Frankenstein and Science

Chapter 1 Introduction Christa Knellwolf and Jane Goodall When Evelyn Fox Keller wrote that ‘Frankenstein is a story first and foremost about the consequences of male ambitions to co-opt the procreative function’, she took for granted an interpretive consensus amongst late twentieth-century critical approaches to the novel. Whilst the themes had been revealed as ‘considerably more complex than we had earlier thought’, Fox Keller concludes ‘the major point remains quite simple’. The consensus might be characterised a little more broadly than this – as a view that the novel is about masculinity and scientific hubris – and has led to an enduring use of the title as a byword for the dangerous potential of the scientific over-reacher: It was in this vein that Isaac Asimov coined the term ‘the Frankenstein complex’ to describe the theme of his robot stories in the 1940s, and The Frankenstein Syndrome is the title for a colle ction of essays on genetic engineering published in 1995. This collection takes a very different approach to the novel, seeking to reopen the question of how science and scientific ambition are portrayed in the story by offering a range of historical perspectives, based on detailed accounts of areas of scientific knowledge that are relevant to it. Frankenstein was published in 1818, in a cultural and political climate fraught with contrary ideals. The editors of this collection take it for granted that a successful work of literature is always overdetermined and that it is neither possible nor desirable to formulate a precise and conclusive interpretation of any work of fiction. The wealth of debates and controversies that were going on at the time when Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein make it an urgent task to provide a space in which these discourses can be heard once again. If we listen carefully for the contextual arguments into which the assessment of the benefits and dangers of a new discovery were embedded, we may have to relinquish the assumption (implicit in Fox Keller’s statement and explicit in the majority of late twentieth-century interpretations) that this is a novel with an anti-Promethean message. In doing so, we can gain a more complex understanding of the cross-fertilisations between radical politics and the dramas of scientific exploration. Of course, not every scientist subscribed to radical politics. But considering that most scientists investigating completely new areas of interest had very little sense of where their discoveries would lead them, questions about their consequences were uppermost in people’s minds. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, utopian thinking about the vast social benefits made possible by scientific innovation was a powerful force for good. Advances in 2 Christa Knellwolf and Jane Goodall anatomy, chemistry, electricity, engineering and the exploration sciences were saving lives and creating vast new economic possibilities, besides giving rise to some of the darker forms of human exploitation associated with the industrial revolution. An intelligent appraisal of these consequences required the kind of analytical vision that strikes us in Frankenstein. The end of the eighteenth century is a turning point often called a ‘second scientific revolution’, which Patricia Fara sees as characterized by new levels of confidence in the commercial and social impact of scientific research. 3 One of the definitive influences on this cultural change was Erasmus Darwin (1731–1802). Darwin was a figure larger than life: a pragmatist and idealist, a prolific writer of exuberant verse, a polymathic inventor and a medical practitioner with an uninhibited brief to experiment on his patients. As co-founder and ‘recruiting sergeant’ for the Lunar Society from the 1760s, he presided over the most formidable powerhouse of scientific talent in eighteenth-century England. 4 Members included Josiah Wedgewood (1730–95), Mathew Boulton (1728–1809), Joseph Priestley (1733– 1804) and James Watt (1736–1819). They made breakthrough discoveries in steam power, chemical manufacture, optics, geology and electricity. 5 The driving enthusiasms for their world came from the prospect of its immediate application in industry and commerce. If steam power was the most profitable field of research in terms of its immediate industrial impact, electricity was revolutionary in a more comprehensive and spectacular way. It was electricity that epitomized the Promethean spirit of the age and the American statesman and inventor Benjamin Franklin (1706–90) who ‘snatched the lightning from the heavens and the scepter from tyrants’, and came to symbolize all that was most inspiring about it. In a now famous letter written in 1787 and addressed simply to ‘Doctor Franklin, America’, Erasmus Darwin addressed him as ‘the greatest Statesman of the present, or perhaps of any century, who spread the happy contagion of Liberty among his countrymen; and †¦ delivered them from the house of bondage, and the scourge of oppression’. 6 The declamatory verve of this new scientific rhetoric inspired future generations. Mary Shelley’s father, William Godwin (1756–1836), admired Erasmus Darwin and shared his ideals. Her mother Mary Wollstonecraft (1759– 97), an incisive social analyst with a passion for the advancement of knowledge, developed her own style of Promethean statement in praising the revolutionary quest for a new order of intellectual life: But the irresistible energy of moral and political sentiments of half a century, at last kindled into a glaze the illuminating rays of truth, which, throwing new light on the mental powers of man, and giving fresh spring to his reasoning faculties, completely 7 undermined the strong holds of priestcraft and hypocrisy. Introduction 3 Darwin’s verses were a strong influence on the early writings of Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822), but the Shelleys and their circle were of a new generation who had to come to terms with the more horrific legacies of revolution in France, and with the reign of virulent backlash politics in England. The backlash began violently, with the gathering of ‘Church and King’ mobs who targeted those associated with all forms of new knowledge and ideas. Joseph Priestley was the subject of a campaign of public vilification, which culminated in the trashing of his laboratory in July 1791, on the second anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. The intellectual climate in 1818, when Frankenstein was published, was fraught with political agendas and Mary Shelley’s place in it needs to be understood in relation to the allegiance of ideals and principles that bound her to her parents (to whom the novel is dedicated) and to a peer group in which the charismatic influence of Shelley and Byron were paramount. A reading of the novel as simply anti-Promethean, which has been fashionable through most of the twentieth century and especially through the influence of some feminist critics in the 1980s and 90s, fails to take account of the implications of anti-Promethean views for someone in Mary Shelley’s cultural circumstances, and of many of her own overt pronouncements. To a feminist in Wollstonecraft’s era, the idea that bold discovery and the quest for enhanced human power was against the interests of women would have been anathema. In the Romantic period, Prometheus was the hero of all those who sought liberation from oppression. In many respects, Frankenstein criticizes an attitude towards knowledge that came to be identified with the Enlightenment. Subsequent views have either eulogized its grand achievements or condemned its megalomaniac aspirations. Neither of these approaches has shed light on the broad palette of different approaches to the study of nature. In order to understand the full complexity of the period we, therefore, need to distance ourselves from a simplistic retrospective view that the Enlightenment was a period with a homogenous agenda about technological progress and the advancement of knowledge. The eighteenth century was no doubt dominated by monolithic movements that revised and modernised philosophical theories at the same time as planting the seed for the shared values of a democratic and prosperous society liberated from the shackles of superstition. Scholars like Ian Hunter have convincingly argued for the existence of multiple Enlightenments, whose agendas emerged from strongly conflicting ideas about the nature and purpose of human existence as individuals and members of society. The secularising influences of the age of Enlightenment tend to be upheld as key achievements. Although it is fair to say that the period radically curbed the Church’s direct influence on civic matters, the secularisation of public administration was unable to undermine the Christian foundation of European society. It is true that some members of the Enlightened intelligentsia embraced atheistic principles, but this was by no means a general development. So, it is 4 Christa Knellwolf and Jane Goodall ossible to subdivide the multiple Enlightenments into the category of the empirical rationalists, on the one hand, and those who explore arcane and occult matters, on the other. Here it has to be noted that it is a response to the weakening of the power of the Church that lay investigators could encroach on its traditional prerogatives when they examined aspects of psyche, mind and consciousness and, by doing so, rejected the idea that those parts of the human being which were traditionally described by the term ‘soul’ should be excluded from empirical, physiological analysis. Importantly, though, science bridges the divide between sober empiricism and attempts to subject metaphysical issues to the scrutinising eyes of logical analysis. The hybrids between rationality and metaphysical speculation, called into existence by the crossovers between these two types of science, are a fertile backdrop to Victor Frankenstein’s introduction to the world of science. The locations of Frankenstein have been chosen with utmost care. Victor’s birthplace in Geneva positions him in the stronghold of Calvinism. At the same time, it alludes to the fact that Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712–78) returned to this small republic on Lake Geneva as a refuge from the vices of France. Another significant setting for the formation of Victor’s mind is Ingolstadt, a Bavarian town with a recently founded university (1759) that adopted progressive principles and aimed to achieve social reform. Ingolstadt became famous throughout Europe in the early 1780s for a particular brand of Enlightenment: the order of the Illuminati who describe themselves simply by the Latin word for Enlightenment. It is true that Frankenstein does not contain any direct references to the Illuminism, or its founder Adam Weishaupt (1748–1811), but it is telling that the dates of Walton’s letters to his sister, ‘17—’, refer its action back to an anonymous time of the eighteenth century. It therefore seems to be fair to conclude that the pursuit of superhuman objectives must be located in the decade before the French Revolution, when all of Europe was intoxicated with a heady ferment of reformatory ideas and utopian visions. Weishaupt had been educated as a Jesuit but rejected this rigid form of Catholicism and became the first layman to be appointed for the chair of canon law at the University of Ingolstadt (1773). The contribution