Victory Spirit Essay Example for Free

Victory Spirit Essay William Safire and James Wood are two different people, with different ideas, different views, but do have similar writing styles. In William Safire’s â€Å"A Spirit Reborn† he talks about the Gettysburg Address in comparison to 9/11 and he also analyzes the Gettysburg Address in more depth and has a specific purpose for writing his article. On the other hand in James Wood’s â€Å"Victory Speech† he talks about how President Obama flowed through different things, Wood also analyzes certain details of Obama’s speech, and offers some critique. â€Å"Now, as then, a national spirit rose from the ashes of destruction† (Safire 41). The Gettysburg Address was given after a horrible incident, with very tragic losses. By going through these destructive events, our nation becomes stronger, and more bonded together. After 9/11, the Gettysburg Address was reborn to bring us remembrance, togetherness and encouragement through tough times. In his essay, Safire states that 9/11 was â€Å"the worst bloodbath on our territory since Antietam Creek† (41). By bringing back past events such as the battle of Antietam, Safire probably strikes a lot of strong emotion from his readers by using it in comparison to 9/11. To reuse a speech such as the Gettysburg Address at a time such as after 9/11 was unlikely to be thought of, since they were two different events, 138 years apart. In Safire’s article in the New York Times, he analyzes the Gettysburg Address in more detail. He talks about how â€Å"you will hear the word dedicate five times† (Safire 42), and what each one of them stand for. For example, he says the first two refer to â€Å"the nation’s dedication to two ideals mentioned in the Declaration of Independence†¦ ‘Liberty’†¦ ‘that all men are created equal† (Safire 42). The third is pointed towards a certain blessing of the location of the battle of Gettysburg, and the fourth and fifth dedications are directed back to the thoughts of liberty and that all men are created equal, for which the deceased men of the battle fought for. Safire also notices that â€Å"the speech is grounded it conception, birth, death, and rebirth† (42). He mentions some specific quotes such as â€Å"The nation was ‘conceived in liberty’†¦ delivered into life – by ‘our fathers† (Safire 42). He also brings up death and re-birth by pulling more quotes from Lincoln’s memorable speech. Safire does not want us to â€Å"listen to only Lincoln’s famous words and comforting cadences† (43). Instead he wants us to remember the message Lincoln was giving to us, he wants us to appreciate the deceased and the missing, and wants to remind us that â€Å"this generation’s response to the deaths of thousands of our people leads to ‘a new birth of freedom† (Safire 43). â€Å"First he moved through the people†¦ Then he moved through the country†¦ then he moved through time† (Wood 611). The purpose Wood says for Obama doing this; was â€Å"to bind those wounds by binding us together† (611). By bringing people from different ages, orientation and gender, from different states and cities, Obama hopes to bring our nation back together as one nation. He also mentions how Ann Nixon Cooper, who is one hundred and six years old, had voted using just a finger, to show how the times have changed. Wood analyzes some details of Obama’s speech, such as how â€Å"Yes we can† changed to â€Å"Yes we did† and â€Å"Yes we may†. Noticing the impact those few words had on the crowd by saying it was â€Å"extraordinarily moving in its sobriety† (Wood 611). Wood also mentions how he added it to past tense, using a note of being uncertain. He also draws attention to Obama’s use of the word promise, after Obama says â€Å"I promise you – we as people will get there† in reference to a hard road to get to change. Wood says the word promise is used in acknowledgement to Martin Luther King’s speech from Memphis, King says â€Å"and I’ve seen the Promised Land, I may not get there with you† but Obama knows he will indeed get where we are going. In the beginning of Wood’s â€Å"Victory Speech† he talks about how â€Å"last Tuesday night was a very good night for the English language† (610). Since James Wood is a critic, it is only fitting that he give some feed-back on Barrack Obama’s speech. He says that â€Å"many of us would have watched in tears as President-elect Obama had just thanked his campaign staff and shuffled off to bed† (Wood 610). Wood says that his speech was filled with such history and emotion, that if he just grumbled thanks, American would not be satisfied. In the end both Safire and Wood had analyzed two different speeches in depth, but Safire had a specific purpose for doing so, to bring emotion, while Wood critiqued. There were a lot of differences, but some similarities, not many, but some.

