Globalization and cultural diversity Essay Example for Free

Globalization and cultural multifariousness EssayThe forces of globalization argon actu on the wholey encouraging creation and procession of cultural diversity to avoid enclosing oneself in a boring single type of culture. Today the products of cultural diversity in the global solid ground be universally enjoyed by all peope. The arguments given by prominent critics like Thomas Freidman shows that there is no dominant culture under global jurisdiction though the aspect of globalization is derived from the Ameri grass culture. In economic sector firms in caller hurt attempted to sell their products in abroad nations without necessarily affecting the culture in their plazaland. In the lick the countries involved benefit by buying of ideas and materials from all(prenominal) other and shape them to suite their culture. Cultural diversity has helped a lot in borrowing of good aspects which steer growth in the country employed in trade. Globalization has led to cultural dive rsity where life is conceptualized as composed of four issues which include dedication to learning, contribution to the society and family, reflection on what has been learned and then conceptualize it spiritually.Globalization has been driven some by forces of trade and capitalization in pursuit and economic development in home country, which in turn yields good paying jobs or improved living standards. thither is curiosity among young people who wishes to know more and more about life in the global world to accept and be accepted and to be informed more of what they really dont know. In the process of globalization, it is also evident that our cultural ethnic and societal diversities are vest to the extreme ends because we want to perceive a unipolar vision of the world just about us (http//www. newint.org/issue172/keynote. htm). Background information about Unilever club Unilever is a multinational corporation formed to offer the greatest percentage of consumer products in fo rm of solid foods beverages cleanup spot agents and other personal care products. This comp whatever has created job opportunities to more than 180,000 people in the whole world. Although in each branch there is a manager, Unilever bon ton has the same directors and effectively operate as a single business. Currently the chairman of Unilever Company and affiliate companies is Michael treschow, with Patrick Cescan being the group chief administrator.Its products are exchange widely in the whole world and their shares are listed on the worlds stock exchange markets (http//www. amazon. co. uk/review/product/1403944539? showViewpoints=1). The creation of Unilever Company is traced bandaging in the year 1930 through merging of two companies, that is, British soap maker lever brothers and Dutch margarine producer which became as a medal oil company and maintained the importation of both margarine and soaps in large quantities. Its new ventures were launched in Latin America.Unilever Company grew bigger and purchased many companies which were in the line with the products which they were purchasing. In the year 1996, Unilever bought Helen Curtis industries which gave it a high salary increase as a powerful company in United States shampoo and deodorant market. In 2000 the company absorbed American businesses, best foods thusly strengthening their ties in the market in North America and extended its food brands. Today the company has opened many branches in divergent countries and has continued to grow widely in the market industry.Recently the company has started a five year brio company initiative to improve the products in maturity stage which are declining in terms of their sale in the market. Today unilever has ventured in various field including agricultural sector and tea products. In the year 2008 it was honored at 59th annual technology and engineering. Emmy awards for outstanding achievement in advanced media because of creative temperament of givi ng interactive commercial advertising delivered through digital set up top boxes for its programs axes (http//www.newint. org/issue172/keynote. htm). Corporate governance Unilever has a body and chief executive headed by Patrick cescan which is speculate to steer the validation towards maximization of profit and improve the image of the company like any other profit making organization. Unilever Company is engaged in making sure that it operates at its lowest costs and earning the highest revenue. Unilever Company has got also a chairman who is the head of all the brands in the company. There are also other officers including managers in polar brands.Still in its jurisdiction there are other staff officers who are concerned with the wellbeing of the company in larger federation. Today the company owns about 400 brands which are found in local countries which fall in the category of food and beverages home and personal care which are almost found in the whole world. Cultural div ersity in the unilever company Just like any other multinational company unilever company uses aggressive policies to market their goods which is reflected in the public image. It prefers to remain largely anonymous hiding behind the hundreds of brand name and products they sell.Unilever uses television and other prominent Medias to advertise their products so that people can get to know their presence. Unilever Company has element of destroying cultural diversity and make the world more uniform. The tactics used in making profits include centralization of output and sell the same products across the nation boundary. Regardless of whom you are whether an African American Indian unilever has greatly improved the worlds tastes and their goods are replacing the organization in different countries who find rough to vie with Unilever products.The effects of unilever company on the worlds economy are experienced in south ail London when it closed it closed its branches whereby many emp loyees weve rendered jobless hence the is a tragic outcome Multicultural societies across the border face a formidable political task to turn racial religious and tribal differences into strength . even in the countries experiencing strong political wrangles and clashes that has been recorded a high rate of promotion and cultural diversity.Some of the multinational companies which have open good ties sin the economic sector like IBM, GE and unilever use cultural diversity as one of their key elements in success in business are aimed at finding means and ways of harmonizing it (http//www. kmtalk. net/article. php? news report=20070103041059823). One of the most important aspect of globalization is ability to boost economy in third world countries by investors from developed countries investiture in those developing ones. unilever companies has developed various packs in their products which are marketed in different countries.The marketing of these products helps the government in the state to earn revenue from the abroad countries. For instance unilever has developed a program called Trumbull tax abatements which has managed to pull off several(prenominal) major changes of its own in different countries. One of its major changes is to boost financial position in local services. The Trumbulls boost up the local situation tax by bringing expansion in the continent city. Unilever has also put numerous knowledge management initiatives in place across the border.This is meant to station new opportunities for investment by first considering the market structure and consumer needs in every state. Unilever Company has put in place a talk strategy in personal, informal and more structured in organizational level. For the purpose of ensuring community success Unilever Company through knowledge management group. (CMG) has put in place a more formal frame work to help ensure the effective and efficient operation of the firms communities of practice.The community fra mework in unilever advocates for certain principles within which the company coops operates in order to ensure added advantage to the business value. The principles under which it works can be classified ad into four. This includes deliverable people operations and leverage. To strike the difference between communities of practice is defined around knowledge domain and this is where the company laid its production rear strategy. The identified deliverables should contribute to the expected results. The deliverables can be knowledge wise, Such as improved insights, training program and good practice.While business deliverables can be specific innovations, safety improvements and the like in the business (http//www. amazon. co. uk/review/product/1403944539? showViewpoints=). The people pillar concerns about roles and responsibilities of the cop members to the communities. They are experts who are accept as such both inside community. They should effectively represent both the geogra phical and local versus cooperate resources. There are also activists who are supposed to continually review the roles of community for the members to fill.The people pillars address the other stakeholders and sponsors apart from the community who are necessary to validate resources for the