Characteristics of Religion

The quest for answers to the meaning of life is universal. It is not surprising then that the world’s major Religious Traditions share many characteristics. Using the characteristic headings from the Oxford Studies of Religion text book: -Name each of the characteristics of religion. -Write a comprehensive definition for each characteristic. For each characteristic, give TWO detailed examples from the Christian tradition, and ONE detailed example from another tradition. 1 ? – 2 pages) Religion provides us with a set of beliefs, values and attitudes, a focal point for developing ritual as well as a variety of social networks therefore giving us a purpose to our lives. Religion comprises of four main characteristics, including beliefs and believers, sacred texts and writings, ethics and rituals and ceremonies. All religions are sustained by beliefs and its believers. It is often the belief in one or many Gods that defines a religion. It may not only be the belief in one deity, such as the Christian and Islamic faiths, but could be the belief in more than one divine being, as seen in Ancient Greek Polytheism. Christians believe that there is only one God, and he created everything, all that is seen and unseen, from cats and dogs to the air we breathe. Alternatively, in Ancient Greek Polytheism, there were many Gods, each responsible for a certain part of nature. For example, Poseidon, was the God of the Sea and it was believed that he controlled everything to do with the sea from waves to sea creatures. Another example of Christian belief is that Jesus of Nazareth, the son of God, was crucified, suffered death and was buried. In most religions, believers derive majority of their basic beliefs from the sacred texts and writings specific to their religion. Sacred texts are texts which both dictate beliefs and are of central importance to a certain religion or religions. All religions have sacred texts from which they get their basic beliefs. There are three main types of sacred stories. These include myths which are often about the formation of the universe, legends that often include sacred and key figures and parables which generally have layers of meaning that believers try to shape their lives around. Often, these texts are believed to be supernaturally inspired. For example, majority of the writings in the Christian Bible, are about or by people who are directly in contact with God. The Bible is a point of reference for Christians to the regulations of their religion, for example the Ten Commandments or the Beatitudes. The Bible is split into two books, the New and Old Testament, both of which are considered sacred. Whilst the Bible is the main source of writings for Christians, the Qu’ran, which is about the length of the New Testament, include most of the divine revelations received by Muhammad from his first encounter with the angel Gabriel, until his death. Another example of a sacred Christian text is the Didache. This sacred text, also known as the Doctrine of the Twelve Apostles, was written in the first century and persuades its readers to choose Life over Death. The Didache was considered from entry into the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The sacred text and writings of religions often provide its believers with a set of ethics and a way to live and behave as well as traditions to follow within the religion. Ethics are the rules of conduct based on ideas of right and wrong and are recognised to belong to a particular class of human actions or a particular group. Central to any religion, their purpose is to determine right from wrong and to clarify what believers should do freely and what they should refrain from doing. Ethics usually vary from religion as they generally originate from sacred texts, ancestors etc and dictate what is morally correct in society. The main sources of ethics for Christians are the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. The Ten Commandments list ways in which Christians should pay respect to God and those around them. For example, the first commandment is â€Å"I am the LORD your God. You shall have no other gods before Me†¦ † The Beatitudes give Christians a way to live as individuals. For example, the Beatitude: â€Å"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,† instructs Catholics to be free of selfish intentions and to perform acts free of personal gain. For Buddhists, the Five Precepts are the main code of ethics for Buddhists and comprises of withholding from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and intoxication. Rituals and ceremonies are the practices relating to beliefs. They are usually in place to affirm values and make the religion more substantial. Rituals and ceremonies are usually formal or structured actions. An example of this in the Christian religion is the mass. Generally, in most Churches, Christians gather on a Sunday to celebrate mass. Every Sunday, most Christian Churches complete the same structure of mass, possibly with different readings or songs but generally the same structure every week. For the Jewish boys, the Bar Mitzah is a substantial part of the young man’s life where he becomes a ‘man’ and is therefore required to follow God’s commandments. The Bar Mitzvah involves a ceremony which is performed at a certain time in the boy’s life, usually around the time of puberty. Another example of ritual in the Christian faith is baptism. Baptism is the admission into membership of the Christian Church through the pouring of water on one’s head, and the cleansing of one’s soul. There are four main characteristics which define a religion, these are as above; beliefs and believers, sacred texts and writings, ethics and rituals and ceremonies. These four characteristics work together to make the religion dynamic and enable it to be a way of life.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses

A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage is a non-fiction historical novel, whose main purpose is to show the surprisingly pervasive influence of certain drinks on the course of history. Then it takes the reader on a journey through time to show the history of mankind through the lens of beverages. The thesis of the novel is that through history certain specialty beverages have affected more than just the diet of people and changed political aspects, economic standings, religious ceremonies and social views throughout human history. Standage clearly favors the subject written about and offers no information or analysis to disprove the thesis of the novel. Tom Standage is an author of 3 other novels, which are also historic analyses, which support his information and research provided in this book. Standage’s professional background gives novel its authority. A History of the World in 6 Glasses is broken down into six sections, one for each drink, the first of which is beer. Man's first civilizations where founded after the adoption of farming and the domestication of cereal grains. This improvement in lifestyle helped the â€Å"emergence of administrators, scribes, and craftsmen.† [1] Not only did beer nourish man’s first civilizations, but also â€Å"their wages and rations were paid in bread and beer.† [2] Wine, the next beverage, played a major role in the flourishing Greek and Roman cultures. Wine initiated vast seaborne trade, which spread their philosophy, politics, and literature. The book points out how these advancements originated and grew at formal Greek drinking parties. The Romans, who absorbed much of Greek culture, continued the strong use of wine. After the middle ages, Europe was awakened by the discovery of ancient knowledge, safeguarded by Arab scholars. The Age of Exploration/Colonial Period was improved by the knowledge of distillation, which made new drinks. The novel describes how these condensed forms of alcohol (Brandy, Rum etc.) were so popular, especially in the American colonies, that â€Å"they played a key role in the establishment of the United States.† [3] The fourth beverage presented is coffee. Coffee quickly became the drink of intellect and industry being known to sharpen the mind. Taverns were replaced with a more sophisticated meeting place, the coffeehouse. These â€Å"led to the establishment of scientific societies and financial institutions, the founding of newspapers, and provided fertile ground for revolutionary thought.† [4] Once established as England's national drink, tea imports from first China and India led to massive trade. The book describes the power of the British East India Company, which â€Å"generated more revenue than the British government and ruled over far more people,† wielding more power than any other corporation in history. [5] This imbalance of power had an enormous effect on British foreign policy, and led to the independence of the U.S. Like most of the drinks discussed in this novel, Coca-Cola was originally devised as a medical drink. More than any other product, Coca-Cola has stood as the symbol of America's â€Å"vibrant consumer capitalism.† [4] Rather than shrink at the challenge, Coca-Cola took full advantage of the challenging times it found itself in, gaining ground through the depression, and then traveling alongside our soldiers into WWII, becoming a global phenomenon. A History of the World in 6 Glasses is very useful and beneficial to the AP World History curriculum. In a teaching course, the teacher could assign a chapter of reading as homework in each unit. For example, the beer chapter would be in Unit 1, wine at the end of Unit 1 or beginning of Unit 2. Spirits and Coffee could be assigned in Unit 3, Tea in Unit 4, and Coca-Cola in Unit 4 and 5. Teaching the kids through a different view of the world would be its unique contribution to the program. Tom Standage, the author, was successful in proving his thesis throughout the novel. The thesis is clearly stated in the introduction, then supported throughout each chapter and then reiterated in the epilogue. There was plenty of evidence in the book, including quotes, poems, statistics pictures, maps etc. The book was not bogged down in a specific part, though it sometimes went into too much detail of the process of making the beverage. I have to confess that when I first picked up A History of the World in 6 Glasses, I did not expect to enjoy it. Firstly, I was wondering how a book could to sum up world history in less than 300 pages. Second, I do not drink 4 of the 6 beverages discussed in this book. Therefore, I was not keen on learning about their histories. However, I quickly learned that this book is more than just how and when these 6 drinks were made, but how it affected our modern world. A History of the World in 6 Glasses makes it clear that the history of mankind is a history of our consumption. Whether we are pondering revolution in a Coffeehouse in Paris or throwing tea leafs into the ocean in Boston, these drinks have had an impact on who we are. I highly recommend this book to anyone thirsty for knowledge! As Standage says, â€Å"They survive in our homes today as living reminders of bygone eras, fluid testaments to the forces that shaped the modern world. Uncover their origins, and you may never look at your favorite drink in quite the same way again.† [6]

Why Children And Young People May Need To Be Looked After Away From Their Families

