Monday, April 6, 2020

5 Number Problems

5 Number Problems 5 Number Problems 5 Number Problems By Mark Nichol 1. Number Collisions In the sentence â€Å"The day the slain woman was to turn 28, 3,000 gathered at a church to recall her life,† the proximity of her age (assuming it is styled numerically rather than spelled out) and the number of mourners confuses the eye. Readers may assume, before they comprehend the sense of the sentence, that the comma after her age and the following letter space are erroneous and that the digits belong in one figure. If the numerical style for the age is correct, revise the sentence to read, â€Å"The day the slain woman was to turn 28, several thousand people gathered at a church to recall her life.† (This distraction can also occur when a year, a room or building number, or any other numerical designation precedes a figure.) 2. Number Ranges Do not use the word from preceding a number range in which a dash (or, in this case, as employed often in newspapers and online, a hyphen) appears: â€Å"The Korean War lasted from 1950-1953† should read â€Å"The Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953† or â€Å"The Korean War lasted 1950-1953.† â€Å"The class will be held from 7-10 p.m.† is correctly expressed â€Å"The class will be held from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.† (the first p.m. may be elided) or â€Å"The class will be held 7-10 p.m.† 3. Number Names When you employ specialized terms that include combinations of numbers or numbers and letters, be sure you’re typing them correctly. The term in â€Å"It’s safe to open your 401K statement again† is correctly rendered 401(k). The designation for a certain nonprofit corporation sometimes incorrectly styled 501c3 or 501(c)3 should appear as 501(c)(3). 4. Numbers with Hyphenation I’ve written about hyperhyphenation and hypohyphenation before (search this site for â€Å"hyphens† for more posts on the topic), but these twin troubles persist, so I will, too: Pay attention when using hyphens in phrases involving numbers. No hyphens are necessary in â€Å"The electrified fence is 10-feet-high,† because â€Å"10 feet high† is a simple description, not an adjectival phrase describing a noun that follows immediately (â€Å"10-foot-high electrified fence† is correct). One of those extra hyphens can be donated to the phrase â€Å"21-year old world record,† which refers not to an old world record consisting of 21 years (is that â€Å"old world,† as in â€Å"old-world charm†?), but to a world record that is 21 years old. 5. Numbers and Currency Take care when making references to money: Redundant references such as â€Å"The fine was set at $5 million dollars† or â€Å"I found $100 bucks in an old shoe box† are common. Be consistent in one article or book about whether you use currency symbols or spell the terms out; the determination should be based on the level of formality (currency terms are usually spelled out in more formal writing) weighed against the frequency of occurrence (numerous and/or technical references to money are best presented with symbols). Keep in mind, too, that use of the dollar sign is ubiquitous, but the cent sign is rare, so if reference is made separately to dollars and cents, it’s best to spell out both terms: â€Å"In 1960, the candy bar cost 5 cents; by the beginning of the twenty-first century, it sold for a dollar.† Also, avoid using numerals for orders of magnitude. The figure in â€Å"The binary star is more than 57,000,000,000,000 miles from Earth† is difficult to read, as is the total in â€Å"The budget was 5,666,943,643 dollars.† In the first example, use the term of magnitude: â€Å"The binary star is more than 57 trillion miles from Earth.† Use the same approach for the monetary figure, which is unnecessarily precise; multidigit references to currency are often rounded off at two decimals past the degree of magnitude. â€Å"The budget was 5.66 billion dollars.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:30 Synonyms for â€Å"Meeting†50 Idioms About Fruits and Vegetables20 Ways to Cry

