ancient mid-east history Essay -- essays research papers

History, or at least the study thereof, as shown by class, is divided into three specific categories: remembered, recovered and invented--each having their own benefits and downfalls. The main purpose of studying history is to gather information about the past; to see the cause and effects of different situations; to see how this information can be applied to our lives, to understand why and how and others think in certain ways; and thus eventually lead to a better appreciation different peoples—one way or another. It is also inprotant to realize that history is not just about ‘what-really-happened-in-the-past’, but is a complex intersection of truth, bias and hopes. Realizing that the major importance of history is rooted upon ideas or principles and not facts, dates or names, this course was designed not to address the material as the history of X region from X date to X date, but rather in an order and a manner that the student (in this case, me) could retain the most valuable ideas possible and learn them in a fashion most aptly suited to the students understanding of certain ideas and principles. I also realize the importance of the ideas and processes of history over the actual facts, names or dates within our study. Thus, in composing this capstone, I will attempt to use specific examples of course-material to exemplify what I thought was the main theme (themes) of the class, rather than attempting to go section by section and enumerate the material within. After all, I already have print copies of all of the course notes; if I wanted to go back and look at the any of the material covered, I can use those (note to my long-off-as-of-yet-self); therefore, it would be pointless for me to attempt restate all that was learned in all of the courses sections. With that stated, let us first look at one of the first cases of history as a science to see an exaple of the first type of history, remembered. Because he is one of the first men that we have found to attempt to record the past, we say that Herodotus is the â€Å"Father of History.† Herodotus’s works, â€Å"The Histories†, which are of form of both a remembered and invented are a record of primarily two things: the Persian Wars, and the Greeks’ double defeat of the mighty forces led against Greece by the Persian kings Darius and Xerxes. Just as any good entertaining story would, the histories are full of gos... ... Schliemann liars, because we do not trace our own personal values back to them—if they are found discreditable, that does not mean that anything that we believe in, or even ourselves, is threatened. However, put something that we cherish, for example the Christian Church, into the spotlight, and we quickly become very defensive and uncomfortable. Perhaps this says something about human nature, and more so, possibly says something about how our view of history could become perverted. Thus we see that history is much more than the study of â€Å"Dead White European Males†; it involves men and women from many different cultures, of many different lifestyles, the study of other related subjects such as language, writing and religion, it even at times requires one to be an expert on ceramics (as is the case of Denise Schmandt-Besserat's theory on the origins of cuneiform). The course has also provided invaluable information that has revealed the common background shared by some of the most dramatically contrasting civilizations of today. It is now up to the individual to use what he or she has learned from this class to better current society, and as an aid to comprehending other matters.

On the Job Training: Conclusion and Recommendation Essay

Computers are becoming in our life and one cannot image life without computers in today’s world. If you go in any establishment computers are all places. We can say that this kind of innovation assist each and every one of us uses to experience a well-situated life. Thus, we students also need to use different gadgets, devices or modern technologies in order to have an easy going life at school. A manual computation in a school won’t give us a quick computation. Grade is the primary need in every school all over the world. Grading is one of the most important activities a faculty member does. Many problems in teaching arise because of grading issues. In an educational institution it is important to save files and information in a perfectly secured and life-long place. An example of this information is the grades of the students. It is truly significant to place these grades in a suitable place like computers. Grades in computers can be processed, find and secure in a safe and immediate way. A grading system is an application where grades can be access and save safely by the authorize user. It is a system that can help a lot, not just the registrars but also to the teaching staff. There are many advantages of having a computerized system. Usually it allows work to be stored, edited, and stored without much effort. It can also cut down on some of the paper in an office or make things more automated. Given the new innovative way of technology, a series of Computerized Grading System, based on this system would document trend and thereby increase the potentials of the technology education curriculum. It may be advantageous for the schools to use this system that might conduct developmental related need of the learners. Here are the following recommendations of the Computerized Grading System. 1. To communicate the achievement status of students to parents and others. Grading and Reporting System provide parents and other interested persons with the information about their child’s progress in persons. To some extent, it also serves to involve parents in education process. 2. To provide information students can use for self-evaluation easily. This system offers students information about the level of their academic achievement and performance in school. 3. To provide evidence of students’ lack of effort or inappropriate responsibilities. The system is frequently used to  document unsuitable behaviours on the part of certain students, and some teachers threaten students with poor grades in an effort to coerce more acceptable behaviours. 4. To have a fully implemented program that will help to ease jobs. Instructors and that student can rely on having an accurate grade. Objective Grading Format Calculates individual student grades. Collects and displays data for Outcomes Assessments. 5. To eliminate the lag time between the submissions of grades. The purpose of this system is intended to reduce the delay time of computation and submission of grades. This Computerized Grading System has several advantages unlike the manual computation. All the tasks can be done efficiently, faster and error free. The proponents attempt to develop a Grading System that may eliminate the word â€Å"manual†. Another feature is the automatic importing of grades from the instructor’s class record and printing it in different forms, unlike the current system wherein they need to write everything and present everything in person.

