution and waste free. Disadvantages – Not good for places of low sunlight levels, high initial costs, not very practical for large-scale use. * Geothermal energy (heat from rocks under the Earth's surface can be used to heat water which can, in turn, be used to heat houses). Advantages – practically unlimited. Disadvantages – not widely available, large initial costs * Hydrogen (extracted from water by electrolysis, many things are capable of running on hydrogen). Advantages – no pollution. Disadvantages – people are nervous about using such a dangerously explosive gas, difficult to store and transport. If some of these possibilities were researched further, they could replace fossil fuels and help many of the previously discussed issues.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Burning Man as a Postmodern Utopia †Humanities Essay

Burning Man as a Postmodern Utopia – Humanities Essay Free Online Research Papers Burning Man as a Postmodern Utopia Humanities Essay Burning Man is an event that takes place annually on the Nevada desert floor. What began as a modern version of a summer solstice ritual has morphed into a full-blown artistic counter-culture phenomenon. Burning Man is a postmodern remix. It samples concepts and ideas and combines elements that are evocative of ancient cultural and religious ritual with modern ideals of a utopian society. Burning Man is politically and artistically situated as a remix of the ancient idea of Utopia. Can this postmodern artistic idea continue to thrive or has this experiment fallen victim due to intense commercial pressures? BURNING MAN As Ulf Poschardt says in his 1998 book DJ Culture, â€Å"Postmodernism is generally seen as the sphere of unlimited possibilities. Anti-dogmatic, free, liberal, hoping for every narrative fragment after the end of the great narratives and prepared to accept everything† (Poschardt, 393). Burning Man started as an event in such a sphere of open ended possibilities according to founder Larry Harvey in his lecture LA VIE BOHÉME A History of Burning Man. The event was conceived from the notion that bohemians †have a kind of erotic sense of property. They share with one another. They cooperate with one another. They collaborate with one another. What Bohemia’s reflect is the natural life of artists, how they behave in their authentic environment. And these were the principles we followed† (Harvey, lecture). This reflects Poschardt’s postmodernist concepts. The idea that anything goes and that there is no absolute truth lies at the bottom of both th e postmodern and the bohemian ideals that Harvey speaks to. He went on to state, We have become a nation of posers. Its not a life thats lived or shared, but an imitation of life, a kind of commercial for self. We need some deep and drastic therapy to break this spell. We need to reestablish contact with our inner selves. We need to reinvent a public world†¦this is where my work and the experiment called Burning Man comes in. (Harvey). Harvey’s deconstruction and proposal for a new state of living reflects the ideals of utopian states. This is a powerful postmodern strategy, upending familiar tropes of western society. Burning Man enacts a magical ritualistic effigy burning as opposed to the political effigy burnings of despised leader (e.g., George Bush in Iraq). Burning Man samples from a long line of effigy burning rituals. Doan Ngu, is celebrated on the summer solstice in Vietnam where offerings are made to spirits and ghosts and to â€Å"the god of death† to stave off epidemic. Offerings of human effigies made of grasses are burned, providing souls to staff the army of the God of Death. Carnival Aruba, in Martinique and Guadalupe is a 3-day festival that ends on Ash Wednesday with the burning of an effigy of the King. The King’s effigy is paraded through the streets for all to see, and then set alight in the main plaza of the city or town. In Venezuela there is the Burning of Judas, an effigy dressed as a known public figure in the community, This Judas effigy is also paraded through the town before being burned. The participants slap, punch and kick the effigy before lighting it on fire. In Hinduism there is the burning of the effigy of Ravanna marks the tenth day of the celebration of Divali. The statue of the 10 headed demon Ravanna is made of wood and hay with fireworks inside. The celebrations begin around sunset, families and friends gather, and the statue is set on fire. People shoot arrows into the effigy; it burns along with a huge display of fireworks. These rituals, and many more, are all rituals that bring the community together (Henderson, Thompson, 118-156-189). Burning Man takes place during the seven days before Labour Day weekend in Black Rock City, Nevada. Burning Man started in San Francisco in 1986 as a