Beauty Is a Combination of Qualities Essay Example for Free

Beauty Is a Combination of Qualities Essay Beauty is a combination of qualities that give pleasure to the senses. It is an inborn instinct in human to appreciate beauty. Beauty both of nature and of human form have been a powerful attraction for men and women of all times and climes. A beautiful object fills the heart with joy and delight. The soul gets stirred by the external view of beauty. Man has developed an eye for beauty right from the Stone Age. The earliest cave-paintings depicting animals and trees prove the cavemans love for beauty. Artistic creations are mans attempts to depict the joy created by beauty. A person may see a beautiful thing for a short duration but its memory lasts for a long time. Man cherishes the beautiful moments in life. The imagination helps to revive and relive the happy moments spent in the company of beautiful things. A colorful butterfly seen for five minutes gives instant delight for the same time, but if that scene is recaptured twenty, the joy becomes twenty fold. Beauty abounds in nature. The sunrise, the sunset, the moon, the starts, the rainbow and the seasons delight the senses. Beautiful sight and sounds of nature provide pleasure to man. The rivers, the forests, the green mountains, the snow-capped peaks and the flowers are beautiful objects of nature. They leave an impression on the mind of man. Recollection of this impression becomes a constant source of joy. Beautiful objects are a source of inspiration for poets to compose poetry. Poets are more moved by beautiful sights than people of ordinary imagination. Keats was a great lover of beauty in all its varied forms. In most of his poems, Keats appreciate different forms of beauty. The dancing daffodils seen by Wordsworth during his travel left a mark in his memory. He composed a poem on daffodils after four years of that visit but he felt the same delight, which reflected in the poem. This proves that any aspect of beauty leaves and ever-lasting impact on human heart and soul. The great Sanskrit poet Kalidas has also graphically described in his poem Kumar Sambhav, the beauty of the forest blooming all round with the touch of spring. Beautiful sights influence the painter to draw the same. His paintings are a poetry of colors which depicts nature as it is on the canvas. A painter always remains in search of a place where he could find ay form of beauty whether of nature or human to adorn his canvas with everlasting charm of beauty. A human face painted by a master painter will not only show the physical structure in its exact form but also reveal the emotion of the subject. The paintings of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Hogarth, Rabindra Nath Tagore, Nand Lal Bose, M.F Hussain an others are a feast for the eyes and the mind. What is true of poets and painters is equally true of sculptors, architects and musicians. They derive pleasure by creation of beauty. Their beautiful works are appreciated by all. A musician creates beauty by the harmonious blending of various notes and tunes. This harmony is a source of pleasure for the listeners. The music of Tansen, Baiju Dawra, Ustad Faiz Khan, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, R.D Drman and others have been widely appreciated and applauded. Beauty is present every where like nature, literature, sculpture, architecture etc. Cement, stone, wood, brick all these things have no shape and beauty but when they are used artistically by the architect, they take the form a beautiful building. A number of historical building all over the world is a great world. Taj Mahal in India, Eiffel Tower in Paris, Opera House in Australia, The Great wall of China, are some of the buildings which are famous for their beauty. Spiritual beauty is something nobler and higher than physical beauty. It is related to the beauty of the spirit and the soul. Spiritual beauty touches or soul. The pleasure and joy, we derive from it is sublime. Spiritual beauty is accompanied by truth and goodness- Satyam Shivam Sundaram as expressed by sage. We find a similar view in Keats poem, when he says, Beauty is truth, truth beauty. Keats regards spiritual beauty as the source of true joy. Beauty according to Shelly is eternal. An object of nature may decay and man may die, yet both survive in thought, for beauty never dies. Beautiful objects of nature also uplift the sprit if a pessimist. One takes a break from the environment of big cities and flocks to hill stations. The beautiful sights of nature in the hill stations refresher the mind. They influence a person to perform his task more efficiently then before. Beauty of nature has a soothing effect in it. In one of his poems, Shelly said that even death will be peaceful for him while watching the beautiful aspects of nature. Beauty, whether physical or spiritual always gives us joy. There is harmony in the beautiful objects. This harmony is the attribute of the soul. Beauty links man with eternity. A thing of beauty is a joy forever.