Legacy of the Samurai Essay Example for Free

Legacy of the Samurai Essay For seven centuries, the samurai ruled Japan as the powerful warrior class. As a class of warriors and knights, they led society in feudal Japan. The loyalty to his lord was much more important than his allegiance to his friends, family and even the emperor. Their philosophy was one liberated him from fear, and for these reasons, the samurai came to be the dominate force throughout medieval Japan. War played a central part in the history of Japanese samurai. As regional clans gathered manpower, resources and struck alliances with each other, they formed a hierarchy centered around a toryo, or chief. This chief was typically a relative of the emperor and a member of one of the two dominating clan families of the pre-samurai era. Though they were originally sent to regional areas for a fixed four year term as a magistrate, the toryo usually declined to return to the capital when their terms ended. Their sons inherited their positions instead and continued to lead the clans in suppressing rebellion throughout Japan during the middle and later Heian period. (Cook 24) One main reason why conflict between clans was so predominant was because they were typically started as a result of land ownership. Only a fifth of Japans land was suitable for agriculture. The struggle for control of land eventually gave rise to the samurai class. The samurai eventually became a class unto themselves between the 9th and 12th centuries A.D. They were called by two names: samurai which means knights and bushi which means warriors. The samurai came from guards of the imperial palace and from private guards that the clans employed. They also acted as a police force in and around Kyoto. These forerunners of what we now know as samurai had ruler-sponsored equipment and were required to hone their martial skills. They gave complete loyalty to their daimyo (feudal landowner) and received land and position in return. Each daimyo  used his samurai to protect his land and to expand his power and rights to more land. The first samurai were servants, yet their advantage of being the sole armed party increasingly became apparent. By promising protection and gaining political clout through political marriages they amassed power, eventually surpassing the ruling aristocrats. (Kure 10-12) In the late 12th century, the two most powerful clans served the emperor of Japan: the Taira clan, and the Minamoto clan. These two families became bitter rivals, and in 1192, Minamoto Yoritomo led his clan to victory over the Taira. The emperor, the traditional head of the Japanese government, declared Minamoto Yoritomo shogun, the head of the military. However, Yoritomo used his new power to strip the emperor of all political power, make his position as shogun permanent, and set up a military dictatorship known as bakufu. So, the samurai went from being servants of the land-owning daimyos to being the rulers of Japan under the shogun. (Dean 21) Over time, powerful samurai clans became warrior nobility, who were only technically under the court aristocracy. When the samurai began to adopt aristocratic pastimes like calligraphy, poetry and music, some court aristocrats in turn began to adopt samurai customs. (Dean 22) In spite of various scheming and brief periods of rule by various emperors, real power was now in the hands of the shogun and the samurai. The reign of the samurai lasted until the late 19th century. The image of the samurai that is probably most well-known is that of a sword expert, brandishing his curved katana with deadly skill. However, for the first few centuries of their existence, samurai were better known as horse-riding archers. Firing a bow while riding a horse was a demanding task, and mastering it required years of relentless practice. Some archers practiced on targets tethered to a pole, which could be swung to make a moving target. For a time, living dogs were used as moving archery targets, until the shogun abolished the malicious practice. (Turnbull 45) The amount and form of a samurais training depended on the wealth of his family. In  lower-class families, sons were sometimes sent to village schools for basic education, but they received most of their samurai training from their fathers, older brother, or uncles. Training in martial arts was considered very important, and often began at age five. Sons of wealthy families were sent to special academies, where they were tutored in literature, the arts, and military skills. (Daidoji, Ratti, and Cleary 6-10) Swordsmanship was taught in a similarly relentless manner. The most recognized weapon of the samurai throughout history was the katana. The oldest swords were straight and had their early design in Korea and China. A katana was never worn without its companion sword, the wakizashi; it was a shorter sword with a broader blade. Together the two swords are referred to as daisho, meaning large and small. The word dai (large) represents the katana and the word sho (small) represents the wakizashi. The smiths who created the katana for the samurai are widely regarded as the finest sword makers in history. (Daidoji, Ratti, and Cleary 42) The samurais desire for tougher, sharper swords in battle gave rise to the curved blade. One of the biggest problems in making a sword is keeping it sharp. A weapon made with a hard metal will keep its edge, but will be brittle and prone to breaking. Japanese sword smiths solved this problem by making the core of the sword with a soft metal that wouldnt break. This core was then covered with layers of harder metals that were repeatedly folded and hammered until there were literally millions of layers of metal laminated together. The edge was so sharp that a skilled swordsman could slice a human in half with one blow. Upon completion, the sword tester took the new blade and cut through the bodies of corpses or condemned criminals. They started by cutting through the small bones of the body and moved up to the large bones. Test results were often recorded on the nakago (the metal piece attaching the sword blade to the handle). The samurai often gave names to their swords and believed it was the soul of their warriorship. (Sato 28-33) In addition to swords and