Monday, March 9, 2020

History of the Dust Bowl Ecological Disaster

History of the Dust Bowl Ecological Disaster The Dust Bowl was the name given to an area of the Great Plains (southwestern Kansas, Oklahoma panhandle, Texas panhandle, northeastern New Mexico, and southeastern Colorado) that was devastated by nearly a decade of drought and soil erosion during the 1930s. The huge dust storms that ravaged the area destroyed crops and made living there untenable. Millions of people were forced to leave their homes, often searching for work in the West. This ecological disaster, which exacerbated the Great Depression, was only alleviated after the rains returned in 1939 and soil conservation efforts had begun in earnest. It Was Once Fertile Ground The Great Plains was once known for its rich, fertile, prairie soil that had taken thousands of years to build up. Following the Civil War, cattlemen over-grazed the semi-arid Plains, overcrowding it with cattle that fed on the prairie grasses that held the topsoil in place. Cattlemen were soon replaced by wheat farmers, who settled in the Great Plains and over-plowed the land. By World War I, so much wheat grew that farmers plowed mile after mile of soil, taking the unusually wet weather and bumper crops for granted. In the 1920s, thousands of additional farmers migrated to the area, plowing even more areas of grassland. Faster and more powerful gasoline tractors easily removed the remaining native Prairie grasses. But little rain fell in 1930, thus ending the unusually wet period. The Drought Begins An eight-year drought started in 1931 with hotter than usual temperatures. Winter’s prevailing winds took their toll on the cleared terrain, unprotected by indigenous grasses that once grew there. By 1932, the wind picked up and the sky went black in the middle of the day when a 200-mile-wide dirt cloud ascended from the ground. Known as a black blizzard, the topsoil tumbled over everything in its path as it blew away. Fourteen of these black blizzards blew in 1932. There were 38 in 1933. In 1934, 110 black blizzards blew. Some of these black blizzards unleashed large amounts of static electricity, enough to knock someone to the ground or short out an engine. Without green grasses to eat, cattle starved or were sold. People wore gauze masks and put wet sheets over their windows, but buckets of dust still managed to get inside their homes. Short on oxygen, people could barely breathe. Outside, the dust piled up like snow, burying cars and homes. The area, which had once been so fertile, was now referred to as the â€Å"Dust Bowl,† a term coined by reporter Robert Geiger in 1935. The dust storms grew bigger, sending swirling, powdery dust farther and farther, affecting more and more states. The Great Plains were becoming a desert as over 100 million acres of deeply plowed farmland lost all or most of its topsoil. Plagues and Illnesses The Dust Bowl intensified the wrath of the Great Depression. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt offered help by creating the Drought Relief Service, which offered relief checks, the buying of livestock, and food handouts; however, that didn’t help the land. Plagues of starving rabbits and jumping locusts came out of the hills. Mysterious illnesses began to surface. Suffocation occurred if one was caught outside during a dust storm – storms that could materialize out of nowhere. People became delirious from spitting up dirt and phlegm, a condition which became known as dust pneumonia or the brown plague. People sometimes died from their exposure to dust storms, especially children and the elderly. Migration With no rain for four years, Dust Bowlers by the thousands picked up and headed west in search of farm work in California. Tired and hopeless, a mass exodus of people left the Great Plains. Those with tenacity stayed behind in hopes that the next year is better. They didn’t want to join the homeless who had to live in floorless camps with no plumbing in San Joaquin Valley, California, desperately trying to seek enough migrant farm work to feed their families. But many of them were forced to leave when their homes and farms were foreclosed. Not only did farmers migrate but also businessmen, teachers, and medical professionals left when their towns dried up. It is estimated that by 1940, 2.5 million people had moved out of the Dust Bowl states. Hugh Bennett Has an Idea In March 1935, Hugh Hammond Bennett, now known as the father of soil conversation, had an idea and took his case to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. A soil scientist, Bennett had studied soils and erosion from Maine to California, in Alaska, and Central America for the Bureau of Soils. As a child, Bennett had watched his father use soil terracing in North Carolina for farming, saying that it helped the soil from blowing away. Bennett also had witnessed areas of land located side by side, where one patch had been abused and become unusable, while the other remained fertile from nature’s forests. In May 1934, Bennett attended a Congressional hearing regarding the problem of the Dust Bowl. While trying to relay his conservation ideas to the semi-interested Congressmen, one of the legendary dust storms made it all the way to Washington D.C. The dark gloom covered the sun and the legislators finally breathed what the Great Plains farmers had tasted. No longer in doubt, the 74th Congress passed the Soil Conservation Act, signed by President Roosevelt on April 27, 1935. Soil Conservation Efforts Begin Methods were developed and the remaining Great Plains farmers were paid a dollar an acre to try the new methods. Needing the money, they tried. The project called for the phenomenal planting of two hundred million wind-breaking trees across the Great Plains, stretching from Canada to northern Texas, to protect the land from erosion. Native red cedar and green ash trees were planted along fencerows separating properties. The extensive re-plowing of the land into furrows, planting trees in shelterbelts, and crop rotation resulted in a 65 percent reduction in the amount of soil blowing away by 1938. However, the drought continued. It Finally Rained Again In 1939, the rain finally came again. With the rain and the new development of irrigation built to resist drought, the land once again grew golden with the production of wheat.