Television Cultural Change

Television Cultural Change Television became the important part of peoples life. We cannot imagine our evening without an interesting film or news program. Many people like cinema even if they have TV at their homes. It became an ever-present part of the furniture. One person did not invent the television technologies; also, the technologies were not made at one blow. The discovery of â€Å"the photoelectric selenium effect e† became the underlie of the television. W. Smith made this discovery at the year of 1873. Eleven years after P. Nipckov innovated the scanning disk. The important event allowed developing the mechanic television. This type of television was popular until 1930-s. It was the very first attempts to provide television into peoples life. Many different scientists from all over the world took part in the developing of the television we know and use nowadays. The first moving image was transferred at the distance on July 26, 1928 by Russian scientists B. Grabovsky and E. Beliansky. Scientists all over the world consider this experiment the beginning of the modern television. At the same time scientist J. Baird from Scotland made the same experiment. He found â€Å"Baird Television Development Company†. On December 18, the year of 1953 the first colored TV broadcasting at the NTSC system. Television has been spreading very fast since second part of the XX century. United Nation Organization found the commemorative day the World Day of Television. How has the television changed since it was invented? It changed in many various ways and first technologically. We should find the answer on the one very important question whether the television affect peoples perceive? In addition, could the different TV programs, films and news that they see on television manipulate the society? The aim of my project is to compare the role of television nowadays and 60 years ago. I will discuss the different changes and their influence on the society life. First, let us pay attention to the technological progress of television over the years. It was a long way since the year of 1936 when television broadcasting was introduced in London; but I mentioned about it before. What was the number of available channels? The number of them was up to four main channels in larger cities. Television signals were not able to pass through the high mountains and distance villages. Those times television certainly had no much influence. It was just a privilege of urban residents. The people from the country did not feel an influence of the innovation. Nevertheless, scientists and those people who are now known as â€Å"showmen† were sure that television has a great future. They made many efforts to develop and improve television technologies. The problem was how to make television available for those people who lives at villages and small towns. In the year of 1948, the new technology was introduced. Now the technology is known as a cable television. What was the purpose of the cable television? According to Fisher and Marshall (1996) â€Å"The purpose of it was to be able to bring broadcast signals to rural areas with community antennas placed at high elevations†. Usually it was mountains and tops of the high poles. The innovation had a great success and it has grown fast. There were up to seven hundred cable systems by the year of 1960. By the year of 1971 it was 2.750 cable systems and 6 million families used them. At the end of XX century the numbers of the cable systems are up to 65 million and even more. But the cable TV was not the last and best invention of the scientists. Certainly many people still use the cable systems all over the world but television continues to advance with innovation of satellites. The new step in technologies gives an opportunity to use over 80 different channels most of which are 24-hours. They are movies, music, scientists, news and a lot of others. Now people cannot imagine their everyday life and spare time without TV. They agree to pay a lot of money to have television at their flats. Now we see that those people who decided to invest the development of television were perfectly right. The owners of premium channels have a lot of money now and a great influence also. Many years ago television offered us many different popular movies and programs without commercial interruption. Nevertheless, with time interactive television was brought out. Interactive TV created a communicative service between providers and users. It is obvious that television technologies will eternally develop. We have seen how the TV technologies were changed. But the main change in television is not a technological aspect. Television is the command centre of peoples culture now. TV is much different from other media. It is different from film, music or, for example, theatre and cinema. That is why we need to examine it attentively and deeply. We visit cinema and theatre to enjoy the play; we buy music to enjoy listening †¦ Nevertheless, we use television for everything. TV is an all-in-one phial. It has everything literature, music, news, politics, and commerce. We become â€Å"a television people†. Everything in our life should come through TV. Not only American society, but equally world society become depends on TV. If you want to be a Canadian, an American, or a deserving attention member of any society, you have to watch TV and make a contact with everything is happening in the culture. I think that if the human society had no television we would not know what is going on around the world and we would not be able to follow events like we use do it today. The TV images have a great power. Psychologists perfectly agree with it. The images are more important that the words. Nevertheless, both of them are changing the world and they are changing our minds, feelings, ways of thinking, points of view and even they way we relate other people and the world. Many people are using these features of television for their own benefits. Politics are the first group of influential people who wants to make their influent total. I do not want to discuss here how dangerous it is but independent experts are wonder how much human society has changed since television became a part and parcel of peoples life. With time, we began to see more murdering and blood on the TV screens the quality of TV programs has changed. Shiers (1997) mentioned that sixty years ago, they were just an entertainment equal with theatre and may be books. With time the power of the innovations influence become obvious. Time came for it to be wide used. Politics try to suggest thei r ideas to great number of people. Sometimes those ideas are dangerous like for example the political ideas of Stalin and Hitler. People are also interested in the private life and spare time of their political candidates and different â€Å"stars† that it became dangerous for the opposite side of the TV screen. Paparazzi storm into singers, politicians and other famous peoples lives very often. It is always very unpleasant and even dangerous sometimes. Should we blame TV or humans curiosity also? The media manipulates us. It controls the way we view our political leaders, our lifes values and the way we view the world at all. It forms our opinions by what the famous people or scientists or any other men of influence say. Television becomes a centre of gossips. We never know if the information we watch is trustful or not. Television has changed totally during last 60 years. First of all, it became full of lies. I do not want to tell that television it is an evil. Many good things have been done by television. For example, high-developed countries have an opportunity to help regions that are suffered from war and natural disasters. We can find our lost relatives and even get a lot of new knowledge. But we cannot be sure if some important information we know from the television is true information. Sometimes it is just advertising and we may feel sorry for buying the goods that are not as good as advertising proclaimed. Moreover, sometimes it could be very important information that is able to save many lives. Rose (1986) said that it could be information about natural disasters or epidemic. If politicians hide a part of information and underestimate the danger to avoid panics the results could be dismal showing. The bright example is the blow of the nuclear power plant at the territory of the formal USSR. People were not let know beforehand of the great danger and millions of them died. Moreover, the soviet television reported that there was no danger at all. It is a grievous example of the negative influence of the television. Now I want to talk about the positive contribution of the television. First of all, I want to mention about the cultural exchange. It would be very difficult