What is Sociology Essays - 665 Words

What is Sociology? After reviewing the article titles given for this first assignment, I believe they indicate that Sociology, generally speaking, is not only a study of diversity or commonality in traits among people; it is also a science about factors in a person’s life and how these factors culminate responses. Interestingly enough, its topics of concern seem to be directly determined by current and common events of the world. Through the invention and expansion of new ideas, popular trends and fashions through time, Sociology adapts to responsibly to service the very subjects of interest it studies; for, even the slightest change of a person’s daily experience can have an insurmountable impact on attitude, personal growth, family†¦show more content†¦How has Sociology changed? According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2010), Sociology is referred to as â€Å".the systematic study of the development, structure, interaction, and collective behavi or of organized groups of human beings† (para. 1); however, the transformable qualities of this science are not represented by this definition, as they should be. To best understand these changes, we must first consider changes within people as study objects; for as previously stated, Sociology changes in ways which are commensurate to changes in the world around it. For example, during the 1970’s, single parent households did exist, but these arrangements were considered to be the exception, not the rule. In contrast, today’s family structures are as diverse as the people within them. Given that it has become routine for some parents to live separately, and couples of same sex marriages are now common place, unique areas of consideration have opened up and are in need of further scrutiny. Through updated theories and advanced equipment, inventive techniques have been applied to study people adjoined to the modernized world they live in. Also, social sciences have fundamentally altered their beliefs of acceptability and acknowledgedShow MoreRelatedWhat is Sociology?1169 Words   |  5 Pages . Introduction Sociology is described by Layder (2006, p.1) as being â€Å"How the encounters of everyday life and individual behaviour influence, and are influenced by, the wider social environment in which we live† Bauman May (2001. p.1) describe a visual image of the output of sociology, as being a â€Å"collection of books in a library†. The discussion within this collection broadly follows main concepts and perspectives, with many authors, but also of key peer tested Authors. I will initiallyRead MoreWhat Is Sociology?1062 Words   |  5 PagesWhat is sociology? We can start by saying that sociology is the systematic study of human society. Sociology should be more than you find in a good documentary on a social issue. It is certainly more than listings of facts and figures about society. Instead it becomes a form of consciousness a way of thinking, a critical way of seeing the social. Seeing the general in the particular. In his short book ‘Invitation to Sociology’(1963) characterized the sociological perspective as seeing the generalRead MoreWhat Is Sociology?507 Words   |  2 PagesIn this paper, I will describe sociology and the three main idea of sociology such as social forces, culture and social structure that I think will best explain the goals of sociology. Sociology is like the mother science which has amalgamated into it every aspect of human life. These different facets of social interactions have developed into different disciplines or subjects. Therefore, sociology is the foundation of the social sciences. All the human behavior and response are social and the subjectRead MoreWhat Is the Importance of Studying Sociology?967 Words   |  4 PagesWhat is the importance of studying sociology? Of the various social sciences, sociology seems to be the youngest. It is gradually developing. Still it has remarkable progress. Its uses are recognized widely today. In modern times, there is a growing realization of the importance of the scientific study of social phenomena and the means of promoting what Prof. Giddings calls human adequacy (human welfare). The study of sociology has a great value especially in modern complex society. Some of theRead MoreWhat Does Sociology Mean?1585 Words   |  7 PagesTerm Paper What does sociology mean? According to Andersen, Taylor (2013, p. 4) â€Å"sociology is the study of human behavior in society†. In this paper, I will talk about some concept and topic such as inequality (social class, social mobility, gender, race and ethnicity), work, economy, marriage, and family. Inequality In my country Saudi Arabia, there is inequality, and it is affected peoples lives. I used to work for Saudi Airlines for five years. In that period, I experienced inequality suchRead MoreEssay about What Makes Sociology Different?856 Words   |  4 Pages Before commencing a discussion on analyzing the article â€Å"What makes sociology a different discipline† from the other sciences we should have the know-how about sociology. In the words of modern thinkers of sociology namely Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim â€Å"Social fact should be the subject matter for the study of social life and can provide explanations for human thinking and behavior (p19)†. What we infer from the above definition is that man is born as a social animal. Man cannot liveRead MoreWhat I Learned About Sex, Social Work And Sociology1347 Words   |  6 PagesEager to sign up for classes, I looked through the Degree Audit and noticed I needed a class to fit under sociology. When I realized Human Sexuality was crossed linked with psychology, social work and sociology, I immediately added the class to my course cart. I thought to myself, â€Å"A class about sex? Easy A.