â€Å"There were over 91,000 looked after children in the UK in 2012. † (www. nspcc. org. uk) in this task I am going to describe why children and young people may need to be looked after away from their families. There are many reasons that children and young people may need to be looked after away from their home, one of those are the child’s or young person’s parents. This may be down to bereavement of the parents meaning that they have died, if the parents have died then the child or young person will go to the closest other family member unless there aren’t any in which case the child or young person would be looked after outside the family.Another reason children are being looked after away from their families is due to abuse. If the parents or guardians are abusing the child or young person in any way then they will be removed from the family home as it’s not safe for them, this comes under the children act (1998, 2004). â€Å"Over half of l ooked after children in England and Wales became looked after because of abuse or neglect in 2011/12. † (www. nspcc. org. uk) Some children or young people may go into temporary foster care due to parental illness, which is when the parent becomes dependant their self and are unable to look aft6er their child.For example if a single parent falls very ill then she/he would be unable to take proper care on their dependent child therefore they would go into a foster care setting where they would be looked after until the parent was again able to care for the child. The child or young person may be looked after away from the family if the parents feel they are incapable of taking care of them and have requested that they be adopted or in a foster family. One example of this is financial difficulty as the parents do not have enough money to care for the child and give it even a reasonable standard of life.Another example of this could be young parents that feel they are too young t hemselves to be able to take care of a child they may request that the child be taken into a more suitable family that will be able to take proper care of it. Also children or young people that have parents who have committed offences may need to be looked after if there is no other family as the parent could go to prison, depending on the offence the child may only be temporarily looked after in a foster family setting then would return to the family home when the parent is released.Although not all reasons that children need to be looked after outside of the family is due to the parents or guardians, some reasons may be due to the child or young person. One of these reasons is a child or young person with disabilities that have complex needs and are unable to be cared for at home as they do not have the right equipment or the money to get it.For example a child in a wheel chair may not be able to be cared for at home as the household they live in is not wheel chair friendly and th e family have not got the funding to move or renovate the house therefore the chid would be looked after outside the family. Another reason due to the child that they are being looked after outside the family is their behaviour. If a child or young person has behavioural problems they may become too much for the parent to handle and need to be looked after outside of the family. An example of this could be a child or young person who is harming he’s/hers family

Julian the Apostate, Constantius II by Ammianus Marcellinus Essay

Julian the Apostate, Constantius II by Ammianus Marcellinus - Essay Example Ammianus Marcellinus was a historian with a great sense of things. For someone who has live through the times of rich and vivid events, nothing is expected except a picturesque account of events. However, in the light of what the term history meant, accounts such that of Marcellinus may be carelessly considered as merely a narrative of personal experiences and commentaries. His writings may have the patches on; there may be biases on the accounts he had written. When confronted by events and circumstances, it is inherent for every person to choose our sides, to come up with our foregone conclusions. Historians are not excluded. For a case in point, consider his writings on Julian the Apostate and Constantius II. In such situations, there is no better way to come up with a judgment than to fairly analyze the condition and consider the circumstances. Did Marcellinus have his partiality in writing the accounts of these two figures? Moreover, did he, in terms of politics and religion, fa vor the system of Julian the Apostate over Constantius II, and have it reflect in his writings?Most accounts tell that there is not much known of Ammianus Marcellinus’ life. From sources, it is said that he was born to a noble Greek family in Antioch, Syria, about 325-330. There are no accounts of his early life and educational background. Most of the biographical information available tells that he entered the Roman army at a young age, at the time when east had Constantius II as the emperor.

A study on strategic management as a determinant of organization Research Proposal

A study on strategic management as a determinant of organization performance - Research Proposal Example This research proposal is related to the strategic management that assists in determining the organizational performance. Therefore, the proposal will begin with the research objectives and aim of the overall study. It will also try to focus on the literature review and case study method in order to support the research objectives and solve the research problem. Literature review is conducted in order to summarize the research based knowledge for practice or to support for the development of the study in order to increase the evidences that is required to guide the practices. It is important to take into account the research methodology while conducting the research. Research methodology can serve as guidelines for the research. It provides the researcher the opportunity to study the subject in depth and therefore make sound decisions. Time table plays a significant role to understand the actual time that will be required to effectively complete the project. Therefore, in light of th is fact a Gantt chart will be prepared that will help the researcher to work according to the schedule. Aim and Objectives of the Study The main aim of this research study is to identify the strategic management as a determinant of the organizational performance. Through this research proposal, the productivity of the employees in the organization can be increased and they can work in an efficient manner. However, the objective is a bit different. The main objectives of this proposed research study would be to assist in decision making and actions with the aim to improve the short term performance of the organization. The other objective of the study would be to identify the various strategies that can help the organization to cope up with any kind of situation and improve the performance of the organization. The study will help the organization to cultivate a proactive management culture that will enable them to take advantage of the opportunities that lie in its operating environm ent. Literature Review and Rationale for the Study According to Joyce & Woods (2001), strategic management can be defined as the pursuit of the superior performance in the organization by the usage of the strategy that would ensure matching the corporate strength to the needs of the customers (Joyce & Woods, 2001). Strategic planning helps the organization’s members to concentrate on individual endeavor in order to convert into a team effort. The strategic management can assist in the development of the total quality management and the enhancement of the objective based performance appraisal system. According to Hitt & Et. Al. (2001), managers pay attention when they are confronted with important information regarding the organizational performance. When the changes in the performances are unexpected then it prompts search for explanation. If there is continuous negative performance then the management needs to change either the strategy or the structure (Hitt & Et. Al., 2001 ). According to Jauch & Kraft (1986), the environmental uncertainty has been recognized as one of the variables that help in the explanation of the organizational performance and equilibrium. It has been assumed by most of the

Body language Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Body language - Movie Review Example Body language forms a vital part of the everyday social life of humans today. It highly affects the interaction and conversation with the other people and thus, can be used as a powerful weapon for controlling one’s feelings and emotions (Body language expert, â€Å"How Body Language Influences Daily Life†). Body language is a powerful aspect in regards to the self-confidence and self-esteem of the individual. Body language is also explained as an external reflection of one’s emotional condition (Furnham 3-6). For instance, a person may be saying something and keep some of the things hidden while interacting verbally. Thus, in such a situation a person who can read the body language can understand the feelings and emotions of the speaking person (Pease and Pease 11-12). THESIS STATEMENT This essay intends to focus on the influence of body language in the daily life of people. A video on the topic of body language has been summarized in this essay to analyze the v arious forms of body languages and conclude in response to the mentioned objective. DISCUSSION Analysis of the video The video concentrates on the topic of body language used by the people as a non-verbal communication system. ... The body exhibits different signals just as a radio transmits the signals. The video has explained six main categories of body language as elaborated by the body language experts such as kinesics, eye contact, haptics, paralanguage, chronemics and proxemics (Montgomery County Public Schools, â€Å"Body language†). Summarizing and critiquing the video Arguably, the video advocates that communication of messages through body language, either in the form of kinesics, eye contact, haptics, paralanguage, chronemics or proxemics or many of these altogether, is said to have a long-lasting effect in comparison with the verbal messages. At times, we deliver greater importance to the posture, gesture or to the tone of voice, when a person is communicating his/her intended messages verbally, even if those are entirely contradictory to his/her verbal message. For instance, in an interview, the interviewers often focus on reading and interpreting the eye-contact behavior of the candidate t o learn the truth in his/her conveyed verbal messages (Smith â€Å"Interview body language mistakes that can cost you the job†). Psychologists also pay due attention towards reading the posture of the patient as high in confidence or low in self-esteem. Mysteriously, even without knowing the basics or the technicalities of body language, common people also tend to pay greater attention in interpreting non-verbal messages rather than paying attention to only verbal communication (Meeren, Heijnsbergen and Gelder, 16518-16519). Illustratively, a girl tugging or playing with her hair can be interpreted as flirting; while in the same context, one tilting his head too often when listening to others is commonly asserted as their submission to the message being conveyed (Laneri â€Å"Body

The Models or Schools Of Thought to the Management of Business Essay

The Models or Schools Of Thought to the Management of Business Strategy - Essay Example The present research has identified that the strategic models during the 1980s were predominantly premised upon factors external to the organization. They pertained to elements in the business environment which shaped the manner in which the corporation responded. The advantage of these strategies is that they are market-oriented and therefore are keen to capture opportunities and avoid threats; however, they largely ignore or overlook the internal resources and capabilities of the company and its strengths and weaknesses. As a result, the strategic plans are not always feasible for the company to implement, or the firm may be ill-equipped or their personnel ill-trained to properly execute it.   Porter’s model focuses on five forces that are external to the firm but internal to the industry to which it belongs. The stronger these forces are, the more limited a firm is in building profits; on the other, weak forces indicate that there are more opportunities to earn profits. O ver time, the strength of each of the forces may change, together with changing industry conditions. It is the manager’s task to take cognizance of these risks and opportunities and to formulate an appropriate strategy in response to these forces. Each of the generic strategies adopts a fundamentally different approach in â€Å"creating, sustaining, and combining a firm’s competitive advantage† and deciding on what its specific target shall be. The clear-cut distinctions the model makes among the strategies tend to be simplistic and misleading because a cost leader cannot ignore the basis of differentiation – that is, the cost leader must at least achieve parity or proximity on the basis of differentiation as its competitors for it to realize an advantage over them in cost. Conversely, the firm relying on differentiation must attain a cost structure at parity or proximity to its competitors, by reigning in costs that do not impact on differentiation.