to get knowledge about people and their customs without television. For example, thanks to â€Å"Discovery† channel we can know many different interesting facts about other countries and even about the most distance parts of the world. We may get the information about the newest researches in medicine. Sometimes this information could be very useful if you make sure that it is trustful information. Television was very useful in solving the problem of Native Americans. Since Columbus discovered the New World, this group of people was under pressure. White conquistadors enslaved and oppressed American Indians. They were considered savages. Now when many TV programs about the American Indians culture were produced we know that they are ordinary people with high life values. We learned how to respect them and we do not afraid of them anymore. From another side Native Americans know a lot about the â€Å"white† culture. They are ready to cooperate with us. We tout them many useful things. It is an example of the positive role of television in the cultural exchange. If people learn how to use the power of TV in the right way we could avoid some wars and international conflicts. Nowadays due to the television the world is â€Å"a giant village†. We know all events that happen in other countries. We do not feel borders and it would be gorgeous if the humankind could feel itself like friendly neighborhood or even a family. I am sure that globalization could be a very useful social phenomenon if people would use it in a right way. I strongly believe that television is possibility for people to know about events all over the world and prevent some situations in own native country. Popular proverb said that a person who possess information possess the whole world. And we can make a conclusion from this proverb in relate to our situation that television allow people possess information and be informed in day to day. Our life is full of different changes and new innovations are the way of peoples efforts and progressive thoughts implementation. Television has changed in many ways since the first colored TV broadcasting at the NTSC system were performed on December 18, the year of 1953. We live now in highly developed technological era. And describing television technology we see that the technology became more developed and more people have an opportunity to use it. Television became a part of the private and social life. It connected the world population. It gives us a way to know each other better. At the same time, television has become the command centre of peoples culture. People did not know about the life of criminals and gangsters 60 years ago. Nowadays thanks to television, we know a lot about it and this type of â€Å"culture† is become popular among youth. In addition, we know a lot about so called â€Å"subcultures† like Goths, Emokids, hippie, punks and so on. From the one side, it gives us an opportunity to be more understandable to the way of somebodys life. From another side, it could be a negative example for young people. At the end of my project, I want to mention the great role of television in the field of religion. Those people who are looking for the sense of life and for the acceptable way of worship could get a lot of information about it. Television can help them to know about world religions and about the people who worships in this or another way. Television plays a great role in the live of everybody even if we do not think much about the fact. First, it is a very useful innovation, but we need to learn how to use it for the humans wellness. References Abramson, A. (1987). The History of Television, 1880 to 1941. Jefferson, NC: McFarland Co. Abramson, A. (2003). The History of Television, 1942 to 2000. Jefferson, NC: McFarland Co. Everson, G. (1949), The Story of Television, The Life of Philo T. Farnsworth New York, NY: W. W. Norton Co. Fisher, D. and Marshall, J.(1996). Tube: the Invention of Television. Washington: Counterpoint. Foote, J. and Minow, N. (1990). Television Access and Political Power: The Networks, the Presidency, and the â€Å"Loyal Opposition.† Praeger Publishers. Meyrowitz, J. (1985). No Sense of Place, Oxford University Press, New York. Rose, B. (1986). Television and the Performing Arts: A Handbook and Reference Guide to American Cultural Programming. Greenwood Press. Shiers, G. (1997). Early Television: A Bibliographic Guide to 1940. Garland Reference Library of Social Science. Toto, D. (2000). Job Growth in Television: Cable versus Broadcast, 1958-99. Monthly Labor Review, Vol. 123. Tulloch, J. (1990). Television Drama: Agency, Audience, and Myth. Routledge.

Difference Between Gift Exchange and Market Transactions

Difference Between Gift Exchange and Market Transactions What is the difference between gift exchange and market transactions, and how do they both relate to gender relations? Introduction Karl Polanyi (1968), in his critique of the principles that underlie the formalist approach to economic analysis, attempted to define the tools by which the economies of ‘traditional’ societies could be analysed. Central to the substantivists’ claims was the understanding that the introduction of money destroyed indigenous social relations by introducing the notion of ‘equivalencies of value’ where none had previously existed. In this approach, the substantivists were following the legacy of Marcel Mauss,[1] who, in his seminal The Gift (1954), had argued that in contemporary and archaic societies as widespread as North America, Polynesia and Ancient Rome the assumptions of economic analysis, as used in explaining market transactions, were not relevant as these societies were gift economies. In this essay, I will first examine what Mauss meant by the term gift economies, before providing a contemporary example from the work of Usula Sharma (1984) who demonstrates how a gift exchange may be instrumental in the subordination of women. In the second section, I then look at market transactions and, by drawing on the work of Maria Mies (1998), I reveal the gendered nature of the market. In the conclusion, I problematise the division between ‘gift’ and ‘market’ economies, suggesting that both are weberian ‘ideal types’ and that neither is fully adequate to account for the complexity of both market transactions and gift exchanges, as both are deeply embedded in social relations and thus in relations of power. Gender and Gift Exchange Marcel Mauss argued that in contemporary western society we make a distinction between gift exchange and market transactions, and that in the west we presume the former to be free of obligations (Douglas in Mauss, 2000: vii). However, Mauss argued that the gift in fact entails an obligation to reciprocate[2] and thus creates ties between individuals and/ or groups. For Mauss, this form of economy differs from the ‘disinterested’ and ‘self-interested’ exchange of modern societies (Mauss, 2000: 75-6) and he believed that all economies were originally gift economies: ‘[t]he system that we propose to call the system of ‘total services’, from clan to clan [†¦] constitutes the most ancient system of economy and law [] forms the base from which the morality of the exchange-thorough-gift has flowed’ (Mauss, 2000: 70). An example of gift exchange is that of Northern India, and the Dowry system as described by Ursula Sharma (1984), compl ete with mutual obligations and the creation of lasting ties. Sharma describes a marriage system whereby the family of the bride must pay a dowry to the family of the groom, creating lasting ties between the two families, premised on the ability of the brides’ family to give: when they arrange the marriage of a son, parents do not just look forward to the dowry they will receive at the wedding. They look forward to the bride’s family’s general capacity to give (Sharma, 1984: 64). Although, if asked, most participants would describe the dowry as ‘freely given’ in fact behind the scenes ‘explicit bargaining’ takes place (Sharma, 1984: 64). In a society sharply divided, not only by gender but also by age and caste, control over what is given and what happens to these gifts once received is subject to division along lines of gender and age. Senior women in the household are responsible for ‘seeing that obligations are met and proper relations maintained’ (Sharma, 1984: 65), but when the gifts are of cash, then it is the senior men who are most in control (Sharma, 1984: 66). The ties created by the dowry may have severe consequences for the dis-empowered bride: ‘[d]owry favours and is favoured by a cultural ethos in which brides can be viewed as objects to be passed from one social group to another’, further, ‘in India the rapid inflation of dowries [†¦] has led to a situation in which brides are more controlled by than controllers of property’ (Sharma, 1984: 73). Finally, ‘dowry deaths’ may occur when the grooms’ family is disappointed with her dowry and hope to negotiate a better one for a second marriage (Sharma, 1984: 71). However, her powerlessness is eased by time, as she moves to being a ‘dowry-taker’ on the marriage of her sons (Sharma, 1984: 72). Thus, we can see that in the gift exchange lasting relationships are created, and that these relations are differentiated according to age and gender. Gender and Market Transactions In this section I examine the ‘market transaction’ through the work of Maria Mies (1998), revealing the gendered nature of the supposedly ‘disinterested’ market. In a market transaction, rather than the exchange of gifts which then creates lasting ties between people, it is presumed that in the exchange of commodities only a relationship between things is created: ‘the transactors are strangers in a state of reciprocal independence which persists after the transaction’ (Thomas, 1991: 14). Such an understanding is supported by our ‘common sense’ understandings of the different spheres of exchange: for example, Paul Bohannan (1968), in his discussion of the ‘spheres of exchange’ among the Tiv of Northern Nigeria, identifies a similar division in Tiv ideology between the ‘gift’ and ‘markets’. The former representing the formation and continuation of social relationships, while the later ‘cal ls up no long-term personal relationship, and which is therefore to be exploited to as great a degree as possible’ (Bohannan, 1968: 300); in this set of relationships, all items have an exchange equivalent. After all, when I exchange cash for a commodity I do not feel myself to be tied into a reciprocal relationship with the shopkeeper. However, Mies argues that rather than the formally free, atomistic individuals, engaged in disinterested exchange (Polanyi, 1968) of theoretical liberalism, and therefore of much economic thought, instead we find that actors are no less entwined in power relations than in the gift economies outlined above. Indeed, she argues that ‘the exploitative sexual division is the social paradigm upon which the international division of labour is built up’ (Mies, 1998: 4, emphasis added). First, many have debated the way in which the public sphere is dominated by men, but Mies argues that it is in fact the unpaid work of the housewife, of caring and nurturing within the domestic sphere (Mies, 1998: ix), or ‘women’s work’, that allows men to be free to enter the public realm (Mies, 1998: 31). Next, Mies argues that the ‘housewifization’ of labour[3] not only naturalizes women’s restriction to the private realm, but also means that her paid wor k is considered ‘only supplementary’ to that of her husband (Mies, 1998: ix): ‘[t]he process of proletarianization of the men was, therefore, accompanied by a process of housewifization of women’ (Mies, 1998: 69). Finally, Mies argues that third world women are valued by capitalism as producers due to their ‘nimble fingers’ and as they are ‘considered to be the most docile, manipulable labour force’ (Mies, 1998: 117): in short, due to ascribed gender stereotypes. The symbolic hierarchy of gender thus has material effects as women are placed in an economically vulnerable position and are concentrated in low paid, part-time employment: women and their children are the most economically disadvantaged group across the globe. Further, women are locked into an international division of labour whereby the ‘third world women produce not what they need, but what others [first world women] can buy’ (Mies, 1998: 118, original emp hasis). Thomson echoes this argument: ‘[e]veryone is now tied up in a historical network of global relations [] we are all caught up in international relations of production and appropriation which stretch across the spaces separating us’ (Thomas, 1991: 8-9) and this international relation of production is gendered. Conclusion Nicholas Thomas rejects Mauss’ argument that the economies of Melanesia and Polynesia can be regarded as ‘gift economies’, which are thus opposed to the market economies of Europe. He argues that this division misses the way that these ‘traditional’ economies are in fact deeply entangled with the global capitalist trade (Thomas, 1991: 4): ‘a wider range of evidence from indigenous Oceanic societies suggests that there is a broad continuum between systems in which it is possible to substitute only people for people, or food for food, and those in which a wide range of expansive conversions are permitted’ (Thomas, 1991: 4). Divisions, such as Mauss makes, between ‘gift exchange’ and ‘market transactions’ are part of the reification of difference between ‘us’ and ‘them’ (Thomas, 1991: 34), further, ‘the grand polarities almost always turn out to be implausible’ (Thomas, 1991: 2 7). Thomas argues that by scrutinising our concepts via the lens of gender we can reveal the theoretical flaws or weaknesses that we might otherwise miss (Thomas, 1991: 2) For Polanyi, the economic sphere as defined by the discipline of economics is based on a conflation of two distinct meanings: the ‘substantive’ and ‘formal’. ‘The formal meaning of economic derives from the logical character of the means-ends relationship [†¦] it refers to a definite situation of choice’ (Polanyi, 1968: 122), whereas in the substantive definition ‘the economy here is embodied in institutions that cause individual choices to give rise to interdependent movements that constitute the economic process’ (Polanyi, 1968: 125). In short, formal economics is based on the notion of formally free individuals, making rational economic decisions and which create no lasting ties, whereas substantive economics views all economies, whether regarded as gift economies or those based on market transaction, as embedded in social relations. Thomas concurs: ‘[e]xchange is always, in the first instance, a political process, o ne in which wider relationships are expressed’ (Thomas, 1991: 7) for exchange relationships are always differentiated by power (Thomas, 1991: 22), by race, class, gender and age. Thomas would not have us abandon the distinction between gift and commodity entirely (Thomas, 1991: 29), perhaps it would be better to view them as points along a continuum, with each ‘ideal’ type at the opposing ends but the majority of actual cases lying somewhere in between; further it is necessary that we recognise the coexistence of both types (Thomas, 1991: 33). Whether or not the introduction of money destroyed indigenous social relations, by introducing the ‘equivalencies of value’, as the substantavists claimed, the ties that are created by contemporary commodity exchange may be less evident, but Maria Mies reminds us that nonetheless the global division of labour links third world producers to first world consumers in an asymmetrical power relationship that makes a lie of the supposed disinterestedness of market transactions. Bibliography Bohannan, Paul (1968) ‘Some Principles of Exchange and Investment among the Tiv’, Economic Anthropology: Readings in Theory and Analysis, LeClair Schneider (Eds.), London: Holt, Rinehart Winston, pp 122 – 143. Levi-Strauss, Claude (1969 [1949]) ‘Nature and Culture’ ‘The Problem of Incest’, The Elementary Structure of Kinship, London: Eyre Spottiswoode, pp. 3-25. Mauss, Marcel (2000 [1954]) The Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies, New York: W. W. Norton. Mies, Maria (1998 [1986]) Patriarchy and Accumulation on a World Scale: Women in the International Division of Labour, London: Zed Books. Polanyi, Karl (1968 [1957]) ‘The Economy as Instituted Process’, in Economic Anthropology: Readings in Theory and Analysis, LeClair Schneider (Eds.), London: Holt, Rinehart Winston, Inc. pp 122 – 143. Sharma, Ursula (1984) ‘Dowry in North India: Its Consequences for Women’, Women and Property: Women as Property, Hirschon, R. (Ed.), London: Croom Helm, pp. 62-74. Thomas, Nicholas (1991) ‘Introduction’ and ‘Objects, Exchange, Anthropology’ in Entangled Objects: Exchange, Materialism and Colonialism in the Pacific, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, pp. 1-34. 1 Footnotes [1] As well as that of Bronislaw Malinowski, who in his influential (1922) Argonauts of the Western Pacific: An Account of Native Enterprise and Adventure in the Archipelagoes of Melanesian New Guinea, (London: Routledge) closely described the Kula exchange of the Trobriand Islanders. [2] Levi Straus, following Mauss, argued that the exchange of women (exogamy) provided the basis for ties between different groups (Levi Strauss, 1969: 14) via the incest taboo (Levi Strauss, 1969: 9-10) and thus provided the basis for culture (Levi Strauss, 1969: 24-5). [3] The defining of women as homemakers, and then relying on this definition to characterise their work outside of the home (Mies, 1998).