to the intellectual life of his university, though, was not sufficient for him. Sharing Victor Frankenstein’s immense craving to better the lot of mankind, he embarked on negotiations with the Freemasons. His unyielding temper rendered such a rapprochement difficult, so that he founded a new secret society, which was, however, modelled on this society. The joint efforts between Weishaupt and Adolf von Knigge (1752–96) guaranteed the enormous success of the new society between 1780 and 1782. Disagreement between the two leaders, along with public scandals and denunciations that the society was aiming for political sedition rather than the advancement of human welfare and scientific knowledge, caused serious suspicions. In 1787, the Bavarian government went so far as to forbid it under penalty of death. Introduction 5 The stated goals of the society of the Illuminati were to improve society through the cultivation of sensibility and the practice of scientific research. These objectives were shared by most contemporary intellectuals and it, therefore, attracted the leading lights of German intelligentsia, including Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749–1832), Johann Gottfried von Herder (1744–1803) and Friedrich Nicolai (1733–1811). They joined as a means of dedicating themselves to an organised study and cultivation of human nature. The initiatory oath of new members of the order revolves around humanitarian principles: ‘I profess, and also pledge, that I will eagerly grasp every opportunity of serving humankind, will improve my knowledge and willpower, and will make generally available my useful recognitions, in so far as the welfare and statutes of this particular society will demand it of me. ’10 While pursuing similar goals as the philosophes, a group of French intellectuals dedicated themselves to the compilation of comprehensive information about the arts and the sciences to be collected in the one reference work of the Encyclopedie (1751–72). 1 The group of intellectuals around Denis Diderot (1713–84) and Jean D’Alembert (1717–83) aimed to spread knowledge as a means of breaking down privileges and abuses by church and nobility, which is why they advocated a strictly empiricist approach to science. While Weishaupt admired these spokespeople for reason and rationali ty, his own society embedded the practice of rationality and benevolence in an atmosphere of ritual. He also combined his commitment to pioneering scientific exploration with the exploration of the more esoteric borderlines between material and non-material phenomena. The emotional dimension to his practice of reason and rationality, for instance, consisted of the adoption of classical names for all members of the society. Weishaupt called himself Spartacus and Knigge was Philo. Weishaupt’s taste for secrecy led him to refer even to places by pseudonyms, ‘Athens’, for instance, standing for Munich and ‘Thessalonica’ for Mannheim. The veil of mystery also provided a cover for some serious agitations for the ‘elaboration and propagation of a new popular religion and †¦ the gradual establishment of a universal democratic republic’. 12 It was also a fertile environment for the observation of phenomena of psyche and soul. Although Weishaupt and Knigge are not directly recognisable in Shelley’s imaginary depiction of Ingolstadt, there are some revealing links between the heyday of Illuminism and the novel’s scientific culture. A striking coincidence is that the jubilant vision of scientific progress expressed by Professors Krempe and Waldheim positions them in the decade of the 1780s, which was also the time when Antoine de Lavoisier (1743–94) ousted the long-established belief that combustion was a process that released phlogiston – a colourless, tasteless and weightless substance believed to be present in every object as a latent principle waiting to be released. Lavoisier demonstrated the inconsistencies of the phlogiston theory in 1783 and published his own theories in 1789, demonstrating that conservation of mass is a fundamental principle not just in mechanical physics but also in chemistry. Lavoisier, importantly, proved the viability of quantitative 6 Christa Knellwolf and Jane Goodall approaches to chemical processes, including respiration and other vital processes of the human body. 13 In Frankenstein the clash between the old and the new theories is pitched as a contrast between the ‘modern masters’ and ld alchemists. 14 After Krempe’s scornful response to Victor’s interest in their ‘exploded systems’ (29), the benevolent Waldman explains that ‘these were men to whose indefatigable zeal modern philosophers were indebted for most of the foundations of knowledge’ (31). The key figures in the alchemical tradition mentioned in the novel – Albertus Magnus (c. 1206–80), Cor nelius Agrippa von Nettesheim (1486–1535), and Paracelsus (Theophrastus von Hohenheim, 1493–1541) – do not simply feature as scholars who made groundbreaking contributions to the history of science. Once he has lost his fascination for the old alchemists, Victor Frankenstein rationalises his attraction to their ideas as a craving for ‘boundless grandeur’ (30). Prior to studying at Ingolstadt, he describes his early quests for the ‘philosopher’s stone and the elixir of life’, and goes on to flesh out the moment of success: ‘what glory would attend the discovery, if I could banish disease from the human frame, and render man invulnerable to any but a violent death’ (23). If he has really studied the writings of these authors, he must have a more complex understanding of the symbolic qualities of key alchemical concepts, like the philosopher’s stone. The text of the novel is quiet about whether he ever pondered the capacity of this most cherished of substances to enable a mystic union between self and world. We can, therefore, only speculate if he was initially attracted to the authors of alchemical works because they embraced a holistic view of nature, which foregrounded strong resemblances between physical and metaphysical phenomena. It should also be noted that many scholars who broadly belong in the alchemical tradition explored the borderlines between mind and matter. Striking investigations of topics as diverse as social deviance, the origin of the Devil, the true skills of magicians, black and white magic, witchcraft, and the power of poisons and remedies are collected in the work of Johann Weyer, Agrippa’s most prominent disciple. 5 If stripped of its religious-demonic framework, Weyer’s insight into the psychology of delusions, obsessions, sexual deviance, as well as a whole range of ailments that would come to be classified as nervous diseases during the Romantic period, is truly remarkable. It, therefore, is no surprise that Romantic writers had a certain penchant for the works of the old alchemists. Mary Shelley’s father, William Godwin, himself embarked on a book-length study entitled Lives of the Necromancers (1834),16 in which he assessed their true achievements in a strictly sec ular light. As a stolid rationalist, Godwin must have wanted to cool his period’s enthusiasm for what he would have described as irrational obfuscation. Interest in the principles of life – the nervous system, the psyche and the soul – however, provides a connection between Weishaupt’s Illuminati, the ‘modern masters’ and the old alchemists. But as is illustrated by the fact that Weishaupt fell into general disgrace while Lavoisier came to be hailed as the founder of modern chemistry, the line between respectable pursuits and politically and otherwise Introduction 7 suspect explorations of the non-material aspects of human existence was easily crossed. 17 Nowhere was this boundary more richly confused than in the dramas of intellectual adventure conceived by Coleridge, Goethe, Shelley, Byron and other leading poets of the Romantic movement, in whose imaginative company Mary Shelley’s story was conceived. * There were strong elements of the uncanny about many of the scientific experiments that caught the public imagination during the first two decades of the nineteenth century. The legacy of Luigi Galvani (1737–98) was continued through the work of his nephew Giovanni Aldini (1762–1834), who in 1803 experimented on the corpse of a criminal recently executed at Newgate, to macabre effect. Electrical charges caused one eye to open, the legs to jolt and the hand to raise itself as if in greeting. In the same year, Aldini published a series of descriptions of his experiments, including some work on severed heads: The first of these decapitated criminals being conveyed to the apartment provided for my experiments, in the neighborhood of the place of execution, the head was first subjected to the Galvanic action. For this purpose I had constructed a pile consisting of a hundred pieces of silver and zinc. Having moistened the inside of the ears with salt water, I formed an arc with two metallic wires, which, proceeding from the two ears, were applied, one to the summit and the other to the bottom of the pile. When this communication was established, I observed strong contractions in the muscles of the face, which were contorted in so irregular a manner that they exhibited the appearance of the most horrid grimaces. The action of the eye-lids was exceedingly striking, 18 though less sensible in the human head than in that of an ox. But for the precision of its laboratory detail, this reads not unlike a scene from Mary Shelley’s novel. At the other end of the vitalist spectrum from the prospect of reanimation was that of spontaneous generation. In the same year as Aldini was engaging in his grisly, jaw-dropping work at the gallows, Erasmus Darwin’s imaginings were all light and life: And quick contraction with ethereal flame Lights into life the fibre-woven frame – Hence without parent by spontaneous birth Rise the first specks of animated earth. 19 The most notorious experiments in spontaneous generation were those conducted by Andrew Crosse (1784–1855) at his house in the Quantock hills in 1836, long after the publication of Frankenstein, but a diary entry by Mary Shelley indicates that she and Percy Bysshe Shelley attended one of Crosse’s early lectures in London on December 28, 1814. Crosse spoke and gave demonstrations on the topic 8 Christa Knellwolf and Jane Goodall of ‘electricity and the elements’, describing in detail his methods of directing lightning currents in order to employ their power to generate light and motion. 0 The early nineteenth century was a time when the magic and mystique of science was crossing paths with an accelerating succession of immediately useful discoveries, and it was impossible to determine which of a range of mind-boggling prospects might become an actuality. The industrial revolution was in its most intensive phase. Human mobility was accelerated beyond all prev ious imagining, and concepts of geographic distance were correspondingly transformed. Richard Trevithick (1771–1833) built the first passenger steam carriage in 1801 and his steam locomotives were revolutionizing freight transport from 1804. In 1807 the first steamship passenger service to America was introduced. In 1816 the Leeds-Liverpool canal was completed. Work and productivity were likewise accelerated, with doubleedged consequences, as the bulk of manufactured goods grew exponentially, but so did the burden on those whose lot it was to operate the ‘dark satanic mills’. 