members. The operation pillar is centered on community functions. This forms a platform for free expression of members to effectively express themselves every group is free to set its rules itself. The organization has also developed guidelines for activist training. This training is aimed at creating awareness of the importance of the community in building understanding of cooperative activities.The training offers knowledge on communities practice and ways of sustaining these communities. Unilever organization has recognized the effects of its products on to people and the diversity in cultural background. They place people at the centre of the business and everything they do. The organization has also majored a lot in the area of environmental and society growth especially in agricultural sector nutritional hygiene and personal care on the production in creation which care of different tastes and preferences and also in the sector of science and technology in making their products.Having recognized customer income differences from different countries unilever has packaged their goods in different quantities to enable them reach all consumers in different income levels. Unilever has been also received critics from different countries due to harm caused by their production either through consummation or advert. For example in India unilever has been accused of climbing contaminated toxic mercury in tourist sites and the surrounding . protect nature reserve and pambar ,shola in timilnadu and southern India this spills from the industry leads to health hazards which inturn can cause a lot of health problems (http//www. newint. org/issue172/keynote. htm). In UK it has been accused of misleading advertisement on cholesterol lowering margarine and flora proactive. this has a lot of negative impacts on the linage of the company when it failed to do so. All in all unilever has got advanced communication channels and is always to change from the accusation put on it.Multicultural societies across the border face a formidable political task to turn racial religious and tribal differences into strength even in the countries experiencing strong political wrangles and clashes that has been recorded a high rate of promotion and cultural diversity. One of the most important aspect of globalization is ability to boost economy in third world countries by investors from developed countries investing in those developing ones.unilever companies has developed various packs in their products which are marketed in different countries.References Information on Unilever Company, available at http//www. newint. org/issue172/keynote. htm, accessed on July 10, 2008 Cultural diversity in the Unilever Company available at http//www. amazon. co. uk/review/product/1403944539? showViewpoints=1, accessed on July 10, 2008 Cultural diversity and success in business, available at http//www. kmtalk. net/article. php? story=20070103041059823, accessed on July 10, 2008

The poor relation Essay Example for Free

The poor relation EssayThe stories that I reach read both conduct dreams. Both of the stories have dreams that are virtually impossible to achieve. Although the dreams in the book are inured in real different times and are very different to each other, they are suitable for that period of time. Both the authors show that dreams are al substances present everywhere no matter where they are and when they catch place. Both of the authors write from there have got past experience, one way or another. George and Lenniei s dream is to liv of the fata the lani. This means that they dream to buy their get land and be there own boss and work there every day.They also want to be fed from there and Lennie wants to tendi his rabbits. As shortly as candy finds out that George and Lennie have a dream, Candy buysi in to it by offering all his savings. Lennie and George are outcasts and exiles, the lawsuit for this is for the fact that they are gypsy workers and they always work toge ther and go everywhere with each other. This makes them outcasts beca economic consumption they always go everywhere together where as compare to other people at that moment in time every one went on their own. Michaeli s reality is common and typical.There is nothing fascinating in his life aside from his nephew little Frank. Michael is unemployed and searches for work virtually everyday and he lives on his own. His family sees him as a failure in life. Michael doesni t see himself in that way. In Michaeli s dream he see himself as a rich and a wealthy person whose son like friend little rude is the most important thing to him. Michaeli s dream also comprises a castle in the air, which he possesses and is very proud to have. His dream is about affectionateness for little Frank and being cherished in the society.George and Lenniei s dream farmi is a version of the American dream. All American people dreamt this dream. The dream farmi represents competition and the possibility of escape from the itinerant workeri s loneliness and poverty. Georgei s vision is an example of the second kind of unhappy vision, when he sees his future as unending, adrift(predicate) drifting Ii ll take my fifty bucks ani Ii ll stay all night in some lousy cat house. Or Ii ll set in some pool-room till everi body goes homei i. In the sub-text of The Poor Relationi, Dickens is commenting on the Victorian society. Dickens is nerve-wracking to say that in Victorian times it was hard to get respected. The most imperative quality at that time was being rich and being a businessman. Dickens is also saying that level if you are respected and are gracious you wont have as much associates as a person who is rich and a businessman. Money was the credit to everything at that time, together with friendship. What the America people didni t understand was the fact that the American dream was the American nightmarei. Thatis because only a limited flesh of Americans could achieve this dream a nd the rest would just have it as a wish. Everyone could not achieve this dream because all and sundry cannot be there own bossi s as this would lead to an economic collapse. This is why iti s described as the American nightmarei Both authors set their stories in there own times so they can comment upon it. They didni t write stories that were either in the future or the past. They established their stories on reality. Writing in the present increase the number of audiences for the book at that time.The reason for that is because the audience can see themselves fit in to those circumstances. Consequently they would prefer this rather then something that doesni t have-to doe with their circumstances. The narrative structure used by each writer is very different. Stienbeck has made a play-type of structure. Thati s because at the start of every chapter he describes the shot first and then starts the story. This is completely different to the way that Charles Dickens writes. Charles Dickens uses a frame story containing two inner stories, which are told by Michael.In my opinion this is an arduous way of writing compare to that of Stienbecki s method. The kind of language that the writeri s use is completely different to each other only are both appropriate to the time they wrote in. Stienbeck uses a colloquial style with swear words and slang to add realism to his characters and situation. Like when George says If that crazy bastards foolini well-nigh i this style of language was everyday language in that time. The language that Dickens uses is very sophisticated and ornate style this was appropriate to his literate age.The reason for that is because in that time people tried to gain respect and loyalty so therefore they had to use posh style language. Stienbeck and Dickens both use imagination but Stienbeck uses a lot of imagery compare to Dickens. The only important imagery that Dickens uses is that of the Castle of the Airi imagery, whereas Stienbeck uses a lot of imageries like in the first section of the book he says i On the sand-banks the rabbits sat quietly as little grey, sculptured stonei. Another imagery that he uses is iA big carp rose to the surface of the pool, gulped air, and then sank mysteriously in to the dark water againi i Stienbeck uses a lot of different types of imagery where as Dickens uses a limited amount. Both of the authors are trying to state the fact that dreams doni t always come true. The society denies it one way or another. Michaeli s dream is impossible to achieve simply because a castle in the air is impossible to construct, but the atmosphere that he wishes to have is possible to have which is that he wants people to care and have admiration for him. George and Lennieis dream is undone by the society, people who were in the bunkhouse. Their dream is destroyed by the society because Lenniei s mistake which led to his own death. This was very misfortunate for George and Lenniei s dream. Although the s toryline of both of the books are different, the point that they are trying to make is very analogous to each other which is that dreams can be denied be society. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This savant written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Steinbeck section.

