Maya Lin Essay Example

Maya Lin Essay Maya Lin Maya Lin, a graduate of Yale University, is a politically fueled artist who caused quite an uproar with her artwork. Maya Lin concentrates on reality as most of her artwork that gained nationwide attention consisted of memorial type structures that were interactive art. The Rosa Park’s memorial and the Vietnam memorial alike are both gigantic structures carved out of solid marble to remember those to impacted the development of the United States to what we are today. Maya combined several visual elements to bring her artwork alive including space, shape, and time and motion. According to our textbook, Living with Art, a shape is a two-dimensional form. It occupies an area with identifiable boundaries. Boundaries may be created by a line, a shift in texture, or a shift in color. Maya used shapes in a very creative way in both the Vietnam War memorial and the Juniata Peace Chapel pieces to be exact. To me, these two creations utilize this concept the most with the sharp angles and underground â€Å"boundaries† that almost give the memorial a triangle shape while still giving the appearance of an optical allusion at first. The Peace Chapel as also â€Å"set up† the same way utilizing the underground theme. For the Peace Chapel, large square cut rocks were placed below ground level to give a less defined boundary from far away, almost not appearing to be â€Å"sunken in† from certain angles due to the grass floor in the middle. Maya Lin also used space to her advantage, especially linear perspective in her Vietnam Memorial. The memorial is conceptually convincing but not optically convincing. We will write a custom essay sample on Maya Lin specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Maya Lin specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Maya Lin specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer More specifically, she includes two-point linear perspective where two parallel lines converge into one point. Maya also includes the concept of space in the Peace Chapel, suggesting depth but not implying it unless you view the work from a horizontal view. From a bird’s eye view, the Chapel would just appear a simply a circle of rocks, but from standing view the sculpture appears as much more than that appearing to be an area of meditation or similar to a giant â€Å"foot print. † Lastly, Maya included time and motion into her works of art. Especially noted, the Civil Rights Memorial (Rosa Park Memorial) is considered kinetic art. Kinetic art, or art that moves, is more than just a drawing on a piece of canvas; kinetic art is â€Å"living† art and Maya perused this theory to the max when including a waterfall and fountain in the memorial. Not only does the art include motion, but it also makes the art interactive, allowing the guests to splash and control the movement of the water. This element of the artwork includes the viewer to share, touch, and watch living artwork.

Manifest Destinys meaning to American expansion

Manifest Destinys meaning to American expansion Manifest Destiny was a term that came to describe a widespread belief in the middle of the 19th century that the United States had a special mission to expand westward. The specific phrase was originally used in print by a journalist, John L. OSullivan, when writing about the proposed annexation of Texas. OSullivan, writing in the Democratic Review newspaper in July 1845, asserted our manifest destiny to overspread the continent allotted by Providence for the free development of our yearly multiplying millions. He was essentially saying the United States possessed a right granted by God to take territory in the West and install its values and system of government. That concept was not especially new, as Americans had already been exploring and settling westward, first across the Appalachian Mountains in the late 1700s, and then, in the early 1800s, beyond the Mississippi River. But by presenting the concept of westward expansion as something of a religious mission, the idea of manifest destiny struck a chord. Though the phrase manifest destiny may seem to have captured the public mood of the mid-19th century, it was not viewed with universal approval. Some at the time thought it was simply putting pseudo-religious polish on blatant avarice and conquest. Writing in the late 19th century, future president Theodore Roosevelt, referred to the concept of taking property in furtherance of manifest destiny as having been belligerent, or more properly speaking, piratical. The Push Westward The idea of expanding into the West had always been attractive, since settlers including Daniel Boone moved inland, across the Appalachians, in the 1700s. Boone had been instrumental in the establishment of what became known as the Wilderness Road, which led through the Cumberland Gap into the lands of Kentucky. And American politicians in the early 19th century, such as Henry Clay of Kentucky, eloquently made the case that the future of America lay westward. A severe financial crisis in 1837 emphasized the notion that the United States needed to expand its economy. And political figures such as Senator Thomas H. Benton of Missouri, made the case that settling along the Pacific would greatly enable trade with India and China. The Polk Administration The president most associated with the concept of manifest destiny is James K. Polk, whose single term in the White House was focused on the acquisition of California and Texas. Its worth nothing that Polk had been nominated by the Democratic Party, which was generally closely associated with expansionist ideas in the decades before the Civil War. And a Polk campaign slogan in the 1844 campaign, Fifty-four forty or fight, was a specific reference to expanding into the Northwest. What was meant by the slogan was that the border between the United States and British territory to the north would be at north latitude 54 degrees and 40 minutes. Polk got the votes of the expansionists by threatening to go to war with Britain to acquire territory. But after he was elected he negotiated the border at 49 degrees north latitude. Polk thus secured the territory that today is the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and parts of Wyoming and Montana. The American desire to expand into the Southwest was also satisfied during Polks term in office as the Mexican War resulted in the United States acquiring Texas and California. By pursuing a policy of manifest destiny, Polk could be considered the most successful president of the seven men who struggled in the office in the two decades before the Civil War.  In that period between 1840 and 1860, when most occupants of the White House couldnt point to any real achievements, Polk had managed to greatly increase the territory of the nation. Controversy of Manifest Destiny Though no serious opposition to westward expansion developed, the policies of Polk and the expansionists were criticized in some quarters. Abraham Lincoln, for instance, while serving as a one-term Congressman in the late 1840s, was opposed to the Mexican War, which he believed was a pretext for expansion. And in the decades following the acquisition of western territory, the concept of manifest destiny has been continually analyzed and debated. In modern times, the concept has often been viewed in terms of what it meant to the native populations of the American West, which were, of course, displaced or even eliminated by expansionist policies of the United States government. The lofty tone which John L. OSullivan intended when he used the term has not carried into the modern era.