† Little did I know the great impact this course would have on me. H uman Sexuality has increased my general knowledge about the sex act itself, it has forced me to acknowledge different viewsRead MoreWhat did Georg Simmel seek to demonstrate through his â€Å"formal† sociology?1582 Words   |  7 PagesWhat did Georg Simmel seek to demonstrate through his â€Å"formal† sociology? Georg Simmel (1858 - 1918) was living in Berlin at a time when Sociology was beginning to form as a science, most notably with the work of Comte setting up the positivist methodology of studying society. In the intellectual world he was an outsider and struggled, becoming a full professor without a chair only in 1901. Through formal sociology Simmel was proposing an alternative way of thinking to his contemporaries.Read MoreWhat Was the main theme of max webers sociology? Analysis of the Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalismand webers rationality theory.1738 Words   |  7 Pagesof the world, and to examine the different aspects of such a society. Weber argued that sociology was inevitably a subjective science that was dominated by the importance of the individual; this belief led him to employ very unique methods of analysis. In order to fully understand some of Webers key ideas, it is necessary to quickly look at his very unique methodology. Notably, Webers basic view of Sociology was quite different to his contemporaries, most distinctly to Emil Durkheim, as he didntRead MoreSociology Of Education As A Social Institution1489 Words   |  6 PagesSociology of education The sociology of education is a diverse and vibrant subfield that features theory and research focused on how education as a social institution is affected by and affects other social institutions and the social structure overall, and how various social forces shape the policies, practices, and outcomes of schooling (www.thoughtco.com). Sociology of education is the systematic study of educational system within the broader social context. At the heart of sociology is a special

Literary Analysis The Lesson - 774 Words

Celia Kane 3/09/2012 Eng 120 Section B01 Spring 2012 Literary Analysis Essay 2 â€Å"The Lesson†: Significance of Miss Moore Taking the Children to New Environments The predominant theme in â€Å"The Lesson† composed by Toni Cade Bambara is creating an understanding to adolescents of all the opportunities life has to offer; a lesson on social class and having a choice which society you choose to live in. Miss. Moore who takes on the responsibility to educate the young ones has intentions of more than just taking the children to the store for amusement. Miss Moore s informal lessons are aimed at educating the neighborhood children about how their lives differ from those of rich white children, nonetheless Miss Moore wants the†¦show more content†¦She used F.A.O. Schwarz, a very expensive toy store, to teach them a lesson and inspire them to strive for success and attempt to better themselves and their situations. The extreme differences between the children s neighborhood and the neighborhood of the toy store are first illustrated by the fact that the white people on Fifth Avenue wear furs and stockings even on a hot summer s day. â€Å"Then we check out that we on Fifth Avenue and everybody dressed up in stockings. One lady in a fur coat, hot as it is†(Bambara 99). The children are thrown off balance in this neighborhood, as if it were a foreign country where even the approach to temperature is different. To Miss Moore, education is the key to more money and improved social conditions. To Sylvia, being educated means seeing things as they are. Sylvia and Miss Moore both have a considerable amount of pride. Sylvia thinks Miss Moore shows disrespect when she describes their neighborhood as a slum and their families as poor. Bambara has indicated that Sylvia s family is striving for better conditions through the mention of the piano rental. Miss Moore views the children s acceptance of their economic condition as ignorance and their ignorance as disrespect for their race. Miss Moore wants to change this attitude and encourages the children to demand more from the society that keeps them down. By the end of the story, both of these characters have made their points. Sylvia realizesShow MoreRelatedA Lesson Before Dying Literary Analysis1450 Words   |  6 Pagesof control, it leads to depression and misery in the relationship. This is proven through the themes and symbolism used in the stories Lesson before Dying, The fun they had, The strangers that came to town, and Dolls house through the median of three major unsuccessful relationship: racial tension between the African Americans and the caucasians in the novel Lesson before Dying, Doll’s House demonstrates a controlling relationship can be detrimental for both individuals and The Stranger That CameRead MoreA Lesson Before Dying Literary Analysis1593 Words   |  7 Pages In past years, as well as, in the twenty-first century, African Americans are being oppressed and judged based on the color of their skin. In, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, this is the primary conflict that plagues Jefferson’s as well as Grant’s everyday life. By pleading guilty to a murder that he did not commit, Jefferson has to choose to die just as he is, a hog in the white’s eyes, or die a man. On the other hand, Grant, who is his teacher, is faced with being looked down uponRead MoreA Literary Analysis of Three Lessons Learned in Rime of the Ancient Mariner531 Words   |à ‚  3 PagesThroughout our lives, we learn many different lessons. Whether it is a lesson learned from your consequences, like