Gastrointestinal Involvement: Human Monocytic Ehrlichiosis

Gastrointestinal Involvement Human Monocytic Ehrlichiosis

Aspects of Thai Buddhist Culture

Aspects of siamese connection Buddhistic CultureCHAPTER Vsiamese connection CultureAt the outset of this teaching I had intended to have two sections in the final chapter, angiotensin converting enzyme section detailing the Buddhist roots of all matters Thai and the other showing Hindu / Indic influence. This idea has been abandoned by the origin out-of-pocket to the limited solely Buddhist influence. there atomic number 18 m all aspects of Thai culture that have combined elements of other countries such(prenominal) as China, Laos etc and I have chosen to limit the comparisons to Buddhist / Hindu wherever doable. The study will instead focus on detailing the aspects of influence and recite whether they have a combined influence or whether they have been influenced by solely one of the subjects.The reader will by now appreciate the bulky scope of Hinduism and as such it will prove very difficult to find aspects of Thai Buddhist culture that do non have at least some(p renominal)(prenominal) basis in Hinduism. The common origin of the Indian sub-continent and the antiquity of Hinduism make such a subjective study difficult. For this reason I undertook a survey of many Thai good deal, including but not limited to, my friends, my students, neighbours, monks, etc.I asked them to make a list of 20 things that they considered to be Thai or that which they apprehension might be perceived by foreign visitors as representative of their country and culture. The answers were varied (and, at times amusing due to language) and from the answers they gave I have composed a list of the results. (sh channel on following page). The list has been arranged rudimenti holloy and I have limited the list to the nearly common answers. The list may have been influenced by regional representation as many of the people gave regional answers such as Isan, or the go up festival. The answers were unprompted by the author and I feel that the list is accurate for the pur pose of this study.Almsround by the MonksArts and CraftsBoat Races / Royal Barge ProcessionBuddhismElephants BuffaloesIsan / IsarnMonumentsMai write Rai Offerings / Merit MakingRain DanceRespect for RoyaltyRocket FestivalRoyaltyTemples / ShrinesThai Smile / Friend butt jointalssThe Wai ( Thai Greeting )Thai BoxingThai Festivals CeremoniesThai Dance / Thai DressThai Food / Fruit SculptureThai languageThai literatureThai Massage / Traditional Thai medicineThai music / musical instrumentsThai SilkTuk Tuk ( 3 wheel vehicle)Sanuk Sukhothai KingdomThe discerning reader will peak that Hinduism is absent from the list. This was a little surprising to the author as I had distributed approx two hundred surveys and had or so 60% returned completed and not a maven reply had Hinduism or Brahmanism as an answer. Buddhism was on every single list returned to me and that was not in the least surprising.I had not thought to make my get list prior to asking the Thai people their opinion and I think this was a mistake or rather an all oversight on my part. I am unable to remember exactly what I conceived of as Thai-ness, but the Thai smile and the Wai greeting would definitely have been included in any list. Westerners who visit the Kingdom generally know in advance astir(predicate) the Kingdoms Buddhist temples and the friendliness of the people. The Thai language appears to be very difficult for the guerilla-rate foreigner / westerner to master and for that reason I have chosen to begin my analyses by looking at the Thai Language / Thai Script.There was obviously a Thai language long before there was a written Script. By far the most kindle thing about the Thai script is that it was invented by a Thai king Not many countries can make such a claim, but is there any basis to the claim which is widely accepted by the majority of the Thai people?The sources I consulted all agreed that the Thai script has its roots in India. In fact, many of the South East Asian scri pts atomic number 18 very similar as they all have the said(prenominal) root, namely the Brahmi script of antiquated India. At the time of the Sukhothai Kingdom the country of Siam was under the control of the Khmer Empire. It is very likely that the Khmer alphabet had an influence on the Thai alphabet. A look at the first vagga/ varga of Khmer Thai harmoniseds will show the striking similarities.Khmer Palm Leaf ScriptModern KhmerModern ThaiThe other Scripts which Thai has borrowed from atomic number 18 the Mon, Burmese, as well as the Khun, Tham or Lanna scripts which were existent prior to the first known Thai writing.Tham/LannaKhunBurmeseBurma Northern Thai Scripts Modern Thai ScriptThe siamese connection Tham script, in any case known as the Lanna script is use for trio living languages Northern Thai (that is, Kam Muang), Tai L and Khn. In accompaniment, the Lanna script is also used for Lao Tham (or old Lao) and other dialect variants in Buddhist palm leaves and note books. The script is also known as Tham or Yuan script.The oldest Thai catalogue dates from 1283. The Thai script is a syllabic alphabet based on the Brahmi script which was adapted to write the Siamese / Thai language. Its invention is attributed to King Ramkhamhaeng, who reigned over Sukhothai from 1275 to 1317.The Ramkhamhaeng SteleThis rock and roll, now in the National Museum in Bangkok, was allegedly discovered in 1833 by King Mongkut, who was a monk at the time, in Wat Mahathat. It should be noted that the authenti city of the gem or at least portions of it has been brought into question.1 Piriya Krairiksh, an academic at the Thai Khadi Research institute, notes that the steles treatment of vowels suggests that its creators had been influenced by European alphabet systems thus, he concludes that the stele was fabricated by someone during the reign of Rama IV or shortly before. The matter is very controversial, since if the stone is in fact a fabrication, the entire histo ry of the period will have to be re-written.2Scholars are still divided over the issue about the steles authenticity.3 It remains an anomaly amongst modern writings, and in fact no other source refers to King Ramkhamhaeng by name. Some authors claim the inscription was a complete 19th-century fabrication, others claim that the first 17 lines are genuine, that the inscription was fabricated by King Lithai (a later Sukhothai king), and some scholars still believe very much in the inscriptions authenticity.4 The inscription and its image of a Sukhothai utopia remains central to Thai nationalism, and the suggestion that it may have been faked in the 1800s caused Michael Wright, a British scholar, to be threatened with deportation under Thailands strict lese majeste laws .5Phra Lewis, a western monk who has lived in Thailand for the past 8 years, went to great lengths to explain the construction of the Thai language and demonstrated that while the mouth language has evolved over time, ie the sound of the concurring(a)s changing, their position in the surd/sonant power grid has not altered accordingly. This was very helpful to my research work in this study as I had encountered some difficulty researching Thai record books due to the many different spellings I encountered. There is in fact a like royalty approved system of translation, but it is not always followed and there are numerous in puddleal systems in wide use.For example, the Sanskrit word Dharma is the Pali word Dhamma but the Thais call it Tam, another example is the Thai word Bangsakun which is developedly Pamsakula in Pali. Written Thai is very structured and follows wide rules with no ambiguity as to the pronunciation like there is in English. The Thai language is tonal and that is where most problems arise for the foreigner. The old style of pronunciation was no doubt altered when the great moved from Sukhothai in the north, to Ayuddhya in the central region. The letter ? (K) became G, the ? (C) became J and the ? (J) became CH, and so on.The vowels