Rice Industry in Burma during Colonialism Essay - 1

Rice Industry in Burma during Colonialism - Essay Example Private merchant companies served as the instrument of expansion – these were the English East-Indian company (1600) and the Dutch East-Indian company (1602), having gained monopolistic rights from their governments to have trade relations with Asian countries. By the middle of the 16th century, Portuguese have been almost pushed away from their Asian possessions, while the English and the Dutch became masters of the biggest territory of Southern and Eastern Asia. (Wilson) 'Asian countries have always been known as the main producers and exporters of rice and during the colonial era Burma became the main world center of cultivation and exporting rice.' (Frank, 2002, p. 261) At the beginning of the 19th century Burma attracted the English not only by its strategic location, but by its raw materials, and the abundance of rice and teak. After the second English – Burma war of 1852-53, the English gained the control on the Lower Burma, which was hardly populated at the time, and only 5% of the land, suitable for cultivation, was used for agriculture. This very region was going to become the new granary of the whole Burma, and thus, a big economic center. (Frank, 2002, p. 259)

Cognitive behaviour therapy- case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Cognitive behaviour therapy- case study - Essay Example At the surface are the negative automatic thoughts (NAT), which are beliefs and assumptions stored in memory as schemas (Bartlet, 1932). NAT forms the basis of the classic Beck model of depression, which is based not only on NAT about oneself, and the world and the future, but also upon maladaptive assumptions and negative schemas (Beck, 1967). The underlying cause of anxiety is a distortion in processing information is connected with the client’s overestimated concept of danger and the underestimated ability to cope (Beck, Emery & Greenberg, 1985). Activation of danger appraisals, in conjunction with physiological changes maintain different anxiety vicious circles (Simmons & Griffiths, 2009). Specific models of disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are characterized by the person’s inability to cope with chronic worry. Similarly, the Social Phobia Model emphasizes the fact that, in the cognition of the person suffering from social phobia, certain situat ions are associated with danger (Clark & Wells, 1995). CBT is goal-oriented, and it emphasizes collaboration and active participation (Westbrook et al., 2007). CBT teaches the client how to identify, evaluate and respond to his or her dysfunctional thoughts and beliefs. ... At the beginning of the session, she was avoiding eye contact by nervously adjusting her scarf, trying to cover red stains all over her chest and neck. I deliberately ignored this behavior, and focused on the therapy process, which helped her to relax. She became less fidgety and our conversation went fluently. Client biographical details and recent history: Sally is a 24-year-old female, who is single and working as a training officer. Sally describes her childhood as happy, however, there were events which may have significantly influenced her current life. Her parents divorced when she was eight. This confused her, but it did not affect her as much as it could have, because both parents were there for her. She has a close relationship with her mother, although she described her as overprotective and bossy. Since the age of seven, Sally was physical and psychologically bullied by other kids at her school. Because of this, she had problems adapting to school and struggled to fit in socially to school life. Because of this, she had to change schools twice. Sally continued her education at a university in Scotland. Her teenage life was also influenced by a few dramatic events. When she was sixteen, she had her first abortion. She described this as a relief, as both she and her boyfriend were about to start university. During the first year at the university, Sally had her first depressive episode. She described her first year at university as horrible. She was bullied by her flatmates, and she felt lonely and separated from her boyfriend and family. Sally felt under pressure, and struggled with university requirements. She perceives those

Philip II Of Spain Essay Example for Free

Philip II Of Spain Essay King Philip II of Spain (1527-1598) has cast a lengthy shadow over Spanish and European history for centuries. Though this might seem fitting, given that he was the first man to rule a truly global empire on which the sun never set, it is not entirely appropriate, for Philips enduring fame stems not so much from his achievements, as it does from misconceptions about his character and legacy. Within Spain itself, Philip can still be remembered to this day as a brooding, reclusive workaholic, who, despite his best intentions, poised his nation and empire on the brink of a precipitous and inevitable decline. Beyond Spains borders, Philips shadow has long been perceived as exceedingly dark and menacing. After all, how many other monarchs can claim the unhappy role of top villain in one of Schillers tragedies, or in a major opera, such as Verdis Don Carlo, which set the gloomy myth to music? In the English-speaking world Philip reigned supreme for nearly three centuries as the ultimate embodiment of the Black Legend: a sinister figure, cruel and devious beyond measure, a religious fanatic who could only be viewed through the smoke of the Armadas cannons and of the Inquisitions pyres. Philip II was present in Brussels when his father resigned to him the government of the Netherlands (October 1555) as well as of Spain itself (January 1556). International matters, mainly his marriage to Queen Mary of England and the war against France, kept him in northern Europe. In August 1557 the Spanish forces in Flanders, directed by the duke of Savoy and the count of Egmont, crossed the frontier into France and caused a crushing defeat on the French at St Quentin. Philip arrived in time to congratulate his army, however failed to follow up the advantage; negotiations started and were interrupted by the death of Mary in November 1558. Finally peace was agreed at Cateau-Cambresis in April 1559, one of the circumstances being the marriage of Philip to the daughter of Henry II of France, Elizabeth of Valois. The king sailed from the Netherlands in August 1559 and landed at Laredo in September. He never left the peninsula again. Domestic politics lapse into relative quietness during the reign, in order that events seem to depend more than usual on the personality of the king. Philip, though, was no less devoted to the problems of internal government than to the weighty matters of foreign policy. (R. Trevor Davies, 1957) Aged 28th at his accession, he was already an experienced ruler, having been regent for his father sporadically since 1543. His fair hair and blue eyes betrayed his Habsburg origin; however no ruler could have been more Spanish. Brought up in Castile and trained by brilliant tutors, he preferred Spaniards as advisers and spoke merely Castilian fluently, though he had a working knowledge of Latin. Pensive by disposition, and always unwilling to rush into decisionshence the tag of prudent kinghe had a deep sense of duty which governed both his personal and public life. His stern side as headed at the top by the council of State, shorn since 1559 of its non-Castilian members. The councils chief secretary until his death in 1566 was Gonzalo Perez, a cleric of converso origin; thereafter the post was divided between Gonzalos son Antonio as secretary for the south and Gabriel de Zayas for the north. True to his fathers policy of allowing differing views to develop, Philip tolerated a conflict of opinions, not always with fruitful consequences. The chief rivals in the council of State were the kings long-standing friend the Portuguese Ruy Gomez de Silva, and the duke of Alba. Ruy Gomez, created prince of Eboli and duke of Pastrana, married into the powerful Mendoza family, headed by the duke of Infantado, and thereby became linked with a clan of nobles from the highest grandee families, the Zuniga, Velasco and Guzman. Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, third duke of Alba and Philips most distinguished general, was head of the house of Toledo and had similar powerful connexions. The division in the council between these two a normal rivalry between clans, of the sort common both at government and at local levelalso extended to the secretaries, Antonio Perez being allied to Eboli and Zayas to Alba. Differences between the groups, as with all political factions, arose primarily out of a struggle for power. Given the complex problems that faced the Spanish monarchy, there were occasionally issues on which some took a hard line: Alba, as Charles V had warned Philip, was inclined to be authoritarian. It is however not convincing to categorise one groupAlbasas the war party, and its opponents as the peace party; even less, as we shall see, is it possible to distinguish any real difference of approach to constitutional problems. The problem over which the factions took most issue was the revolt of the Netherlands, which precipitated the famous affair of Antonio Perez. Immediately after Philips return to Spain in 1559 he began a massive effort to put the country into an adequate state of defence: Turkish expansion in the 1560s inevitably made foreign policy the first concern of government. At the same time difficulties in the Netherlands were brought to him in person when the count of Egmont arrived in Madrid in February 1565. From this period Spain was burdened by a dual commitment to northern Europe and to the Mediterranean, and the numerous mistakes made by Philip in his dealings with the Netherlanders can in part be blamed on priority given to affairs in the south. Aware, none the less, of his obligations, the king made preparations to visit Flanders in 1567. He was dissuaded from this by Alba, and in 1568 two personal crisesthe death of Don Carlos in July and then of Elizabeth of Valois in Octoberforced him to remain in the peninsula, where on Christmas Eve a major uprising of the Granada Moriscos began. The death of Ruy Gomez in 1573 made Antonio Perez effective head of the Eboli faction at court. A contemporary noted that Perez climbed so high that His Majesty would not do anything save what the said Antonio Perez marked out for him. Philip depended heavily for advice and policy on this brilliant and sinister young man whose fortunes were linked with those of Ana de Mendoza, princess of Eboli, the beautiful one-eyed widow of Ruy Gomez. Perezs arm stretched as far as Flanders, where the kings half brother, the famous Don Juan of Austria, was acting as governor. Don Juans personal secretary, Juan de Escobedo, had been a protege of Perez, who expected to be kept reliably informed of the plans and ambitions of the governor of the Netherlands. Don Juans proposals for policy in the north, however, were at variance with government intentions in Madrid, and Perez and Escobedo soon found themselves opposed to each other on a number of issues. Philip in turn was wary of the ambitions of his half-brother, the victor of Lepanto. Suspicious of the way his plans for Flanders were being blocked by Madrid, Don Juan sent Escobedo to Spain in 1577 to make enquiries. On arriving at the court it appeared to Escobedo that Perez had been duping Don Juan and presenting his case in an unfavourable light to the king. He apparently issued threats against Perez, accusing him rightly or wrongly of a liaison with the princess of Eboli, and of betraying state secrets. But Perez had already managed to convince Philip that Escobedo was the malign influence in the affairs of Flanders and in the end he persuaded the king that the only solution was to eliminate Don Juans secretary. In March 1578 hired assassins murdered Escobedo in a street in Madrid. (Townsend Miller, 1963) Popular rumour instantly pointed to Perez as the assassin, and Escobedos family, aided by Perezs rival the kings private secretary (from 1573) Mateo Vazquez, demanded justice for the murdered man. No action was taken, clearly because the king himself was implicated and had acted on reliable advice. In the spring of 1579, however, Philip was sent the private papers of Don Juan, who had died the previous October. On reading them Philip discovered that Perez had deceived him and that his brother and Escobedo were guiltless of the imputations against them. He encouraged Vazquez to make a secret enquiry into Perezs actions in office, and determined to make a clean sweep of his minister. Since his return from the Netherlands in 1573 the duke of Alba had been active in the councils at Madrid, but in 1579 was placed under house arrest for letting his son make an unauthorised marriage: he was called out only to undertake the invasion of Portugal. His disgrace was followed by Philips decision to place the direction of affairs in the hands of the Burgundian Antoine Perrenot, cardinal Granvelle, who had been withdrawn from the Netherlands in 1564 but had since served the crown with distinction in Italy. On 28 July 1579, the very day that Granvelle reached Madrid, Perez and the princess of Eboli were arrested.