1 A succession of riots and a growing movement of organized protest were features of this timespan, leading up to the Peterloo massacre in Manchester in early 1819. William Wordsworth, reflecting in 1814 on the transformations he was witnessing, tried to express both sides of the account: I grieve, when on the darker side Of this great change I look; and there behold Such outrage done to nature as compels The indignant power to justify herself; Yea, to avenge her violated righ ts, For England’s bane. And et I do exult, Casting reserve away, exult to see An intellectual mastery exercised O’er the blind elements; a purpose given, A perseverance fed; almost a soul Imparted – to brute matter. I rejoice, Measuring the force of those gigantic powers That, by the thinking mind, have been compelled To serve the will of feeble-bodied man. 22 Mary Shelley was part of the Romantic movement, socially and intellectually, and her view of science was accordingly influenced by the heightened perspectives of her contemporaries. Her protagonist, Victor Frankenstein, is a figure torn between the two kinds of vision expressed here by Wordsworth, and there are no easy conclusions to be reached about the inherent values and dangers of his enterprise. * Introduction 9 The main objective of this collection of essays is to bring to life the challenges and complexities of science as they are reflected in the novel. We have, therefore, brought together contributors who can offer readings of Frankenstein in light of the most relevant areas of the period’s scientific knowledge. Rather than focussing exclusively on the individual fields of enquiry which were to establish themselves as the core disciplines of modern science, this book is based on a broader understanding of science. On the one hand, it reminds the modern reader of the controversial aura of, for example, early studies in electricity, and on the other hand, offers a glimpse of the fluid boundaries between pioneering explorations of nervous diseases and esoteric speculations about the existence of analogical resemblances between mind and matter. The scientific advances of the Romantic period could not have been as farreaching and rapid without related efforts to disseminate the new knowledge amongst a wide spectrum of interested parties. Women and children, in particular, became a crucial target audience for the numerous publishers attempting to profit from the ever-rising interest in inventions and new insight into the secret workings of nature. Publications about the people, animals, plants and landscapes encountered by naval expeditions were a similarly popular topic of interest. Owing to William Godwin’s own involvement in the market of scientific popularisation, Mary Shelley learnt about her period’s technological advancements and scientific theories from her earliest years. Much of the knowledge she acquired as an avid young reader with an early penchant for writing was filtered through to her via scientific popularisations and textual hybrids between fact and fiction. Patricia Fara opens this collection of essays with an overview of scientific publications written for a lay audience and available during Mary Shelley’s formative childhood years. Considering that early nineteenth-century women could still only really enter the history of science as readers, illustrators and translators, Ludvig Holberg’s novel about Niels Klim’s journey through a subterranean world (1742) encouraged its female readers to feel at home in the spaces between fact and fiction. Holberg’s novel, along with Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels (1725), which demonstrated a similar preoccupation with contemporary science, is a revealing early fantasy about the imaginary exploration of alien spaces, mingled with an analysis of double standards and the social objectives behind scientific ventures. Eighteenth-century novels about scientific innovation are, therefore, shown to provide an important foil for Mary Shelley’s imaginative portrayal of a scientific hypothesis. The next chapter, written by Judith Barbour, offers detailed insight into the precise nature of the knowledge disseminated hrough the Juvenile Library? a serialised encyclopaedia published by William Godwin after 1807. Not surprisingly, the household of a writer, publisher and bookseller teemed with intellectual debates about the rationale and implications of new systems of scientific categorisation. Such discussions enthusiastically explored the Linnean order of plants al ong with other attempts to revise the long-established ‘great chain of being’, a rigid hierarchy that assigned a place to all living beings and embraced beings as diverse as mites and slugs, on the one hand, and God and his angelic 0 Christa Knellwolf and Jane Goodall vassals, on the other. 23 Attracting young men with radical sentiments or otherwise unconventional attitudes, Godwin’s home was also a hub for discussions about the social changes made possible by the secular perspective of contemporary science, disencumbered by the crippling notions of mainstream morality. Controversies about mankind’s purpose were considered in light of, for instance, Georges Buffon’s (1707–88) accounts of the resemblances between the human physical frame and that of apes and other primates. The young Mary was, therefore, immersed into a heady intellectual climate that encouraged her to speculate about the reforming potentials of contemporary science. Percy Bysshe Shelley, an influential figure in her father’s circle of friends, was intrigued by the roaming imagination of the young Mary – so much so that the couple decided to elope in 1814. The early dialogues between the precocious child and the already established writer were to grow ever more intensive and, as Barbour argues, inspired the dramatic momentum required for transforming Mary’s fantasy about an artificially created being into a speculative drama about the consequences of contemporary science. In the late eighteenth century, the understanding and experience of space began to change in response to the accumulation of a vast bulk of new information about the geography of far-flung places. In parallel with this development, unprecedented efforts to grasp the secrets of the human mind, psyche and soul probed into the inner spaces of human existence. It goes without saying that the attempt to map and chart the phenomena of the mind could not follow equally objective principles. As Christa Knellwolf’s chapter explains, the inability to draw an objective map made it difficult to proceed. However, it also provided scope for imagining a vastness of imaginary space that reflects the minute infinities revealed by contemporary microscopes. At issue, however, are not the microscopic dimensions that will be the concern of twentieth-century microbiology, but the limitless nature of consciousness and imagination. The parallels between inner and outer space bears special salience for the setting of Frankenstein: The immense distances traversed, particularly in its narrative frame, position the novel’s eponymous hero in both an emotional and a geographic desert. The impossible spaces of the narrative and physical setting of the story, then, raise questions about whether the uncompromising realisation of ideals and absolutes is achievable for an ordinary human being. Contemporary debates on the sanctity of human life are a key concern of Frankenstein. Anita Guerrini’s chapter argues that early nineteenth-century debates about vivisection were motivated not only by the nascent sensitivity towards the sufferings of animals, but also responded to long-standing, religiously motivated attempts to ban experiments that pried into the mysteries of life – human and animal. The discovery and description of the nervous system, however, critically depended on the possibility of observing the physical locations of pain. Like Frankenstein himself, prominent scientists in the field found it difficult to cope with the gruesome aspects of vivisection and were unsure about whether they had a right to proceed with their research. Audiences were still eager to attend public Introduction 11 performances in anatomy but antivivisection debates shed important light on the contested public perception of anatomical-medical experimenters. Francois Magendie (1783–1855) – a French anatomist who regularly performed public dissections in order to demonstrate the body’s sensory functions – as a case in point, who illustrates a growing discomfort with the scientists’ wish to spy ever more deeply into the borderlines between life and death. So a further parallel between the real and fictional scientist emerges as an urgent concern of the novel, consisting of the fact that neither the real nor fictional scientist were horrified by the gruesome environment of the charnel house or suffici ently awed by the idea that a dead human body was the receptacle of a recently departed soul. Frankenstein’s creature is frequently referred to as a monster. While this trite stereotype fails to grasp the problems implicit in contemporary fantasies about the perfectibility of the human body and mind, it also ignores the fact that the monster posed enormous problems for the taxonomies of comparative anatomy, which is why teratology – the scientific explanation of the existence of monsters – emerged as an influential branch of contemporary science. Diverging significantly from the characteristics identified by received definitions of a particular species, Melinda Cooper argues that the nature and purpose of these alternative life-forms posed endless problems and questions. Were they simple variants of the normal representatives of a species, were they a sign that the health of a species had been undermined, or were they indications of special transformations waiting to manifest themselves in the imminent future? Such questions need to be raised in regard to Frankenstein’s so-called monstrous creation. Their relevance is further documented by the fact that debates about the problematic role of the monster must have occurred between the Shelleys and their friend William Lawrence (1783–1867), a leading figure in the controversy over whether the origin of life was the consequence of materialist or vitalist principles. As regards the philosophical conception of Frankenstein’s creature, the context of teratological controversies opens up a new understanding of the novel’s analysis of the origin and meaning of different forms of life. Allan K. Hunter’s focus on an evolutionary perspective leads to a very different interpretative approach, exploring the social and political implications of the creature’s life course. The evolutionary theories at issue here are those of Erasmus Darwin, whose untempered admiration for the revolutionary energies surfacing in America and France fed into his hypothetical modelling of the future state of life forms. Hunter’s essay examines the claim that Enlightenment science enabled new view of the human condition that comes into existence between a distant past and a distant future, and whose endless transformations generate cultural anxieties about the approach of a new evolutionary phase. Seen through the lens of Darwin’s revolutionary optimism and Godwin’s doctrine of perfectability, the creature is endowed with preternatural learning abilities, extreme powers of endurance and a body size that makes him dominant in any physical contest. Yet he is a lso transformable into a force of chaos and a generator of cyclic violence. His