doing drugs, or getting a speeding ticket for driving too fast in a school zone, everyone learns lessons in their lives. One lesson that I have learned in particular is when I didn’t ask permission to go hang out with friends. My parents were both at work, and I couldn’t get contact either of them, so I decided on my own that I should be able to hang out with some friends because I hadRead MoreHow Can Confessional Poetry Help Us Express Ideas And Beliefs We Wish Our Teachers Know?1056 Words   |  5 PagesPreviously acquired knowledge and skills applied in this lesson - Literary Elements: tone, theme, mood, author’s purpose, repetition - Poetry Analysis Elements: speaker, impression, context - Students must actively participate in classroom discussion and respond to teacher and peers in a respectful and educational manner. - Open-ended exit ticket response Goals, Objectives, and Standards 1. Academic goal(s): How can confessional poetry help us express ideas and beliefs we wish our teachers knewRead MoreGospel of Luke Analysis660 Words   |  3 Pagesmood or attitude reflected in a literary work; it is important in identifying how the author approaches a subject and conveys it to readers. (Clugston, 2010)) of moral theme. Throughout the story we see examples of jealousy, envy, regret, forgiveness and a father’s undying love. I will use the Formalist approach for my analysis of this story. The formalist approach is most widely used in literary criticism; it focuses on the form and development of the literary work itself. (Clugston, 2010) Read MoreStudent B As A Reader1392 Words   |  6 PagesStudent B As a Reader Student B is an 8th grade 14-year-old student in Class 2 who exceeded the standards on the previous year’s Smarter Balance Assessment and continues to excel in class. She only needs to hear the lesson once to gain comprehension. I tailor each lesson of my 48 minute class so that students listen, speak, write, read and move each day, which helps student engagement.. Student B and I often run into each other at the only bookstore in our small town. She reads two to four hoursRead MoreLiterary Analysis : Critical Analysis Of Richard Cory1472 Words   |  6 PagesCritical Analysis on â€Å"Richard Cory† The phrase, â€Å"Money doesn’t buy you happiness,† is commonly spoken when people think money is the key to being happy. With that being said, in the poem â€Å"Richard Cory† by Edwin Arlington Robinson, the use of anaphora, situational irony, and repetition are all literary devices present in the poem to demonstrate that people are not always the way we perceive them. Furthermore, the poem â€Å"Richard Cory† is about a man who seems to be an aristocrat figure but utilizingRead MoreThe Richer the Poorer1009 Words   |  5 Pagesdevelops a single idea† (Dowling Central, n.d.). Dorothy West, an author of many short stories, has entertained and taught many lessons throughout her writings. This paper will discuss West’s short story, â€Å"The Richer, The Poorer.† In addition, this paper will examine the entertainment value of this story as it relates to the lesson it teaches to the reader by discussing the literary elements found in â⠂¬Å"The Richer, The Poorer.† The first element that this paper will discuss is the plot. â€Å"The plot shows howRead MoreLesson Plan: Graphic Organizer668 Words   |  3 PagesCircles overlap to find similarities and differences Part B Lesson is on World Myths. In this lesson, we explain that myths are the worlds oldest stories. For this example, we might look at a specific set of myths; say Navajo American Indian and Inuit (Eskimo) and read stories about the creation of the world from each point of view. Learning Targets, Aims and Objectives As students become more familiar with understand an authors literary devices, they will be able to interpret deeper meaning fromRead MoreAnalysis Of Mark Twain s The Five Boons Of Life 1091 Words   |  5 PagesTwain was one of many great authors of his time. Twain was born November 30, 1835 (â€Å"Literary Analysis†).Twain had grown up in Missouri, one of only fifteen slave states, during the Civil War. He was one of eleven children. He spent most of his childhood ill and confined to bed (â€Å"Literary Analysis†).Twain’s father died when he was twelve, leaving him to have to search for a job to care for his family (â€Å"Literary Analysis†). During these times all were experiencing, racism, lynch mobs, hangings, and general

Comparing 3 Short Films - 1533 Words

Explore how Stalker-Lewis Farinella(2008), Lovefield-Matthieu Ratthe(2008) and Vanished-NewDawnFilm(2010) conform and deviate from horror genre conventions. The aim of this research investigation into genre is to gain an understanding in the way that horror films are constructed and created to effectively represent the genre to its audience. This will expand my understanding of how technical, audio codes, setting and characterization are frequently used in constructing a piece of media text to either reinforce or deviate from stereotypes and audiences expectations. Bateman states that Audiences are said to like the concept of genre (although we may not identify it by that name) because of its reassuring and familiar promise of†¦show more content†¦This technical code positions the audience to feel suspense created by the situation the characters are in. The narrative structure of a horror films generically follow a linear sequence, showing events within a chronological order enabling the audience to understand the cause and effect of events easily. The idea of narrative is represented in Rayners quote, Narrative ends to be associated with the way a fictional story is told in terms of how events unfold and are revealed to the audience. (Rayner, Wall and Kruger, 2004, pg28) Conforming