bows, samurai used a variety of bladed-pole arms. One of the more common Japanese pole arms was the naginata, which consisted of a sharp blade two to four feet in length mounted on a wooden shaft that  was four to five feet long. The extra reach afforded by these weapons allowed infantry to hold attackers at bay, or make a first strike before an attacker with a sword could reach them. They were also very effective against mounted opponents. (Kure 170) A big change occurred in the late 15th century because of the consistency of war and the introduction of guns into battle. In the 16th century, European traders arrived in Japan for the first time. The Japanese paid large sums for their matchlock guns, quickly mastering the smithing techniques needed to mass produce the weapons. Although the gun is not traditionally associated with samurai, it was a major influence on Japanese warfare from that point on, allowing daimyos to raise large armies of relatively untrained men armed with cheap guns. Many samurai adopted the unreliable weapons, which were best used as a backup to the more trustworthy sword. (Turnbull 73) The sword played a very key role in the methods and philosophies of the samurai. Without the samurai bushido, they would be considered by modern terms to be heartless killers. Bushido means way of the warrior. It was at the heart of the beliefs and conduct of the samurai. The philosophy of bushido is freedom from fear. It meant that the samurai transcended his fear of death. That gave him the peace and power to serve his daimyo faithfully, loyally and die honorably if necessary. Duty is a primary philosophy of the samurai. In order for the samurai to truly be able to serve his purpose, death must be ignored. An excerpt from _Code of the Samurai_ exemplifies this ideology: _One who is a samurai must before all things keep constantly in mind†¦the fact that he has to die. If he is always mindful of this, he will be able to live in accordance with the paths of loyalty and filial duty, will avoid myriads of evils and adversities, keep himself free of disease and calamity and moreover enjoy a long life. He will also be a fine personality with many admirable qualities. For existence is impermanent as the dew of evening, and the hoarfrost of morning, and particularly uncertain is the life of the warrior†¦_ (15) Religiously, Zen Buddhism spread among samurai in the 13th century and helped to shape their standards of conduct, particularly overcoming fear of death and killing, but among the general populace Pure Land Buddhism was predominant. (Kure 12) Honor was so important to the samurai that they would frequently take their own lives in the face of failure, or if they had violated bushido. This honor-bound suicide became very ritualized, taking the form of seppuku. Also known by the more popular phrase hara-kiri, seppuku was a way for a samurai to restore honor to his lord and family, and to fulfill his obligation of loyalty even if he had failed as a samurai. (May 2) Ritualized seppuku involved the samurai wearing the proper garments while he was presented with the ritual knife, wrapped in paper. The samurai would then take the knife and cut open his own stomach, from left to right, with a final upward cut at the end. However, seppuku was not a solitary act, and few samurai were left to die a slow and excruciating death from disembowelment. Another samurai would typically stand behind the one committing seppuku, and behead him with a sharp sword shortly after the seppuku cut was made to spare him from unnecessary suffering. (May 3) The original motivations for this method of death may well have been purely practical. Cutting off ones own head is impossible, and the spirit was felt to reside in the stomach, slitting the belly open was felt to be the most straightforward (if not quickest) way to die and free the spirit. (May 5) Although, seppuku may seem crude in modern day society, it was the only way to regain ones honor, and looked upon as honorable even after the samurais decline towards the end of the 19th century. The role of the samurai during peacetime gradually declined, but two key factors led to the demise of samurai: the urbanization of Japan, and the end of isolationism. As more Japanese citizens moved to the larger urban centers of Japan, there were fewer farmers producing the necessary rice to feed the  growing population. The lavish lifestyle enjoyed by the shoguns and most daimyos started to eat away at the economic system. Many Japanese, including lower class samurai, grew dissatisfied with the shogunate because of the deteriorating economic circumstances. (Dean 37) In 1853, U.S. ships sailed into Edo Bay with Commodore Matthew Perry at the helm, intending to deliver a message from President Millard Fillmore to the emperor. Although the emperor was still considered a figurehead, the shogun truly ruled the country. President Fillmores message was clear. He wanted to open trade relations with Japan, he wanted shipwrecked U.S. sailors to be treated properly by Japanese soldiers and citizens, and he wanted to open Japanese seaports as a resupply stations for American ships. (Kure 167-9) In Perrys wake, a rift divided opposing views in Japan. Some wanted to reject the American offer, continue with isolationism, and maintain their ancient traditions. Others, however, realized that Japan could never defend their country when faced with the better technology of the western civilizations. They proposed opening the gates of Japan with the intention of learning everything they could from the Americans, terminating isolationism and becoming a stronger world power. Ultimately, the bakufu decided to open Japanese seaports for American resupply, and later decided to establish trade with America. (Avakian 41) The emperor initially refused to approve to the treatys conditions, but because he was merely the face of Japanese government, the bakufu went ahead with the treaty anyway. Several factions of rebellious samurai wanted Japan to stay the same, and therefore supported the emperor and began a civil war against the bakufu. To much surprise, they overthrew the shogun, ending the Tokugawa period and restoring the emperor to his rightful power. Lower class samurai took positions of leadership within