The History and Geography of Greenland

The History and Geography of Greenland Greenland  is a located between the Atlantic and  Arctic  Oceans, and although it is technically a part of the North American continent, historically it has been linked with European countries like Denmark and Norway. Today, Greenland is considered an  independent territory  within the Kingdom of Denmark, and as such, Greenland is dependent on Denmark for the majority of its gross domestic product. By area, Greenland is distinctive in that it is the worlds  largest island,  with an area of 836,330 square miles (2,166,086 square kilometers). It is not a continent, but due to its large area and the relatively small population of 56,186 people, Greenland is also the most sparsely populated country in the world. Greenlands largest city, Nuuk, also serves as its capital. Its one of the worlds smallest capital cities, with a population of only 17,984 as of 2019.  All of Greenlands cities are built along the 27,394-mile coastline because it is the only area in the country that is ice-free. Most of these cities are also along Greenlands west coast because the northeastern side is comprised of the Northeast Greenland National Park. History of Greenland Greenland is thought to have been inhabited since prehistoric times by various Paleo-Eskimo groups; however, specific archaeological research does show the Inuit entering Greenland around 2500 B.C., and  it wasnt until A.D. 986 that European settlement and exploration started, with Norwegians and Icelanders settling on Greenlands west coast. These first settlers were eventually known as the  Norse Greenlanders, though it wasnt until the 13th century that Norway took them over, and subsequently entered into a union with Denmark. In 1946, the  United States  offered to buy Greenland from Denmark but the country refused to sell the island. In 1953, Greenland officially became a part of the Kingdom of Denmark and in 1979, Denmarks Parliament gave the country powers of home rule. In 2008, a referendum for greater independence on Greenlands part was approved, and in 2009 Greenland took over the responsibility of its own government, laws, and natural resources. In addition, Greenlands citizens were recognized as a separate culture of people, even though Denmark still controls Greenlands defense and  foreign affairs. Greenlands current  head of state is Denmarks queen, Margrethe II, but the Prime Minister of Greenland is Kim Kielsen, who serves as the head of the countrys autonomous government. Geography, Climate, and Topography Because of its very high latitude, Greenland has an arctic to a subarctic  climate  with cool summers and very cold winters. For example its capital, Nuuk, has an average January low temperature of 14 F (-10 C) and an average July high of just 50 F (9.9 C); because of this, its citizens can practice very little agriculture and most of its products are forage crops, greenhouse vegetables, sheep, reindeer, and fish, and Greenland mostly relies on imports from other countries. Greenlands topography is mainly flat but there is a narrow mountainous coast, with the highest point on the islands tallest mountain, Bunnbjà ¸rn Fjeld, which towers over the island nation at 12,139 feet. Additionally, most of Greenlands land area is covered by an ice sheet  and two-thirds of the country is subject to permafrost. This massive ice sheet found in Greenland is important to climate change and has made the region popular among scientists who have worked to drill ice cores in order to understand how the Earths climate has changed over time; also, because the country is covered with so much ice, it has the potential to significantly raise  sea levels  if the ice were to melt with  global warming.