Essay on Homers Odyssey: Exploring Our Social Roots -- Homer Odyssey

The Odyssey: Exploring Our Social Roots  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   In modern western society we are a people taught from very young that good manners and strong morality are necessity.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The idea that the good will prosper and the bad will get what they deserve is widely accepted and applauded.   However, these ideas about the social rules of "modern civil man" are not so novel.   This same system of social behavior and belief is exhibited throughout the epic poem, The Odyssey.   In this epic we find the roots of our contemporary social actions and convictions importantly displayed.    All through this epic there are many examples to distinguish those civilized, who abided by social customs, and those who did not.   One of the primary forms of manner, during this period, was the customary practice of the civilized to invite a guest to feast without prior inquiry into his errand.   We encounter this social rule early upon the first meeting of Telemachos and his mother's suitors during a feast at the home. An unidentified guest arrives and is ignored by the suitors.   However, the mannered Telemachos promptly invites the guest in to join them in feasting; he is annoyed that their guest was made to wait and also embarrassed by and apologizes for the suitor's crude behavior.  Ã‚   This same practice repeats itself throughout the poem and is yet again contrasted when Odysseus and some of his crew arrive at the island of the Cyclops.   The men allow themselves into an unattended cave whose owner is the Cyclops, Polyphemus.   Upon the uncivilized Cyclops' arri val home he eats some of the men and traps the remainder.   Clearly, the social intuition of manners plays such a strong silent role.   As Horace Mann said "Manners easily and rapidly mature into m... ...ood, and idea that good always triumphs over evil.  Ã‚   We can easily witness the roots of present rules of society budding during this time period.   Such reflection and insight allows us to connect in a way, we maybe normally would not have, with one of our modern culture's leaders in morality and manners.    Works Citied Dimock, George E.   The Unity of the Odyssey.   The University Of Massachusetts Press: Amherst, 1989. Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical Interpretation Homer's The Odyssey.   Chelsea House Publishers: New York, 1988. Lawall, Sarah, ed. "The Odyssey."   Trans. Robert Fitzgerald.   The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces.   W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.: New York, London, 1999.   209-514 Cyber Nation Home Page. 2000. Cyber Nation International Inc.< http://www.cyber-nation.com/victory/quotations/subjects/quotes_manners.html>.   

Heroes in Wonderful Fool and The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Se

Expectations of Heroes in Wonderful Fool and The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚         In a human being's search for spiritual peace throughout life, he constantly turns to outside sources for the answers to his questions. Some people quench their curiosity in a god or religion; some find release through the use of foreign chemicals. Many people, however, turn to another person in their time of personal questioning, soliciting answers from their own pseudo-hero. This character is one who, by virtue of his exotic origin, is chosen by the person to fill a void or achieve a goal. The hero is expected to meet certain qualifications based on his devotee's heroic ideal. However, no one can successfully accomplish the objectives set for them by another person, especially when they are personally unaware of these goals. In many instances, this leads to disillusionment and bitterness in the person who has determined these goals. This is the case with the main characters in the novels Wonderful Fool and The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea. The "heroes" in these books, Gaston Bonaparte and Ryuji Tsukazaki, are constantly expected to fulfill the fancies of those who venerate them. The inability of both Gaston and Ryuji to automatically satisfy these expectations ultimately leads to a sense of indignation and betrayal in their respective devotees, Tomoe and Noboru. This disappointment is fueled not by the failure of Gaston and Ryuji to achieve the goals set for them, but rather by the arrogance assumed by Tomoe and Noboru in expecting their preset qualifications to be fulfilled. Shusaku Endo's novel Wonderful Fool is a work filled with characters who receive something contrary to their expectations. The... ...ed leveling of charges. However, there is one major difference. Tomoe, unlike Noboru, realizes her own hubris near the end of Wonderful Fool and feels as if it has been somehow defeated by having "lost out" to a fool: "This feeling of having been beaten was to Tomoe, who prided herself on being a very knowledgeable young lady, particularly disagreeable" (Endo 185). Noboru, on the other hand, takes his egotism to the extreme, using the crimes he has accused Ryuji of committing as sufficient reason to condemn him to death, in order to â€Å"make him a hero again" (Mishima 163). In each case, the arrogance assumed by Tomoe and Noboru is not realized in time to redeem their heroes, who in turn vanish from the lives of their devotees, never to return. Works Cited: Mishima, Yukio. The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea. Trans. John Nathan. New York: Vintage, 1994.