Friday, February 21, 2020

Building Your Company's Vision by Jim Collins & Jerry Porras Assignment

Building Your Company's Vision by Jim Collins & Jerry Porras - Assignment Example It is the sum of the characters of an organization which forms the infrastructure of the organization over the period of time. Core Ideology is the heritage of the founders or other eminent members of the organization leave behind which stays with the company forever. It shows where the organization stands, what is its purpose, and why does it exists. The most fundamental part of core ideology is the purpose of existence of the organization. Core ideology is not about the market trends or the customer needs. It is an internal organizational matter and it is not affected by the fluctuations and demands of the market. In a world of continuous change, core ideology is vital for the company to hold an organization and its personnel together at all times and makes it indifferent to the entire outside stimulus which may have the potential to hinder the company’s development. HP, Sony, Disney, Motorola, 3M and many other powerful companies have had focused and clear core ideologies w hich helped them pave their way to success. Core values are those lasting tenets of an organization which do not require any external justification or explanation. They exist for the company itself not for the market or the customers. They do not change according to the market trends but are formed on the basis of the values and beliefs of the people working in these organizations. Core values are not strategies for success but they are a handful of principles and rules passed on to generations which helps the company to last in the ever-changing business world. They do not change frequently if they change at all. Core values remain constant during times of environmental and social change as they are values of the people working inside an organization and behold their intrinsic beliefs and insights.  

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Internationl Economic Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Internationl Economic Law - Essay Example These trade advantages encompass benefits like larger import quotas or lower tariffs and import duties. A country designated with the MFN status must be treated on an equal platform as any other country that has been awarded the MFN status by the nation granting this special status. The MFN treatment principle is important in the context of the WTO whose members have pledged to award MFN statuses to each other. There are also certain exceptions like designating free trade sectors on a regional basis and providing additional benefits to the developing nations. Under the MFN system stipulated by the WTO, a member nation that grants the most-favoured status to a non-member state for a particular product is obliged to provide the same benefits to other members of the WTO2. Thus, the WTO ensures that trade benefits are provided to all members as well as non-members on an equitable basis. The notion of a Most-Favoured Nation has existed since medieval times where smaller versions of such a greements have existed since the 15th Century. However, the expansion of MFN status in international trade began to develop during the 18th century3. Before the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), the MFN treatment could be found only among Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) which indeed aided in liberalizing international trade. MFNs also find mention in the ‘Fourteen points’ laid out by United States (US) President Woodrow Wilson in 1918 which called for the liberalization and equality of trade conditions among nations4. Features of the MFN principle The MFN treatment principle has numerous economic effects that are elaborated below. Advantages to International Trade The most important benefit of the MFN principle is that it allows nations to import goods from the most cost-effective and efficient producer without disrupting the notion of comparative advantage5. For instance, a country can import products from the best supplier from different countries ba sed on cost, quality and efficiency thereby improving its economic efficiency. However this efficiency is distorted if the importing nation imposes a higher tariff on imports from the efficient supplier, prompting the importer to prefer products of the next best supplier (from a different country) at lower tariffs. This results in a trade imbalance which reduces the economic benefit to the importing nation besides disrupting global economic efficiency6. The provision of the MFN status in this context to all the countries implies that the importing country will levy equal tariffs on all exporting nations resulting in the procurement of goods from the most efficient supplier. Thus, the primary objective of the MFN treatment principle is to improve the efficiency of international trade. Free Trade System As mentioned above, the equal treatment of nations based on the MFN treatment principle accords the most liberal business environment that allows WTO member states to cut costs in nego tiation and monitoring trade agreements. In simpler words, the MFN treatment has resulted in the reduction of costs associated with the maintenance and functioning of the free trade system7. Equal treatment for imports from all member countries also means that costs associated with ascertaining the originating port or country are also reduced thereby contributing