Effective Teaching and Learning

Effective Teaching and Learning The purpose of Instructional design is to integrate resources to facilitate students acquisition of the learning goals as well as help teachers use what is available to help students achieve the desired learning outcome (Walter Dick, 2010). Nevertheless, instructional design should be grounded on theories of learning and instruction (Morrison, Ross Kemp, 2007). The following are several major teaching strategies and learning, instruction theories I have applied in my individual instructional plan. Also I will elaborate on the reasons for applying them in the following part. First, greet students before class. In my point of view, this is an effective way to build positive relationship between students and teacher .According to Boynton (2012), developing positive teacher-student relations are one of the most effective method teachers can take to establish a positive discipline climate in the classroom. Its not difficult for us to recognize that students who are treated with respect as well as love and care tend to behave well and have better academic performance. It is because we all want to be valued and respected and students without doubt also have these feelings, as a result, in order to get more attention and appreciation from the teacher, they will try to please teachers by behaving more appropriately to fit the teachers expectations. In this sense, we have to realize that rules alone cannot improve the behavior problems of students, whereas good teacher-students relationship can not only encourage students to behave well, but also benefit learning outcomes of students and help to ac hieve effective teaching. Second, improve the physical learning environment by arranging the desks in the U shape. With this arrangement, the teacher can see every student, and every student can see the board .This set-up puts the focus on the center of the room where the teacher will be teaching. Also, this set-up allows for ease of putting them into groups or partners. Besides, this arrangement maximizes the classrooms physical space and allows the teacher moving around the room a lot while teaching and keeping students attention. Despite facilitating easy teacher movement and proximity, it also improves student movement and communication. In short, the arrangement of the desks facilitates the teaching strategies employed and allows sufficient interaction between teacher and pupils, as well as among the pupils themselves Third, the lesson is presented in a way thats relevant to the students. In this instructional plan, the topic is about family and it is also further planned for students to show their own family photos, which are all closely related with the students. In this way, it gives the students a reason for learning, for they are relevant to their lives. Besides, it will stimulate the students interests and help to create a fun and productive learning environment. According to a neurologist and former classroom teacher Judy Willis, Long lists of vocabulary words that dont have personal relevance or dont resonate with a topic about which the student has been engaged are likely to be blocked by the brains affective (or emotional) filters, That is to say, students need a personal connection to the material, whether thats through engaging them emotionally or connecting the new information with previously acquired knowledge. In addition, making the information personally relevant can also improve the self-referent encoding of knowledge. Without this relevance, students may not only disengage and quickly forget, but they may also lose the motivation to try. (Bernard, 2010) Forth, use question strategies to facilitate students learning. According to Cotton (2006), questioning is second only to lecturing in popularity as a teaching method. So in this instructional plan, I use questions in order to: *quickly check for understanding by asking yes /no or true /false question and have students quickly stand up to show the answer they agree with. * gain attention, keep all students on task and reduce the likelihood of management problems *have students repeat directional procedures *elaborate on their answers /work * stimulate higher level thinking Apart from the aforementioned reasons, I also want to use questions to motivate students to learn. Because questions can offer a variety of opportunities to let students experience success, build up confidence, meet their intellectual and psychological needs and help to further develop their knowledge, skills and cognitive competence. Fifth, take advantage of cooperative learning of constructivist in teaching. I have applied two major methods of cooperative learning in this instructional design *Student Teams-Achievement Division *Jigsaw grouping By using the STAD, students will not only get enough time to rehearse new information, but also help each other to learn better through peer assistance in the small group . And in Jigsaw grouping, students are assigned to different roles in the group and only through sharing could they finish the task. Thus, the purpose of applying cooperative learning methods is not just for improving learning, but to cultivate a cooperative spirit, improve students presentation , social , communication skills and learn to be responsible as well. Sixth, provide various activities. In this instructional plan, I try to give students hands-on activities in order to achieve the following aims: * practice and rehearse what they have learned and give feedback to the teaching about their learning * get them away from passive learning through exploring and researching by themselves. *repeating information to keep it in STM, because information is lost rapidly without further processing. *give alternative opportunities for them to experience success and meet their psychological needs *create easy and interesting learning environment and have students actively and continuously engaged. Furthermore, it cant be denied that classrooms with motivated students, enthusiastic teachers, and stimulating, meaningful activities have fewer discipline problems, which is also crucial in helping to achieve effective learning. Seventh, use videos to supplement lessons. In recent years, the use of multimedia plays a more and more important role in teaching and learning because of the many advantages it has brought about. M. Hogreeve (1995) suggests several advantages with the use of multimedia for language learning, it includes a high level of stimulation of the senses a high level of involvement, attention, concentration -emotional arousal strong recognition effects So in the enrichment and remediation part of my instructional plan, I use a video of a family song in order to: *help to review and consolidate the knowledge learned *cater to different learning styles (visual, listening, touch) *vary material and mode of delivery to avoid satiation *get attention and improve memory by encoding information on the basis of dual code theory *motivate their interests in learning Eighth, apply scaffolding strategies in the teaching process. Scaffolding is the temporary assistance given by a teacher to help a learner learn how to do something, so that the learner will later be able to complete a similar task alone. As a result, I have added a scaffolding activity by modeling the family introduction first and then let the students do their own family introductions according to the words, sentences and ways the teacher has presented in her demonstration. Moreover, as can be seen in the first two parts of my instruction plan, I have used many questions to elicit new information of the lesson, which is another method of scaffolding through questioning techniques. Last but not least, provide positive and timely feedback to facilitate learning. Research on teaching effectiveness indicates that students need specific feedback to understand what is expected of them, correct errors, and get help in improving their performance (Sadker, D., Sadker, M. Zittleman, K.R., 2011). Therefore, I provide feedback to students and their performance throughout the instructional plan. There are many types of feedback, among which three types of feedback have been applied in this instruction plan. *nonverbal feedback *verbal feedback *motivational feedback (Barry, 2008) In the activity part , I ask the rest of the students to clap their hands to celebrate the students correct answering , which is a nonverbal feedback and acts as an encouragement and helps to build up the confidence of the students. I also use verbal feedback to try to provide the students with suggestion, clear direction for building on strengths or correcting errors when their answers are not on the right track. Motivational feedback is applied most frequently in this instruction plan, like awesome, yes, excellent, etc. They act as positive feedbacks that provide incentive for students to repeat actions that lead to good results. Hence, most of the time, feedback can be seen as a reinforcement, and plays a key part in reinforcing the good learning habits of students. In conclusion, the aforementioned strategies and theories are aimed at achieving effective teaching and learning, and at the same time, putting emphasis on the growth of students to enhance their social skills by being competent and responsible, developing in particular their self-motivation, self management and confidence in the process of learning. (Word counts: 1540)

