The Rape Of Nanking And The Art - 1504 Words

As a species, humans have a long and bloodied history of attempting to eliminate one another to become dominant, from the Armenian genocide to the ethnic cleansing of the Tutsis in Rwanda. This mentality is not a new phenomenon, but has evolved to become even more lethal and prolific with the innovations in weaponry and transportation. Due to this disturbing universality, parallels are easily drawn between Iris Chang’s The Rape of Nanking and the art that was being created in Europe and the United States during the time of Hitler’s reign, including the work Seligmann, Stael and Albright. We must look to other global sources for this insight, due to the lack of photographic documentation in China and creation of art after the fact. The war crimes Japanese soldiers inflicted upon the people of Nanking are one of the most heinous examples of this idea of extermination, resulting in the loss of an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 lives. Thousands of women were raped, forced to take pictures with their assailants in pornographic poses, shamed and seen as being dirty, viewed as being subhuman. Soldiers were warned to eliminate the women they had raped, disposing of the evidence of what they had done. â€Å"‘Perhaps when we were raping her, we looked at her as a woman,’ Azuma [a soldier] wrote, â€Å"‘but when we killed her, we just thought of her as something like a pig’† (50). Rape was often rooted in superstition, the belief that the violation of virgins would provide strength andShow MoreRelatedThe Rape Of Nanking And The Three Of The Art Works During World War II1266 Words   |  6 PagesChinese faced during the war was the rape. Women were the most vulnerable existence during the war, and they were easiest existence to control. We can learn how the horror of the war affects on women. Through out the Iris Chang’s The Rape of Nanking and the three of the art works during World War II, which are Henri Matisseâ₠¬â„¢s Daisies in 1939, Wilhelm Freddie’s Portable Garbo in 1941, and Jean Dubuffet’s Two Nude Woman in 1942, we can recognize how the book and art use the same object, women in differentRead MorePleasing Films for Historians and Mainstream Audiences3072 Words   |  12 Pagesmainstream audiences. The topic of Sino-Japanese relations and China’s anti-Japanese war is frequently explored in the medium of film. Films such as City of Life and Death, Norman Bethune: The Making of a Hero, Devils on the Doorstep, The Last Emperor, Nanking, Flowers of War and The Inn of the Sixth Happiness all seek to investigate this turbulent period in Chinese history and to reflect upon the many different perspectives involved. Although the medium of film can never accurately portray history orRead MoreYear 1 Ib History839 Words   |  4 PagesReforms | * 1925: Emperor Hirohito * 1928: Zhang Zoulin assassination * 1931: Manchurian Incident Manchukuo * 1933: withdraw from LON * 1936: Imperial Way Coup d’etat (Control Faction V.S. Imperial Way) * 1937: Sino Japanese War Rape of Nanking * 1940: New Order in East Asia * 1940: Tripartite Pact (Germany, Japan, Italy) * 1941: US ban oil exports Dec. 7 Pearl Harbor attack | Japan During WWII | Political: * instability due to the frequent change in PM * National GeneralRead MoreChina s Education System Of China Essay2085 Words   |  9 Pagesand science began being taught in schools (China Education Center). Even with these changes, the educational system in the late Qing era were focused on the â€Å"Six Arts†. These â€Å"arts† included music, archery, horsemanship, writing arithmetic, history and knowledge of the public and private life rituals and ceremonies. On top of these arts, there were other subjects taught in this era such as military strategy, civil law, revenue and taxation, agriculture and geography all while keeping the ConfuciousRead MoreEducation2333 Words   |  10 Pagesimprove the economy progress of Singapore, at the same time; we will still remain as harmonious multi-racial country. On the other end, I disagree with Ms. K Bhavani as she is the Press Secretary to the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts. Since she is working under the government, she has the obligation to defend the government by portraying a good image of Singapore’s media. She mentioned that the public is allowed to raise their thoughts on the Internet, in letters to the pressRead MoreEssay The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil1788 Words   |  8 Pagesshall here be considering less dramatic transformations on a human scale that potentially can engage any of us. I lay the groundwork for the rest of the book by vivid descriptions of torture in the Inquisition, in the massacre in Rwanda, the rape of Nanking, and other venues where human nature has run amok. I also provide the initial scaffolding for how the Stanford Prison Experiment may help us make sense of corporate malfeasance, of â€Å"administrative evil,† and most particularly, the abuse and tortureRead MoreRelationship Between China And The United States4301 Words   |  18 Pagesmediation of the 