the administration, controlling the government from behind the new emperor, a young man by the name of Emperor Meiji. This event is known as the Meiji Restoration. (Avakian 43-48) Throughout Japan at the time, the samurai numbered 1.9 million. The samurai in Japan were not merely the lords, but also their higher retainers, people  who actually worked. With each samurai being paid fixed stipends, the upkeep presented an immense financial burden, which provoked the emperor and his oligarchy to act accordingly. Whatever their true intentions, the oligarchs started a slow and deliberate process to abolish the samurai class. First, in 1873, it was proclaimed that the samurai stipends were to be taxed on a rolling basis. Later, in 1874, the samurai were given the choice to convert their stipends into government bonds. Finally, in 1876, this option of conversion was made obligatory. (Avakian 49-54) Finally, in 1876, the emperor banned samurai from wearing their swords, leading to the creation of a drafted standing army. The final bell had tolled for the samurai they no longer existed. Not surprisingly, this led to a series of riots from disgruntled samurai. One of the major riots, the Satsuma rebellion, eventually turned into a civil war. This rebellion was, however, put down swiftly by the newly created imperial army The new army was trained in Western tactics and utilized more advanced weapons. Ironically, the core of the new army was the Tokyo Police force, which was formed largely of former samurai who had helped the emperor regain his empire. This sent a strong message to the nonconformist, rebellious samurai that their time was indeed up. (Kure 172-174) The samurai continue to impress, and serve as a model for obedience, reverence, and loyalty on so many different scales. The incredibly rich heritage provided by this elite class of warrior leaders can be linked to the foundations of numerous facets of the life we lead today. Although the samurai cease to exist, their spirit of honor and discipline has found a home in modern times. From the kamikaze pilots of Japan in World War II, to martial artists and even modern businessman who look to bushido as a guide to living an honorable life, samurai continue to positively influence Japan today. BIBLIOGRAPHY Avakian, Monique. The Meiji Restoration and the Rise of Modern Japan. Boston: Silver Burdett, 1991. 38-54. Cook, Harry. Samurai: the Story of a Warrior Tradition. New York: Sterling, 1998. 22-35. Yuzan Daidoji, Oscar Ratti, and Thomas Cleary. The Code of the Samurai. Boston: Tuttle, 1999. 10-44. Dean, Arlan. Samurai: Warlords of Japan. New York: Scholastic Library, 2005. 19-37. Kure, Mitsuo. Samurai: An Illustrated History. Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 2001. 10-179. May, Nick. Seppuku a Practical Guide. Gaijin Gleaner (1997): 1-5. 1 Dec. 2006 . Sato, Kanzan. The Japanese Sword: A Comprehensive Guide. New York: Kodansha International, Ltd., 1983. 28-80 Turnbull, Stephen. Samurai Warfare. New York: Sterling, 1996. 44-73. Yamamoto, Tsunetomo, and William S. Wilson. Hagakure: the Book of the Samurai. Tokyo: Kodansha America, 1983. 17-65.

Elements of Literature

Elements of Literature Style is the spoken characteristics of a writer, as unique as his or her face or voice. Their styles express their individual ways of seeing humanity. Style is an insignia of independence and distinguishes a good writer from a meager or average writer. This is just one of the elements of literature. There are many elements of literature. When we read or hear poetry, we hear a speakers voice. It is this tone of voice that conveys the poems tone, its indirect mind-set toward its focus. Tone is a concept we make from fine points of a poems language: the use of meter and rhyme (or need of them); the addition of certain kinds of fine points and exclusions of other kinds; exacting choices of words and sentence pattern, of images and symbolic language. When we listen to a poems language and hear the voice of its speaker, we grasp its tone and feeling and eventually its meaning. Poetry is the impulsive runoff of potent feelings: it takes its foundation from emotion recollected in silence: the emotion is a contemplated turn over, by a type of response, the silence steadily disappears, and an emotion, relatives to that which was before the topic of thought, is steadily formed, and does itself in reality be present in the mind. In reading any poetry, it is essential to know what the words mean, but likewise imperative to understand what the words involve or propose. Poets choose exacting words because they advocate what they want to advocate. Its appropriateness is a function of both its denotation and its connotation. Poetry is stuck in the solid and the precise in details that arouse our senses for it is through our senses that we see the world. When such details become visible in poetry, they are called images. An image is a solid symbol of a sense notion, reaction, or thought. Language can be classified as both literal and not literal. When we speak factually, we mean precisely what each word conveys; when we use metaphorical language we mean something other than the real meaning of the words. Figures of speech are language or ways of using words in a non-literal logic. They consist of hyperbole; irony; or use a part to indicate the whole; or substituting an aspect of an object for the object itself; endowing inert objects or conceptual concepts with living distinctiveness or persona. Two that are above all essential for poetry are simile or metaphor. The feeling of both these figures is assessment, which is the building of relations between normally not related things. Metaphor is an insightful view of the resemblance in dissimilar. Simile establishes the similarity clearly with the words like or as. Metaphor, then again, employs no such clear spoken clue. The comparison is indirect in such a way that the symbolic term is substituted for or recognized with the exact one. The simile is more limited in its relative implication than is the metaphor. A symbol is an item or act that represents something further than itself. Correlated to symbolism, allegory, is a type of sequence of events in which people, places and happenings have unknown or representational