were also altered slightly. Unless consonants are otherwise marked they carry an inherent vowel. In Indian languages this is averageally an a but in Thai the rules are slightly different. The inherent vowel is an o but if the word has more than one syllable then the first inherent vowel is an a and the second inherent vowel is an o. The example below shows the word for road ThanonBefore moving on to examine festivals and ceremonies I would like to look at a remarkable feature of the Thai language. For this information I am indebted to Phra Lewis who not only blameed it out but explained it to me as follows -The above 44 consonants of the Thai alphabet have been shown with their modern phonetic sounds. Some letters miscellanea sound change depending on where they are in the syllable. They have been shown horizontally in vaggas dependant upon where the sound is make. The first vagga is guttural, made in the throat. The las t line are not shown in their vaggas.The first vertical column should show the surd, the second column the surd aspirate, the third column shows the sonant and the forth shows the sonant aspirated. Column louver is the nasal sound made. In the first vagga of the diagram we can suck in that the G and K sounds of modern Thai have switched positions and if one looks at the next vagga ie the palatal vagga, we can see the J has also moved. The monk has speculated that this happened when the Thais moved their capital to Ayuddhya.The letters M, L, H in the chart indicates the class of consonant ie midriff , low and high. This should not be confused with the tones of the language. Looking down the first column we see all the letters are middle class, the next column are all high class and the remaining letters in the 5 vaggas are low class consonants. The consonants in the last, longer, line can also be placed in their vagga, ie Y would belong to the palatal vagga, H in the guttural etc. This class of consonant feature is unique to Thai but the grid is the format of the majority of Indian languages.The king did not invent the grid but he may well have been the instigator for the format of the letters, a man in his position could no doubt summon the best minds in the Kingdom. Phra Lewis speculates that the need for a new script was prompted by the wish to write the Pali Canon. As the old Thai / Lao alphabet had only 18 consonants this would not be possible as Pali has 33 consonants. It was therefore necessary to add new letters for the sounds that did not exist is Thai. This is where the uniqueness of the script can show the root of the word for the Thai script was designed with this in mind.The king title-holderted with the basic grid and fil guide it with the letters existent in Thai. There were some gaps in the grid where Pali had sounds that Thai had no letters for, the aspirated G or the pallatal NY for instance. The first step taken was to add letters to fill in the gaps. These letters were (English letters give OLD pronunciationThe ingenious part was the addition of letters where Thai already had a letter for the existing Pali sound. The Thais already had a letter for the aspirated K(KH), but they added an additional letter ? (KH) to be used in Pali / Sanskrit wrangling. The practice has continued up until very modern times with foreign loanwords being spelt in Thai using the new letters. This allows a person reading Thaito tell if the word is of foreign origin. Most ingenious, some modern English wordsmay be able to trace their Greek or Latin roots from the spelling but this is not thenorm as it is with Thai. Those wishing to delete obsolete letters from the Thaialphabet do not have a true understanding of its well thought out and practicaldesign. The additional letters means that Thai has 44 consonants whereas Pali onlyhas 33. The Thai letters used to write Pali in Thailand to daylight should be pronounceddifferently from spoken Tha i but most Thai monks do not do this. After this had beenexplained I form it a simple matter of looking at a grid chart in order to translateThai words into roman lettering such that I could research the words online. All ofthis information was obtained from the monks personal notes and, after checking, Ihave found it to be correct though I wish to point out I have no linguistic training.The controversy over the Ramkhamhaeng Stele remains unresolved but that is of no concern to the study. The one thing that can be said for the inventor(s ?) of the Thai script is that he or they were very intelligent and regularityical in its design. I personally favour a single person as committees tend to mess things up and this system, in its original form, was perfect. ( and Indian influenced )Festivals and CeremoniesThe foreign visitors perception of Thailand and the Thais is not gained from the language but from the optical aspects of Thai culture such as festivals and ceremonies. There are s ome public holidays which have no Hindu or Buddhist roots such as days commemorating past kings or celebrating the founding of the constitution. The study has omitted these and others which may have there roots in other foreign countries ie Chinese New Year.To begin with I have chosen to look at three celebrated days which are definitely Buddhist in origin and are known as Puja days.Wisakha Puja DayWisakha Puja Day is a very important day in the Buddhist tradition, for it was on this day that Prince Siddhattha Gotama was born, 35 years later became the enlightened Buddha, and in another 45 years, passed away into total Nibbana (Parinibbana). In each case, these events took place on the rich-moon day in the Wisakha calendar month (usually in May).Wisakha Puja Day is a great Buddhist holiday. It falls on the 15th day of the waxing moon in the 6th lunar month, i.e. full moon day. In Thailand, Wisakha Puja is celebrated throughout the country. On Wisakha Puja Day people ordain up reli gious flags outside their houses. They take part in ceremonies at temples and they make merit. They bring flowers, candles, and incense to pay respect to the Triple Gem, i.e. Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha (the community of followers). In the evening, people take part in candle-lit processions and walk clockwise nearly the main chapel of the temple three times. In the procession, each person carries flowers, three incense sticks and a lighted candle. The concept of walking clockwise virtually shrines etc is a Hindu / Indic practice clockwise for auspicious occasions and anti-clockwise for inauspicious ones such as death.Magha Puja DayMagha Puja Day is one of the most important Buddhist celebrations in the Thai Calander. This day, which falls on the full moon day of the third lunar month (either the last week of February or early of March). label the four great events that took place during passe-partout Buddhas lifetime, namely1250 Buddhist monks from different places came t o pay homage to Lord Buddha at Valuwan Vihara in Rajgaha, the capital of Magaha State, each of his own initiative and without prior notification or appointment.all of them were the enlightened monks (Arahants)all of them had been ordained by the Buddha himself (Ehi Bhikkhu)They assembled on the full moon day of the third lunar month.On the evening of that day, Lord Buddha gave the assembly a discourse Ovadha Patimokha move down the principles of His Teachings summarised into three acts, i.e. to do good, to abstain from dismal action and to purify the mind.It was indecipherable as to when the Magha Puja Lords Supper took place. However, in a guide book of ceremonies for the twelve months written by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), it is said that, In the past, the Magha Puja was never performed, the notice has dependable been dressd during the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV)?Realizing the significance of this day, King Rama IV ordered the royal Magha Puja Ceremony to be performed in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in 1851 and this has continued up to the present day. In later years the Lords Supper was widely accepted