to this quote is Lovefield the audience can establish the beginning, middle and end events. Propps theory of character functions are used so that the audience can relate to a stereotype as it allows them to identify with the roles of characters and whether they should be emotive towards them. This theory can be easily applied to my other piece of media text, Stalker. On identifying a person as having the identifying media characteristics... we then attribute the stereotypical characteristics to them (P.R. Hinton, 2000, pg7/8) this is highlighted vi sually through props (use of mask) the character is depicted to be the classical villain; he is very masculine and dismissive of the human race. The mask conceals the identity of the person beneath creating an enigma code, however due to previous villains being associated with masks, the audience become fixatedShow MoreRelatedComparing the Shower Scene from Psycho with the Boat Scene from Jaws918 Words   |  4 PagesComparing the Shower Scene from Psycho with the Boat Scene from Jaws I have chosen the second question compare the famous shower scene from Psycho with the boat scene from Jaws. How do the directors build up tension here? I am going to compare various things such as camera angles/shots, music, lightning, long and short edits, dramatic irony and sound. Jaws is a film about 3 brave men set out to kill a man eating shark who seems to be unconquerable as it has killedRead MoreThe Music Of Music Videos1557 Words   |  7 Pagestechnologies, social media and politics. Thus, artists throughout time have taken advantage of music videos in order to use it as a site for debates about politics of representation. Nowadays the majority of music videos are transforming and turning into short films and art in order for the artists to express themselves through this function. A music video that illustrates these media contexts is Justin Timberlake’s song â€Å"What Goes Around†. This essay will firstly describe this music video and how it has broadenedRead MoreCommunication : The 3 Idiots1577 Words   |  7 Pages â€Å"The 3-Idiots.† Brianna Medley CRN: 55723â€Æ' Communication in â€Å"The 3-Idiots.† Communication is the conveyance of messages from one party to another. However, for communication to be effective, it must reach its intended target and achieve the desired results. Therefore, communication is a fundamental factor in the film shooting and development that ensures that the audience receives the intended communication and reacts to the message as expected. According to Taylor Joseph (2009), communicationRead MoreHorror and Figurative Language in The Tell Tale Heart1288 Words   |  6 PagesHorror and Figurative Language in The Tale-Tell Heart Dreadfully chilling, The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe is a horrific short story that introduces the reader to an utterly mad narrator who is driven to commit vile and heinous acts because of his unnatural obsession with his roommates, an old man, cataract eye. The narrators madness is revealed instantly, only to be substantiated when he devises a sinister plan to rid himself of the vulture eye forever. After seven nights of watchingRead MoreClimate Change Is A Hot862 Words   |  4 PagesAssignment 3: Climate Change Global climate change is a hot (pun intended) topic in today’s modern, industrialized world. This topic however is crowded with lots of baseless opinions and politicized debates. Even when observing the â€Å"facts† we see that this coin is most definitely two-sided, the information can be and is interpreted in a number of ways depending on which side of the issue you stand. Within this paper I am going to examine both sides of argument with sources from two films, â€Å"Are WeRead MoreLetter from and Unknown Woman Essay1287 Words   |  6 PagesLetter from an Unknown Woman (Max Ophà ¼ls; 1948 United States) is a melodrama film that revolves around a woman’s love for a man who does not acknowledge her existence. Like the other films Max Ophà ¼ls directed in America, Letter from an Unknown Woman focuses on â€Å"impossible love† (Danks, n.d. p. 98). 1. The Shot The particular shot chosen from the film to analyse is the shot after Lisa Berndle (Joan Fontaine) rejected Lieutenant Leopold von Kaltnegger’s (John Good) proposal, and they walk towards FrauRead MoreThe Illusion Of Popular Culture983 Words   |  4 Pageshas actually created confusion in the eyes of the masses. I will start by comparing the â€Å"Turkish Dance, Ella Lola† which is a short film of a woman dancing made in 1898 with 1850s megastars Madame Clofullia and Jenny â€Å"Swedish Nightingale† Lind, then I will compare the film to the â€Å"New Women† of Barnum and Bailey as well as early 20th century women. In order to fully understand my argument it is necessary to analyze the film by itself. The â€Å"Turkish dance, Ella Lola† is a video of a young woman dancingRead MoreThe Book Smarter s Is Pointed Out By Robert Stam1493 Words   |  6 PagesÊ ½The book was betterÊ ¼ is pointed out by Robert Stam as one of the most common made statements comparing a novel and itÊ ¼s cinematic adaptation. Therefore, a clear focus on the loss rather than a gain can be detected.1 The notion of fidelity between a novel and the adaptation seems to generally have a high importance to the masses; one can be disappointed if the adaptation does not meet personal expectations such as narrative, thematic and aesthetic features.2 Fidelity between a literary and a cinematicRead MoreBigfoot : An Urban Myth Or The Missing Legend Of The Human Revolution?1317 Words   |  6 Pagesa legend. With the advancement in technology in the 21st century, scientists are able to find new concrete evidence, indica ting that Bigfoot is authentic. Based on