meaning. Allegory differs from symbolism in establishing a firm system of correspondences linking facts of action and a guide of meaning. Syntax is the display of words in sentences, phrases, or clauses. Poets use syntax as they use images, pronunciation, formation, noise, and tempo to say meaning and suggest feelings. It is an essential component of its tone and a lead to the speakers emotional state. Rhyme is the nearly all recognizable aspect of poetry. It is clear as the corresponding of concluding vowel or consonant sounds in two or more words. When corresponding sounds take place at the ends of lines we have ending rhyme; when they take place inside lines we have inner rhyme. In addition to rhyme, two other forms of sound take part in reign in poetry: alliteration, which is the recurrence of consonant sounds, particularly at the beginning of words, and assonance, which is the recurrence of vowel sounds. Rhythm refers to the standard repetition of the tone of voice or anxiety in poems or songs. It is the pulsation or thrash we feel in a saying of music or a line of poetry. We obtain our logic of tempo from day by day life and from our knowledge with language and music. Meter is the review or ornate reckoning of a poetic line. Meter is a reckoning of the stresses we experience in the poems rhythm. By principle, the component of poetic meter in English is the base, a component of assess consisting of strained and undisturbed syllables. When we explore a poems structure, we center on its patterns of association. Form exists in poems on various levels from patterns of noise and picture to structures of syntax and of thinking; it is as a great deal an issue of phrase and line as of verse and entire poem. Open or free form does not mean fluidity. It suggests, as an alternative, that poets get the most out of on the free will either to make their own forms or to use the conventional fixed forms in more supple ways. Structure regularly provides clues to disposition and achievement. We have in the past defined theme as an inspiration or emotionally apprehensible meaning natural and understood in an effort. When shaping a poems theme we should be cautious neither to generalize the poem nor to misrepresent its meaning. We should also be on familiar terms with the fact that poems can have several themes: poems can be interpreted from more than one point of view and there is more than one way to affirm or clarify a poems meaning. The essential idea of the poem is articulated in its opening line. An announcement of the poems theme has to contain the idea of it. In doing all of my readings for the past few weeks, I have come to realize that a lot of the stories and poems share some of the same themes. For instance, the poem To my Dear and Loving Husband, by: Anne Bradstreet, p.1077 in the text, My mistress eyes are nothing like the sun, by: William Shakespeare, p.1187 in the text, and My Papas Waltz, by: Theodore Roethke, p.773 in the text, all have the theme of love. To My Dear and Loving Husband, is the story of a womans unconditional love and honor of her husband. She states in the poem, I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold or all the riches that the East doth hold. My Mistress eyes are nothing like the sun, is the story of a mans love for his mistress. He states in the poem, And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare. My Papas Waltz, is the story of a young man growing up with an alcoholic father. The young man loves his father, but the father loves his alcohol more and the young man is try ing to get the love from his father. I have come to realize that literature reflects community, and persons and the people affect each other. Literature reflects communities by situation of time, culture, settings, attitude, and values at the time. Literature uses language to indicate what it feels like to live during particular surroundings. Literature also helps to create knowledge, not just imitate it. Cultural approaching can be used to give an affluent and enlightening historical context for fictitious work. It uses papers, expressions, and images of the area to assist the reader with a sense of the community described in the story. In the story The Lesson, by Toni Bambara, it uses language to indicate circumstances, culture, and community. The author used language spoken by some African-American citizens in the southern communities to assist readers with what culture and race the citizens are. On page 427, the words nappy hair was used, then on pages 428-429, purdee hot, and punchin were used, and that gives readers a good idea of what race and culture the citizens were. In The Lesson, the story also alerts you on the requirement of education and the consequences of having an education. It illustrates how an education may not be fun or easy to achieve, but it is essential for a constructive change to come about. The story looks at types of self-importance, direction, and ways people can value or disrepute each one in a community. An additional example of a short story that demonstrates how literature reflects the community is A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner. Faulkner uses A Rose for Emily to concentrate on theme of alteration and improvement, as it relates to the American South. He was stimulated to write about this because he came from a family that some time ago owned an agricultural estate and he had family narration in the South. Literatures sometimes use people as symbols. An example of how Faulkner used his characters as symbols of the larger issues in the South is in the character of Homer Barron. Homer Barron is the Yankee production foreman who became Emilys first real boyfriend. His association with Emily is well thought-out to be disreputable because he is a Northerner and because it doesnt show as if they will ever be married. An added example is by some of the old men wearing brushed rival uniforms at Emilys funeral which gives the reader an additional clue about the moment in time, values, and setting in the story. In wrapping up, I have specified examples to intricate the various elements of literature and expressed insight of the way literature reflects communities, cultures, individuals, and society in every day life.