13 merchants in Canton, the British were allowed try the murderers in England (Carroll 59). The Canton System of relations was abolished following the British-Chinese War, commonly called The Opium Wars, resulting the treaties of Nanking and Whanghia. The importation of opium had been illegal in China since 1796, but like the other rules of The Canton System, enforcement was erratic and smuggling was rampant (Latourette 111). Eventually, there was a concerted effort to enforce theRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesopportunities available to them at different times and in diverse settings. She places special emphasis on the important but often overlooked roles they played in politics, particularly those associated with resistance movements, and their contributions to arts and letters worldwide. Drawing on the essay collections and series on women in world history that she has edited over the past decade, Smith’s fully global perspectives make clear that even though gender parity has rarely been attained in any society

The Host Chapter 7 Confronted Free Essays

string(68) " at the classroom door, locked in a discussion that seemed intense\." Yes, Faces Sunward?† I asked, grateful to the raised hand for interrupting my lecture. I did not feel as comfortable behind the lectern as I usually did. My biggest strength, my only real credential-for my host body had had little in the way of a formal education, on the run since her early adolescence-was the personal experience I usually taught from. We will write a custom essay sample on The Host Chapter 7: Confronted or any similar topic only for you Order Now This was the first world’s history I’d presented this semester for which I had no memories to draw upon. I was sure my students were suffering the difference. â€Å"I’m sorry to interrupt, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The white-haired man paused, struggling to word his question. â€Å"I’m not sure I understand. The Fire-Tasters actually†¦ ingest the smoke from burning the Walking Flowers? Like food?† He tried to suppress the horror in his tone. It was not a soul’s place to judge another soul. But I was not surprised, given his background on the Planet of the Flowers, at his strong reaction to the fate of a similar life-form on another world. It was always amazing to me how some souls buried themselves in the affairs of whichever world they inhabited and ignored the rest of the universe. But, to be fair, perhaps Faces Sunward had been in hibernation when Fire World became notorious. â€Å"Yes, they receive essential nutrients from this smoke. And therein lies the fundamental dilemma and the controversy of Fire World-and the reason the planet has not been closed, though there has certainly been adequate time to populate it fully. There is also a high relocation percentage. â€Å"When Fire World was discovered, it was at first thought that the dominant species, the Fire-Tasters, were the only intelligent life-forms present. The Fire-Tasters did not consider the Walking Flowers to be their equals-a cultural prejudice-so it was a while, even after the first wave of settling, before the souls realized they were murdering intelligent creatures. Since then, Fire World scientists have focused their efforts on finding a replacement for the dietary needs of the Fire-Tasters. Spiders are being transported there to help, but the planets are hundreds of light-years apart. When this obstacle is overcome, as it will be soon, I’m sure, there is hope that the Walking Flowers might also be assimilated. In the meantime, much of the brutality has been removed from the equation. The, ah, burning-alive portion, of course, and other aspects as well.† â€Å"How can they†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Faces Sunward trailed off, unable to finish. Another voice completed Faces Sunward’s thought. â€Å"It seems like a very cruel ecosystem. Why was the planet not abandoned?† â€Å"That has been debated, naturally, Robert. But we do not abandon planets lightly. There are many souls for whom Fire World is home. They will not be uprooted against their will.† I looked away, back at my notes, in an attempt to end the side discussion. â€Å"But it’s barbaric!† Robert was physically younger than most of the other students-closer to my age, in fact, than any other. And truly a child in a more important way. Earth was his first world-the Mother in this case had actually been an Earth-dweller, too, before she’d given herself-and he didn’t seem to have as much perspective as older, better-traveled souls. I wondered what it would be like to be born into the overwhelming sensation and emotion of these hosts with no prior experience for balance. It would be difficult to find objectivity. I tried to remember that and be especially patient as I answered him. â€Å"Every world is a unique experience. Unless one has lived on that world, it’s impossible to truly understand the -â€Å" â€Å"But you never lived on Fire World,† he interrupted me. â€Å"You must have felt the same way†¦ Unless you had some other reason for skipping that planet? You’ve been almost everywhere else.