compelling details by expert Bill Munns during film analysis that captures a depiction of a Sasquatch in the first popular film taken by Roger Patterson and Robert â€Å"Bill† Gimlin in 1967 at Bluff Creek, California which exhibits an unidentified ape-like species that is not just a man in an ape costume. Not convinced? Consider the conclusiveRead MoreComparison of X-Ray and Ultrasound1217 Words   |  5 Pagesfrequencies. The below table examines some of the differences between x-rays and ultrasound by comparing their wave properties. | X-Rays | Ultrasound | Type of waves | electromagnetic waves | Longitudinal mechanical waves | Electromagnetic Spectrum | Part of the EM spectrum | Not part of the EM spectrum | Wavelength (m) | 10 -13 – 10 -8 | Varies but all are short wavelengths | Frequency (Hz) | 3 x 1016 - 3 x 1019 | 1 to 15 Mhz (medical purposes) | Energy (J) | 2 x 10-17 - 2 x 10-14 | Varies

Pilgrimage Toward Social Equality Free Essays

The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 declaring African’s freedom from slavery and officially making them part of the United States was mandated a century prior to Martin Luther King Jr’s historical speech calling for social justice and abolition of racial discrimination against African Americans. Between the two historical periods, the black communities all over America have suffered subtle and savage forms of discrimination and oppression from the whites. The black community strived to seal their place in society amidst hostility and negative criticisms. We will write a custom essay sample on Pilgrimage Toward Social Equality or any similar topic only for you Order Now One short story that very well illustrates their struggles is Ralph Ellison’s Battle Royal. The story provides a very descriptive narration of a black man’s pilgrimage to overcome oppression from an overly-racist community ruled by the economically-powerful white men and to find his opportunity to shape the destiny of his people. This paper aims to provide a vivid presentation of inhumane and savage oppression that the African Americans encountered in Southern America before gaining their voice and place in American society. Battle Royal was narrated in a first-person perspective with a nameless narrator. He suggests that twenty years back, he has been struggling to find his own identity through other people’s acceptance and affirmation. He further explained that his dilemma for self discovery rooted from his grandfather’s last words on his deathbed, â€Å"Live with your head in the lion’s mouth. I want you to overcome ‘em, with yeses, undermine ‘em with grins, agree ‘em to death and destruction. Let ‘em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open. † (Ellison, 2000, p 935) He calls his grandfather’s lines a â€Å"curse† haunting him whenever he feels accepted as the narrator describes, â€Å"When I was praised for my conduct, I felt a guilt that in some way, I was doing something that was really against the wishes of the white folks, that if they had understood they would have desired me to act just the opposite, that I should have been sulky and mean, and that they really would have been what they wanted, even though they were fooled and thought they wanted me to act as I did. †(Ellison, 936) The narrator’s statement represents his mindset of his actions and attitude toward the white folks. His current partially confused mindset is influenced by his grandfather’s words. In layman’s term, his grandfather’s words can be translated to a call to action to fight a good fight by acting according to the opponent’s will until they take you all in with acceptance until they destruct themselves in their own volition. One such incident where the orator became accepted and triumphant is when he delivered a graduation speech, which he describes by saying, â€Å"On my graduation day I delivered an oration in which I showed that humility was the secret, indeed, the very essence of progress. (Not that I believed this — how could I, remembering my grandfather? — I only believed that it worked)† (Ellison 938). His speech received accolades from his professors that he was given the opportunity to deliver it again in a â€Å"gathering of the town’s most leading white citizens†. When he arrived at the venue where he was supposed to deliver his speech, he was informed that before delivering his speech, he needs to join the Battle Royal. The hotel he’s in at that moment was indeed full of economically powerful people all dressed up with their tuxedos, intoxicating themselves with whiskey, and getting themselves a good spot among the chairs neatly lined up along the three corners of the ring. Inside the ring, a pool of black men were lined up blindfolded and were forced to do engage in a violent boxing war against each other. After torturous moments of fighting like headless chickens on the ring, the narrator was able to see slightly behind his blindfold. His awareness enabled him to keep a good fight without drawing attention to himself so the white men wouldn’t notice that he’s starting to dodge his hits. In the end of the first round, the narrator remained on the ring together with the biggest boy in the group to fight. While they were fighting it out on the ring, the narrator tried to negotiate with his opponent by scripting the fight and he’ll give him a proportion of the winning pot. His opponent refused and they continued to fight until the narrator was knocked out. Allegorically, the narrator’s unexpected battle before delivering his speech is a symbolic representation of the African American’s years of pains and struggles before they were given the chance to be heard. The battle royal may well represent the fights that black men wage against each other just