Hair in Ancient Egypt :: essays research papers

In Ancient Egypt, hair was an important issue. Hair was cut short or shaved off. Men have short hair. Women have plaits or a ponytail that hangs down the center of back. Priests have no hair anywhere. People also had hair loss. Ancient Egyptians have a lot of hair accessories. They used headbands and pins. They stuck berries and petals in their hair. They used combs, tweezers, shavers, and hair curlers. The combs are usually made of wood or bone. They shaved with a stone blade, then a copper one, then finally a bronze one. They got rid of lice by getting rid of all their hair. In Ancient Egypt, most houses were the same. They were usually close together and had few windows. Every house had flat roofs. All the rooms are square and had little furniture. Ancient Egyptians had to get their wood from nearby countries because they could not grow trees. Wealthy people had servants and were surrounded by a lot of beautiful objects. Farmers and slaves were poor so they cannot afford it. I wonder if they can save money to buy stuff. Ancient Egyptians wore very little clothing. They wore light linen clothing. Usually the linen is white. Men and women wore different clothing. Men wore short skirts and women wore a dress. After the flax is picked, the flax can be woven into very fine linen or can be woven into rough linen. Wealthy people wore fine linen but poor people wore the rougher material. Ancient Egyptians wore light linen clothing. Flax that was grown by farmers was cut and woven into linen. Linen could be rough or fine. Working-class men wore loincloths or short kilts. Wealthy men wore knee length shirts. People wore sandals made out of papyrus. Rough linen was probably cheaper. In Ancient Egypt, doctors used two kinds of healing: medicine and magic. First they would try medicine. Garlic was used in some medicines. If medicine didn't work, they would try magic spells. Doctors thought that the heart controls everything in the body. They chanted prayers and prayed. In ancient Egypt, there were three kinds of Egyptian writing. If a child was to be a scribe when he grew up, he spent around ten years learning the hundreds of hieroglyphic symbols. Demotic and Hieratic writing were used everyday. Ancient Egypt had a lot of different foods. The primary food was grain because it had many uses and was an endless supply of food. Hair in Ancient Egypt :: essays research papers In Ancient Egypt, hair was an important issue. Hair was cut short or shaved off. Men have short hair. Women have plaits or a ponytail that hangs down the center of back. Priests have no hair anywhere. People also had hair loss. Ancient Egyptians have a lot of hair accessories. They used headbands and pins. They stuck berries and petals in their hair. They used combs, tweezers, shavers, and hair curlers. The combs are usually made of wood or bone. They shaved with a stone blade, then a copper one, then finally a bronze one. They got rid of lice by getting rid of all their hair. In Ancient Egypt, most houses were the same. They were usually close together and had few windows. Every house had flat roofs. All the rooms are square and had little furniture. Ancient Egyptians had to get their wood from nearby countries because they could not grow trees. Wealthy people had servants and were surrounded by a lot of beautiful objects. Farmers and slaves were poor so they cannot afford it. I wonder if they can save money to buy stuff. Ancient Egyptians wore very little clothing. They wore light linen clothing. Usually the linen is white. Men and women wore different clothing. Men wore short skirts and women wore a dress. After the flax is picked, the flax can be woven into very fine linen or can be woven into rough linen. Wealthy people wore fine linen but poor people wore the rougher material. Ancient Egyptians wore light linen clothing. Flax that was grown by farmers was cut and woven into linen. Linen could be rough or fine. Working-class men wore loincloths or short kilts. Wealthy men wore knee length shirts. People wore sandals made out of papyrus. Rough linen was probably cheaper. In Ancient Egypt, doctors used two kinds of healing: medicine and magic. First they would try medicine. Garlic was used in some medicines. If medicine didn't work, they would try magic spells. Doctors thought that the heart controls everything in the body. They chanted prayers and prayed. In ancient Egypt, there were three kinds of Egyptian writing. If a child was to be a scribe when he grew up, he spent around ten years learning the hundreds of hieroglyphic symbols. Demotic and Hieratic writing were used everyday. Ancient Egypt had a lot of different foods. The primary food was grain because it had many uses and was an endless supply of food.