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Safeguarding Children in Social Work

Safeguarding Children in Social Work To answer this question I am going to critically evaluate the impact of direct work with children from a safeguarding perspective which will include children who have been placed in foster care as a direct consequence. In addition I will identify and critically assess the impact of current legislation and research on the lives of children. I will first explain direct work and its importance; secondly I will evaluate the impact of conducing direct work with children in light of legislation and policy and thirdly critically evaluate the critical issues highlighted in the theory behind the use of observation. Hapgood, 1988 ( cited in Fahlberg, 2012: 338 ) posits that; â€Å"direct work with children is used to enable children to understand significant events in the past, confront the feelings that are secondary to those events, and become more fully involved in the future planning of their lives†. Social work with children can be challenging especially as they are working with individuals who are not fully developed and may not be able to express their needs as adults can. It is at this point that a firm understanding of how to obtain information from children is understood in order to protect them, Winter, (2011). Direct work with children can take many forms and typically consists of; Listening, communication, observations and interacting with the child, (Winter, 2011). There are a variety of tools and mechanisms that can be used to undertake direct work with children and family’s such as; using drawings, life story work, playing games and using toys, (Ruch, 2014). Carroll, (1998) illustrates some tools that can be used with children such as; Treasure Island and magical houses, during my practice placement I used some of these tools as part of the single assessment, a single assessment is a holistic framework used by social work professionals which is based on an ecological approach to assessing children under three different domains, (Ferguson, 2011). For example I worked with a child who had been exposed to parental abuse and was subsequently placed in foster care. To establish a relationship with the child and explore the child’s experiences I used the Treasure Island task wh ich allowed me to establish the child’s relationships, which the child has a strong attachment with and or any concerns with their relationships, McMahon, (1992). Subsequently conducting direct work has come from lessons learnt from the past, an Ofsted report highlights that the previous focus has been on the parents and not the child, Ofsted,(2009 / 2010). To illustrate a young girl was a victim of a sexual assault by a male known to her mother, her mother misused drugs and alcohol, it was found that the girl was only spoken to once and her wishes and feelings had not been prioritised thus leaving her in a vulnerable position open to the attack, (Ofsted, 2009 / 2010). With this in mind in and reflecting on my practice from the previous example, I would adapt some of the tasks I used in this scenario; this is because I found the magical house task was too advanced for younger children: it may have been more appropriate if I used the buttons task because using objects can make things easier for younger children to understand. The impact of serious case reviews and inquiries have seen a drive to integrate direct work into social work practice which has been reinforced by legislation. The Children Act, 1989 (as amended by section 53 (4a) of the Children Act 2004) requires that the local authorities give due regard to a child’s wishes and feelings, of which S.22 (4a) Children Act 1989 includes those children that are or maybe looked after by the local authority. The Working Together To Safeguard Children’s Guidelines 2013 further strengthened these obligations as it was found, in the Daniel Pelka’s serious case review that Daniel was not spoken too until too late and at that point may not have been able to articulate himself, therefore his wishes and feelings had not been heard if they had been heard this may have saved Daniel from his untimely death, (Lock et al,2013). The importance of the Child’s Voice is also enshrined in Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998 which requires; † the Local Authority to ascertain the ‘ wishes and feelings’ of children and give due consideration (with regard to the child’s age and understanding) to these when determining what services to provide, or what action to take†, ( Munro, 2011:24). In addition the UK has ratified in 1992 with The United Convention of the Rights of the Child, (UNCRC), of which Article 12 (1) states; â€Å"Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child†, (UNCRC,1989: 5). The local authority must also follow the; National Minimum Standards for both Adoption (2013) and Fostering (2011) which is used in inspections by Ofsted. While the Children and Families Act, 2014 affords children