summer solstice ritual. In 1986 Jerry James, a builder, and Larry Harvey, a landscaper, decided to construct a life-size human effigy made largely of junk wood. They took it to Baker Beach, a mile long stretch of sand just west of the Golden Gate Bridge, with a handful of friends and set it on fire. They burned along with it tokens and mementoes of things they wanted to rid themselves of. It was an act of cleansing for a handful of people. They were so moved by the experience they decided to make it an annual ritual (Doherty). Aided by the San Francisco Cacophony Society, word spread and by 1990 the crowd had increased to 800 and the man had morphed into a 40 foot structure. At this point the San Francisco police stepped in, stopping the ceremonies on the grounds that it was unsafe to torch such a large object on a public beach. One of the Cacophonists, John Law had the idea of moving the ritual to Black Rock desert, an evocative, barren lakebed which dries up for a few months of each year. This was a place where they would not have a problem burning a large structure. A few weeks later, on Labour Day weekend, a group of 100 made the long trek out to the Nevada Desert. Burning Man had found its home (Doherty). Burning Man has grown significantly. It is estimated to be doubling in size every year. Last year there were over 30,000 participants. Although Burning Man has grown beyond anyone’s wildest estimate, it remains true to its core idea: everyone who is there is invited to partake in the ritual of putting items inside the man before the burning. Not surprisingly these items vary as much as the people themselves. Although Burning Man is a temporary community, it is a strong community that ties people together. Larry Harvey described his vision in his LA VIE BOHÉME lecture: Imagine you are put upon a desert plain, a space that is so vast and blank that only your initiative can make of it a place. Imagine it is swept by fearsome winds and scorching temperatures, and only by your effort can you make of it a home. Imagine youre surrounded by thousands of other people, that together you form a city, and that within this teeming city there is nothing thats for sale†¦This novel use of nothingness elicits a superabundant production of spectacle. But it is spectacle with a difference. We have, in fact, reversed the process of spectation by inviting every citizen to create a vision and contribute it to a public environment. We call this process radical self-expression. What makes this self-expression truly radical is its reintegration of the private and personal back into a shared public domain. Burning Man has evolved into an event for artists from all over the world to meet, create and ultimately burn their work. This iconoclastic practice indexes the early conceptual art movement, for example Allan Kaprow, Jim Dine, and even Ana Mendieta’s ‘burning women’. Conceptual art came to fruition in the mid Twentieth Century bohemian subcultures and avant-garde modernist movements. Previously modernism evolved as a resistance against the disenfranchising forces of early technology and industrialization. Those involved in this lineage of this new perspective of the world, were looking to transform culture and creative self realization in art Burning Man is a â€Å"happening† where spectacle and ritual meet on the desert floor, and where the role of participant and spectator blurs. Burning Man is a massive show of art that is not for sale much of the art created is burned throughout the event. These events at Burning Man demonstrate that the contrast can lessen between the individual and communal in our postmodern world. Burning Man represents a collective desire to participate in long lost communal rituals. Many have a desire for collective input; even in our postmodern times there is a need for a sense of community. This is fulfilled, albeit briefly, by Burning Man. UTOPIA Utopia refers to the ancient longing for a place of happiness and freedom, a paradise on earth. Utopia is defined as an â€Å"imagined perfect state or place of things†(Oxford). The word Utopia coined by Thomas Moore in the Sixteenth Century passed through the English language and has been appropriated by most of the world’s languages. California of course, has a rich history of Utopian societies. In his book California’s Utopian Colonies Robert V. Hine states, â€Å"A utopian colony, thus, consists of a group of people who are attempting to establish a new social pattern based upon a vision of the ideal society†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Hine, 5). Larry Harvey has tried to create just this, a new social pattern based upon his vision of the ideal society, a place where nothing is for sale and where everyone is at the same time audience and participant. Larry Harvey has sampled from the old ideals to bring us a new utopian vision for our time, a place where all people are eq ual and everything is exchanged through barter. Martin Buber’s reference to Israeli Kibbutz in his book Paths in Utopia could be referring to Burning Man: â€Å"Nowhere else in the history of communal settlements is there this tireless groping for the form of community-life best suited to this particular human group, nowhere else this continual trying and trying again, this going to it and getting down to it, this critical awareness, this sprouting of new branches from the same stem and out of the same formative impulse†(Buber. 