and performed throughout the Kingdom. The day has been declared as a public holiday. Thai people go to the temple to make merit and perform religious activities in the morning and return to take part in the candlelit procession or Wien Tien in the evening. At this auspicious time, His Majesty the King will preside over the religious rites to mark the occasion at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and will later make it hundreds of people in a candlelit procession held within the temples compound.Asaha Puja DayAsaha Puja means the solemnity in the eighth lunar month.On the full moon day of the eighth lunar month, the Lord Buddha gave his first sermon and one of his followers became the first Buddhist monk. The ordained followers of the Buddha are collectively called the Sangha, (Asaha Puja is sometimes referred to as Sangha Day.) During his fi rst sermon, the Buddha talked about The Middle Way, to be successful in Spiritual life, we should avoid the two extremesTrying too hard, such as not feeding or not sleeping enough andNot trying hard enough, such as eating and sleeping too much.The Buddha also spoke about the Noble Eightfold Path. This path instructs the faithful toto live in a way that does not harm ourselves or others,to help ourselves and others andto purify the mind.He counsel the people toDo goodAvoid evilPurify the mind.He gave eight guidelines to help people to live in this way, and they are commonly spoken of as the Noble Eightfold Path. He advised people to speak, act and earn their living in moral ways. He further advised them to practise meditation in order to purify their minds and gain deep wisdom (Panya in Thai).These three days are very low key as far as celebrations are concerned and a foreign visitor may not even be aware of them unless they choose to visit a temple or Wat. The next Buddhist ceremo ny or festival to examine is the Robe Giving ceremony of Kathina.Kathin CeremonyAt the end of the three-month Rains sequestrate (July to September / October), monks throughout the country are allowed to travel from place to place and are eligible to receive new robes in an annual presentation ceremony called Thot Kathin. Besides new robes, Buddhist literature, kitchen equipment, financial contributions and building materials e.g. nails, hand-saws and hammers etc. are also presented to monks on this occasion.In fact, the word Thot means make an offering to the monk and the word Kathin literary means the embroidery frame used in sewing the robes which, in those days, were collected from rags on dead bodies (pamsakula, rag robes) or rags found in the forset since clothes were not available in plenty as nowadays. Buddhist people regard the Thot Kathin ceremony as the most significant form of merit-making next to the ordination of their close kin. To sponsor a Kathin ceremony involves a lot of time, manpower and expense. Above all, an advance booking must be made with the Wat if a person wishes to be the sole sponsor of the Kathin ceremony but this may not be possible in all Wats, e additionally temples which are held in high esteem by many people. Nontheless, those who fail to be the sole sponsor of Kathin can also take part in the ceremony which, in this type, is known as Kathin Samakki or the United Kathin.Sometimes a Kathin group will travel for several hundred kilometers by bus, train, boat or even by plane to present the Kathin robes and other necessities to monks in remote temples or in other countries where Buddhist temples are established. People thus arrest this merit-making festival not only for earning merit for themselves but also for enjoying a holiday free from the daily hectic life full of stress and railway line in the city. During the Thot Kathin period, it is very common to see Kathin processions traveling to and fro throughout the country. I n fact, anybody can take part in the event through the simple method of enclosing a di looked amount of money in the white envelope given by friends or relatives.Songkran FestivalSongkran is a Sanskrit word in Thai form which means the entry of the sun into any sign of the Zodiac. But the Songkran in this particular instance is when the sun enters the sign of Aries or the Ram. Its full name is Maha Songkran or Major Songkran to distinguish it from the othes, though most Thais are totally unaware of this fact. Songkran is in fact the celebration of the vernal equinoctial point similar to those of the Indian Holi Festival, the Chinese Ching Ming, and the Christian Festival of Easter. Due to the precession of the equinox the introduction of spring, ie when the sun crosses the equator, now occurs on or somewhat the 21st of March.For the Thai people it is simply their traditional New Year when they can enjoy their holidays to the full with no economic hindrance. Songkran begins on the thirteenth April and ends on the 15th April, (occasionally, in certain years, on the 16th April). The Songkran Festival is the most striking, for it is widely observed not only in this country but also in Burma, Cambodia and the Lao Republic.On the eve of Songkran Day, i.e. on the 12th April, people clean their house and burn all of the refuse in the belief that anything bad belonging to the old year will be unlucky if left and carried on to the coming New Year. Early on the first day of Songkran, the 13th April, the people both young and old in their new clothing go to their local Wat or monastery to offer food to the monks. A long dishearten is erected in the compound of the Wat where monks alms bowls stand in a row on either side of the table. The people donate many types of food and dainties by placing these in the monks alms bowls. In the afternoon of the same day there is a bathing ceremony of the Buddha images and in some wats this includes the abbot or statues of other ren owned monks of high regard. It is after this that the well-known water throwing begins. The bathing of images is done as ritualistic ceremony, which will be dealt with separately.Thai people will go on this day, and the succeeding days, to pay their respects and ask blessings from their elders and respected seniors. They will pour scented water into the palms of the old people and often present them with small gifts. In previous times it was an actual bathing where the young people helped the old people to take a bath and to change their old clothing and put on the new clothes which the young people presented them as an act of respect to the aged on the occasion of the New Year.An important thing to be done during the Songkran Festival is a religious table service called Bangsakun (Pamsakula in Pali) performed in sacred memory to the dead. When a person died and was cremated, the remains were often placed in a chedi in the Wat. In later times a portion of the bones was sometimes ke pt in the house in a receptacle. On Songkran Day a religious service in memory to the dead may be officiated by monks at the place where the ashes and the bones have been deposited, or as in some localities the people bring their dead bones to a village wat in company with others where a joint memorial service is performed. In some parts of the country the guardian spirits of the village and town receive also their annual offerings on Songkran Days. Obviously there are reminiscences or traces of ancestor and animistic worship in by-gone days. The monks are presented with cloth, symbolizing the death shroud, which in olden times was cut up and used as rag cloth to make the robes of the monks.Loy KrathongThe most colourful festival during the year is Loy Krathong wich is held on the full moon of the 12th lunar month, usually in November. This is a festival to pay respects to the Mother of Water and to ask forgiveness for polluting the water in the past year. Loy means to float and a k rathong is a large-hearted of bowl. A typical krathong is made using banana leaves and the base is from the stem of a banana plant. Incense sticks, candles and flowers are placed inside the krathong along with small denomination coins. (perhaps this acts as an encouragement to the