creation as a manufacturing process is thus a provocative reflection on the culture of 12 Christa Knellwolf and Jane Goodall manufacturing innovation in England at the time. These tensions and provocations are revealed in the novel’s controversial reception, which also illustrates a growing anxiety in England about the nebulous and excessive tendencies of French thought, compared to English pragmatism. With our taken-for-granted attitude towards electricity, it is a challenge for twenty-first-century readers of Frankenstein to appreciate the imaginative potency of electrical researches in the Enlightenment period. Mary Shelley’s novel capitalizes on the dramatic cultural and psychological impact of electrical discovery as well as its immediately spectacular manifestations. Amongst her contemporaries, electricity was regarded as a life science or, more than that, as the science of life itself. Ian Jackson emphasizes that the most popular and spectacular forms of electrical experiment involved human and animal bodies. Such experiments promised to unlock forces of unlimited potential that might change the destiny of the species, effecting a transformation of human being in metaphysical as well as material terms. When unseen electrical forces were made to cause visible objects and bodies to move, or emit sparks, or to attract other objects towards them, this created a meeting point between the perceptual frameworks of science and animism. Through Galvanic experiments in which the corpses of recent gallows victims were made to dance, these forces are specifically linked with the fantasy of reanimation. The agonies of conscience experienced by Victor Frankenstein also reflect the intensity of debates surrounding researches into electricity which, from an orthodox religious point of view, were dangerously impious, because to reveal those things in creation that were hidden from the human senses was to transgress divine intention. If the Creator had wanted them to be known, He would have made them evident in the first place. Against this view, there was the Newtonian defence that the study of nature, with the purpose of revealing the workings of God to man, is essentially pious because it enables fuller human admiration of divine perfection. The unashamed atheism of the Shelley circle, and their embrace of Prometheus as the greatest of mythical heroes, prompted a move away from defensiveness to the lyrical celebration of bold discovery. However, Jackson suggests that in Frankenstein, Mary Shelley is offering a more troubled view of scientific aspiration. Joan Kirkby’s analysis of the spiritualist ideas underpinning the story of Victor Frankenstein brings up the question of what was regarded as a ‘science’ in the early nineteenth century. Mesmerism combined elements from the knowledge domains of astronomy, electricity and magnetism, with interpretative frameworks belonging to the practices of clairvoyance and spiritualism. Major philosophical thinkers such as Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) and Arthur Schopenhauer (1788– 1860) interested themselves in the presence of spirits, and many of the works of eighteenth-century scientific writers include serious commentary on the permeability of the boundary between life and death. Leading spiritualists of this time, as Kirkby points out, were also leading scientists. Emanuel Swedenborg Introduction 13 (1688–1772) was led by his sophisticated interests in anatomy and the composition of matter to enquire into the specific location of the connecting point between body and soul. In this light, the anatomical work of Frankenstein, driven by an impassioned commitment to dismantling the boundary between life and death, takes on heightened implications. The themes of the novel can also be seen as closely linked with those of Percy Shelley’s major poems, in which a view of matter itself as spirit is xpounded with powerful conviction. The culture of collecting was one of the most significant forms of public engagement with the natural sciences in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. As Christine Cheater observes, some of the tensions played out in the novel are reflections of larger cultural tensions exemplified in the design and management of collections. Victor Frankenstein’s adventures take him from the extremes of conf inement, working day and night in his domestic laboratory, to some of the wildest and most remote landscapes of the world. Similarly, the quest for scientific trophies could lead to travels around the globe but also to the experience of confinement amongst the obsessive and personalised clutter of the cabinet of curiosities. There were tensions, too, between the curiosity driven projects of the private collectors or virtuosi and the growing commitment to expertise and professional specialization, with its attendant demands for greater exclusivity in the management and accessibility of collections. Cheater compares the careers of Ashton Lever (1729–88) and John Gould (1804–81) as exemplars of this transition and the tragic personal costs it sometimes entailed, suggesting that the disastrous conclusion of Victor Frankenstein’s enterprise shares some symptomatic elements. Scientific fictions about the existence of different forms of life did not begin with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Stories embraced in long-standing speculations about whether there are other worlds and, if so, what their inhabitants might look like, date back at least to Bernard le Bovier de Fontelle’s (1657–1757) scientific popularisation of Cartesianism. While early fantasies about the appearance of beings living outside or beneath the surface of the earth demonstrate little fear about the implications for their own world, Mary Shelley’s novel adds a decisively worrying twist to the theme. Sharing the planet with another species that is their own equivalent (or even superior) may be a prospect for which human nature is not ready, though in her later novel The Last Man, Shelley envisaged a world evacuated of the human species as a place of profound metaphysical emptiness. This work points towards a tradition of bleaker fictional renditions of the future. By the end of the nineteenth century, apocalyptic fantasies dominated the imagination of writers, such as H. G. Wells, disillusioned about the promises of science and their period’s irresponsible treatment of natural resources. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a work that stands at the beginning of such dark visions about the barbarities resulting from a science that is used in the service of megalomaniacs wishing to control the world rather than as a tool for the spread of Enlightenment ideas and values. It is time to reengage with the novel as a work 14 Christa Knellwolf and Jane Goodall that is filled with the energies of scientific aspiration, as well as misgivings about human failure to realise it. Notes 1 Evelyn Fox Keller, Secrets of Life, Secrets of Death: Essays on Language, Gender and Science (London: Routledge, 1992), p. 49. Anne K. Mellor probably offers the most fully developed of such readings in Mary Shelley: Her Life, Her Fiction, Her Monsters (London: Routledge, 1988). See Isaac Asimov, ‘Robots, computers and fear’, Introduction to Machines That Think (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1983), p. 1; Bernard E. Rollin, ed. The Frankenstein Syndrome: Ethical and Social Issues in the Genetic Engineering of Animals (Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1995). Patricia Fara, An Entertainment for Angels (Cambridge: Icon Books, 2002), p. 22. Desmond King-Hele, Doctor of Revolution: The Life and Genius of Erasmus Darwin (London: Faber & Faber, 1977). Jenny Uglow, The Lunar Men: The Friends Who Made the Future, 1730–1810 (London: Faber & Faber, 2002). Erasmus Darwin, letter to Benjamin Franklin, 29 May 1787 in American Philosophical Society collection of Franklin Papers XXXV, 70; quoted in King-Hele (London: Faber & Faber, 1977), p. 79. Mary Wollstonecraft, An Historical and Moral View of the Origin and Progress of the French Revolution, in Mary Wollstonecraft, Political Writings, ed. Janet Todd (Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 1994), p. 292. Ian Hunter, Rival Enlightenments: Civil and Metaphysical Philosophy in Early Modern Germany (Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2001). For a historical background of eighteenth-century freemasonry, see Margaret Jacob, Living the Enlightenment: Freemasonry and Politics in Eighteenth-Century Europe (New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1991). For a etailed historical analysis of Illuminism, see Richard van Dulmen, Der Geheimbund der Illuminaten: Darstellung, Analyse, Dokumentation, trans. Christa Knellwolf (Stuttgart: F. Frommann, 1975), p. 159. Denis Diderot and Jean Dâ₠¬â„¢Alembert Le Rond, eds, L’Encyclopedie, ou Dictionnaire raisonne des art et des sciences (Paris: Le Breton, 1751–72). For a discussion of the cultural context and objectives of the philosophes, see David Garrioch, ‘The party of the Philosophes’, in The Enlightenment World, eds Martin Fitzpartick, Peter Jones, Christa Knellwolf and Iain McCalman (London: Routledge, 2004), pp. 26–41. Compare the entry for ‘Illuminati’ in the Catholic Encyclopaedia online: [accessed 10 October 2007]. Antoine Lavoisier, Traite elementaire de chimie, presente dans un ordre nouveau et d'apres les decouvertes modernes, 2 vols (Paris: Chez Cuchet, 1789; repr. Bruxelles: Cultures et Civilisations, 1965). Mary Shelley, Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus: The 1818 Text (Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 1993), p. 30. All further references are from this text and are cited parenthetically. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Introduction 15 5 Johann Weyer, De praestigii s daemonum, trans. John Shea, in Witches, Devils, and Doctors in the Renaissance (Binghamton, NY: Medieval & Renaissance Texts & Studies, 1991 [1583]). 16 For the details of Godwin’s study, see Lives of the Necromancers: or, An Account of the Most Eminent Persons in Successive Ages, Who Have Claimed for Themselves, or to Whom Has Been Imputed by Others, the Exercise of Magical Power (London: Frederick J. Mason, 1834). 17 Also compare Robert Darnton, Mesmerism and the End of the Enlightenment in France (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press, 1968); and Auguste Viatte, Les sources occultes du romanticism, illuminism, theosophie, 1770–1820 (Paris: Champion, 1965). 18 John [Giovanni] Aldini, ‘An account of the late improvements in galvanism, with a series of curious and interesting experiments performed before the commissioners of the French National Institute, and repeated lately in the anatomical theaters of London’ (London: 1803). Extracts from this document available online at [accessed 10 October 2007]. 19 Erasmus Darwin, The Temple of Nature (London: J. Johnson, 1803), Canto II, iv, lines 246–51. 20 Peter Haining, The Man Who Was Frankenstein (London: Frederick Muller, 1979), pp. 56–63. 21 William Blake, Jerusalem; quoted from Literature Online [accessed 10 October 2007]. 22 William Wordsworth, The Excursion, Book 8, pp. 243 and 244; quoted from Literature Online [accessed 10 October 2007]. 23 For a historical overview of the concept, see A. O. Lovejoy, The Great Chain of Being: A Study of the History of an Idea (Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ. Press, 1948).