The Bento as a Culture in Japan

The bento as a culture in Japan ID NO. 12411099 Word count: 1075 It is very convenient that students who study in APU can go to convenience store buying bento as lunch or dinner. In fact, everyday there are so many people who are students or businessmen buying bento as their lunch when they have no time to eat lunch in resturant or made by hand. In some way, bento is a pretty important culture in Japan society. Bento first appeared in ancient period in Japan, which mostly stood for more wealthy class people. On the contrast, especially for the rural residents just took some rice balls when they went out do to something.The rice balls were considered formed in Yayoi era of the late (about two centuries before and after), which has been had a very long history. The rice balls was called † grip rice† (nigirimeshi), or â€Å"imperial Results† (omusubi) to the Edo period. From this point of view, we can know that bento has a long history in Japan, and it is a kind of sp ecial culture of Japanese. Lunch sale has become a highlight to attract customers to buy the bento in various large convenience stores, such as â€Å"7-11†, â€Å"Family-mart†, â€Å"Lawson†.They use lots of ways showing their bento, and constantly develop the bento in new-types and new-tastes. According to the seasons change, they make the inexpensive bento but in good color, flavor, and taste. Japanese are usually accustomed to cold food, but in the winter they can use the microwave in the convenience store heating the bento by free. It shows that the Japanese people about the natural view. Japan is a seaboard country, they accept the most of food by the sea, so they have a highly respect to the sea. The price of bento is generally in the range from 450 yen to 700 yen.The qualities of bento in lunch house and lunch share seems to be above the supermarkets and convenience stores, because the food is fresh, and probably also serves soup. Lunch of the forms from the wicker suitcase, bamboo baskets, exquisite lacquer box, aluminum lunch boxes has already evolved into today's plastic or wood containers which are more convenient to take and heat. So why is bento so popular in Japan? Firstly, the bento stores are very popular. According to the survey, every province has almost 1000 bento stores in Japan. It indicates that the bento is a very important culture in Japan.Secondly, the economics decides the popular degree of bento in Japan. Thirdly, It can keep the balance of nutrition in daily life. Especially it is convenient for the businessmen who face much pressure of working. In particular, in Japan, the businessmen who are working in Japanese company always have to work overtime up to night, they don't have much time on meal, so the bento is convenient and important for them. Most of them can buy the bento in convenience stores, or the people who have already got married can take the bento which made by their wives.Most of married men who ta ke the bento from the family will feel a sense of happiness. It can deepen the relationship between husband and wife, promote the families getting more harmonious and happy. Lastly, bento has a power invaluable. Most of schools in Japan implement activity that called bento no hi. It is a activity that let children buy the ingredients of food what they want to cook, and then cook by themselves and the parents just only tell them how to cook. It also promote the interaction between parents and children.In the school, the children will show their bento each other, and it let them know how hard cooking. It even promote that the part of children choose to research the diet or the work about the diet sell. From above all, it shows that the bento as a culture in Japan society how important. The bento has a close relationship with the Japanese culture and society. Food is full of the bento box indicates that a smart Japanese culture. Bridging culture is like a bento box that is full of so m any things in a narrow space. It is not only the quantities of requirements, but also require the qualities.Except the reduced consciousness reflect the reduced things, in society, the team spirit of Japanese people and the spirit of seriousness are as well as a kind of reflection of reduced consciousness. In other words, bridging culture is very important for Japanese people. The bento culture can be seem from the Japanese reduced consciousness. How about bento in my country? In China, in fact, there is not having so many different kinds of bento. Most of people choose to eat in resturant, family, or fast food. In some ways, fast food is seen as a kind of bento.It has so many fast food stores in China, such as McDonald's, KFC. Most Chinese students and young adults like eating these fast food. The most of fast food is cooked by fried, which is full of oil, fat, and salt. It is unhealth for body. If people eat it very much and very frequency, it will lead to caner even death. And th e fast food is not fresh, in some ways, it maybe not very clean in the process of cooking. But why are so many people loving it in China? I think it is depends on the different country country has different diet culture. Japanese people love hanami in different seasons.Especially they enjoy sakura in spring. And of course, they will take the bento with them, and they eat the bento with their families or friends in the trees while they enjoy sakura. This is a special culture in Japan. They feel it can release the stress in the daily life when they eating bento in the sakura trees. Above all of the contents, bento has a long history in Japan, bento gradually develops an art , and a kind of driving force. According to the development of bento, it shows that the development and change of Japan society clearly.At the same time, it indicates that the outlook and attitude on life of Japanese people in nowadays. According to the bento, it make a close relationship between individual and soc iety, and it make people know each other as well as. The bento culture is a backbone of Japanese culture, it is a impetus that promote the development in Japan. References: : 2008 : ,2009 (2010/3/10) (Wikipedia). http://ja. wikipedia. org/wiki. : 2008.