Fibonacci Series And The Golden Ratio Engineering Essay

Fibonacci Series And The Golden Ratio Engineering Essay The research question of this extended essay is, Is there a relation between the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio? If so be the reason, what is it and explain it. The Fibonacci series, which was first introduced by Leonardo of Pisa (Fibonacci), was found to have had a close connection with the Golden Ratio. The relation found was that the limit of the ratios of the numbers in the Fibonacci sequence converges to the golden mean/golden ratio. I decided to carry out a few set of experiments that involved individual concepts of both: the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio. Using their individual applications such as the Golden Rectangle, a computerized calculation supported by a sketched graph, I found that I could arrive at a conjecture that linked the two concepts. I also used the Fibonacci spiral and Golden spiral to find the limit where the values would tend to meet. After carrying out the experiments, I decided to find the proof of the relation using the Binets formula which is essentially the formula for the nth term of a Fibonacci sequence. However, the Binets formula was interesting enough to make me find its proof and solve it myself. From there, I proceeded on to the proof of the relation between the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio using this formula. The Binet formula is given by ; . Following the proof, I carried out steps to verify it by substituting different values to check its validity. After proving the validity of the conjecture, I arrived at the conclusion that such a relation does exist. I also learned that this relation had applications in nature, art and architecture. Apart from these, there is a possibility that there are other applications which can be subjected to further investigation. Table of Contents Sl. No. Contents Page No. 1. Introduction to the Fibonacci Series 4 2. Introduction to the Golden Ratio 5 3. The Relationship between them 6 4. Forming the conjecture 6 5. Testing the conjecture 7 6. The proof 15 7. Verification of the proof 20 8. Conclusion 22 9. Further Investigation 22 10. Bibliography 23 Introduction The Fibonacci Series The Fibonacci series is that sequence where every term is the sum of the two terms that precedes it (in the Hindu-Arabic system) where the first two terms of the sequence are 0 and 1. The Fibonacci series is shown below 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Where the first two terms are 0 and 1 and the term following it is the sum of the two terms preceding it, which in this case are 0 and 1. Hence, 0 + 1 = 1 (third term) Similarly, Fourth term = third term + second term Fourth term = 1 + 1 = 2 And so the sequence follows. The series was first invented by an Italian by the name of Leonardo Pisano Bigollo (1180 1250) in 1202. He is better known as Fibonacci which essentially means the son of Bonacci. In his book, Liber Arci, there was a puzzle concerning the breeding of rabbits and the solution to this puzzle resulted in the discovery of the Fibonacci series. The problem was based on the total number of rabbits that would be born starting with a pair of rabbits first followed by the breeding of new rabbits which would also start giving birth one month after they were born themselves.  [1]   The problem was broken down into parts and the answer that was obtained gave rise to the Fibonacci series. The Fibonacci series gained a worldwide acceptance soon as after its discovery and was used in many fields. It had its uses and applications in nature (such as the petals of a sunflower and the nautilus shell). Shown below is the application of the series on the whirls of a pine cone.  [2]   http://www.3villagecsd.k12.ny.us/wmhs/Departments/Math/OBrien/fib2.jpghttp://www.3villagecsd.k12.ny.us/wmhs/Departments/Math/OBrien/fib3.jpg The Golden Mean / Golden Ratio The golden mean, also known as the golden ratio, as the name suggests is a ratio of distances in simple geometric figures  [3]  . This is only one of the many definitions found for the term. It is not solely restricted to geometric figures but the proportion is used for art, nature and architecture as well. From pine cones to the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci, the golden proportion is found almost everywhere. Another definition of the golden ratio is a precise way of dividing a line  [4]   There has never been one concrete definition for the golden ratio which makes it susceptible to different definitions using the same concept. First claimed to be known by Pythagoreans around 500 B.C., the golden proportion was established in print in one of Euclids major works namely, Elements, once and for all in 300 B.C. Euclid, the famous Greek mathematician was the first to establish what the golden section really was with respect to a line. According to him, the division of a line in a mean and extreme ratio  [5]  such a way that the point where this division takes place, the ratio of the parts of the line would be the Golden proportion. He determined that the Golden Ratio was such that The golden ratio is denoted by the Greek alphabet which has a value of 1.6180339à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Since then, the golden ratio has been used in various fields. In art, Leonardo Da Vinci coined the ratio as the Divine Proportion and used it to define the fundamental proportions of his famous painting of The Last Supper as well as Mona Lisa. http://goldennumber.net/images/davinciman.gif Finally, it was in the 1900s that the term Phi was coined and used for the first time by an American mathematician Mark Barr who used the Greek letter phi to name this ratio.  [6]  Hence, the term obtained a chain of different names such as the golden mean, golden section and golden ratio as well as the Divine proportion.   The Relation between the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio After the discovery of the Fibonacci series and the golden ratio, a relation between the two was established. Whether this relation was a coincidence or not, no one was able to answer this question. However, today, the relation between the two is a very close one and it is visible in various fields. The relation is said to be The limit of the ratios of the numbers in the Fibonacci sequence converges to the golden ratio. This means that as we move to the nth term in the Fibonacci sequence, the ratios of the consecutive terms of the Fibonacci series arrive closer to the value of the golden mean ().  [7]   Forming the Conjecture The Fibonacci series and the golden ratio have been linked together in many ways. Hence, I shall now produce the same statement as a conjecture as I am about to prove the relation through a set of experiments and eventually proving the conjecture (right or wrong). The conjecture is stated below The limit of the ratios of the terms of the Fibonacci series converge to the golden mean as n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ , where n is the nth term of the Fibonacci sequence. In order to prove this conjecture, I have carried out a few experiments below that shall attribute to the result of the above conjecture. Testing the Conjecture Experiment No. 1: The first set of experiments deal with the Golden Rectangle. The golden rectangle is that rectangle whose dimensions are in the ratio (where y is the length of the rectangle and x is the breadth of the rectangle), and when a square of dimensions is removed from the original rectangle, another golden rectangle is left behind. Also, the ratio of the dimensions ( is equal to the golden mean (). I have used the concept of the Golden Rectangle to test whether the ratios of the dimensions of the two golden rectangles, when equated to each other, give the value of the golden ratio or not which is also said to be the formula for the nth term of the Fibonacci series. The latter part of the statement is in accordance with Binets formula. The following experiment shows how this works. Let us consider a rectangle with dimensions . The dotted line is the line that has divided the rectangle in such a way that the square on the left has dimensions of . Now, the rectangle on the right has the dimensions of where x is now the length of the new golden rectangle formed and (y-x) is the breadth. Golden Rectangle 1: y x y-x The reason why this rectangle is called a Golden Rectangle is because the ratio of its dimensions gives the value of à Ã¢â‚¬  . Hence, the information we can gather from the above figure is that (1) The new golden rectangle formed from the above one is shown below with dimensions Golden Rectangle 2: y x x The above new golden rectangle shown must thus also have the same property as that of any other golden rectangle. Therefore, From the above experiments we can establish the following relation (2) For convenience sake, I have decided to take so as to make y the subject of the equation. Hence, the above equation can now be re-written as On cross-multiplying the terms above we get Writing the above equation in the form of a quadratic equation, we get Using the quadratic formula, , we get Hence, the two roots obtained are However, the second root is rejected as a value as y is a dimension of the rectangle and hence cannot be a negative value. Hence we have, Evaluating this value we have But, from equation 1, we know that However, the value of x was restricted to 1 in the above test. So as to eliminate the variable in order to keep only y as the subject, I carried out the calculations below that help in doing so Rewriting the equation Cross-multiplying the variables Dividing the equation by , we get But we know that . Thus, using this substitution in the above equation we have This is the same quadratic that we obtained earlier and hence the doubt for the presence of x clears out. Experiment No. 2: For my second experiment, I have decided to use the concept of the Fibonacci spiral and that of the Golden Spiral. The steps on how to draw these spirals are given below A Fibonacci spiral is formed by drawing squares with dimensions equal to the terms of he Fibonacci series. We start by first drawing a 1 x 1 square 1 x 1 Next, another 1 x 1 square is drawn on the left of the first square. (every new square is bordered in red) Now, a 2 x 2 square is drawn below the two 1 x 1 squares. Next, a 3 x 3 square is drawn to the right of the above figure. Now, a 5 x 5 square is adjoined to the top of the figure. Next, a 8 x 8 square is adjoined to the left of the figure. And so the figure continues in the same manner. The squares are adjoined to the original shape in a left to right spiral (from down to up) and each time the square gets bigger but with dimensions equal to the numbers in the Fibonacci series. Starting from the inner square, a quarter of an arc of a circle is drawn within the square. This step is repeated as we move outward, towards the bigger square. The spiral eventually looks like this http://library.thinkquest.org/27890/media/fibonacciSpiralBoxes.gif The shape shown below is the Fibonacci spiral without the squares http://library.thinkquest.org/27890/media/fibonacciSpiral2.gif A similar process is followed for forming the golden spiral. However, the only difference is that we draw the outer squares first and then draw the arcs starting from the larger squares. Hence, the spiral turns inwards all the way to the inner squares. Golden Spiral The Golden spiral eventually looks like this Golden Spiral On comparing the two spirals, it can be seen that they overlap as the arcs occupy the squares with dimensions of the latter terms of the Fibonacci series. An image of how the two spirals look is shown below http://library.thinkquest.org/27890/media/spirals.gif From the above experiment, it can be seen that there is a connection between the Fibonacci series and the Golden Mean as their individual spirals overlap each other as the n (which is the nth term in the series) tends to infinity. Experiment No. 3: My third experiment involves technology. In this experiment, I decided to use a program of Microsoft Office, namely, Microsoft Excel in order to record the values obtained on calculating the ratio of the consecutive terms of the Fibonacci series. In the table below, I have recorded the terms of the Fibonacci series in the first column, the value of the ratio of the consecutive terms in the Fibonacci sequence in the second column, the value of  [8]  in the third column and the variation of the value of the ration from the value of à Ã¢â‚¬   in the last column. Term of Fibonacci Series Value of ratio of consecutive terms value of variation of value calculated from value of 0 1 1 1.00000000000000 1.61803398874989 0.61803398874989 2 2.00000000000000 1.61803398874989 -0.38196601125011 3 1.50000000000000 1.61803398874989 0.11803398874989 5 1.66666666666667 1.61803398874989 -0.04863267791678 8 1.60000000000000 1.61803398874989 0.01803398874989 13 1.62500000000000 1.61803398874989 -0.00696601125011 21 1.61538461538462 1.61803398874989 0.00264937336527 34 1.61904761904762 1.61803398874989 -0.00101363029773 55 1.61764705882353 1.61803398874989 0.00038692992636 89 1.61818181818182 1.61803398874989 -0.00014782943193 144 1.61797752808989 1.61803398874989 0.00005646066000 233 1.61805555555556 1.61803398874989 -0.00002156680567 377 1.61802575107296 1.61803398874989 0.00000823767693 610 1.61803713527851 1.61803398874989 -0.00000314652862 987 1.61803278688525 1.61803398874989 0.00000120186464 1597 1.61803444782168 1.61803398874989 -0.00000045907179 2584 1.61803381340013 1.61803398874989 0.00000017534976 4181 1.61803405572755 1.61803398874989 -0.00000006697766 6765 1.61803396316671 1.61803398874989 0.00000002558318 10946 1.61803399852180 1.61803398874989 -0.00000000977191 17711 1.61803398501736 1.61803398874989 0.00000000373253 28657 1.61803399017560 1.61803398874989 -0.00000000142571 46368 1.61803398820532 1.61803398874989 0.00000000054457 75025 1.61803398895790 1.61803398874989 -0.00000000020801 121393 1.61803398867044 1.61803398874989 0.00000000007945 196418 1.61803398878024 1.61803398874989 -0.00000000003035 317811 1.61803398873830 1.61803398874989 0.00000000001159 514229 1.61803398875432 1.61803398874989 -0.00000000000443 The aim of the table is to find out whether the value of the ratio reaches the value of à Ã¢â‚¬   or not, as the number of terms increases infinitely. Observation: From the above table, it can be seen that as we reach the nth term of the Fibonacci series, the variation in the value of the ratios from the value of à Ã¢â‚¬  , decreases. This observation is in agreement with the conjecture The limit of the ratios of the terms of the Fibonacci series converge to the golden mean as n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ , where n is the nth term of the Fibonacci sequence. Inference: From the above 3 experiments, I have found that the conjecture holds true for them all. Hence, I would like to state that the tests for the conjectures have been significantly successful. The Proof In order to find the relation between the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio, I followed the proof below that uses calculus to establish the required relation. The Fibonacci series is given by, Assuming that 0, 1, and 1 are the first three terms of the sequence: (3) This eventually goes on to form the well known sequence: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Dividing the Left Hand Side (or LHS) and the Right Hand Side (or RHS) of equation 3 by F(n), gives (By taking the numerator as the denominator of F(n)) By substituting the limit of the ratios of the terms (as n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ ) of the Fibonacci series with A, the limit is taken on both sides such that n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ The above is true as the ratio Hence, the below quadratic equation is formed We can find the roots of A by using the quadratic formula, . or From this we find that This value of is easily attainable using the Binet formula. The Binet formula is that formula which gives the value of by substituting the variable x with one of the n terms of the Fibonacci series. Using the concept of the golden rectangle, the quadratic that was obtained earlier Gave the value of . The proof of the Binet formula shows another possibility to arrive at the relation between the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio. The beauty of this proof is that the quadratic first arose from the Fibonacci series calculation and the root that was obtained gave the value of phi. This is from the proof that was written above. Under the heading Testing the Conjecture that was done earlier, the quadratic arose from the dimensions of the Golden Rectangle and the equation thus obtained gave the value of phi. Using this concept, I have followed the proof below which was solved by older mathematicians. The Binet formula is given by Now, from the above tests, we got However, there were 2 values that were obtained on calculating the value of y. The value of y that was negative was rejected then as it was incorrect to consider it a valid answer for a dimension of a geometric figure. Calling this negative root as , we can rewrite the Binet formula as Going back to the quadratic equation, we can substitute in place of y and so the quadratic equation is (4) This quadratic was obtained from the Golden Rectangle. In order to arrive at the Fibonacci sequence, a series of algebraic manipulations will help us reach that step. To start off with, we have the value of in terms of . Now, to get the value of in terms of , we multiply equation (4) into . Using equation (4), we substitute for and we get Using the same method to find the value for raised to higher powers, we have Similarly, Writing the various values for raised to higher powers (5) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Now if we look at the coefficients closely, we see that they are the consecutive terms of the Fibonacci series. This can be written as (6) However, the above trend is not enough proof for generalizing the above statement. Hence, I decided to prove it by using the principle of mathematical induction. Step 1: Step 2: To prove that P(1) is true. Hence, P(1) is true (from equation 5) Step 3: Hence, P(k) is true where Step 4: To prove that P(k+1) is true. Starting from the RHS, (from equation 3) (from equation 4) (from P(k)) = RHS Hence, P(k+1) is true. Therefore, P(n) is true for all Now that we have proved that P(n) is true is true in its generalized form. Also, we know that is the other root of the quadratic equation and so the above general equation can be written in the above form as well (7) In order to obtain the Binet formula in the form of We can subtract equation (7) from equation (6) to get Substituting the original values of and in denominator of the above equation, we get Substituting the value of and in the above equation, we get This is the Binet formula which we started to prove. Hence, the formula is valid. Verifying the Proof In order to validate a proof, it must be tested in order to check whether the conjecture is valid and can be generalized. For this reason, I have decided to use the Binet formula (that was proved above) to check the validity of the relation between the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio by substituting values for x in the equation Using Case 1: , Which is the first term of the Fibonacci series. Case 2: , Which is the second term of the Fibonacci series. Case 3: , Which is the third term of the Fibonacci series. Case 4: , Which is the fourth term of the Fibonacci series. From these substitutions it is clear that the formula is a valid one which gives the desired result. Also, the above calculations have proved to be substantial examples for proving the validity of the proofs shown above. However, an important note to remember in the Binet formula is that the value of x starts from 0 and increases. So it can be said that (x belongs to the set of whole numbers). This is to account for the fact that the Fibonacci series starts from 0 and then continues. Hence, the conjecture is true and can be generalized. Hence the conjecture below can be considered true. The limit of the ratios of the terms of the Fibonacci series converge to the golden mean as n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ , where n is the nth term of the Fibonacci sequence. Conclusion From the above tests and verifications, it is clear that a relation between the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio does truly exist. The relation being The limit of the ratios of the terms of the Fibonacci series converge to the golden mean as n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ , where n is the nth term of the Fibonacci sequence. The Fibonacci series as well as the Golden Ratio have their individual applications as well as combined applications in various fields of nature, art, etc. As mentioned earlier, the Fibonacci series was used to find a solution to the rabbit problem. The relation between the two concepts was an integral part of the central idea in the novel The Da Vinci Code. Along with these well known ideas, other applications of the two concepts are present in the whirls of a pine cone, the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci, the spiral of the nautilus shell, the petals of the sunflower. These are only very few examples regarding the applications of the two concepts. However, this relation has proved to be useful to environmentalists, artists and many other researches. For example, artists were able to use the study of the concept in the paintings of Leonardo Da Vinci and decipher old symbols. It also has given them the chance to create art of their own that by using this concept in their procedure of creating. Further Investigation With the great number of applications that were found regarding the Fibonacci series and the Golden Ratio, there is a possibility that there are other applications of the concept as well. The convergence of the ratios of the values to the value of phi may prove to be of great significance if applied to another theory that has boggled minds of mathematicians for years. Possibilities such as these give rise to the question of further investigation in this aspect of the relationship between the two concepts.