141-142). BURNING BURNING MAN Harvey’s intention to alter the form of spectacle was admirable. At the beginning he wanted all the participants to be spectators and vise versa. All contributing to the artistic nature of the event But Burning Man’s popularity has proven to be its undoing. In 1994, the year Harvey started a website, the media discovered the event, encouraging people to flock to Burning Man in greater numbers every year. By 1997 media at the event included CNN, ABC, NBC, ZDF (Germany) as well as Time, The Washington Post and publications from Brazil England, France, and Japan. The media has enabled millions to simulate participation virtually, but in reality they remain only spectators. In this Mephistophelean bargain the media has brought with it the commercialization of Burning Man. Harvey’s chief ideal has always been â€Å"nothing is for sale†. This refrain is no longer valid. Along the way Burning Man started charging admission to attend. To take part in Burning Man it now costs from $165.00 to $250.00 for advance tickets. It seems that the refrain should be almost nothing is for sale. In addition to the admission there is now a Burning Man Cafà ©, which sells (not barters or trades) its beverages. Yes things change. Burning Man is no exception to this rule. As Fredric Jameson, a postmodern Marxist theorist says (quoted by Posehardt in his book DJ Culture), â€Å"In Postmodern culture, ‘culture’ has become a product in it’s own right; the market has become a substitute for itself and fully as much a commodity as any of its items it includes within itself: modernism was still minimally and tendentially the critique of the commodity and the effort to make it transcendent itself. Postmodernism is the consumption of sheer commodification as a process† (Poschardt, 393). The history of Burning Man exemplifies the commodification aspects of postmodernism. One can almost expect to see Burning Man franchises ‘coming soon to a dry lakebed near you’. Harvey’s second most important ideal was that there are â€Å"only ten official rules. That was enough for Moses, and thats enough for us†(Harvey). These original rules have expanded into an 11-page document. For instance, a â€Å"no dogs allowed† rule was added in 2003. Arguably Burning Man has had to add rules and guidelines because it has expanded beyond its original scale. Ironically Burning Man’s utopian quality has diminished in the postmodern commodification possess. Anti-consumerism lies at the heart of Harvey’s ideals, but is this practical in our capitalist world? Alicia Ludena states In Search of the Postmodern, â€Å"Postmodern theorists, however, claim that in the contemporary high tech media society, emergent processes of change and transformation are producing a new postmodern society†(Ludena). Larry Harvey’s Burning Man sprung out of his desire to create a new postmodern ritual. It was a postmodern idea that took the old construct of burning an effigy and transformed it into a contemporary art event. It altered even more when it became a commercial event. Burning Man as a Utopia was fundamentally flawed, because it was essentially atavistic. Burning Man stepped over the line and became just another commodity, perfectly postmodern but hardly utopian. Buber, Martin. Paths in Utopia. First Syracuse University Press Edition, 1996. 9-141-142 Doherty, Brian. â€Å"Burning Man Grows Up†http://reason.com/0002/fe.bd.burning.shtml Harvey, Larry, LA VIE BOHÉME - A History of Burning Man February 24, 2000. burningman.com/whatisburningman/lectures/la_vie.html Henderson, Helene, Thompson, Sue Ellen.Holidays, Festivals and Celebrations of the World Dictionary. 2nd Ed, Omnigraphics, Inc. Penobscot Building, Detroit, Mi 48226.1996. 118-156-189 Hine, Robert V, California’s Utopian Colonies. Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery, SanMarino, California. 1953. 5 Ludena, Alicia In Search of the Postmodern http://mural.uv.es/alulla/charact.html Oxford Dictionary of Current English.Oxford University Press. Great Claredon Street. Oxford OX2 6DP , revised edition 1998 Poschardt, Ulf. DJ Culture. Trans. Shaun Whiteside. 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