Project Report on “Malnutrition” Essay

For its sustenance on the earth, every living organism requires food, which is quite essential for carrying out its physical and mental activities, growth and development. For normal growth and development, man requires some specific nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, roughage and water in right proportion and sufficient quantity, which he gets through the food he eats. The food, which provides all these essential nutrients in proper amounts, is called balanced diet. The deficiency or even excess of any of these in a person’s diet results into disorders regarding nutrition, which may be collectively, called malnutritional disorders. The condition in which the people become weak and sick because of insufficient and unbalanced food is called malnutrition. A large no of people in our country and other developing countries suffer from malnutrition because of poverty, lack of education, wrong notions and frequent pregnancies. The main cause of malnutrition is poverty. The deficiency diseases are of three types: 1. Protein energy malnutrition (PEM)-the condition of being nourished on low protein and low energy diet is called Protein Energy Malnutrition or PEM.So, deficiency of carbohydrates, fats and proteins in PEM. It is the most important nutritional disorder affecting Indian children, in the age of period 1-3 years. The symptoms of PEM are: (A) Loss in weight and height (B) Poor muscular development (C) Susceptible to many diseases of respiratory and gastro intestinal systems. 2. Mineral deficiency disease (Anemia, Goiter and Rickets): these are caused due to the deficiency of either iron or iodine. The symptoms are: either he will feel tiredness easily or there will be swelling in his throat region of neck. Goiter is an endemic disease (the diseases, restricted to a given reason and arising from its specific environmental condition are called endemic diseases) which is more common in hilly areas because soil of hilly areas is poor in iodine. Due to this the drinking water as well as food grown in this area is deficient in iodine. So, it leads goiter among them. 3. Vitamin deficiency disease: the diseases which are caused due to the deficiency of Vitamins in diet are called Vitamin Deficiency diseases. Some of the diseases that are caused due to the deficiency of Vitamins are Night blindness, Exophthalmia, Beri-Beri. (A) Night Blindness and Xerophthalmia: these are caused due to the deficiency of Vitamin A (retinol). (B) Beri-Beri: the deficiency of vitamin B1 causes beri-beri. Vitamin B1 is also called anti beri-beri or antineuretic factor Types of Malnutrition In human beings, these disorders may be classified into three categories-UNDER NUTRITION, which means the malnutrition, caused due to the availability of less food for a long period. For example slow starvation, which is found most in extremely poor or low income group people. Excessive nutrition that means disorders developed due to overfeeding or over-eating for a long time. For example obesity (or motapa). Such disorders are more evident in the families belonging to the middle class families or rich category. Deficiency disease which are caused due to the lack of a specific nutrient in our diet. For example protein energy malnutrition, mineral deficiency diseases like anemia etc. such diseases may be found in nearly every family-rich, middle class or poor. It is thus evident that the problem of malnutrition is not confined to poor families alone but is spreading fast even in the middle and rich class families. If the increasing level of diseases in children due to the malnutrition is not taken care off than this may result into excessive weakness or obesity after a few years. We must not forget that malnutrition affects the immune system of a child which may cause frequent sickness, increase the possibility of infections from communicable diseases like cold and cough etc. So, malnutrition must be checked in the childhood itself. Importance of studying malnutrition Today we are living in computer age. The work that required a long time to be completed can now be done with in a few seconds. In other words man is progressing in his mental abilities, but if we measure the physical standards, we will find he is becoming physically weak and now he is not so able as he used to be. Now, the question arises what is the cause behind this physical disability, that even after attaining complete independence in the field of agriculture, children of our country are suffering from malnutrition. Malnutrition in children can prove as an obstruction in the progress of any country because today’s children are tomorrow’s future. Therefore for the progress of a country it is necessary that its children are healthy. Malnutrition is found in rich and middle class families also. Although, the type and level is different from the one found in poor families still it is a serious problem. Causes and solutions There are two reasons for Malnutrition in middle and high class families – 1.Inbalanced diet 2.Ignorance of wrong food habits in children by parents. It is also found that some parents are totally unaware of what a balanced diet should consist of. They don’t know the importance of balanced diet. They only care that their children eat adequate diet. If child wants to eat chips,samosas,maggi,chowmin,pastries, their parents do not resist. parents themselves also eat junk food and allow their children also. Children don’t want to eat green vegetables. They only prefer food items made of potatoes which increases their weight. Cold drinks, chocolates, coffee etc. that give sufficient calories but don’t give nutrition. Therefore, parents need to improve food habits of their children. They should take balanced diet. Earlier boys and girls were treated differently. So, girls were found to suffer from malnutrition. But, today that is not the case. Suggestions for preventions Malnutrition in children is a major obstruction in progress of a nation. In our country about 60% children are suffering from malnutrition. Therefore, it is very important to eradicate this problem completely. After working on this project we suggest the following ways to prevent malnutrition: 1.Guardians, themselves must change their food style, as children learn their food habits from their home. 2.Mothers should breast feed their children for adequate period. 3.Children should be provided medical check up from time to time. 4.Teachers must give information to students on how to prevent disease from malnutrition. 5. All the people should eat the food which is sufficiently boiled. What we came to know after preparing this project All the data collected for the project revealed that most of the children suffer from malnutrition due to their wrong food habits and eating imbalanced diet. If the parents show a little concern towards their children, this problem can also be eradicated. Meetings between parents, teachers and child specialist doctors would be of much help in solving this problem. All these steps should be taken in a hurry because today’s children are tomorrow’s future. Collected data In a survey which was held in our own school last year, it came to light that : 1.only 5% students in the age group of 3-7 years like green vegetables. 2. 3% students like pulses. 3. only 2% students like milk. 4. 5% students like fruits. 5. 40% students like maggi /chowmin. 6. 40%students like cold drink. 7. 5% students like juice. In this survey study of malnutrition in students was done according to the weight of the children. It was found that 15% children are weighing above the normal weight, 70% children are weighing below the normal weight and only 15% children are found with the normal weight. Also in this survey it was found that 20% students have low frequency of infection while 80% students have high frequency of infection. Also the activities of the children were examined and were observed which revealed that 35%children were lazy while 65% were found active.

Bebop Jazz and its Influence

Bebop was a revolutionary sound that captivated the audience due largely to the new found creative freedom of musical expression allowed by extensive improvisation. According to John Andrews (1998), Bop marked the point at which both the musicians and their audience came widely conscious that Jazz was an art form. Andrews also goes on to mention that bebops mall focus was for people to seriously listen, instead of dancing. After bebop other styles of Jazz developed, such as progressive Jazz, cool jazz, and hard bop. These three styles of Jazz, In the pollen of many people, imparted a substantial influence on current jazz, and will likely impact future generations as well. Bebop is a style of Jazz developed in the early sass as a means to revolt against big band music. Big band music required large groups of players. As a consequence, the musicians were required to follow simpler, highly structured, written arrangements. At the time, many musicians resented the lack of freedom to improvise and the reliance upon written arrangements, so they created bebop, a new style of Jazz. Bebop was vastly deferent than swing band music. It had faster tempos, complex harmonies, elaborate melodies and a rhythm section. According to _Americas Musical Landscape-? a typical bebop combo consisted of a trumpet, saxophone, double bass, piano, and percussion. Due in part to the smaller number of performing Caucasians, bebop music allowed for more freedom of expression and imagination than in big band music.Improvisation was a key feature. While much of big band music was designed to indulge the audiences desire to dance, bebop Jazz is for people who want to sit down and listen to the music. At first, many people enjoyed listening to bebop simply because it was something new and exciting. However, many people, particularly musicians, prefer bebop because of its sophistication and complexity. Some Jazz musicians felt they needed something different and preferred to play bebop Instead of swing Jazz to demonstrate their improvisational skills.Musicians such as saxophonist, Dizzy Gillespie; trumpeter, Charlie Parker; and plants, Theologies Monk; stand out as examples of creative giants who through their virtuosity, were able to achieve an innovative sound that wound into their musical presentations, more important than dancing or chatting ove r simple background music. In a way, bebop was a new genre unto itself, more akin to Jazz than big band music. Because it is essentially the basis for most contemporary Jazz styles, listeners will hear the enduring influence of bebop in most Jazz forms that have followed it.Progressive Jazz, cool Jazz, and hard bop are three styles to have evolved from bebop jazz. It is likely that these three Jazz styles, as well as others, embedded with the underlying roots of bebop will have an ongoing influence on future Jazz musicians. No one can speak for all musicians, many may prefer to play older well-established, classic Jazz, but certainly there are a substantial number of musicians that prefer playing the avian-garden styles, who will carry the flag of bebop for future generations.Bebop was a revolutionary and exciting sound that changed the world of Jazz in the asss and continues to influence Jazz styles today. At its advent, bebop was a way for jazz musicians to break away from the confines of big band music, wh ich did not allow for much improvisation or freedom of musical expression. Bebop pioneers such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Theologies Monk helped pave the way for other jazz musicians, allowing them to shed their restrictive chains of structured big band music and to elevate the level of improvisational genius that bebop allows.

WHAT IS FRANKLINS ARGUMENT IN REMARKS CONCERNING THE SAVAGES OF NORTH Essay

WHAT IS FRANKLINS ARGUMENT IN REMARKS CONCERNING THE SAVAGES OF NORTH AMERICA WHAT EXAMPLES DOES HE PROVIDE TO PROVE THIS ARGUMENT - Essay Example He is championing for reverence of other people’s culture caused by cultural diversity in the world. In his argument, Franklin quashes the assumption that the whites are superior to the Native Americans. The whites feel that the Native Americans, due to their cultural background, live with ill manners. Benjamin Franklin tries to show that people are naturally innocent. Therefore, ones culture should not be a tool to put him down or demean him. He proposes that one should treat others, as he would wish others to treat him. He elaborates this by saying and proving, in his argument, that the whites were ignorant of the natives’ way of life. He uses a scenario when there is a public council, or even when people engage in a simple conversation. In the Indian culture, another does not interrupt one until he is through with what he is saying. In this culture, people reckon interrupting another person as highly indecent. Contrary to this, in an English society one has to deliver his speech with great rapidity or risk of someone cutting him off in the middle of his speech by the impatient loquacity of those he is conversing (The Norton anthology of English literature, 1962). This example comes in hand to illustrate the civility of the natives as compared to the British. Another example comes in form of the offer allowing half dozen Indian sons to attend Williamsburg College. The Indian leaders appreciated the offer but politely declined it. The Indians explain that their ideas of education differ from the one perceived by the British. This example simply implies that the natives are as smart and educated, but just in the same nature as the British (The Norton anthology of English literature, 1962). The visit of Conrad to a native’s house provided an example of their hospitality. Conrad Weiser was warmly welcomed and provided with spread fur to sit on. They

Works Ethics Focusing on Engineering Ethics Term Paper

Works Ethics Focusing on Engineering Ethics - Term Paper Example To enhance the effectiveness in engineering work the association has a code of ethics that every engineer must follow. First, a professional engineer must follow some fundamental canons in regard to completion of their expertise duties. They are required to perform services in areas within their competence. Safety, welfare, and health of the public should be held paramount. The statement offered by a professional engineer must be released in a truthful and objective manner. Engineers must be trustees or faithful agents for clients or employers. They should conduct themselves responsibly, ethically, honorably, and lawfully in order to enhance the reputation and honor of their professional importance. Secondly, professional engineers’ duties are guided by regulations of practice. Regarding their duties towards the society, they need to notify the appropriate authority in case of circumstances endangering property or life of people before they overrule any judgment. Engineers sha ll not disclose data and facts without the preceding consent of an authorized employer or client according to the law (Davis 34). The only documents engineering shall use will be those in conformity with the standards applicable. They shall not use and allow associates in business or their names to engage in dishonest or fraudulent enterprises. Following their performances in their areas of competency, they also need to act appropriately.  Engineers serving publicly as advisors, employees or members of a department shall not give directions with respect to solicited services either provided by themselves or business in public or private engineering practice.  