to gain money, position, and prominence, as is the case of the narrator’s opponent. The concept of the fighters blindfolded can be allusion to some of the black men’s blindness of allowing the economically powerful white men to use them as a means of entertainment as if they were freaks of nature. After the first round, the fighters were then called out again for another round of activity where they were attracted to scourge over gold coins and bills scattered in a rug. They urged the fighters to gather the coins for themselves saying it’s all good â€Å"American cash†. In the process, they soon discovered that the rug was electrified. This narration emphasized the white men’s racism through barbaric treatment to the black men, as they treat them like animals. When the show ended, all the participants were paid and the narrator was about to leave the nightmare when the MC called him back to deliver his speech in the congregation of intoxicated people who have earlier gained pleasure through his pains. The narrator proceeded to deliver his Booker T. Washington inspired speech while trying to conceal his aching physique while gulping down his blood. The narrator described that his audience continued with their incessant chatting and laughter as he delivers his speech and though he was tempted to do something else, the presence of the school superintendent who is still closely listening to him kept him going. In the process of his oration and swallowing his own blood, the narrator accidentally yelled â€Å"social equality†, a phrase had â€Å"often seen denounced in newspaper editorials, heard debated in public. † (Ellison, 940) Upon uttering the word, a deep silenced covered the whole room and the narrator received hostile reactions from his intoxicated audience, until a mustached man asked him upfront what he just said, and he got the chance to correct himself. The interrogator then asked him if he’s not being smart and that social equality was indeed a mistake. The narrator nodded and the man dropped this statement, â€Å"We mean to do right by you, but you’ve got to know your place at all times. † (Ellison, 944) This man’s powerful statement is a general representation of the white men’s attitude towards racism over the negroes. They are aware of such discrimination, but they gain pleasure in treating them as inferior human beings as it constantly feeds them the feeling of superiority and power. The man’s statement may mean well as to change the narrator’s current status but he commands him to keep his head and mouth in its’ proper place. Upon the end of his speech, he was greeted with applauses as if the entire audience listened with so much enthusiasm to his speech. The school superintendent then came up to the stage to present him with a gift- a scholarship to the State College of Negroes. He then turned to the narrator and addressed him, â€Å"Prize it. Keep developing as you are and someday, it will be filled with important papers that will help shape the destiny of your people. † (Ellison, 947) The scholarship the narrator received is a symbol of an opportunity presented to him to â€Å"shape the destiny of his people†. That by going to college, he might become more knowledgeable and able so as to create a better society for his people. The scholarship becomes the first step to his pilgrimage towards social equality. Battle Royal is a very compelling short story that Ralph Ellison eventually made it the first chapter of his greatly-acclaimed novel, the â€Å"Invisible Man†. Every black man in that horrifying period might have been represented by the nameless narrator and all the pain he was inflicted during the Battle Royal is a representation of every black man’s pain and struggle for years. If the readers at that period view it as an allegory to the harsh conditions of the African American people within the American society, it would have been a wakeup call to those who were oppressed to unite and to those oppressors to change the society. References: Ellison, Ralph. â€Å"Battle Royal. † Making Literature Matter. Ed. John Schilb and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford, 2000. Ellison, Ralph Waldo. Invisible Man. New York: Random House, 1952. How to cite Pilgrimage Toward Social Equality, Papers

Darwinian Snails Lab free essay sample

Modified by John Braverman from EvoBeaker Introduction The flat periwinkle is a small snail that lives on seaweeds growing on rocky shores in New England. Among the snail’s enemies is the European green crab. As its name suggests, the European green crab is not native to North America. It traveled from Europe early in the 19th century. Before 1900, the green crab did not occur north of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. After the turn of the century, however, the crab expanded its range northward, and is now found as far north as Nova Scotia. The crab’s range expansion introduced periwinkle populations north of Cape Cod to a new predator. Biologist Robin Seeley suspected that New England’s periwinkle populations have evolved due to predation by green crabs. In a museum, Seeley found an 1871 collection of periwinkles from Appledore Island, north of Cape Cod. She compared these old shells to new shells she had gathered herself at the same place. We will write a custom essay sample on Darwinian Snails Lab or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Seeley measured the thickness of each shell. As the graphs and photos in the illustration (reprinted from Seeley, 1986) show, the snail population on Appledore Island in the early 1980s was, indeed, dramatically different from the snail population that was there in 1871. The snails had, on average, shells that were thicker than those of their ancestors. The 