Life Sciences Paper 1

NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE GRADE 12 LIFE SCIENCES P1 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2011 MARKS: 150 TIME: 2? hours This question paper consists of 14 pages. Copyright reserved Please turn over Life Sciences/P1 2 NSC DBE/Feb. – Mar. 2011 INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION Read the following instructions carefully before answering the questions. 1. Answer ALL the questions. 2. Write ALL the answers in your ANSWER BOOK. 3. Start the answers to EACH question at the top of a NEW page. 4. Number the answers correctly according to the numbering system used in this question paper. 5. Present your answers according to the instructions of each question. . Do ALL drawings in pencil and label them in blue or black ink. 7. Draw diagrams or flow charts only when asked to do so. 8. The diagrams in this question paper are NOT necessarily drawn to scale. 9. Do NOT use graph paper. 10. You may use a non-programmable calculator, protractor and a compass. 11. Write neatly and legibly. Copyright reserved Please turn o ver Life Sciences/P1 3 NSC DBE/Feb. – Mar. 2011 SECTION A QUESTION 1 1. 1 Various options are provided as possible answers to the following questions. Choose the correct answer and write only the letter (A – D) next to the question number (1. 1. 1 – 1. . 6) in the ANSWER BOOK, for example 1. 1. 7 D. 1. 1. 1 The process in which male gametes are formed in humans is called †¦ A B C D 1. 1. 2 When the first child of two parents, without any visible genetic disorder, was born, the child was found to have a serious genetic disorder. The parents were told that a recessive gene had caused the disorder, and that only one pair of genes was involved. If they had a second child this child †¦ A B C D 1. 1. 3 was certain to have the disorder. had a 1 in 2 chance of having the disorder. had a 1 in 4 chance of having the disorder. no chance of having the disorder.Below is a set of steps following fertilisation in humans. Which is the CORRECT order of events? 1. 2. 3. 4. A B C D Copyright reserved vasectomy. spermatogenesis. oogenesis. mitosis. The embryo is embedded in the uterine wall in humans. A zygote is formed in the Fallopian tube. Cell division occurs to form a ball of several hundred cells. The blastocyst remains free for several days in the uterus. 2, 3, 4, 1 2, 1, 3, 4 3, 2, 4, 1 1, 3, 2, 4 Please turn over Life Sciences/P1 4 NSC DBE/Feb. – Mar. 2011 QUESTIONS 1. 1. 4 and 1. 1. 5 refer to the graph below which shows the growth of the follicle and the ovarian hormone levels.Hormonal regulation of the menstrual cycle Growth of follicle B A Ovarian hormone levels 0 1. 1. 4 21 28 Progesterone and LH FSH and LH Oestrogen and progesterone Oestrogen and FSH What is the follicle called after day 14? A B C D 1. 1. 6 14 Which hormones are represented by A and B? A B C D 1. 1. 5 7 Primary follicle Graafian follicle Secondary follicle Corpus luteum A ring of DNA (plasmid) is taken from a bacterial cell to produce insulin. The steps which f ollow are NOT in the correct order below. 1. The gene for insulin is removed from a cell of a human pancreas. 2. The bacteria make clones of themselves and produce nsulin. 3. The insulin gene is put into the plasmid and into a new bacterial cell. 4. The bacterial plasmid is cut using enzymes. The CORRECT order of the steps is †¦ A B C D Copyright reserved 3, 2, 4, 3. 3, 2, 4, 3. 4, 1, 3, 2. 4, 2, 1, 3. (6 x 2) Please turn over (12) Life Sciences/P1 1. 2 5 NSC DBE/Feb. – Mar. 2011 Give the correct biological term for each of the following descriptions. Write only the term next to the question number (1. 2. 1 – 1. 2. 7) in the ANSWER BOOK. 1. 2. 1 1. 2. 2 An arrangement of black bars representing DNA fragments that can be used to determine whether people are related 1. . 3 Structure in the sperm cell containing enzymes that break down the membrane of the ovum 1. 2. 4 The release of an ovum from a follicle 1. 2. 5 The period from fertilisation to birth 1. 2. 6 The tu be that transports the sperm from the testis to the urethra 1. 2. 7 1. 3 All the genes in all the chromosomes of a particular species A hormone produced in females to stimulate milk production (7) Indicate whether each of the statements in COLUMN I applies to A only, B only, both A and B or none of the items in COLUMN II. Write A only, B only, both A and B, or none next to the question number (1. 3. 1 – 1. 3. ) in the ANSWER BOOK. COLUMN I 1. 3. 1 Possible ways of improving of fertility 1. 3. 2 Forms the placenta 1. 3. 3 Having a single set of chromosomes 1. 3. 4 Sexually-transmitted disease(s) caused by bacteria 1. 3. 5 Technique used to determine abnormalities of the foetus COLUMN II A: Artificial insemination B: In vitro fertilisation A: Amnion B: Chorion A: Diploid B: Haploid A: Syphilis B: HIV A: Ultrasound B: Amniocentesis (5 x 2) Copyright reserved Please turn over (10) Life Sciences/P1 1. 4 6 NSC DBE/Feb. – Mar. 2011 When a stigma is ripe, it secretes a fluid w hich stimulates pollen grains to grow tubes.The fluid contains sugar. Zama wanted to investigate the following question: How does the concentration of sugar affect the number of pollen grains that germinate/form pollen tubes in flowers? She designed the following investigation. †¢ She took 5 cavity slides. cover slip cavity slide solution with pollen grains †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ The first slide she filled with distilled water. The second slide she filled with a 5% sugar solution. The third slide she filled with a 10% sugar solution. The fourth slide she filled with a 15% sugar solution. The fifth slide she filled with a 20% sugar solution.She transferred the same number of pollen grains from the anthers of a flower into each cavity of the five slides. A cover slip was gently lowered onto the slide. All five slides were placed in a warm incubator and left for one hour. Each slide was then examined under a microscope and the number of pollen tubes in each slide was coun ted and recorded in the table below. Concentration of sugar solution (%) 0 5 10 15 20 Number of pollen tubes 0 7 11 15 21 1. 4. 