people who have to remove them from the klongs)On the afternoon of the festival a parade normally takes place through the city or town. Krathongs of all shapes and sizes are placed on floats and carried by locals and their children. During the evening, thousands of people go down to their local river or klong (canal) to float their krathongs. They light the candles and incense sticks, posit a prayer and then float it on the water. It is a wonderful sight with flickering lights bobbing up and down on the river, much more interesting to witness than to read about.There is a Loy Krathong song, (in Thai language) which is often played throughout the day. Below is a translation of this popular songNovember fu ll moon shines,Loy Krathong, Loy Krathongand the wet high in the river and local klongLoy Krathong is here and everybodys full of cheerWere together at the klong,Each one with his krathongAs we push away we pray,We can see a better dayThe Loy Krathong festival dates back to the period of the Sukhothai Kingdom, 700 years ago. It marked the end of the rainy season and the main rice harvest. It is based on a Hindu tradition of thanking the water god(s). The farmers of Sukhothai held a festival of floating candles.One year, a beautiful woman called Noppamas, who was the chief royal consort, made special lanterns for the festival. She made them from banana leaves and shaped them like lotus flowers. The king was suitably impressed with what he saw, and announced that krathongs would be floated every year from then on. Today, in memory of her and her innovation, there is a beauty contest called The Noppamas Queen Contest.Laying the Foundation StoneThai people like to consult the astrology charts (and / or Buddhist monks though this is spoken of as a low art in the Brahmajala Sutta) in order to find an auspicious time to do something important. This can be anything from the day of a marriage or when to make a business deal. The date and time for starting to build a house is also important. A special ceremony is arranged for erecting the first pillar or foundation stone. Previously I had the privilege to attend the ceremony for the laying of the foundation stone for the Paknam Tower. This is going to be a 139 meter high tower with amazing views over Bangkok and the Gulf of Thailand.Thai people are mainly Buddhists, but ceremonies like this one are conducted by Brahmin priests dressed in white. During the ceremony a priest asks forgiveness from the guardian spirit of the land. He also asks the spirits permission to build on the land. This was followed by offerings for the guardian spirits. Although this ceremony is mainly Brahmin, 9 monks were also invited to do some chanting. local anesthetic dignitaries offered food to the monks in order to make merit during this event. I was reminded of the fact that many Thais see no conflict of interest by partaking in both Brahmin and Buddhist ceremonies, even simultaneously. The Thais themselves would rather make auspicious offerings twice than not make them at all.According to Thai astrology, there are three days of the week when you should never start construction of a building. These are Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday. For the consecration ceremony of the Paknam Tower the date chosen was Friday 18th May 2007. The time for the actual laying of the foundation stone was set for exactly 219 p.m. The number nine is considered auspicious by Thai people. Everything is done in multiples of threes or nines wherever possible. There were nine monks and nine different kinds of food offerings for them.As well as the marble foundation stone, nine symbolic bricks were used during the ceremony. troika made of gold, thr ee made of silver and three made of an alloy. There were also nine symbolic pegs made of nine different types of wood. In addition to these items, there were jasmine garlands, flowers with popped rice and one baht coins which were all utilized during the ceremony.After the conch shell had been blown and the small drums sounded, it was time for the foundation stone laying ceremony to begin. Khun Anuwat Methiwibunwut, the Governor of Samut Prakan Province hammered one of the pegs into the sand. Each of the dignitaries then took turns hammering the remaining pegs into place, followed by pouring of the cement.The nine bricks had been laid in a star pattern where the pegs had been driven into the sand. Additional cement was then poured on top. At this point all of the senior dignitaries jointly placed the marble foundation stone onto the bricks. Following this, they then took turns to sprinkle flowers and coins onto the marble slab. Once the main ceremony was over, the local people, who had been patiently waiting and watching everything, were allowed to come forward to do the same with their own flowers and coins.There were two identical copies of this foundation stone. I presume that one will be covered in cement while the second one will be placed in a prominent place once the building has been completed. The photo below shows the dignitaries placing the marble foundation stone onto the bricksPloughing CeremonyThe Ploughing Ceremony, which is observed every year, is an age old tradition, and according to the Thais it dates back to the Sukhothai Period. It was observed in the Ayuttaya Period and passed on to the Rattanakosin Period. The Ploughing Ceremony is held at Sanam Luang in Bangkok during May and it signals the start of the planting season in this country where the majority of the population are farmers. The ceremony is aimed at making predictions about the years crops.In the reign of King Rama IV, the Ploughing Ceremony was held in the ancient capital of A yuttaya as well as in Phetchaburi. Later, it was held on a field, called Som Poy, in the outskirts of Bangkok, it was at this time Buddhist elements were added to the previously Brahmin-dominated proceedings, these took place at the temple of the Emerald Buddha on the eve of the ceremony. This Buddhist part of the ceremony gnarled the processing of Khantarat Buddha images of the past reigns, along with citations blessing such grains as rice, glutinous rice and sorghum, sesame seeds, taro, potato, gourd seeds, melons and sweet basil.A ceremonial pavilion was strengthened at Sanam Luang for the occasion, which was participated by the Lord of the Ploughing Ceremony (Phra Raek Na) assisted by four Celestial Maidens (Thepi) carrying gold and silver baskets full of grains. Before the start of the ceremony, the Lord of the Ploughing Ceremony and the four maidens were anointed on the foreheads and in the palms, and given a conch and bel leaves. Selected from among high-ranking officials o f the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the Phya Raek Na wore a ceremonial ring with nine different gemstones which the King had given him.The ceremony in the reign of King Rama IV was performed in grand style, with a processing of 500 people led by the Lord of the Ploughing Ceremony in resplendent attire and carrying his ceremonial sword.Before the start of the ceremony, the Lord of Ploughing Ceremony was offered three pieces of breechclout from which he chose one. The cloths were of different lengths four, five and six kheub (one kheub is about six inches) and the length of the

Contributions Of Galileo Galilei To Modern Astronomy Religion Essay