TheLesson EugeneIonesco Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

TheLesson EugeneIonesco - Essay Example From the play, it is evident that the professor is also a domineering and violent person. He uses language to attack the student. HE shows his power and control in a very cruel manner (Ionesco 69). Later on in the lesson, he is also depicted as someone who easily loses his patience. It leads him into homicidal acts. The other character in the play is the pupil. The pupil is an 18 year old lady who wears a student smock with a white collar. During his first times in the class with the professor, she comes out as a very enthusiastic and hopeful person. She believes that the professor will help her pass the total â€Å"doctorate† exams. As the play progresses the pupil shows very absurd lack of common elementary knowledge (Ionesco 50). She does not know the capital city of France let alone the seasons of the year. As the lesson progresses, she surprisingly gets enough courage and equanimity to defy the professor. She does so with minimal success. The final character is the maid. She is a friendly and a loyal servant. She also comes out as considerate and caring person when she warns and advices the professor about his actions. The maid is submissive and this makes him accompany the professor even when he was going to engage in unacceptable acts. The power struggle in the Lesson by Eugene Ionesco comes out in the form of a satirized to â€Å"totalitarianism† in politics, education and language. The author sets it is a way that the professor only has one student at a time. This is itself is a demonstration of the control that the tutor was seeking over his student. He is teaching his student in a manner which is not only stifling but also very controlling. The professor talks nonsense and at the same time expects the student to be able to verbalize what he wants her to say. This theme in the play is meant to show how such practices have detrimental impact in the education settings.

Nietzsche's ideas to modern society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nietzsche's ideas to modern society - Essay Example He is the slave. Actions of free will contribute to dynamism without destruction. The weak-surrender and free-will cannot exist together. Can light and darkness remain at one place? When the light is switched on, the darkness has to go. No option is given to it whether to go or not. Similarly an individual, who knows the proper connotation of free will and acts accordingly, can do no wrong, even when he is gets the moral counseling from any other sources. He knows for certain -- that which is not practical cannot be religious either. Morality is the powerful and paradoxical force that dominates contemporary life. Nietzsche fails to judge morality in the correct perspective when he asserts (Nietzsche, 1998, p.23) â€Å"All naturalism is morality, i. e. every healthy morality, is governed by a vital instant—one or other life’s decree is fulfilled through a specific†¦.† Nietzsche’s method of interpretation and reach about the merits of morality itself is wrong. Just because counterfeit $500 is available in the market (their legal value is zero), one cannot term the original $500 currency as fake. Preaching morals, and telling to do this and not to that, is a process. Morals are not dropped from the heaven. It can at best be termed as the collective wisdom from practical experience of the Realized Souls. Just as a doctor or an engineer attains the professional degree after studying hard for a number of years, similar is the moral/spiritual practice. It is a ladder of progress to be climbed step by step, carefully. Highest reach of perfection is an attainable reality. Human beings live every minute of the existence amidst various temptations of life. With force and suppression, one can build an artificial barrier against passion and negative...Nietzsche’s explanation of morality can be compared to the exercise of explaining a fruit, without tasting it. What is important is experiencing directly to get at the truth. When an arg ument begins with wrong premises, its further steps are bound to be wrong and the final conclusion absolutely wrong! That is the position of Nietzsche when he articulates about morality. No moralist will tell one to walk back. The wise saying goes, do not run away to an ashram (hermitage) on the hills; create an ashram where you are! A moral/spiritual individual views life in its totality and not in parts. He knows that reason cannot penetrate the truth all by itself. It is only used as a tool to a limited extent. When intellectuals discuss and comment upon the subject of morality/spirituality, all such confusions are bound to happen. Nietzsche is an intellectual--a philosopher. His problems of understanding are to be sympathized, rather than condemned. By knocking at the portals of the mind, Nietzsche will not be able to understand the true meaning of morality. He has to transcend the mind, to experience the profound realms beyond the mind.

Sears and the dishwasher industry :: essays research papers

Where should Sears source the dishwashers from? Sears is the giant leading broad line retailer providing merchandise and related services. In keeping with its sourcing philosophy, Sears generally prefers to work with one, rather than multiple suppliers. When the supplier does not offer a specific type of appliance, Sears would source it somewhere else. Sears’ objective is to share as much as possible of the production and assembly process with the suppliers’ products. Based on the readings one important component of Sears’ sourcing strategy is to ensure that its suppliers have stable top management over a long term. Sears sources its dishwashers from D&M, because of D&M’s cost position. They would not find elsewhere the quality and the price that D&M offers. Sears itself designs the dishwashers based on the customer’s preferences and provides them the best quality with the best price named Kenmore. GE is the toughest competitor to Sears as well as to D&M and considering sourcing from GE would not be feasible, because GE’s policy is that GE product would carry GE name. Now GE is a customer of Sears that in the same time competes with Kenmore’s products. Another souring possibility could have been Whirlpool which like GE uses its name for its products, but for Sears it would not make economic sense to go towards that direction. After Sears, GE, and Whirlpool, there really is no full-line name in the market of any significance. Sears as well as the customers are content with D&M’s products, but one important issue could be if D&M will keep up with its R&D in order to continue competing with GE as well as with Whirlpool. After all these years it will be very difficult for Sears to pull back from D&M and go after another supplier.