greater protection and support ensuring all children can be successful, Donovan , (2014) . However although legislation has reinforced the need for direct work with children there are challenges that persist in its use, ( Ruch, 2014). Luckock, (2013) argued that with the increase in legislative controls this has had an impact on the beauracracy within social work, and as Ferguson, (2011) argues this may lead practice to becomes target driven and service led rather than client led. Furthermore Ferguson, (2011) purports that practioner skills are being eroded because of the time spent at their desks typing out assessments and meeting statutory requirements. For example on my practice placement I have had experience of completing paper work for a child whom became a Looked After Child by the Local Authority, the administration that was generated from this process restricted me to the office for at least three days because statutory guidelines require that; LAC reports, court reports and legal meetings must be completed within specific timeframes. The Working Together Guidelin es reinforce this need for protocol for instance by stipulating that; â€Å" every assessment should be focused on outcomes†, (Working Together To Safeguard Children, 2013:22), which could perhaps be seen as leading towards a service led practice instead of child centred practice. In addition social care staff have also highlighted that they feel as if they are working in a culture of fear such that, any display of warmth towards a child could be misconstrued as unprofessional and exploitative, ( Mcleod, 2010). This raises difficulties for professionals when they conduct direct work with children and hope to form a relationship that allows the child to feel comfortable speaking about their experiences, (Tyler et al, 2005, cited in Oliver, 2010). Notably when Looked After Children were asked what they wanted from their social worker, they said; â€Å" they would like their social worker to be like a friend† (Oliver,2010: 29). This Current research and theory have also had an impact on the use of direct work in the lives of children who need safeguarding or who are Looked After by the Local Authority, (Luckock, 2013). Development theory such as attachment by Bowlby, (1969) can inform direct work with children to obtain the child’s wishes and feelings, observation is a method which can inform and use attachment theory to aide in the assessment process (Sharman et al, 2004). During my practice placement, I used observation as a method to inform my assessment. I observed a one year old child who became Looked After by the Local Authority. I observed the Child at the foster carer’s house, during my observation I noted that the young girl had trust issues, this was indicative from her behaviour; she would not have eye contact with adults and if she did look she would cry inconsolably. Importantly she did not allow her foster carer to touch her, she would push her hand away. When she was placed in her p lay pen she could scream uncontrollably and rock back and forth, her head was also flat which was an indication that, she had been left in one spot over long periods. Prior to this observation I planned how I would conduct the observation. I thought about the key purpose of the observation and from my thought process I concluded that I needed to ascertain what the infants’ attachment style was, (see Ainsworth, 1969). In addition I needed to observe the child’s relationships with others to establish how the infant had been emotionally affected by her mother’s maltreatment. As the child was Looked After it was the LA statutory duty to visit the child in the foster placement therefore consent was not an issue at this time. I also thought about which observation method I should use, I used the naturalistic style of observation, this meant I had to sit quietly and observe the child, it also meant that I must be careful not to make eye contact, I made notes in the present tense and my main focus was on the infant, (Fawcett, 2009). However practitioners must be aware of how their own personal and cultural experiences can have an impact on the observation, (Fawcett, 2009). Lord Laming, (2003) illustrates this point in the Victoria Climbie report by suggesting that; the focus was on Victoria’s heritage and cultural background and because of this, it acted as a barrier for professionals in assessing the need of the child, of which the need was that of any child who was suffering from abuse irrespective of cultural explanations. With this in mind Fawcett, (2009) suggests that typically, we tend to have a set hypothesis when observing and as such we try to find evidence to fit that theory, what Fawcett, (2009) explains is that we need to have an open approach to observation and think holistically. For example, I had to be mindful that although I was aware of the mum’s case history and that the case was going to court, I had to ensure that I was not looking for evidence to support the court report but t hat my