Project Progress Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Project Progress Report - Essay Example At present moment, reservation of a book is done manually. For this, the library users have to complete a reservation card and hand it to the librarian for reserving book and have to check regularly or have to wait for postcard, which is sent to their home address to confirm that the book is arrived and they can collect it. The library for which this database is being created is Wood Green Central Library and is located at 187-197A Wood Green High Road, London N22 6XD. The library has approximately 50 employees, has a turnover of 3 million, and is the main library for the borough of Haringey. Government grants helped to provide the library with a Learning Centre, a number of computers for public use, additionally several reading groups operate from this library, and there is space to host art exhibitions. The purpose of this reservation system is so that students, teachers and the housebound can gain a better service of the library and can take their time to search for a particular book that they want, whether it is for coursework or for teaching purposes. This system will be useful, efficient and user-friendly. In this reservation system, the user has an option either to search by title, author, publication or class (subject). This will be achieved by creating a simple reservation system for the local library by using Microsoft Access to produce a database. This work will be useful to other students who might be creating a database on a particular subject, as they will be able to gain ideas from the database that will be created. This paper is a project progress report (PPR) for a database reservation system for the library. This PPR will cover different topics, such as the scope and objectives of the project, database design and information analysis, methodology and approach, software/tools and modelling languages, schedule of the planned work, progress against the planned work, evidence for the progress claimed, current and

The Rule of Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Rule of Law - Essay Example During the last decades a lot of money has been spent trying to apply the Rule of Law in countries with undemocratic societies and in underdeveloped countries. The People’s Republic of China is one of those countries. As we can see, the Rule of Law is a very conflictive topic for a lot of people in our present society. We really think that the Rule of Law is very important in order to establish democracy and development in any country. But first let’s see what the Rule of Law is. Tom Glass defines the Rule of Law according to the following concepts: â€Å"Government decisions are made according to written law and rules; Government sanctions cannot be made up after the fact (ex post facto); Rules are applied as much as possible consistently to all; Courts provide citizens consistent, written process (due process) before life, liberty, or property is taken; Courts provide reasons based upon the law for their decisions.† Chinese people couldn’t get the ideas behind these points due to the fact of their Confucian background in which there was a heavy dependence upon the clan or the group. As the UN China puts it: â€Å"Under the philosophy that the government represents the people, internal government procedures regulated conflicts between the government and the individual, not laws.†

Admission essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 10

Admission - Essay Example ge of health information technology (HIT) employees is evident in the health centres and facilities since the industry started the implementation of electronic records. The 2008 bureau of labour pointed out that the by 2018, health facilities will require an addition of 35,000 workers. In America, there is a shortage of 50,000 HIT workers requires in the next five years according to the American Medical Informatics Association (Health Informatics and Health Information Management, 2014). There is the need to train HIT workers to deal with the data entry standards and the new coding methods in addition to the online insurance requirements. In the rural areas, the case is worse as the adoption of the health information technology and staff training due to the high costs of implementation. A number of the medical staff lacks experiences in the project management skills and the health care processes. The frequent training changes since technology changes rapidly and also due to inadequat e sustainability plans. The cost of hiring IT workers is expensive making it challenging for all the health facilities to employ new staff especially replacement due to attrition. The other issue experienced by the Health Management System is competition for IT workers in the other industries. All sectors of the economy are recruiting Information Technologists as they try to digitalize their industries (Health Informatics and Health Information Management, 2014). The candidates graduating from colleges and technical institutions offering IT training are not enough for the entire market. As a result, some of the industries such as health are understaffed. Some government and public hospitals do not pay well as compared to the private sector, which makes most of the IT specialists prefer working in the private industry as opposed to the public health facilities. The terms and conditions of employment are also good in the private sector leading to the exodus of IT staff from the health

Planning and time scale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Planning and time scale - Essay Example managing the main risks as well as measuring the VOICE project performance and finally providing appropriate project management period on how the implementation and service support for providing VOICE services to VOs. Time is everything for this particular project. In that regard, here below is a presentation of how the project management is to be done which includes the timescales (Kerzner, 2013: 97). It is important to note here that though the project is supposed to be group work, each member of the group is mandated to play a specific role and hence the planning here below refers to each member and hence the group. The group leader calls for a meeting to do evaluations of the impact of the approach chosen on how compatible is the software to ISO 25000 SQuaRE Standards. This is done by every member where software product quality is thoroughly analyzed by each member and findings presented by each member in the group. The group then checks on all the findings presented by each member Each member is allocated one service process that is affected by the VOICE project whereby he is required to outline every key activity that is required to execute that very service process within the organization. Cost benefit analysis begins and this is collaboratively done by each member of the group. This involves analysis of whether the change of the software is adding value to the company. For thoroughness, each member is given a specific area which he analyses thoroughly then gives then gives the findings to the group who then does fine analysis. The group leader leads the group into identifying and assessing all emerging issues which include all legal matters and any technical risks involved in the change. The group lays down mitigation ways. Once the issues have been identified, the work is shared among each

Activist Technical Geek and Sensitive Nature-Lover Research Paper

Activist Technical Geek and Sensitive Nature-Lover - Research Paper Example Secondly, no one had described the design of a search engine, in an academic way before (Brin and Page), so, unlike other disciplines, the knowledge was not shared by a scholarly community. That makes it more difficult to advance knowledge because there is limited opportunity for dialogue. To address the second problem, he wrote and published a very careful academic description, in great detail (Brin and Page), so that the knowledge could be shared and later advanced. Third, he needed to decide how to handle the additional information in hypertext and how to prioritize it, since anyone can write anything and put it on the web (Brin and Page). There needed to be a way to sort out the opinions of the uninformed from the research of top scholars. Also, there should be a way to respond differently to people looking for articles and people looking for pictures. To address the third problem, Google contained priority and category levels. Google Scholar, for example, brings up academic articles and citations, while Google Images brings up pictures and cartoons, and Wikipedia falls under a general web search category. Therefore, I see that this man is not just a technical geek but is a sensitive, fully engaged person. I think this is the key to understanding him. Yes, his brilliance and vision resulted in Google, but he was more than that. He set an example of how Google can create community and connect people in their experience of each other.   He is a very committed person and this is reflected in his professional life and in his personal life.

Thanksgiving Day Celebration Essay Example for Free

Thanksgiving Day Celebration Essay All families have their ups and downs, I would like to say that my family has had more ups than downs but we have defiantly faced many challenges as a family. My family is very small and close and we are a pretty happy family. We have our differences and we get on each other’s nerves now and again but in the end we have shared a lot of very special memories together. My mother is a single mom of three kids and I am the oldest. I have two younger brothers, Aaron who is 12 and DJ who is 6. They are very funny and outgoing kids. It has been my mom, my two brothers and I for a while now and we are doing really well. I have learned to be very grateful for the things I have as well as the opportunities that are given to me. My mom has taught my brothers and me that we should always work for what we get, and that respect is not given but earned. My family has had a lot of bumps in the road but we have always managed to pull through as a family and learn a little more with each bump. Happiness is a non-stop battle that we face as human beings where it is not a constant feeling. I believe that overall yes my family is a pretty happy family but like I said the feeling is not constant, some days we feel sad or mad at one another and for that point in time are not the happiest family. In the end family is always going to be there for you, blood runs thicker than water. I am very thankful for the family I was given, even though they are not perfect I still love them with all my heart. The perfect family does not exist and would be kind of weird if it did.