Burial Practices Throughout the Ages

Society has always looked for a way to honor its dead. This has been the case since the earliest of times. There are rituals in all populations that mark the various passages each travel through in life. For instance, we mark an individual’s accomplishments in graduating from college, or getting married. It is no different in death. Death is the final passage that civilizations throughout history have found ways to honor. Burials and the ceremonies that commemorate them, offer the survivors an opportunity to pay homage to the life that has been lost.It gives them a chance to celebrate the deceased for accomplishments, life and family. The burial ceremony allows the survivors a chance to mourn, and express their grief to others. The ceremony helps those left behind to heal from the pain of the loss. From the early civilizations to the present, burial rituals have told us a great deal about the social behavior of the population. In most cases, children and elderly were buried ju st the same as the younger, stronger male. That tells us that the population valued its people and grieved their loss.In the middle and late Iron Age, burial practices reflected a diverse community. In the area that is now Britain, an individual was buried in two separate areas. For instance, there are areas where single bones are buried, as well as locations where the rest of the body is found. During the Iron Age, the breaking down of the human body indicated ritual activities. This was done at death or shortly after with the use of excarnation. Excarnation is allowing the body to be exposed until it reaches the skeleton stage. At that point, the cranium is usually first to separate from the body, followed by the feet and hands.This process will usually involve the chopping of skin, or soft tissue (Redfern, 2008). Once body parts are separated, the secondary burial can be completed. The body processing also included breaking bones to remove joint cartilage. Archeologists have noti ced that the bones found in secondary sites usually have cut marks, and fractures (Redfern, 2008). The Neanderthal was different in its method of dealing with the dead. In fact, the Neanderthal buried its dead in a painstaking ritual that occurred in stages with the consumption of the deceased person’s body parts.Nevertheless, the Neanderthal left gifts on the graves of those who died. Statistics indicate that 40 percent of the graves that archeologists have examined have been of the very old or very young. That fact indicates that the civilization valued both its elderly and children (Friedermann, Muller, Hemm, 2008). The burial practices of the pre-pottery Neolithic civilization found individuals buried in shallow graves. Some graves contained only one person while others contained many. Archeologists discovered 21 artifacts related to 15 graves in Atlit-Yam, on the Northern coast of Israel.Most of the items were tools, axes, and other household items. The graves at this si te were simple. There were a few secondary burial sites, as some skulls were detached from the body. The burial site was covered with lime plaster on its surface (Galili, Eshed, Goher, Hershkovitz, 2005). In the third millennium burial practices in the Oman peninsula feature tombs circular in shape with un-worked stone that had a single ring around it. The tomb had between two and ten chambers within it. One tomb at the site of Unar 1 was large enough to hold the bodies of 438 people.A smaller tomb found at Unn an-Nar Island only held between 34-48 individuals. Inside of the tombs, archeologists found ceramics, soft-stone objects, bronze, beads and shells. These items and burial method indicates a collective manner of living. There were some cremations discovered in this period as well (Blau, 2001). A burial cave found in the Aleutian Islands dated back to 390 BD. gives a glimpse into the function of the society. Inside the cave were found hearths and work places. Human bones had ar ranged stones around them. There was an additional stone arrangement at the back of the cave.In front of the cave, in the habitation area, animal bones and artifacts were found. The bodies were in a sarcophagus in wood or stone coffins. There is some discussion among scholars that cave burials may have been just for the better off (West, Lefevre, Corbett, Crockford, 2003). Burial rites in Sophocles’ Athens featured the use of tombs more than cemeteries. The tombs are found along roads or at passageways or gates. Antigone believed that all people are entitled to burial. The words tumbos and herion mean mounds of the land that cover the deceased and mark where the individual is buried. The word, taphos means the tomb.The grave or tomb generally was located in a public location. The idea that the dead should be separated in some way from those living is not a part of the Greek culture. However, late 5th century walls have been found that divide up tombs from one family to anothe r. Monuments always face the street or public square. The Romans of the same era prohibited