Henrik Isbens A Dolls House Essay -- A Dolls House Essays

Ibsen's "A Doll's House" In Ibsen’s â€Å"A Doll’s House†, in Act Two Scene 6, Nora’s deceptive behaviour and desperation reaches its climax due to the arrival of the letter. This is because the letter contains the means she used to get hold of the money. During the time when the play took place, society frowned upon women asserting themselves. Women were supposed to play the role in which they supported their husbands, took care of their children and made sure that everything around the house was perfect. Work, politics and decisions were left to the males. Nora broke the law and decided to borrow money to pay for her husband’s treatment. She did not borrow the money in the ‘right’ way instead she forged her father’s signature. By doing this, she not only broke the law but also stepped away from the role society had placed on her, being totally dependent on her husband. In this scene, she faces the truth in the letter. The person from whom she borrowed the money, Krogstad, wants payment on the loan. He also blackmails her about influencing Helmer to give him a better job at the bank and hence increase his position in society. This causes Nora to try to keep the letter away from her husband; but what is the significance of the letter and what does it mean to Nora? Possibly, this letter catalyses how Nora acts and how she thinks and she has been deceiving Helmer for the whole of their marriage. This included all sorts of deceptions. One thing that a good audience can recogn...

Quilting - Foxes in the Poetry of Lucille Clifton Essay example -- Bio

Quilting - Foxes in the Poetry of Lucille Clifton  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚   In 1942 Virginia Woolf read a paper to the Women’s Service League about "The Angel in the House." For Woolf, this "Angel" represented the voice in the back of the mind of a woman that was saying, "Never let anybody guess that you have a mind of your own" (1346). During Woolf’s time a woman was not supposed to write critically. Rather, a woman was supposed to "be sympathetic; be tender; flatter; deceive; use all the arts and wiles of her sex." Woolf writes of the need to "kill" this angel. She says, "Had I not killed her, she would have killed me" (1346). Thankfully today it is no longer considered improper for a woman to write critically and truthfully, but Lucille Clifton has her own "angel to kill" in some of her poetry. Clifton is a woman artist who uses her past experiences and those of her ancestors to write her poetry. Clifton uses the ideas of light and foxes to convey the joy she finds in being a woman poet, as well as the fear that an artist sometimes feels when first struck with an idea for a poem. The poems "telling our stories" and "the coming of fox" reveal the feelings of fear an artist may have when creating a work. In "telling our stories" Clifton compares a fox to a poet: the fox came every evening to my door asking for nothing. my fear trapped me inside, hoping to dismiss her but she sat till morning, waiting. at dawn we would, each of us, rise from our haunches, look through the glass then walk away. did she gather her village around her and sing of the hairless moon face, the trembling snout, the ignorant eyes? child, i tell you now it was not the animal blood i was hiding from, it was the poet in her, the poet and the terrib... ...ht some "terrible stories." By bringing to light these "terrible stories" a poet in effect slays the "angels" that kept her from writing. Every author has his/her own "angel" to slay. Lucille Clifton sees past the fear she has about what she might write about using her gift of poetry to "slay her angel." Works Cited Clifton, Lucille. Good Woman: Poems and a Memoir: 1969-1980. Rochester, NY: BOA, 1987. ---. Quilting: Poems 1987-1990. Rochester, NY: BOA, 1991. ---. The Terrible Stories. Brockport, NY: BOA, 1996. Rushing, Andrea Benton. "Lucille Clifton: A Changing Voice for Changing Times." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Roger Matuz. Detroit, MI: Gale Research Inc, 1991. 79-81. Woolf, Virginia. "Professions for Women." The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women. Ed. Sandra M. Gilbert and S. Gubar. New York, NY: Norton, 1996. 1345-48.   