† â€Å"Choosing a planet is a very personal and private decision, Robert, as you may someday experience.† My tone closed the subject absolutely. Why not tell them? You do think it’s barbaric-and cruel and wrong. Which is pretty ironic if you ask me-not that you ever do. What’s the problem? Are you ashamed that you agree with Robert? Because he’s more human than the others? Melanie, having found her voice, was becoming downright unbearable. How was I supposed to concentrate on my work with her opinions sounding off in my head all the time? In the seat behind Robert, a dark shadow moved. The Seeker, clad in her usual black, leaned forward, intent for the first time on the subject of discussion. I resisted the urge to scowl at her. I didn’t want Robert, already looking embarrassed, to mistake the expression as meant for him. Melanie grumbled. She wished I wouldn’t resist. Having the Seeker stalk our every footstep had been educational for Melanie; she used to think she couldn’t hate anything or anyone more than she hated me. â€Å"Our time is almost up,† I announced with relief. â€Å"I’m pleased to inform you that we will have a guest speaker next Tuesday who will be able to make up for my ignorance on this topic. Flame Tender, a recent addition to our planet, will be here to give us a more personal account of the settling of Fire World. I know that you will give him all the courtesy you accord me, and be respectful of the very young age of his host. Thank you for your time.† The class filed out slowly, many of the students taking a minute to chat with one another as they gathered their things. What Kathy had said about friendships ran through my head, but I felt no desire to join any of them. They were strangers. Was that the way I felt? Or the way Melanie felt? It was hard to tell. Maybe I was naturally antisocial. My personal history supported that theory, I supposed. I’d never formed an attachment strong enough to keep me on any planet for more than one life. I noticed Robert and Faces Sunward lingering at the classroom door, locked in a discussion that seemed intense. You read "The Host Chapter 7: Confronted" in category "Essay examples" I could guess the subject. â€Å"Fire World stories ruffle feathers.† I started slightly. The Seeker was standing at my elbow. The woman usually announced her approach with the quick tap of her hard shoes. I looked down now to see that she was wearing sneakers for once-black, of course. She was even tinier without the extra inches. â€Å"It’s not my favorite subject,† I said in a bland voice. â€Å"I prefer to have firsthand experience to share.† â€Å"Strong reactions from the class.† â€Å"Yes.† She looked at me expectantly, as if waiting for more. I gathered my notes and turned to put them in my bag. â€Å"You seemed to react as well.† I placed my papers in the bag carefully, not turning. â€Å"I wondered why you didn’t answer the question.† There was a pause while she waited for me to respond. I didn’t. â€Å"So†¦ why didn’t you answer the question?† I turned around, not concealing the impatience on my face. â€Å"Because it wasn’t pertinent to the lesson, because Robert needs to learn some manners, and because it’s no one else’s business.† I swung my bag to my shoulder and headed for the door. She stayed right beside me, rushing to keep up with my longer legs. We walked down the hallway in silence. It wasn’t until we were outside, where the afternoon sun lit the dust motes in the salty air, that she spoke again. â€Å"Do you think you’ll ever settle, Wanderer? On this planet, maybe? You seem to have an affinity for their†¦ feelings.† I bridled at the implied insult in her tone. I wasn’t even sure how she meant to insult me, but it was clear that she did. Melanie stirred resentfully. â€Å"I’m not sure what you mean.† â€Å"Tell me something, Wanderer. Do you pity them?† â€Å"Who?† I asked blankly. â€Å"The Walking Flowers?† â€Å"No, the humans.† I stopped walking, and she skidded to a halt beside me. We were only a few blocks from my apartment, and I’d been hurrying in hopes of getting away from her, though likely as not, she’d invite herself in. But her question caught me off guard. â€Å"The humans?† â€Å"Yes. Do you pity them?† â€Å"Don’t you?† â€Å"No. They were quite the brutal race. They were lucky to survive each other as long as they did.† â€Å"Not every one of them was bad.† â€Å"It was a predilection of their genetics. Brutality was part of their species. But you pity them, it seems.† â€Å"It’s a lot to lose, don’t you think?† I gestured around us. We stood in a parklike space between two ivy-covered dormitories. The deep green of the ivy was pleasing to the eye, especially in contrast to the faded red of the old bricks. The air was golden and soft, and the smell of the ocean gave a briny edge to the honey sweet fragrance of the flowers in the bushes. The breeze caressed the bare skin of my arms. â€Å"In your other lives, you can’t have felt anything so vivid. Wouldn’t you pity anyone who had this taken from them?† Her expression stayed flat, unmoved. I made an attempt to draw her in, to make her consider another viewpoint. â€Å"Which other worlds have you lived on?