task was to assess holistically. Furthermore there are strengths and limitations of using the naturalistic method of observation. The strengths to this approach is that; one is able to keep an ecological picture of the situation, notes can be taken immediately thus insuring the observation records are as accurate as possible and that it is in a natural setting, (Sharman, 2004). For example, because I was able to write the notes as the observation was happening I managed to get the intricate details , for instance her hand gestures which I may have forgotten had I written the notes later. However Sharman, (2004) noted that the limitations to the naturalistic approach raised dilemma’s such that there was no direction as to what data should be collected and the data that was collected was subsequently amassed together without structure. Reflecting back on my practice with this observation, I would have preferred to observe the child with both of the foster carers present, because the female foster carer told us that the young girl was afraid of female carers but was comfortable around the male carer her husband, it would have strengthened the assessment if I was able to observe this early on in the placement. In addition to the strengths and weaknesses of naturalistic observations another aspect to be aware of is the impact of the observer’s emotional responses in the observation (Fahlberg, 2012). For instance in my observation I had to manage my emotions when watching the child in distress, because that would have clouded my judgement of the situation. Trowell and Miles, (2009) suggests that the observers need to realise what observations are their own emotional responses and thoughts and these need to be separated and noted which emotions have come from the observer and which is the child’s. Luckock, (2013) argues that if the observers emotions are not acknowledged and examined this may lead to a different outcome of the observation as your own emotions may distort your judgement of what is actually occurring. Similarly Fawcett, (2009) highlights that the observer needs to be aware that every child is unique in for example in temperament and may not react the same way beca use their developmental path which is a mixture of biological and environmental experiences. The Every Child Matters agenda recognises such differences and purports to highlight that child development is holistic and must thus be assessed as such, Fawcett, (2009). As discussed previously consent for this observation was not problematic however at times it can be. I have had to manage a situation when this has been an issue; a young 15 year old boy had been maltreated. Children’s Social Care (CSC) wanted to observe the boy in school to see his attachment behaviour to inform their assessment. CSC would not have been able to speak with the child without permission from the parents and this was not an option. As the local authority did not have parental responsibility this can pose as a dilemma for practitioners who are assessing children that may be at risk of significant harm. However in some instances the local Authority can assess the child as Gillick competent, NSPCC, (2015) this means that the local authority are saying that the child who is under 16 is mature enough to give consent for example to being observed, NSPCC (2015). Gaining consent for the observation and using clauses such as Gillick competence raises issues of power and how social workers should work in an anti – oppressive and anti – discriminatory way, (Luckock, 2013). Essentially observation can be oppressive for the child, it can perhaps make the child feel uncomfortable and highlights the power imbalance between them and the professional, Luckock, (2013). Therefore Baldwin, (1994) posits that groups that have less power for example; children, the elderly and BME groups should be assessed on the basis of being â€Å"seen and heard† (p,79). Similarly observers need to recognise that society views for example about; being Gay, black or disabled are not necessarily positively viewed as for instance being a heterosexual white male. Therefore these differences need to be recognised when observing and the observer should perhaps use a socio – cultural frame work and discuss the observation afterwards with a supervisor as this allows for a reflective stance when making judgements, and could help achieve records that are as accurate as possible,(Hsu and Arnold, 2006). Overall legislation, policy and research has had an impact on direct work, legislation as discussed has reinforced and compelled the use of direct work in practice. This has can be seen as a positive influence leading to a child centred way of working which may be beneficial for children as they will have a voice and receive the required help. On the other hand research into how direct work can be effective for example; in observation can help to inform the direct work process and insure that children’s experiences and lives are being assessed accurately as possible.