The Backgrounds of Thami and Mr. M

As a young individual, Thiamin was not able to see how his education was so structured and influenced by the government. However, as time progresses, Thiamin cannot appreciate the education, for the people that control what is taught in the schools also force him to live through the horrendous conditions of apartheid. He admits that his education is a political reality in his life. At the end of the novel, Thiamin is faced with a very difficult decision. He ultimately decides to escape the nation because he knows he cannot join the mob and the violence of the people that killed Mr.. M. Thiamin wants change in SouthAfrica. He realizes that the best way to accomplish this goal is to start over in a new place. Standing around in the same township accomplishes nothing, and Thiamin realizes this is not the proper method to bringing about change. Mr.. M has suppressed Thiamin in a tiny environment for all these years, and he finally feels the need to break out and let his voice be heard. M r.. M grew up in a time where apartheid was not present. He had basic freedoms and he was not treated so harshly as the colored are treated in the apartheid period. Mr.. M turns a blind eye to the problems that are present in South Africa.He still believes that modern day South Africa is the same as it was many years ago. It is hard for Mr.. M to fathom the struggle of the colored people in South Africa because everything was integrated when he was a child. This makes it very difficult for Mr.. M, for over a short period of time he was stripped of his basic freedoms. Mr.. M believes that true change lies in the hands of the children, for they are the ones that have a future possibility of sparking change in society. Contrary to Team's belief that education is a politically based system, Mr.. M sees education as a chance to transform his dents into fighters.He wants to give his students inspiration and motive to rebel and question the system of apartheid. Mr.. M also favors education because he is lonely and depressed. Mr.. M deeply values the relationships that he creates with Isabel and Thiamin. It does not seem as if Mr.. M has a significant other in his life. It is strange that he holds such a personal bond with Isabel and Thiamin, and he continues to push them to be active members Of the team so he can spend time with them. He turns Thiamin into the authorities in hopes that it will cause him to return to school.

How a Ups Manager Can Cut Turnover Essay

1. In Buffalo New York, UPS operations prime objective was to find a way to fix the fifty percent a year turnover rate that costs them millions of dollars per year. To do this the company promoted Jennifer Shroeger to District Manager. The first thing she needed to do is to find what was costing the company so much money and why there was so much turnover. She knew that they had high turnover rates resulting in an increase of recruiting, selection, and training costs. She also knew a high rate of turnover could disrupt the efficient running of an organization (Judge, 2007). For example, on UPS’s Pressroom website states, â€Å"UPS spends more than $300 million per year on training and education programs for its worldwide workforce†. Jennifer saved over $1 million dollars in 2002 and dropped the turnover rate from fifty percent to six percent saving the company a lot of money (United Parcel Service of America, 2004-2009). 2. Ms. Shroeger also examined how to improve hiring, communication, the workplace, and supervisor training. Ms. Shroeger followed the Basic OB Model, Stage II and modified the hiring process to screen out people who wanted full time jobs and focused more on the college students. She offered classes on Saturdays for computer-skill development and career planning discussions, updated the break rooms and installed more personal computers on the floor. She also modified the communication style and motivation of each employee in his or her group (Judge, 2007). The importance of evaluating the different criteria is to see what effect it will have on the organization, the employees and their behavior. Then apply that knowledge to make the organization work more efficiently. The program is designed to improve productivity, reduce absenteeism, turnover, and deviant workplace behavior; and increase organizational citizenship behavior and job satisfaction so that managers can offer guidance in creating an ethically healthy work climate (Judge, 2007). 3. Ms. Shroeger found that college students were most interested in building skills that they could apply later in their careers so she offered them Saturday classes for computer-skill development and career-planning discussions. Since many new UPS employees in Buffalo are intimidated by the huge warehouse where they had to work, Ms. Shroeger improved lighting throughout the building and remodeled break rooms to make them more user-friendly (Judge, 2007). To help new employees adjust, she turned some of her best shift supervisors into trainers who provided specific guidance during new hires’ first week. She also installed more personal computers on the floor, which gave new employees easier access to training materials and human-resource information on UPS’s internal network. Shroeger also expanded training so that supervisors had the skills they needed to handle increased empowerment and to see how difficult it is to be a manager (Judge, 2007). 4. In my opinion, I don’t think that it is unethical to teach supervisors to demonstrate interest in their workers as individuals. I know from personal experience that when my supervisor treated me more like a partner/friend I worked harder and felt more proud to be where I was working. I valued my job and valued the people I worked with. I think that when a supervisor shows interest in their employees, the employee will be more likely to be at work and be proud and productive. 5. The supporting facts of the case that support the argument that OB should be approached from a contingency perspective are how she improved hiring, communication, the work place, and supervisor training. She analyzed the large database of information that UPS had on her districts employees and made many changes to adding skills and career development classes, improved conditions in the warehouse and buildings and finally expanded supervisor training. The approach made a statement that she was responsible for determining which managerial approach was likely to be most effective in achieving her cutting the turnover rate. It resulted from a fifty percent turnover rate per year to six percent and an annual savings of $1 million dollars. Buffalo district gained a twenty percent reduction in lost workdays and finally dropping from four percent to one percent in packages delivered on the wrong day or wrong time.

The Effects of Video Games

Video games effects on social life Many people have always been looking for some type of entertainment, and it has been through many forms, from playing with toys, to playing cards, to playing sports, and etc. However, nowadays with so much access to technology and everything that it offers. Various entertainments are way more exciting and sophisticated. Among the new electronic inventions, the 21 the century has revealed video games, a new exhilaration creating a virtual word on computers, on TV and different platforms like smartness.Which can be very useful in a dull, vague or boring situation. Video games have turned to be an amazing source of entertainment because of their diversity, their innovation, and their capacity to be so close to the reality. It has been shown that video games were developing skills for gamers and were a great social instrument. Nevertheless, videotapes have always been a subject of controversy and seen by a lot of people/parent's as dangerous and a bad i nfluence, causing addiction, bad behaviors, or even violence, which is true! However there are many Positive effects as well.In this essay I will explain the causes and effects of video games on an individual such as myself; and how I tend to abuse good things without moderation. I state many opinions that embrace new technologies and see it as a great social instrument; But overall explaining how playing Video games can create and cause some positive and negative effects on my lifestyle. The usefulness of good things has always been a problem for me, causing me to drift and abuse certain things, which is becoming a self-disciplinary problem, not to mention creating dictions.An addiction can be defined by a physical or psychological need for a habit-forming substance. And that substance for me is playing video games, so in other words playing video games gives me the comfort and excitement that I need. But also distracting and causing me to develop badly habits but however, is that a good or bad thing? Many times it creates bad habits and causes me to develop laziness, affecting my schoolwork or work performance.Consequently, I tend to lack assignments and time management, for instance, turning in my assignments late or implementing them at the last minute because I'm up all night trying to complete a level on a certain game and when I start a new level I can't sleep until its completed. So for several cases I would say it's a bad thing. In some cases playing video games gets out of control because I tend avoid many social activities with my family and friends because it has most of my have my attention. Once I'm in my gaming habitat its hard to pull me away from it. It's sort of like a drug. At times I feel as if I am in the game and I can't get out.Sometime my family and friends don't call me to do social activities because they think my answer is always going to be no! Although, Sometimes it aggravates me because there are times where I'm not playing video games and I want to go out and the times I call them to go out they say there busy. So avoid social activities; it creates a mental warfare and selfishness, affecting me in negative ways for to perform, succeed, pursue, and socialize. As a basketball player, I personally play a lot of video games to keep my mind â€Å"in the game† and still having a ay to practice while I am resting.Video games are a great entertainment source to me, it helps me learn and develop different skills. However some games are a great simulator of life and are really efficient for athletes with games like NAB K, FIFE, and Madden Football sometimes giving me the ability to learn and then go out there and practice. Because it creates self-motivation, causing an athlete like myself to get better. They develop notably a better hand/eye coordination, a high level of focus, repetition, and fundamentals Thus having some positive effects.In conclusion I say that I really enjoy playing video games and I defi nitely think it is an amazing creation, I am still wondering how people can be able to create such a sophisticated entertainment and I am also totally aware of the risks that I take. And I know the feeling of wanting to play a little bit more and ending going to bed at Sam while I have to wake up at 8 to go to school the same morning. I am learning to overcome my addictions and bad habits and evolve in the smart way and apply simple solutions that I intake and maybe help people with similar problems.

“Hamlet” Monologue Analysis Essay

The text to be or not to be by William Shakespeare refers to the paradox of life and death. He starts the poem by questioning himself: is it worth to exist or not, and by existing he is referring to the human ability of thinking; in the sense of: I exist because I can think. This issue is developed throughout the poem were the action of thinking deals with the decision of; should I live or not and it certainly becomes an obstacle to make that decision. In that sense the poem transmits that the innate human quality of thinking is what makes us weak instead of being a useful tool to make right decisions. In other words, despite we can perceive a solution to our problems (death), we are incapable of taking action (committing suicide) because we have the eternal problem of thinking. â€Å"To be or not to be, that is the question† this is the phrase that opens the poem, and in a sense, it is like a synthesis of what the author is going to explain later. He is referring to the verb â€Å"to be† practically the same as â€Å"to exist†. The question is: should I live? And by that he is considering that, by being humans, we have the ability to think. In some sort of way, Shakespeare is leading us to the paradox of life and death were human doubting is crucial in the understanding of the two, so there can be a decision. â€Å"to die, to sleep, No more; and by sleep to say we end the heart ache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is hair to: it is a consummation devoutly to be wished† He is analyzing death and seeing it as the solution of the life he is living at the moment. In some way, he is confirming that being alive is a constant pain and so death is the unique pathway that would lead him to another life, a painless one. â€Å"Thus the conscience does make cowards of us all, and thus the native hue of resolution is slicked o’er with the pale cast of thought† This is the fragment in which the poem determines the reason why Hamlet haven’t decided yet nor taken action. This is the fragment were Shakespeare blames human thought for it being an obstacle when there is a decision to make, more precisely: human doubting explores the possible consequences of each action we are about to make, and by knowing them, we soon get afraid of our destiny  and of the unknown circumstances that will surrounds us later. Is an outlook to the future that force us to think back constantly. The doubt and the cowardness do not lead us anywhere. The text can be related to my life in the sense that it is the perfect explanation of the reason why we are afraid of making decisions. Every decision is premeditated and that is why we are uncapable of taking action. Besides, I believe that this reasoning of human thought as an obstacle when it comes to make a decision, applies to our daily life; We give up opportunities because we take a long time thinking, and that certainly is a huge obstacle to clarify our minds and make the right determination.