Contributions Of Galileo Galilei To neo Astronomy Religion EssayGalileos Early Life and CareerGalileo was born in Pisa, Italy. He was the oldest son of Vincenzo Galilei, a musician who made important contributions to the theory and practice of music. In the early 1570s, the family moved to Florence where they had lived for generations. In his middle teenager years, Galileo attended the monastery schoolhouse at Vallombrosa, near Florence, and then in 1581 matriculated at the University of Pisa, where he was to study medicine but he decided to study mathematics instead.3 In 1585, Galileo left field the university without having obtained a degree and for several years he gave private lessons in the mathematics in Florence and Siena. During this period he designed a new mildew of hydrostatic balance for weighing small quantities.3 He overly began his studies on motion for the next two decades. Galileo discovered some ingenious theorems on gravitational attraction which brought him r ecognition among mathematicians, which resulted in him obtaining the chair of mathematics at the University of Pisa in 1589. It was here where he was reported to have shown his students the error of Aristotles belief that speed of fall is proportional to weight, by dropping two objects of different weight simultaneously from the Leaning Tower of Pisa.4 His contract was not renewed in 1592, probably because he contradicted wayfaring professors.4 The same year he was appointed to the chair of mathematics at the University of Padua, where he taught geometry, mechanics and astronomy until 1610. It was during this period that Galileo made significant discoveries in some(prenominal) pure fundamental science and practical applied science. It was because of these discoveries that Galileo has been called the father of modern observational astronomy, the father of modern physics, the father of science, and the Father of Modern Science.5Galileos Work and Contributions to Modern AstronomyAt P adua, Galileo invented a calculating compass for solving mathematical problems.6 He discovered the law of falling bodies and of the parabolic path of projectiles. He also studied the motions of pendulums and investigated mechanics and the strength of materials.7 In 1595, Galileo began to support the Copernican theory of the footing revolving around the Sun (Heliocentric model) rather than the Aristotelian and Ptolemaic theory of the farming at the centre of the universe (Geocentric model). The Copernican model had supported Galileos tide theory which was based on the motions of the Earth.5In the spring of 1609, Galileo heard that a glassful had been invented in Holland. By trial and error, he quickly figured out the secret of the invention and made his own three-powered spyglass from lenses for sale in spectacle makers shops.5 Others had make the same, but what set Galileo apart was that he quickly figured out how to improve the instrument, having taught himself the art of lens grinding, and frankincense, produced increasingly powerful telescopes.galileostele.jpgA Photo of The cowcatcher Galileo Telescope8By December 1609, Galileo had built a telescope of 20 times magnification and began observing the heavens. He discovered that the moon was not smooth, as had been supposition by Aristotle and in fact, there were mountains and craters present on it making it rough and uneven.9Moon1.jpgPicture Showing Craters on the Moon10In January 1610, Galileo discovered four moons revolving around Jupiter thus proving that not all objects orbit the Earth (which was thought by Aristotle and Ptolemy).11 These moons are now referred to as Galilean Moons.FG11_16.jpgGalilean Moons of Jupiter12These discoveries were tremendous and Galileo described them in a small withstand called The Sidereal Messenger which he dedicated to Cosimo II de Medici, the grand duke of his native Tuscany. He had also named the moons of Jupiter after the Medici family referring to them as the Sid era Medicea or Medicean Stars.3 As a reward, Galileo was appointed as mathematician and philosopher of the grand duke of Tuscany.In Florence of that same year, he observed that Venus exhibited a full set of phases similar to that of the moon, which proved that it essentialiness orbit the Sun and not the Earth.1 This observation was among the most important in human history, for it provided the first conclusive observational proof that was consistent with the Copernican form but not the Ptolemaic system. According to Nicholas Copernicus heliocentric model of the solar system, the Sun is at the centre of the solar system with the Earth being just another planet orbiting the Sun. The orbit of Venus around the sun would allow all the phases of Venus to be visible from the Earth. On the other hand, Claudius Ptolemys geocentric model, with Earth at the centre and Venus orbiting Earth, only the crescent and new moon phases of Venus would be observed.venus_orbit.pngPtolemaic View versus Copernican View of Venus11Galileos telescopic observations of the crescent, gibbous and full phases of Venus provided empirical and conclusive evidence that the Ptolemaics model was incorrect. Galileo was now confirmed in his belief, that the Sun is the centre of the universe and that the Earth is a planet, as Copernicus had previously argued. Galileos conversion to Copernicanism was a key turning point in the scientific revolution.In 1613, Galileo also observed the Sun through his telescope and apothegm that there were dark patches present on it, (now referred to as sunspots,) which were considered to be imperfections at the time.13sunspots.gifSunspots on the Sun as Observed by Galileo through his Telescope14This was contrary to what Aristotle had proposed in that, the heavenly spheres and bodies were made from a divine, unchanging, perfect substance which he said was the fifth element called aether.15 (The four elements were earth, fire, air and water.) Aristotle held that this perfect substance, had by nature to incline perfect (uniform, circular) motion.16 Galileo observed the motion of these sunspots which indicated that the Sun was rotating on an axis which made it possible that the Earth might be rotating on an axis as well, as required by the Copernican model. Thus, if the heavens were in fact not perfect, then the idea of elliptical orbits (according to Kepler) was not so objection qualified.11 These new facts were both cabalistic to Aristotle and Ptolemy.The Greeks rejected the Heliocentric model partly because they could not detect stellar parallax, which was the apparent shifts in stellar positions when observed from two separate points over the operate of the year. Galileo observed with his telescope that the Milky Way resolved into countless individual stars, which helped him argue that the stars were far more numerous and more distant than the Greeks had believed. With this in mind, Galileo was able to conclude that stars were so far away that stellar parallax were undetectable, thus further supporting the Heliocentric model.11In 1616, Galileo also discovered the planet Saturn which had seen as a three-body system, which was later found out to be the rings of Saturn but, he was unable to see this because his telescope was not powerful enough, showing them as extensions on either side of the planet.DSC08891-Saturn.jpgPic26-ears.jpgGalileos Sketch of Saturn17 View of Saturn through Galileos Telescope in 161617Galileo also conducted experiments using rolling balls to demonstrate that a moving object remains in motion unless a force acts to stop it (now codified as wisetons First Law of Motion). This explained why objects such as birds, falling st one(a)s and clouds, which share Earths motion in space, should stay with Earth rather than fall behind as Aristotle had argued.11Thus, it was Galileo who had laid the final groundwork in modern astronomy (originally started by Copernicus and continued with Brahe and Kepler) w hich was utilise to overthrow the views of Aristotle and Ptolemaic model. It was then the work of Issac Newton who put all the pieces together and demonstrated that the laws that governed the heavens were the same laws that governed motion on Earth.Galileos Writings and Publications In AstronomyMany philosophy professors had scorned Galileos discoveries because they had strongly believed in Aristotles views of perfectly spherical bodies existing in the heavens. In 1610, Sidereus Nuncius (The Starry/Sidereal Messenger) was the first scientific paper to be published based on Galileos telescopic observations which reported about the Galilean Moons, the craters and mountains on the Moons surface, the Milky Way and the numerous stars which it contains and the appearances of planets and fixed stars.18 In 1613 he published work on the sunspots he discovered called the Letters on Sunspots. This