Monday, January 20, 2020

Virgils Aeneid as Roman Propaganda Essay example -- Aeneid Essays

Virgil's Aeneid as Roman Propaganda  Ã‚   Rome was experiencing a great deal of internal turmoil during the period when Virgil wrote the Aeneid. There was somewhat of an identity crisis in Rome as it had no definitive leader, or history. With the ascension of Augustus to the throne, Rome was unified again. Still, it had no great book. The Greeks had their Odyssey, giving them a sense of history and of continuity through time. A commonly held view is that the Aeneid attempts to provide the Romans with this sense of continuity or roots. There is a great deal of textual evidence to support this interpretation. Virgil makes numerous references to the greatness of Rome through "ancient" prophecies. Clearly, the entire poem is an account of the founders of Rome. In some sense, this does make the Aeneid seem as a piece of propaganda. However, upon closer examination, there is another idea that Virgil presents. War is painted as a vicious and bloody, not some glorious event. The image of war condemns the concept of Rome as the all-p owerful conqueror of other nations. Not only that, but the strong emphasis on duty is frequently mocked. These underlying ideas would seem to run contrary to the theory that Virgil was simply producing a synthesized history of ancient Romans. In order to determine the true intent of the Aeneid, it is important that both ideas presented be examined. "I sing of warfare and a man at war†¦Till he could found a city†¦the high walls of Rome." (Book I, 1-12) There can be no dispute that the Aeneid is an account of the history of Rome. There are several items which with Virgil links the story of Aeneas to the Rome of his time period. Probably the most obvious of these is the surplus of predictions concerning Rome’... ...many readers today still are). No one can be entirely sure of Virgil’s true intent in writing the Aeneid. Perhaps he meant it as a glorification of Rome that had some discrepancies in it. Perhaps he meant it as an attack upon the character of Rome with some inconsistencies. Either way, it does not work well. Whatever Virgil’s argument, he compromises it by playing up the opposite argument. If Virgil meant to attack Rome, he failed in some respects. Likewise, if he meant the Aeneid to be a work of Roman propaganda, he was ineffective. Works Cited and Consulted Horsfall, Nicholas, ed. A Companion to the Study of Virgil. Leiden, New York, and Kà ¶ln: E. J. Brill, 1995. Putnam, Michael C. J. â€Å"Anger, Blindness, and Insight in Virgil's Aeneid.† Apeiron 23 (1990): 7-40. Virgil. Aeneid. Dover Thrift Edition. Trans. Charles J. Billson. New York: Dover, 1995. Virgil's Aeneid as Roman Propaganda Essay example -- Aeneid Essays Virgil's Aeneid as Roman Propaganda  Ã‚   Rome was experiencing a great deal of internal turmoil during the period when Virgil wrote the Aeneid. There was somewhat of an identity crisis in Rome as it had no definitive leader, or history. With the ascension of Augustus to the throne, Rome was unified again. Still, it had no great book. The Greeks had their Odyssey, giving them a sense of history and of continuity through time. A commonly held view is that the Aeneid attempts to provide the Romans with this sense of continuity or roots. There is a great deal of textual evidence to support this interpretation. Virgil makes numerous references to the greatness of Rome through "ancient" prophecies. Clearly, the entire poem is an account of the founders of Rome. In some sense, this does make the Aeneid seem as a piece of propaganda. However, upon closer examination, there is another idea that Virgil presents. War is painted as a vicious and bloody, not some glorious event. The image of war condemns the concept of Rome as the all-p owerful conqueror of other nations. Not only that, but the strong emphasis on duty is frequently mocked. These underlying ideas would seem to run contrary to the theory that Virgil was simply producing a synthesized history of ancient Romans. In order to determine the true intent of the Aeneid, it is important that both ideas presented be examined. "I sing of warfare and a man at war†¦Till he could found a city†¦the high walls of Rome." (Book I, 1-12) There can be no dispute that the Aeneid is an account of the history of Rome. There are several items which with Virgil links the story of Aeneas to the Rome of his time period. Probably the most obvious of these is the surplus of predictions concerning Rome’... ...many readers today still are). No one can be entirely sure of Virgil’s true intent in writing the Aeneid. Perhaps he meant it as a glorification of Rome that had some discrepancies in it. Perhaps he meant it as an attack upon the character of Rome with some inconsistencies. Either way, it does not work well. Whatever Virgil’s argument, he compromises it by playing up the opposite argument. If Virgil meant to attack Rome, he failed in some respects. Likewise, if he meant the Aeneid to be a work of Roman propaganda, he was ineffective. Works Cited and Consulted Horsfall, Nicholas, ed. A Companion to the Study of Virgil. Leiden, New York, and Kà ¶ln: E. J. Brill, 1995. Putnam, Michael C. J. â€Å"Anger, Blindness, and Insight in Virgil's Aeneid.† Apeiron 23 (1990): 7-40. Virgil. Aeneid. Dover Thrift Edition. Trans. Charles J. Billson. New York: Dover, 1995.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Cinderella: Difference and German Story Essay