1980s population also showed a somewhat smaller range of variation in shell thickness. The flat periwinkles living on Appledore in the early 1980s were descendants of the snails that were living there in 1871. Therefore, we can describe the change in the population as descent with modification, or evolution. Figure. Results of Robin Seeley’s research. Note the figure on the right is called a histogram. See text for more information. How did this descent with modification, this evolution, happen? The mechanism of evolution is the subject of this lab. You will do experiments on a model population to explore how evolution works. Then you will return to Seeley’s flat periwinkles to see how the model applies to them. Instructions: Follow along this document and do the experiments and exercises. Write your answers on a print-out, type them in this very document, type them in a blank Word document, or do both hardcopy and computer document. The exercises require some screenshots, so you will need at least one computer file for that. Submit computer files through Blackboard. You may work in pairs, but each student must turn in a document. This counts as the second reflection paper. The last two questions should be done individually, as indicated. If you do not have time to complete this lab in class, you may come and use the software in SC 209 at other times. Contact Fr. Braverman if you need access. Exercise 1: A Model of Evolution by Natural Selection [ 1 ] Launch the SIMBIO VIRTUAL LABS program. Select DARWINIAN SNAILS from the EvoBeaker Labs option. [ 2 ] You will see a population of snails scattered around the Rocky Coastline on the left. Take a closer look at these snails by double-clicking on one of the snails. A window will pop up showing you an enlarged view of that snail and the thickness of its shell. Examine at least 9 other snails in this way. [ 1. 2. 1 ] Which shell thicknesses are most common? Which are least common? 5 units is the most common thickness of the shell with 16 snails, while the least common thickness of the shell is 7 units, with 1 snail. The most common thickness seems to pile up in the middle units around 5 while the thinnest shell seems to tail off at the ends at 1 and 8. [ 3 ] Look at the histogram on the right side of the screen. This sorts the snails on the coastline by shell thickness, and shows the number of snails in each category. [ 1. 3. 1 ] Are the proportions of snails with different shell thicknesses in the histogram similar to the sample of snails you examined in Question 2. 1? Yes there are the same proportion of snails in the picture as the histogram. You will now become a European green crab! You will feel especially crabby if you are not getting enough to eat, and the best snacks available on the coastline are these tasty looking snails. All you have to do is crack their shells by pounding on them with your claw. [ 4 ] Before beginning your feast, copy the histogram of shell thicknesses and save it in a text document. To do this, move your mouse to the center of the histogram, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (OSX) and select â€Å"Copy View to Clipboard†. Finally, open a new document in your word processor and use the paste command to paste the histogram into the document. Label this graph Exercise 1: Starting Population so that you remember what the snails looked like when you first got to the Coastline. Exercise 1: Starting Population [ 1. 4. 1 ] First, make a prediction. What do you think will happen to the shell thickness distribution in this population of snails as you eat some of them? I think that we will see the graph becoming skewed to the right as snails with thinner shells are those that will become easier targets and less work to eat. [ 5 ] Begin the simulation by clicking the GO button (the left-most button in the Controls panel). The snails will start to crawl around. The starting population size is 50, as shown by the Current Snail Population item below the Coastline. [ 6 ] Get your claw ready for action by clicking on the CLAW tool (the crab claw button in the Tools panel). You are now officially a European green crab. [ 7 ] Find a snail you want to eat and start clicking on it. When you claw at it enough times, the shell will crack, you’ll eat what’s inside, and the snail will disappear. The CURRENT SNAIL POPULATION will also show that there is one fewer snail on the Coastline. [ 8 ] Notice the CRAB HAPPINESS SCORE below the Coastline. This score will go up every time you eat a snail, but it will go down every time you click on a snail with your claw, because the more effort you expend to get your meal, the ‘crabbier’ you become. The coastline started with 50 snails, and it takes 25 snails to fill you up. Keep eating snails until you have eaten 25 (with 25 remaining), and try to maximize your CRAB HAPPINESS SCORE while doing this. [1. 8. 1 ] Do you notice any differences in the histogram of shell thicknesses now compared to the starting snail population? If so, explain why this change happened. Yes the distribution of shell thickness drastically changed. There were no snails left with a shell thickness of 1 or 2. The distribution because skewed to the right because those with thicker shells survived more easily than those with a thinner shell because the crab needed to put in much more work to eat those with a thicker shell than those with a thinner shell. [ 9 ] You, the crab, go away for a while after your big meal, and the snails have a chance to reproduce. Stop the model by clicking the STOP button (the square button in the Controls panel). Then allow the snails to reproduce by clicking the REPRODUCE button. Each of the surviving snails generates two new snails by cloning, then dies.