The wider events of he Crucible Essay Example for Free

The wider events of he Crucible Essay Furthermore, Johns power within the town (and his rebellious attitude) could be likened to that of extra salt in a pot, spicing up the broth; moreover, this line foreshadows Johns impact on the trials later on in the play: his confession to lechery, admittance that he saw the boots of Lucifer and accusation that the court is pulling Heaven down and raising up a whore These actions undermined the authority of the court and so greatly influence Salem; the theme of trial is also prevalent in The Crucible and the actions John Proctor takes in standing up to the court loosely reflect Arthur Millers denouncement of the House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities . In reference to the title of the play, John Proctor putting more salt into the stew is analogous to his actions stirring up the situation in Salem, which can be likened to that of a crucible- a melting pot used to remove impurities from precious metals. Additionally, Johns relationship with Elizabeth is symbolic of the towns puritan culture; it is very mundane and based upon stringent Christian morals. The act of John adding salt to a brand broth indicates his need for a more exciting and zestful relationship- which John finds in Abigail Williams. Elizabeth Proctor is the victim of the sins perpetrated by John and Abigail, and though she is a pious and devout Christian wife she is not wholly innocent and is partially to blame for the deterioration of her marriage. One of the themes throughout John and Elizabeths marriage is that Elizabeth is very cold towards John and that it is this sternness which drives John to Abigail; Miller uses the pragmatics of words to convey this feeling, with phrases such as You ought to bring some flowers into the house and It is winter in here yet Miller demonstrates that John feels that Elizabeth has been cold to him and wants to tell her this- yet cannot, because he doesnt want to anger her (I mean to please you, Elizabeth); he also uses this dialogue to indicate the general atmosphere of Salem as a whole, full of deceit and small talk to mask over the insecurities and sins beneath. John desperately craves forgiveness from Elizabeth and she must absolve him, (because divorce was unthinkable in a deeply religious town such as Salem) but she finds it hard to forgive him because he has committed Adultery, one of the ten commandments and therefore highly important to a devout Christian, and because he has further de nted her self-esteem I counted myself so plain, so poorly made, no honest love could come to me! by sleeping with another woman. John, however, is not the cause of Elizabeths low self-worth- the repressive nature of Salem is. In Salem, women arent allowed to express themselves, which leads to two extremes: one extreme is the kind of wild exhibitionism expressed by Abigail, Tituba (and various others) at the beginning of the play; or the other extreme of self-repression and not letting your true feelings be known, like Elizabeth. Without the ability to experience the things teenagers go through during pubity, Elizabeth is led to believe that no man finds her attractive and doesnt know how to trust them. Ergo, when John has an affair Elizabeth doesnt know how to forgive him and so Miller uses language to make their relationship seem like a trial, with phrases such as Oh, Elizabeth, your justice would freeze beer! (Use of imagery) The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you (Use of metaphor) and You will not judge me more, Elizabeth. In Act 2, when the accusations are just beginning, and have not affected the Proctors, John and Elizabeth feel no passion in their marriage and are struggling to make it work- but as the hysteria escalates, the adversity draws them closer together and rekindles their love. This rejuvenation is foreshadowed by talk of spring in Act 2, and also hints at Elizabeths pregnancy, well see green fields soon. Massachusetts is a beauty in the spring; the reason Miller includes these phrases in the dialogue between John and Elizabeth is to show that John wants a fresh start and is also literally looking forward to the spring time, as well as to provide clues for the audience as to what will happen later in the play. In Act 3, both John and Elizabeth show great courage and both do it to try and do what is best for each other- John confesses to lechery in a bid to discredit Abigails accusations and save his wifes life, even though doing do will ruin his good name and lead to a bad reputation in Salem; Elizabeth lies about Johns infidelity in an act of loyalty to her husband because she wants to protect his good name, even though she is a pious woman and by lying she is committing a grave sin, God damns all liars this shows Elizabeth values her husband more than her God. This scene is ironic because though both John and Elizabeth show great courage and loyalty, they damn themselves because John says that Elizabeth never lied and cannot lie, but she goes on to lie in an act of loyalty- even though telling the truth would have saved him from hanging. Reverend Hale sees that it is a natural lie to tell and that Elizabeth was just showing loyalty to her husband, but Danforth is too bigoted to see this, and is only interested in finding people guilty of witchcraft so he can exert his power. Miller clearly based Danforths character on Senator Joseph McCarthy to show that he sees McCarthy as a bigoted, power-hungry tyrant who is only interested in looking powerful and eliminating people who threaten his position. By Act 4, John and Elizabeth have become united through their ordeal and this is signified in their language, which is far more emotive, John says You are a marvel- Elizabeth, which shows that John is again madly in love with Elizabeth and wants to express how much he cares for her. The progression of their relationship is echoed by the development in the wider events of the story: Reverend Hale has denounced the court and is trying to save [Johns] life because damnations doubled n a minister who counsels men to lie; the people of Salem have started to rebel against the court you wander yet if rebellions spoke? Better you should marvel how they do not burn your province! and they have put a dagger in Parris door. It seems like Salem is being purified, much like gold in a crucible, and all the deceit and pretence is being washed away. Additionally, as the witch trials come to their conclusion, the trial within the Proctors marriage also comes to its resolution and this is the salvation John Proctor is searching for. Miller demonstrates this purification in Johns mind using stage directions, Elizabeth says I cannot judge you, John, there is a pause, and John says What would you have me do with the stage direction simply, a pure question; the word pure here indicates that John feels like he is close to redemption and this is confirmed when he says I would have your forgiveness, Elizabeth. Miller chose to make he dialogue which follows strikingly emotionally charged, because it is when John is finally given forgiveness, there are emotive stage directions such as he stands, as though with physical pain she is on the verge of tears and now pouring out her heart. There are many references back to the earlier themes in the play, of coldness and of trials; Elizabeth admits her faults suspicion kissed you when I did it were a cold house I kept!, gives John the forgiveness he craves, whilst referencing the idea of their relationship as a trial But let none be your judge I cannot judge you John, I cannot! I am not your judge, I cannot be (as though giving him release. ) and even asks for Johns forgiveness herself, forgive me, forgive me, John- I never knew such goodness in the world. The contrast in speech between act 2 and act 4 is staggering, whereas in act 2 John and Elizabeth exchanged pleasantries which cloaked their real feelings of uneasiness between each other, in act 4 they pour their hearts out and shower one another with compliments- it is a very beautiful passage made all the more precious by John Proctors impending death. Galvanised by his redemption and love for Elizabeth, John realises that the only way for him to truly forgive himself and appease the magistrate that resides within his own heart is to accept his hanging and make sure his name is not blighted by the cowardice of a false confession, How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs. The bravery John shows here is only possible because of the purification of his marriage and that his death would help cleanse the deceit and repression of Salem. The Proctors final act as man and wife is to share a kiss with great passion, exactly what was missing in their marriage after Johns affair with Abigail. Elizabeth speaks the final line of The Crucible and gives the audience closure on the literal witch trials of Salem, and her own personal trial within her marriage, and gives both herself and John the resolution they both desperately sought, He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him. In conclusion, The Crucible is an exceptionally nuanced play with myriad deep-rooted themes which can only be truly appreciated by absorbing every subtle word which Miller provides us with, and engaging with the pragmatics conveyed by either the actors reciting the play, or conjured by your own brain whilst reading. The Crucible works very well as an allegory for McCarthyism in America, beautifully juxtaposes the Seven Deadly Sins against the Ten Commandments and develops the story in parallel with the relationship of John and Elizabeth Proctor, whilst evoking a real sense of the social, historical and cultural climate of 17th Century Massachusetts. Above all, The Crucible is a fascinating and emotional play which was a pleasure to read and analyse. Kyle Sawhney Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Does spirited away’ reflect traditional japan?

Does spirited away’ reflect traditional japan? To what extent does the world of hayao miyazakis spirited away reflect traditional japan? Anime has been described by Napier (2001, p.8) as â€Å"a richly fascinating contemporary Japanese art form that both harks back to traditional Japanese culture and moves forward to the cutting edge of art and media†. Hayao Miyazakis films are no stranger to featuring portrayals and representations of traditional Japan within the mythical worlds he creates in his films as well as those set in Japan. His imagery is vastly different to the ultra futuristic portrayals featured in the equally popular cyberpunk anime of Mamoru Oshiis Ghost in the Shell(1995), Katsuhiro Otomos Akira (1988) and all of their contemporaries. Spirited Away (2001) is arguably Miyazakis most widely known and regarded film both domestically and abroad, having become the most financially successful film of all time in Japan while also receiving the Academy Award for best animation. While being set in a modern Japan where technology has become more important than history and tradition, in Spirited Away Miyaz aki concentrates on several aspects of Japans cultural history. The protagonist of the film, Chihiro, has lived a pampered life in the city and is naÃÆ' ¯ve and unprepared for adulthood. Her parents are portrayed as greedy and irresponsible in the symbol of the â€Å"credit card wielding father turning into an overindulgent hog.† (Broderick, 2003) The ‘spirit world that she unknowingly enters represents the Taisho period of Japanese history (around 1912 to 1926), a popular setting in Anime, but of particular personal significance to Miyazaki. (Yoshioka, 2008) Childhood memories have influenced his use of this time which does not simply create a feeling of nostalgia, but, as Yoshioka says, â€Å"merges personal experience into a larger sense of past.† (Yoshioka, 2008: p.257) The aspects of traditional Japan displayed in the film vary from the extravagant grandeur of the bathhouse to the simple, yet quaint wooden houses and shops in the spirit town. The bathhouse even includes sliding paper doors and massive ornate ‘Satsuma-ware vases all representative of a prosperous location in Japan during the 1920s. It serves to act as an opposition to the modern character of Chihiro upon who the traditional aspects of Japanese society are lost. (Denison, 2007) Denison writes that the bathhouse â€Å"holds valuable lessons for modern (Japanese) society,† including, not allowing such a healthy eclectic heritage disappear in a culture obsessed with the furthering of technology as well as keeping the Japanese youth educated about their roots and heritage. Some of the major characters in the film also incorporate aspects of traditional Japanese folklore. Spirits have been featured as characters in many ancient Japanese folk tales, generally influenced by the two major religions Shinto and Buddhism. The ancient ‘River Spirit which Chihiro helps to clean appears to have a face which resembles a Japanese ‘Noh theatre mask. Another theatrical mask is also featured on the character of No-Face. The film also alludes to the practicing of religion in Japan and the ignorance of the youth towards it. In a scene at the beginning of the film Chihiro does not recognise some Shinto shrines and her mother explains their role yet it is evident that she does not consider them important saying â€Å"some people think little spirits live there.† (Spirited Away, 2001) It is evident from Miyazakis films as a whole that the ‘spirituality is a common and often prominent theme, particularly, but not exclusively, among his films aimed at children. Certain themes recur in Miyazakis films. In Spirited Away many of these appear such as childhood, materialism and most notably environmentalism. The story of the spirit Haku links to the arguments mentioned so far about the portrayal of tradition. The disappearance of Hakus home the ‘Kohaku River due to materialism has led to his forgetting of the past and even his name alluding to the real possibility of people in Japan being so focused on the future they forget elements of their past, in this case an ancient river paved over to build apartments. (Osmond, 2008) Other Miyazaki films have also included the relationship between the ‘spirits or ‘gods and humans, mainly about the difficulty of the two living in harmony. Princess Mononoke(1997), Ponyo(2008) and My Neighbour Totoro(1988) are examples of this with each also carrying the theme of environmentalism. All of the points mentioned so far have reinforced that the world featured within Spirited Away shows a traditional, typically Japanese culture which aims to critique modern Japanese society as well as educate the films young target audience about the importance of tradition. Thanks to Disneys worldwide distribution deal with Miyazakis production company Studio Ghibli, the market for anime has been expanded so hugely that theres a now global awareness of not only modern and pseudo-futuristic Japan but also heightened understanding of Japanese tradition; â€Å"fans (are) engaged with the cultural origins of anime texts†. (Cubbison, 2005: p.45) This market has been so developed that anime now seems to cater specifically for the international market within its films. The complex identities of Miyazakis characters, such as Haku or Yubaba in Spirited Away are, according to Denison, created to appeal to a Hollywood-saturated world market. These characters employ a number of traits n ot inherently Japanese. Also, some aspects of the architecture and artwork featured in the film are not typically Japanese but contain elements of Western styles. An example of this can be found in the small thatched cottage owned by Zeniba, the kind twin sister of the unpleasant witch Yubaba, the owner of the aforementioned bathhouse. The Anime film industry has varying takes on the issue of tradition, but Miyazaki has taken on the issue whole heartedly in his films. Miyazakis idea of the identity of the Japanese person, along with his concept of the loss of traditional culture in the technological Mecca of contemporary Japanese society, has proved significant in the visual appeal of his films as well as their artistic value. Not only does he reference parts of culture such as art, architecture and religion, but also references traditional theatre and behaviour (such as the removal of shoes before entering a house). Despite the fact that Miyazakis uses some hybridity with other cultures in his portrayal of tradition, the fundamental â€Å"Japaneseness† of Spirited Away is clear and irrefutable.