1 Explain why Zama used distilled water in the first cavity slide. (2) 1. 4. 2 State THREE ways in which this investigation would be improved to get more reliable results. 3) 1. 4. 3 Copyright reserved Describe a conclusion for the above investigation. (2) (7) Please turn over Life Sciences/P1 1. 5 7 NSC DBE/Feb. – Mar. 2011 The diagram below represents a karyotype of a human cell. 1 6 2 3 7 13 14 19 20 4 8 9 10 15 11 16 21 5 12 17 22 18 23 1. 5. 1 How many chromosomes are present in this karyotype? (1) 1. 5. 2 Is this karyotype that of a man or a woman? (1) 1. 5. 3 Give a reason for your answer to QUESTION 1. 5. 2. (2) 1. 5. 4 Describe how the karyotype of a person with Down's syndrome will be different from the karyotype shown in the diagram above. Copyright reservedPlease turn over (2) (6) Life Sciences/P1 1. 6 8 NSC DBE/Feb. – Mar. 2011 St udy the pedigree diagram of a family where some individuals have haemophilia. Haemophilia is a sex-linked disorder. Use H for normal blood clotting and h for the haemophiliac trait. Peter Andrew Millicent Henry Enid David Priscilla Goliath Key Normal female Anele Male haemophiliac Clarence Normal male 1. 6. 1 1. 6. 2 From the pedigree diagram above, state the relationship between gender and haemophilia. (2) Write down all the possible genotypes of individuals: (a) Peter (b) Enid (c) Clarence (6) (8) TOTAL SECTION A: Copyright reservedPlease turn over 50 Life Sciences/P1 9 NSC DBE/Feb. – Mar. 2011 SECTION B QUESTION 2 2. 1 Study the following diagrams representing different phases of meiosis. A C B Diagram 1 Diagram 2 2. 1. 1 Diagram 4 (3) Label structures A, B and C. 2. 1. 2 Diagram 3 Which phase is represented by: (a) 2. 1. 4 2. 1. 5 Copyright reserved (1) (b) 2. 1. 3 Diagram 1 Diagram 2 (1) Write down the numbers of the diagrams to show the correct sequence in which the pha ses occur. (2) Tabulate THREE differences between the first and second stages of meiosis. (7) Name and explain TWO processes/mechanisms that ensure that he gametes produced at the end of meiosis are genetically different from each other. Please turn over (4) (18) Life Sciences/P1 2. 2 10 NSC DBE/Feb. – Mar. 2011 The diagrams below represent the process of protein synthesis. M O N UC A G G C A C A P Z UGU Q UC AGGCACA R X 2. 2. 1 Identify compound M and organelle R. (2) 2. 2. 2 Write down the sequence of the FIRST THREE nitrogenous bases on the DNA strand that led to the formation of Z. (2) 2. 2. 3 Name the part/stage of protein synthesis that is illustrated in O. (1) 2. 2. 4 The table below shows the base triplets of DNA and the amino acid each codes for.Base triplet of DNA AGT CCG TGT GTA CAA TCC ACA Copyright reserved Amino acid coded for Serine Glycine Threonine Histidine Valine Arginine Cysteine Please turn over Life Sciences/P1 11 NSC DBE/Feb. – Mar. 2011 With ref erence to the diagram in QUESTION 2. 2 and the table above: (a) Name the amino acid labelled P. (2) (b) State the base sequence of the molecule labelled Q. (2) (c) What name is given to the triplet of tRNA bases that codes for each amino acid? (1) (d) Describe how the composition of the protein molecule changes if the base sequence at X is UGU instead of UCA. (2) (12) 30] QUESTION 3 3. 1 The diagram below represents the female reproductive system. X A Y B D C 3. 1. 1 Label structures A, B and C. (3) 3. 1. 2 State THREE functions of D. (3) 3. 1. 3 Fertilisation usually takes place at Y. Why will a blockage at X: (a) Prevent fertilisation at Y (b) Not necessarily lead to infertility Copyright reserved (1) (2) (9) Please turn over Life Sciences/P1 3. 2 12 NSC DBE/Feb. – Mar. 2011 Read the paragraph below and answer the questions that follow. MALE CONTRACEPTIVE CHEMICAL Gossypol is a chemical which is extracted from the seeds of cotton plants.When gossypol was given to rats, mice , dogs and monkeys, it caused a reduction in the fertility of the male animals by reducing their sperm count. Scientists wanted to investigate the idea that gossypol could be used as a human male contraceptive. [Adapted from: Liffen and Liffen, 1987] 3. 2. 1 State a hypothesis for the investigation that scientists wanted to do. (3) 3. 2. 2 State FOUR planning steps that must be followed by researchers before the investigation above is undertaken on humans. (4) 3. 2. 3 In the investigation above, name the following: (a) (1) (b) 3. 2. 4 Dependent variable Independent variable (1)Explain ONE reason why some people might: (a) (2) (b) Copyright reserved Support research on male contraception Object to research on male contraception (2) (13) Please turn over Life Sciences/P1 3. 3 13 NSC DBE/Feb. – Mar. 2011 Study the diagram of a flower below and answer the questions that follow. D A B E C 3. 3. 1 Label parts A, B and D. (3) 3. 3. 2 Describe how the male gamete reaches the ovum aft er pollination. (3) 3. 3. 3 What do the following structures develop into after fertilisation: (a) Structure C (1) (b) Structure E (1) (8) [30] TOTAL SECTION B: Copyright reserved Please turn over 60 Life Sciences/P1 14 NSC DBE/Feb. Mar. 2011 SECTION C QUESTION 4 4. 1 Explain THREE advantages of using genetically modified organisms as food. 4. 2 The table below shows the percentage frequency of human blood groups in the populations of two different cities in South Africa. (6) Human blood groups % frequency in population City 1 City 2 A 25 45 B 20 10 AB 10 5 O 45 40 4. 2. 1 Which blood group has: (a) 4. 3 (1) (b) 4. 2. 2 The highest frequency in City 1 The lowest frequency in City 2 (1) Plot the data in the table as bar graphs on the same system of axes. (10) (12) The diagram below shows a crossing between a homozygous black mouse and a homozygous white mouse.The F1-generation was all black. Male Female P1 X F1 1 2 3 4 Use the symbols B and b for the alleles of fur colour and show di agrammatically a genetic cross between mouse 1 and mouse 3 to show the possible genotypes and phenotypes of the next generation (F2). 4. 4 Clones are a group of genetically identical organisms. Explain THREE advantages and THREE disadvantages with reasons of cloning. Synthesis: NOTE: (12) (3) (15) NO marks will be awarded for answers in the form of flow charts or diagrams. TOTAL SECTION C: GRAND TOTAL: Copyright reserved (7) 40 150