Strategy management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Strategy management - Essay Example Investors and the general public have become increasingly aware of the social, ethical and environmental contributions of the companies towards the society (Schwartz, 2011, p.29). These acts of social contribution help to develop a brand of goodwill for the companies. The acts on corporate social responsibility spreads a message that the company is a responsible citizen and is there to co-exist for longer period of time. This develops faith among the consumers and investors that influences their decision in favour of entering into relationship, transactions and investment in the companies. As a long term effect, corporate social responsibility increases the prospects of business growth, profitability and sustainability. Here lies the motivation of companies for adoption of corporate social responsibility measures. The Switzerland based Alliance Boots is no exception for adoption of corporate social responsibility (Horrigan, 2010, p.37). The company gets motivation for adoption of cor porate social responsibility as it leads to long term growth, increased market share and profitability. Alliance Boots is an international pharmacy-based health and beauty products provider in several countries across the world. The group acknowledges corporate social responsibility as an integral part of their business as they understand the relationship between a good business and being a good corporate citizen of the society (Banerjee, 2007, p.49). The community, environment, marketplace and the workplace are the focus areas for undertaking corporate social responsibility of the companies. Considering the example of Alliance Boots, the company contributes though its chain of pharmacies and independent pharmacies to develop the health standards of the community. The group is also committed to be a leader in mitigating the threats to the environment like global warming. This is done by undertaking active part to reduce carbon emissions to the environment. In order to integrate acti vities of corporate social responsibility into business process, the market place activities and the workplace activities of companies are dominated by their core business values, mission and vision. Apart from this, the companies have a strong system of governance that monitors and controls the activities of the employees and the business activities. For example, Alliance Boots exhibits all these features while undertaking corporate social responsibility (Crowther and  Rayman-Bacchus, 2004, p.35). Strategies of companies driven by the ethical issues and corporate social responsibility The strategies adopted by the companies are influenced by the ethical approach towards their business and is driven by activities of corporate social responsibility. In order to be ethical in conduct of their business, the companies focus on tightening their system of governance in order to achieve business integrity and at the same time contribute to build a better workplace, develop the community and environment (Mallin, 2007, p.35). For example, Alliance Boots have strategically developed and modelled score card for corporate social responsibility. The score card is strategically implemented as a part of tightening the governance of the company to track and monitor the activities of the employees and the company towards activities on corporate social

Why Should You invest in Apple Stock Term Paper

Why Should You invest in Apple Stock - Term Paper Example According to Chronicle Staff Writer, Kim (2010), Apple, the innovative challenger to dominant Microsoft and second most valuable company in the United States after Exxon Mobil, has passed its rival in market capitalization, becoming the most valued technology company in the world (Kim). Apple Company needs no introduction to the industrial world now. Surpassing of Microsoft in market capitalization is not an easy task and it reflects the capabilities of Apple Company in the international market. Even though earlier Apple concentrated more on the computer and operating system market, they have already started to enter the consumer electronics market world by diversifying their portfolios with the help of iPods, iPhones, mobile phones and different kinds of portable electronic devices. In share market also the growth of Apple is more visible and evident. Even when some of the major companies struggled to survive because of recession, Apple stood out among them and escaped without much damage because of their superior range of products. Investments are stock is one of the most popular ways of making money. But the recent recession resulted in many people losing their money because of the destruction of the share value. Now people are approaching the stock market with hesitancy. The scope of this report is limited to a discussion on Apple Company, its stock value, present and future growth prospects, a comparison of Apple with some of the competitors etc. Moreover, many of the people may not notice that Apple has already crossed even Microsoft in its market capitalization.

FASD Professional Handbook Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

FASD Professional Handbook - Research Paper Example FASD is an important preventable cause of intellectual; dysfunction and behavioral problems.This hand-book reviews amongst others current prevalence, clinical features, pathogenesis and differential diagnosis of FASD. It also highlights the need for social workers to beware of the condition. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), currently considered part of FASD, was first described in 1973.In spite of what has been learned since: a lot of challenges still remain in diagnosis and prevention. My goal is to explore fetal terminology, the effects, prevalence, and prevention of exposure, and identification. I will identify what is known about who is at risk, and with this knowledge social workers should better be able to identify risk pregnancies and alcohol affected individuals and thus identify fetal alcohol exposure early enough. FAS are diagnosed when characteristic facial dysmorphology, poor growth, and central nervous system abnormalities are present, with or without prenatal alcohol exposure. Of importance is the fact that it has been accepted that affected individuals may have some but not all of the FAS characteristics, research has not identified a reliable way of defining those individuals less affected. Fetal Alcohol effects (FAE), Prenatal Alcohol Effects (PAE), Alcohol Related Birth Defects(ARBD), and Alcohol-relate Neurodevelopment Disorder(ARND) have all been suggested as terms identifying those children with a spectrum of problems, but not necessarily FAS. The diagnosis of fetal alcohol effects or ARBD and the estimation of their incidence are more difficult than that of FAS. Importantly, the specifics of the FAS diagnosis for alcohol make it scientifically useful and meaningful. Significantly ARBD and ARND, however are not syndromes in the classic sense, but the presentation of FAS signs indiv idually associated with, but not specific to prenatal alcohol exposure (Kelly, 2000). They can be lower those manifestation of

Art Humanities class Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Art Humanities class - Assignment Example Apparently, one location shows the connection of the statue with the government and the power that it wishes to convey. In addition, the author performs visual analysis through taking photographs of the statue and commenting on its physical structure and movement, as well as its facial expressions. The language focuses on the action and energy of the sculpture, and this is effective in relation to the author’s thesis, regarding the political implications of David’s location. Moreover, this reading is enjoyable because it treats a usual art placement meeting as a decision that affects the meaning of the statue through the goals of the decision makers. Response to Thucydides’ â€Å"Funeral Oration of Pericles† Thucydides records the Funeral Oration that Pericles delivered after the beginning of the first campaign of the war. During this speech, Pericles gives tribute to the fallen heroes of Athens. He praises the virtues of Athens first through extolling the virtues of the people. For him, the Athenians have built a great city because of their virtues and love for learning and simple beauty in life. He argues that these soldiers did not die in vain because they died for the greatest people and city in history. He bases his arguments on the social, political, and economic values and attributes of Athens as a city and as a civilization. Pericles can be quite flowery with his words, but it must be because of the nature of the oration. He wants to emphasize that the people of Athens have to be proud of their courage because their courage protects their freedoms. Some of the confusing parts of the speech are when Pericles mentions certain people, places, and events that are unfamiliar. Nevertheless, further research will prove their relevance to the oration. Moreover, Pericles does not conduct any visual analysis on a specific artwork. Nonetheless, he alludes to the architecture of Athens that manifests the people’s power and glory. The descriptive language combines simile, metaphors, allusions, and symbolisms. They are effective because they reinforce the idea that Athens is worth fighting and dying for. The families of the dead should find moral solace in the sacrifices of their loved ones because they died for something meaningful and worthwhile. Aside from these effective uses of description, the reading is enjoyable because of its discussion of the merits of Athens. It reminds readers of patriotism that turns courage into a trait related to one’s national origins. Response to Alberti’s â€Å"On Painting† This writing has a clear identifiable thesis, where Alberti argues that paintings are important because they record important personalities and events, while also remarking on the skills of the painter. He believes that painting is a sacred duty and process, as it serves to replicate reality as it its, and if God made reality, then painting is an act of recreation, and to some extent, creation. Alberti supports his claims with sayings from great artists and personalities and by mentioning painting’s evolution throughout human history. He establishes that painting is part of the essence of humanity. In addition, Alberti explains the composition of painting: circumscription, composition, and reception of light, which offers a form of visual analysis of

Volunteer assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Volunteer - Assignment Example volunteers to have a chance to give back, one can see too that it is not just the hungry and the unemployed that are being served here, but that those who serve are also getting so much in return. What I personally got from this experience is something that is very hard to quantify and to put into words, and I suspect that for every volunteer it is different too. What I can say for myself is that this experience opened my eyes to the reality of poverty, how it is sometimes beyond the personal capacity of a person to prevent, that it is something that can hit anybody at any time. Looking at the mix of people who were served too, one can see that this is not just about food, it is also about being able to rely on something that is constant and nourishing, in a world that can be so unpredictable and dangerous, being out on the streets and unable to find work and the means to support oneself. Going to the soup kitchen, they can expect nourishment, and they can expect to have this repriev e from the randomness of their lives five days a week. It is a lifeline. On the other hand for volunteers this is also a kind of lifeline, something that is likewise constant and something that volunteers can rely on, as a kind of refuge too, in a way. People need this kind of avenue for giving back to New York as well (Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen). Looking at the people too, and hearing about some of their lives, what they have been through and what they are currently going through, I realize that sometimes life can hit you hard and there is sometimes no way to prepare for what is going to come next. This contextualizes the readings and discussions in class, in terms of bringing this subjective and personal perspective into homelessness and poverty. Reflecting further, I realize poverty in New York is something that can happen to me too, and that therefore I am really doing this work partly for myself. In normal times these kinds of thoughts and insights will not enter my mind, and it