The Nature of the Legalism and Its Significance :: essays research papers

In contrary to its contemporary antagonist philosophical schools, who advocate the practices of humanness and the rightness and set ideal of the past, the Legalists, in their complete rejection of the traditional ethics, embraces the efficacy of political power and uphold a society of laws and punishments. As the old feudal states decayed and the smoke of endemic warfare suffused, the need for a more rational government that can afford greater centralized power so as to strengthen a state against its rival increased substantially among the Warring States. Such a rising urge necessitated the emergence of the Legalists and further predetermined the Legalists’ inherent nature – realistic, totalitarian and problem-solving – which, with the realization of its significance and duty in the stream of history, finds its hegemonic character as well. In function, the Legalist is more of a powerful and influential government consultative committee than a philosophical school. In practice, they openly advocate war as a means of state expansion and transforming people into more submissive and loyal or inversely, a way for its people to server the state; they conceive a political structure where all government apparatus and social institutions reside under an absolute monarch, who has the ultimate power and set his foundation in an elaborately self-contained, austerely impartial and severely coercive legal machinery; the state would also find no existence of the earlier schools of thoughts if not their total annihilation; loyalty to their emperor and â€Å"weakened† minds among people would prevail, bringing about social stability enabling intensive and efficient farming. It is thus rational for us to question the validity of preconditions upon which these ideas were acquired and the legitimacy of the ideas; and later but more importantly, how did the Legalists become the only classical thoughts had its teaching adopted as the sole official doctrine of a regime ruling all China and bring about the unification of China; and lastly, the association of the all-too-soon collapse of the ephemeral Qin Dynasty and the Legalists thoughts. As for the precondition of the Legalists’ thoughts, there are a few fundamental premises or judgments that we can find from the texts. As an independent school of thoughts in order to distinguish itself among all Hundreds of Schools and set aside all past ideals and standards, the Legalists, first of all, believed in the inevitability of a constant change in society. As noted by Han Fei (d.

Essay --

Dalton 1 Prairie Dalton Sherry Prewitt ELA Period 2 2/25/14 The 1960’s were a time of freedom and revolution for the United States. The decade brought along a changed world and a transformed culture. The 60’s hosted an influential series of events that opened many doors in politics, war, and pop culture that would continue to have an impact for many years to come. The beginning of the 60’s marked a point in time when the children of the post World War II baby boom became teenagers and young adults. This collective youth wanted change for the world in which they were growing up. These changes affected education, values, lifestyle, and laws as well as many other things. The surge of youth caused the conservative way of the previous decade to sway to a more liberal path. People learned that politics could be affected through peaceful demonstrations and protests. This change in thinking affected many things during that time, and still has an effect today. (Goodwin, Susan and Becky Bradley.) The 60’s were an especially big year for politics. With the beginning of the decade came the inauguration of charismatic, young J.F.K. The president wanted to get the country moving again, after the effects of the previous war. Kennedy made promises of keeping the United States ahead of the Dalton 2 Soviet Union in the Space Race and Cold War. The nation was on the brink of a new political era. Once elected, winning against Richard Nixon by a landslide, he raised minimum wage, set up peace corps and heavily supported the coming civil rights movement. (â€Å"Politics: Power to The People†). Problems such as racial justice and gender equality h... ...l-known english model of the time, popularized short hair as well as different makeup styles, including nude lips and large false eyelashes. Men’s styles included bright, colorful patterns and fabrics that contrasted the pastels that were in style for women. Suits included frills and cravats, wide ties, crazy prints and leather. (â€Å"Fashion in The 1960’s†) Longer hair was also becoming more acceptable for men after The Beatles became popular, influencing â€Å"mop-top† styles and shaggier hair. Towards the end of the decade, the androgynous hippie style emerged. It included flared bell-bottom jeans, tie-dyed shirts, headbands and sandals. After ten years, the decade finally came to a close. Changes in politics, war and pop culture opened many doors for coming decades. Events in these areas were not only impacted the 60’s, but impacted more in many ways for years to come.

The Fourth Crusade Essay -- History, The Crusades

The Fourth Crusade Is karma the reason for the slow but evident sinking of Venice into the Mediterranean? Maybe it is indemnity for the cruel selfish acts of Venice during the Fourth Crusade. The Venetians along with crusaders robbed Constantinople for personal gains. The Fourth Crusade should be an example that it is crude and unjust to attack fellow men for no reason. The Crusades were a series of battles and short wars against the Muslims. In the eleventh century Jerusalem had been taken over by the Turks. This sparked the Crusades the Crusades ended up lasting 200 years. The third crusade was deemed unsuccessful because Jerusalem was still in Muslim hands. In 1198, Pope Innocent issued the need for a Fourth Crusade. Excitement was stirred up by Priest Faulk of Neuilly after he preached at a knight tournament (Williams 103). In other areas the recruitment work "was done on tours by major prelates, preaching sermons designed to move their listeners to take the cross" (103). At the time Egypt was the center of Muslim power so Egypt was the intended target. Unknown to crusaders, ambassadors of the Doge of Venice Enrico Dandolo were in Egypt negotiating with the sultan and assuring the sultan that Egypt would not be attacked (Williams 104). Dandolo wanted to attack Constantinople. The leader of the crusaders Count Boniface agreed with Dandolo. In Venice, Dandolo agreed to supply enough ships for 33,500 men and 4,500 horses as well as an extra 50 armed galleys (Williams 104). By the intended departure date their were only 10,000 men ready to leave (Robinson). Later, 30,000 men arrived but a new problem arose. The men only had 51,000 marks when the price was set at 85,000 for the ships. Dandolo agreed to suspend the debt if... ...new throne and Catholicism was the new state religion (Cooke). Although, "the advantages that had been gained by the Fourth Crusade vanished, as water vanishes on a hot stone" (Williams 116). What looked like a simple attack on Egypt changed into a destruction of the greatest city on earth. It was done out of greed and done by selfish people. Everyone in the hierarchy was involved up to the pope who saw his treasury rise from the gold of Constantinople. Dandolo was a good strategist but a crude man. Today many people still resent him and one scholar was asked if he knew the location of Dandolo's grave and he replied "Yes, I go there and spit on it" (Cooke). Venice gained new heights in wealth but did it come at a price. Venice is sinking into the Mediterranean. Maybe it is karma and hopefully this was a lesson that it is unjust to attack fellow men for greed.

A Border Passage Quotes and Reflections

A Border Passage-Quotes and Reflections â€Å"And I found myself angry also at her sister, my mother and aunts, their eyes swollen and red, receiving condolences in the rooms for women. Why are you crying now? I thought. What’s the point of that? Why did you do nothing to help her all this time, why didn’t you get her out of that marriage? I thought it was their fault, that they could have done something. If they cared enough they could have done something. That is what I thought then. Now I am less categorical. (Ahmed, 120) -I thought this quote was important because it shows the role of women being secondary to men. Aida was stuck in the unhappy marriage because she was a woman and her father would not have her divorcing. From Ahmed’s view, as a child, she is confused, as most would be, as to why the family she trusts so much would not help Aida but continues to grieve for her. She says she is now â€Å"less categorical†.Does that mean she now realizes there is not much the women could have done because they did not have power? â€Å"For one thing, we all automatically assume that those who write and who put their knowledge down in texts have something more valuable to offer than those who simply live their knowledge and use it to inform their lives. And we assume that those who write and interpret texts in writing—in the Muslim context, the sheikhs and ayatollahs, who are the guardians and perpetuators (perpetrators) of this written version of Islam—must have a better, truer, deeper understanding of Islam that the non-specifically trained Muslim. (Ahmed, 128-129) -Ahmed is pointing out that the ones who study and write about Islam are not necessarily the ones who know it best. This can be applied to all religions and even other ideas. Ahmed got a much better, richer understanding of Islam from the women in her family which was much more accessible because it could be applied to decisions in morality of everyday lif e. This idea that not just the well educated men know about religion is something that should not be overlooked.In fact we all have something unique to bring to the table on a subject, especially religion and it would be useful for the men to listen to other’s opinions. -â€Å"What I hanker for now is hearing it live, Arabic music but also other non-Western music, particularly Indian, and not only classical instrumental Indian music but other varieties too—table, dance, mawali (ecstatic song), music of presence and community, and of audience and musicians together, and of being here, now, in body, mind, spirit.Not a music to be appreciated silently, intellectually, privately and then discussed in connoisseurs’ murmurs as we file out. † (Ahmed, 153) – This quote really moved me because it made me think of international music compared to familiar music. The best way to enjoy music is to feel it with family and friends around and join in singing and d ancing. And it made me wonder why don’t I do that more often with family? There’s something about it that seems improper but it shouldn’t be.It is getting old fashioned to be able to dance with a boyfriend or girlfriend (unless inappropriately at a club) and it shouldn’t be, why has this changed? I also like this quote because it expresses something that Ahmed originally tried to reject because it wasn’t what was popular but now longed for because it was part of her culture. -â€Å"Colonialism, we have seen, reshapes, often violently, physical territories, social terrains as well as human identities. As the Caribbean novelist George Lamming, put it, ‘the colonial experience is a live experience is the consciousness of these people’. (Looma, 155) -This quotes help us explain Ahmed’s parent’s identities as shaped by Britain. Specifically Ahmed’s father, who keeps his Muslim religion but is totally emerged in the new sciences and technology of the Western world, finds his identity shaped by colonialism. Ahmed now finds it harder to compose an identity with as much of her Cairo roots she would like. She has not received the same amount of knowledge about the language or history that her parents have and she must struggle to find her own identity.