Hydroponics Growing Without Soil :: essays research papers fc

Hydroponics: Growing Without Soil   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The science of growing plants without soil has been known and used for more than one-hundred years. The word “hydroponics';, however, is comparatively new. Dr. W.E. Gericke is usually given credit for coining the word, which translated from Greek, means “working water';. The famous hanging gardens of Babylon were probably on of the first attempts to grow plants hydroponically. The work of Dr. Greicke in the 1920’s and 1930’s in California, however, is generally considered the basis for nearly all forms of hydroponics. During the 1940’s at Purdue University, Robert B. and Alice P. Withrow developed another hydroponic method. Their process was called Nutriculture. Nutriculture varied from Dr. Gericke’s method in that gravel was used as a rooting medium.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After World War II a number of commercial installations were built in the United States. The majority of these were located in Florida. Most were out of doors and subject to the rigors of the weather. Poor construction techniques and operating practices caused many of them to be unsuccessful and production inconsistent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How is the quality of the food today affected by the methods of Hydroponics of today? Body   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The growing media that is used for gardening greatly effects the production of the plants. If sand is used as a medium it should be tested thoroughly for any residue that might cause infected growing medium. The sand should be cleaned at least every three of four weeks. Leaching is also a major step, it is to be done at the end of each crop cycle ( Jones 69-70). Sand that is used for the medium should have sawdust mixed with it to allow for better drainage. The sawdust also makes the sand lighter and not pact together as easy ( Bridwell 86).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gravel is another medium, it is used more often because it is easier to clean. If gravel is used round, smooth, river-type is preferred. Granitic types are the best because of its hardness. Whatever type of gravel that is purchased must be thoroughly washed and cleaned to get rid of any calcareous on the gravel. The size is also a factor when selecting gravel. The pieces of gravel should be no smaller than a quarter inch in diameter and larger than a half inch. Crushed stone is not preferred because the sharp edges can injure the root system.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sterilizing process is an easy, but a long and tedious job.

Relationship of Philosophy with Real Life :: essays research papers

Philosophy has a strong influence on everyone’s day-to-day life. We all enrich our lives by thinking about things with a substantial value. We use philosophy as a sort of roadmap to direct us through our lives. We, of course, take other things into consideration while we are going through our day, but philosophy is one of the more ample ones.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Philosophy is, according to the dictionary, â€Å"Literally, the love of, including the search after, wisdom†. This applies to my life, when I am in school and when I am out of school. When I am in classes, I use the available knowledge in books, the lovely newspaper articles from English class (hehe), and the brains of teachers, in order to aid in my ‘hunt’. Wisdom is something that interests almost all of us. It provides us with answers to the everyday problems we run into, and curbs our curiosity. When I am out of school, I read novels in order to expand my imagination, and learn about what happened in the past. The fiction novels I read, allow me to learn about abstract and surreal ideas. I try to dedicate time from my schedule in order to read, because not only does it provide entertainment, but it also allows the intelligence of humans to travel beyond just what is sensible. The intelligence should consist of real hard facts, as well as fictional thoughts as well. I also watch the news about events that are happening around the world. Everyone should do this activity, because you gain insight on mistakes that have happened, and information on how challenges affect people. By integrating both ideal thoughts and real facts, it helps create a better-rounded persona, which is one of the outlining definitions of philosophy. This idea is expressed in the following quote â€Å"the science of truths sensible and abstract†.

Pygmalion. The identity of Eliza how does it change and is it for the better?