Cinderella and Ashputtle are two different stories based on the same plot. Ashputtle is a German story, and Cinderella is from France. From what one can tell from reading the two versions, these two countries are able to produce very different styles of writing. The stories Ashputtle and Cinderella are very similar in plot, yet the details are very different in multiple ways. The German story, Ashputtle, is a much harsher story. Ashputtle contains more blood and revenge, and has a darker theme to it. In this story, Ashputtle’s father seems to ignore her and not care very much about her. Also in Ashputtle, at the end of the story, the stepsisters’ eyes were plucked out by birds, as a punishment for how the acted. The blood scenes occur when the two stepsisters cut off parts of their feet to attempt to fit into the glass slipper, and shortly later the prince realizes what is wrong and brings them back to their home. The French version of the story, Cinderella, is written in a lighter tone. Instead of being filled with vengeance and blood, it is more of a peaceful theme, and nothing really happens to the stepsisters at the end of the story. In Cinderella, her father still cares very much about her and loves her, yet he is overruled by his wife, Cinderella’s stepmother. Another difference in Cinderella is that there is a fairy godmother, while in Ashputtle, the girl goes out to her mother’s grave to pray and the animals come out to help her. There are several ways in which the stories are similar. The two stories obviously have very similar plots, and the protagonists have the same personality and traits. Most of the characters in Ashputtle reflect their corresponding characters in Cinderella, such as the stepsisters and the prince. Both the stories are based on the fairy tale of a nice girl who is poorly treated, but then she ends up living happily ever after with a handsome prince. The stories have the wicked stepmother and stepsisters who treat the girl badly. The girl ends up going to the ball and she is considered the most beautiful girl there, yet nobody recognizes her. The prince meets her and is amazed by her beauty and kindness, and he wishes to marry her. Animals also play an important part in both of the stories, as they help out the protagonist in going to the ball. Although the two versions of the story are quite different, many key similarities can clearly be seen between the two. The differences also show how two very different cultures can produce the same story in their own ways. Today, the story has become international, and it could be interesting to see how other cultures may write their own versions. This same situation occurs with many other tales, such as Snow White or Sleeping Beauty. Of course, differences are always found, yet the key similarities are a way to link the different versions.