the burial of any individual within the city. (Patterson, 2006). Murders in this era were executed for their crime. After execution, they were stoned and thrown out of the city without being buried. Suicide victims were buried but not provided a headstone.People of good standing were given ceremonies that featured songs. Then they were placed in a decorated tomb (Patterson, 2006). Heroes and those killed in battle were given a public funeral with games, oration, and sacrifices. Solon devised the rules for burial in Athens. He said the deceased should be laid out within his home. The next day, he would be carried out of the house on the board he was laying on. When they carry the dead out, men will walk in the front of the procession. Women walk behind. In addition, no woman under age 60 could enter the chamber of the dead, or the tomb.(Patterson, 2006). This is quite different from the days o f Jesus where women were in charge of caring for the dead. In Medieval times there is a diverse burial rite found in the use of boats with regional and temporal variations found. The Sutton Hoo Mound is a large ship-type grave. Most of the boats used were dugout logboats. Some of the civilizations used boat timbers or boat parts to cover the grave area (Brooks, 2007). Scandinavia is well-known for its adoption of burial by boat. The Swedes and Norwegians practiced boat cremations; however, such is rare in Anglo-Saxon areas.The exception to this is the site at Sutton Hoo Mount three. At that site there is a tree-trunk made like a coffin that was used for cremation (Brooks, 2007). By the time the 18th century came around, most people in England were buried in unmarked graves in a churchyard. The ground was consecrated and the service was performed by an Anglican clergyman. He used the book, â€Å"Book of Common Prayers† for the service. In 1689, however, the idea of personalize d funerals and pre-planned ceremonies came into being. The more affluent bought coffins. This lead to the development of the undertaker profession (Gitting, 2007).The very affluent built themselves a mausoleum on their land. The most famous ceremony was for John Knill, the mayor of St. Ives. He established a trust and asked that a ceremony be performed every five years. The ritual featured ten girls, who were under the age of ten. It also featured two widows, the vicar, and mayor and customs officer. All paraded to the mausoleum on top of a hill. The ceremony featured dancing, and singing, â€Å"Old Hundredth, â€Å"All people that on earth do dwell† (Gitting, 2007). Ironically, the ceremony was last completed in 2006. After the American Civil War, the ideal of embalming became popular.Prior to this Americans relied on the European methods establish for the preservation of the body. The use of embalming gave family a chance to look at the person one last time and accept his or her death. Embalming was used after Lincoln’s death to allow him to lie in state for individuals to witness, (Funeral Industry, n. d. ) In conclusion, burial rites of differing civilizations tell us a story of how the people lived, as well as how they died. It explains their values, and speaks to the kind of society they lived within. For example, south of Cairo a 5,000 year old tomb was discovered.Inside of the tomb archeologists found the bones of 10 donkeys. (Burial Site, 2008). This indicates the value this civilization placed on the role of the animals. Therefore, burial rites explain much about ancient civilizations, but also tell us a great deal about ourselves. Although the rituals may have changed, the overall purpose is the same and that is to honor the dead. References Blau, S. (2001). Fragmentary endings: a discussion of 3rd-millennium BC burial practices in the Oman Peninsula. Antiquity, 75, (289), 557 Brooks, S. (2007). Boat-nvets in graves in pre-Viking Kent : Reassessing Anglo-Saxon boat burial traditions.Medieval Archeology, 51, (1), 1-18 Burial site a high honour for a lowly beast. (2008). In Mac lean’s, 121, (16), 55 Friedermann, S. , Muller, S. , Hemm, C. (2008). The Neanderthals. New York, NY: Routledge Publishing Company Funeral Industry. (n. d. ) In Encyclopedia of Death and Dying. Retrieved April 30, 2010, from, http://wwwdeathreference,con/En-Gh/funeral-industry. htm Galili, E. , Eshed, V. , Gopher, A. , Hershkovitz, A. (2005). Burial practices of the submerged pre-pottery Neolithic C site of Atlit-Yam, Northern Coast of Israel. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 339, 1-19Gitting, C. (2007). Eccentric or Enlightened? Unusual burial and commemoration in England, 1689-1823. Mortality, 12, (4), 321-349 Patterson, C. (2006). The place and practice in burial in Sophocles’ Athens. Helios, 33, 9-48 Redfern, R. (2008). New evidence for Iron Age secondary burial practice and bone modification from Guss age, All Saints and Maiden Castle (Dorset, England). Oxford Journal of Archeology, 27, (3), 281-301 West, D. , Leferve, C. , Corbett, D. , Crockford, S. (2003). A burial cave in the western Aleutian Islands, Alaska. Artic Anthropology, 40, (1), 70