Pygmalion was written by Bernard Shaw in 1914. The play tells the story of a man called Henry Higgins; a professor of phonetics who makes a bet with a friend Colonel Pickering that he can successfully pass of a low-common cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle as a sophisticated lady by teaching her how to speak with an upper class accent and an improvement in etiquette. Eliza Doolittle by chance meets Higgins and grabs the opportunity to better herself. Eliza wants to improve herself so she can be a flower-seller in a shop instead of on the streets. Eliza manages this after a lot of hard work and she changes in a number of ways. The changes Eliza makes include: learning to speak correctly by Higgins tuition, she learns about personal hygiene, she learns manners from Mrs Higgins; she learns how to dress properly by Mr Higgins, her confidence and self-esteem increases with Mr Higgins behaviour towards her. The ending of the play is ambiguous because although Eliza has changed her identity, she is so unrecognizable to the other street flower sellers that she no longer fits into her old class and society anymore; she is no longer sure of who she actually is. The first time we meet Eliza is when she is trying to sell flowers to people who are running for shelter from the rain into the porch of St. Paul's church. It becomes apparent that Liza is a low-common flower girl with her gutter speech. There is a note taker who is taking down what the flower girl is saying, which then leads her to think he is a police officer. At this time the flower girl is the only person who doesn't have a name. The significance of this is that, it's as if she doesn't have an identity, however she does have some sort of identity with her personality. â€Å"Thank you kindly, lady. â€Å"I'm a good girl, I am. † This evidence shows how she is has a general sense of manners, she treats people well and with consideration, which as the play continues is something that Higgins doesn't have. Higgins was treating her like she was nothing and he and her father look on her as commodity as Doolittle offers Higgins to pay for her. A change that Liza encounters is her hygiene, in order for Liza to be treated like a lady and receive her lessons; she must wash and dress properly. It soon becomes apparent that Liza is apprehensive about having a bath, one thing Liza rarely does. You expect me to get into that and wet myself all over! Not me I should catch my death†. This evidence clearly shows Liza's working class stigma – a disgrace to others around her after finding out she's never had a proper wash before. Liza's appearance also causes a controversy in the way she wears ‘rags' all the time, as appearance is an important factor when a change of identity occurs. This is a very positive change in Liza because now she has changed to be a hygienic person and looks like a lady. Throughout, the play when Liza is growing and learning every day, she gets respected mo re from other people. (Very courteous) won't you sit down? † This suggests the great respect Pickering pays Liza from the beginning. As a result of Liza's improved treatment from others, it make her self esteem increase, she gets more confident. The audience will notice Pickering acting like a true gentleman. Liza needs respect during her change in identity, so this is a positive change. After a period of time, Higgins decides to test Liza to see if she has learnt anything of what he has taught her. He takes Liza to his mother's at-home day. However, after a while Liza suddenly starts to relapse back into her old gutter speech and mind. They done the old woman in† â€Å"Gin was mother's milk to her. † This evidence suggests that Liza hasn't actually changed at all. The language she used reminds us of her old cockney flower girl image and that she still reflects on her now. There is still more work that Liza needs to do in order to be a lady, this reflects badly on her after her hard work to achieve where she was. Throughout the play, it has been seen that the way Liza is treated by Higgins is rather unpleasant, he puts her under a lot of pressure. He treats her with disrespect and with a certain dislike. Put her in the dustbin† this evidence shows how Higgins doesn't have any respect for the girl, this treatment continues throughout the play. The language used would create the effect that he doesn't like her cares what happens to Liza, it looks like they have a bad relationship, but he's teaching her to stand up to him which could be the greatest of all her identity changes, so this is a positive change to her because he is forcing her to stand up to him but it could also be a unhappy encounter because of the lack of respect at the time. Liza only originally planned to have the lessons to make her speech better, so she could achieve her dreams of becoming a flower-seller in a shop; however more fundamental changes have taken place. â€Å"she must be a princess at least† this evidence shows that she has achieve her original goals, but she has also gained some which include confidence from her new voice and appearance; her appearance has changed quite a lot, her posture changes, her manners and respect change and also her hygiene along the way. So this is a very positive change however, Liza may feel as if she has become two separated from her original plans. After Liza's hard work and determination she feels she cannot go back to the gutter. â€Å"I have forgotten my own language, and I can speak nothing but yours† this evidence suggests how she has lost her old life behind and doesn't want to be part of her old life again. Liza has grown as an independent lady and doesn't want her past to reflect her new life- but this doesn't fit into her new life because she has become so far away, she doesn't know who she really is anymore. This creates an effect on the audience because she is showing she has changed and is not the same person, she used to be. Liza has shown an external change rather than on the inside because she still reverts back to her gutter speech at certain times. Overall, Liza has changed. She has changed in many different ways which include her new identity which has come along with her improved hygiene, self-esteem/confidence, etiquette, views, goals/ambitions and her relationships such as one which formed with Freddy. Liza has found her self-importance and independence which she can now leave Higgins, without his need all the time, as she leaves with Freddy, which doesn't entirely make her happy. Liza would have liked to stay with Higgins but he didn't want her. She can't return to her previous life because Higgins has left her unfit for it, example is Liza's father Doolittle, who hates being rich. If anything Liza's transformation has taken away her identity because she no longer knows who she is; she isn't Doolittle's daughter anymore, no longer a street flower seller and no longer Higgins experiment. She doesn't know what her future holds and doesn't know what she is going to do.