publication also included the full set of phases of Venus as well as the puzzling appearance of the three-body system of Saturn.In 1614 a Florentine priest denounced Galileo from the pulpit because a Pisan professor (in Galileos absence) told the Medici that belief in a moving earth was unorthodox. Galileo wrote a letter on the irrelevance of biblical passages in scientific arguments, stating that the Bible should be adapted to increased knowledge and that no scientific person should be made a critique of the Roman Catholic faith.3 In early 1616, Copernican countersigns were subjected to censorship by law and that Galileo must no longer hold or defend the concept that the earth moves. Galileo remained silent on the subject for some years until 1623 when he published The Assayer. This book set forth his views on the mathematical formulation of scientific reasoning as well as experiments he conducted in determining longitudes at sea by using his predictions of Jupiters satellites. This book was successful and got support among the higher levels of Christian Churches. In 1624, Galileo went to Rome where he had a few interviews with the Pope (Urban VIII at that time), whom he told about his theory on tides that he developed in 1616. Galileo put forward proof of the annual and diurnal motions of the Earth, whereby he was granted the licence to write a book about the theories of the universe, but was warned to treat Copernican theory only hypothetically.18 In 1630, the book titled the Dialogue on the cardinal Chief World Systems was allowed to print by the Roman Catholic sensors at Rome, but they altered the title, excluding the words Ptolemaic and Copernican (at the end of the above title). The book was finally published at Florence in 1632. However, in 1633 Galileo was summoned by the Roman Inquisition to stand trial for suspicion of heresy, on the grounds that he had been in person ordered in 1616 not to discuss Copernicanism either orally or in writing and was sentenced to life imprisonment which was commuted to house arrest.18 The Dialogue was ordered to be burned.galilei_image01.jpgPainting depicts Galileo standing trial in Rome for his belief in Copernicanism19In 1638 at Leiden, Galileos final book was published entitled the Discourses Concerning Two New Sciences, which reviewed and refined his earlier studies of motion and mechanics. This book led Newton to the law of gravitation that linked Keplers laws with Galileos physics.ConclusionGalileo became blind before his last book was published. He died at his home in Arcetri, near Florence on January 8th 1642. It was not until 1979 an investigation into Galileos condemnation called for a reversal by Pope John capital of Minnesota II and in October 1992, a papal commission acknowledged the Churchs error. Fifty years after his death the city of Florence erected a monument in Galileos remark in Santa Croce.800px-Tomb_of_Galileo_Galilei.jpgTomb of Galileo in Santa Croce20In December 2008, during the events to mark the 400th anniversary of Galileos telescopic observations, Pope Bene dict XVI praised his contributions to astronomy. Galileo still remains one of the most important scientists of his time and even though he had a difficult lifetime and personally suffered because of his ideas, he is greatly appreciated today.

Death of Salesman :: essays research papers

Willys Idea of Success is MisguidedWilly Loman, the main character in Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman, is idealistic, cross-grained and has a false sense of importance. He exhibits skewed perceptions of society that have a negative impact on him and his family. Willy believes that his philosophy of life is one that result guarantee himself and his family a life of wealth and success. Willy undersurfacenot achieve this success because his perceptions and methods to obtain it are wrong. Willy thinks that a part of a persons success is thrifty by how headspring want and how many friends an individual has. This is illustrated when Willy says Its who you know and the smile on your face ... and thats the wonder, the wonder of this country, that a man can end with diamonds here on the basis of being liked (Miller 86). The context of this quote makes it seem that this is applicable to anyone who believes Willys philosophy that being well liked is in direct proportion to success. Wi lly believes that it is the Loman family that is guaranteed success because they are well liked and have great personalities. Willy believes that he will be more successful than his inhabit Charley because he has a better personality and is liked by others more and then Charley. Willy says, Bigger then Uncle Charley Because Charley is not-liked. Hes liked, but hes notwell liked (30). Willy and his family know that Charley is a good businessman and earns a good living. The Lomans will never believe he is successful because he lacks the ability to be well liked, which is the trait that is imperative for Willys definition of success. Willy equates success with being well liked, and by saying that Charley is liked, but not well liked is the same as saying Charley is successful, but not very successful. It is this belief that by being well liked, Willy has an advantage over all others. Willy tells his sons, Be liked and you will never want (33). This quote exhibits his philosophy of ho w success and being well-liked are one in the same. That by being well liked, doors of opportunities leash to great success will open.Willy feels that personality and presentation are the most important aspect of creating opportunity for yourself. Willy advocates that how one presents oneself is more important to success then doing ones job well and presenting oneself poorly.

Meet Me in St. Louis & Raging Bull :: essays research papers

The 1940s were a cadence when most were living with the effects of warfare every day. Whether it be stomaching the violence of war or trying to deal with the absence of male family members in the family unit, everyone was shaken by World War II. hence it is easy to see how a movie such as Meet Me in St. Louis was born. It takes us back to a time that is associated with wholesome family values and a world with less major problems before war had directly affected Americans of modern times. A rent of a disparate nature, Raging Bull, takes place in these violent times displaying to us not what the people of the 1940s longed for, rather showing some of what society lived with back then. These two movies seem as different as night and day when viewed together, yet they simply show different sides of the spectrum of the same themes. The source that led to the desire to produce such movies is one and the same, violence.Although I am yet to know serious effects of war, I know what it is like to want to escape from something and to find that escape in watching a movie. For many people in the 1940s watching Meet Me in St. Louis was theyre escape from violence in society at that time. It makes perfect brain that a movie in which the biggest conflict is whether or not a family leaves their home together would be a success in a time when family agreement was not as easy to come by. Vincente Minnelli directed it and provided the audience with singing and dancing, themes of love and romance, and overall a great deal of good values. His film represents the importance of family and relationship and he is able to show us this very well on screen.Mise-en-scene was one method Minnelli used in displaying this sense of family unity and value. It is apparent in scenes of family interaction, whether it is conversation in the kitchen, celebrating holidays together, or sharing a family dinner together at the table. Behavior in this movie revolves around universe loving considerat e family members no matter what the action. Any smiles or excitement not motivated by direction were utilized and helped keep with the movies themes. When Mr. Smith brings somewhat the conflict of the family having to move despite their wish to stay, almost immediately the family members disperse and leave him to himself.