† She hesitated, then squared her shoulders. â€Å"None. I’ve only lived on Earth.† That surprised me. She was as much a child as Robert. â€Å"Only one planet? And you chose to be a Seeker in your first life?† She nodded once, her chin set. â€Å"Well. Well, that’s your business.† I started walking again. Maybe if I respected her privacy, she would return the favor. â€Å"I spoke to your Comforter.† And maybe not, Melanie thought sourly. â€Å"What?† I gasped. â€Å"I gather you’ve been having more trouble than just accessing the information I need. Have you considered trying another, more pliable host? She suggested that, did she not?† â€Å"Kathy wouldn’t tell you anything!† The Seeker’s face was smug. â€Å"She didn’t have to answer. I’m very good at reading human expressions. I could tell when my questions struck a nerve.† â€Å"How dare you? The relationship between a soul and her Comforter -â€Å" â€Å"Is sacrosanct, yes; I know the theory. But the acceptable means of investigation don’t seem to be working with your case. I have to get creative.† â€Å"You think I’m keeping something from you?† I demanded, too angry to control the disgust in my voice. â€Å"You think I confided that to my Comforter?† My anger didn’t faze her. Perhaps, given her strange personality, she was used to such reactions. â€Å"No. I think you’re telling me what you know†¦ But I don’t think you’re looking as hard as you could. I’ve seen it before. You’re growing sympathetic to your host. You’re letting her memories unconsciously direct your own desires. It’s probably too late at this point. I think you’d be more comfortable moving on, and maybe someone else will have better luck with her.† â€Å"Hah!† I shouted. â€Å"Melanie would eat them alive!† Her expression froze in place. She’d had no idea, no matter what she thought she’d discerned from Kathy. She’d thought Melanie’s influence was from memories, that it was unconscious. â€Å"I find it very interesting that you speak of her in the present tense.† I ignored that, trying to pretend I hadn’t made a slip. â€Å"If you think someone else would have better luck breaking into her secrets, you’re wrong.† â€Å"Only one way to find out.† â€Å"Did you have someone in mind?† I asked, my voice frigid with aversion. She grinned. â€Å"I’ve gotten permission to give it a try. Shouldn’t take long. They’re going to hold my host for me.† I had to breathe deeply. I was shaking, and Melanie was so full of hate that she was past words. The idea of having the Seeker inside me, even though I knew that I would not be here, was so repugnant that I felt a return of last week’s nausea. â€Å"It’s too bad for your investigation that I’m not a skipper.† The Seeker’s eyes narrowed. â€Å"Well, it does certainly make this assignment drag on. History was never of much interest to me, but it looks like I’m in for a full course now.† â€Å"You just said that it was probably too late to get any more from her memories,† I reminded her, struggling to make my voice calm. â€Å"Why don’t you go back to wherever you belong?† She shrugged and smiled a tight smile. â€Å"I’m sure it is too late†¦ for voluntary information. But if you don’t cooperate, she might just lead me to them yet.† â€Å"Lead you?† â€Å"When she takes full control, and you’re no better than that weakling, once Racing Song, now Kevin. Remember him? The one who attacked the Healer?† I stared at her, eyes wide, nostrils flared. â€Å"Yes, it’s probably just a matter of time. Your Comforter didn’t tell you the statistics, did she? Well, even if she did, she wouldn’t have the latest information that we have access to. The long-term success rate for situations such as yours-once a human host begins to resist-is under twenty percent. Did you have any idea it was so bad? They’re changing the information they give potential settlers. There will be no more adult hosts offered. The risks are too great. We’re losing souls. It won’t be long before she’s talking to you, talking through you, controlling your decisions.† I hadn’t moved an inch or relaxed a muscle. The Seeker leaned in, stretched up on her toes to put her face closer to mine. Her voice turned low and smooth in an attempt to sound persuasive. â€Å"Is that what you want, Wanderer? To lose? To fade away, erased by another awareness? To be no better than a host body?† I couldn’t breathe. â€Å"It only gets worse. You won’t be you anymore. She’ll beat you, and you’ll disappear. Maybe someone will intervene†¦ Maybe they’ll move you like they did Kevin. And you’ll become some child named Melanie who likes to tinker with cars rather than compose music. Or whatever it is she does.† â€Å"The success rate is under twenty percent?† I whispered. She nodded, trying to suppress a smile. â€Å"You’re losing yourself, Wanderer. All the worlds you’ve seen, all the experiences you’ve collected-they’ll be for nothing. I saw in your file that you have the potential for Motherhood. If you gave yourself to be a Mother, at least all that would not be entirely wasted. Why throw yourself away? Have you considered Motherhood?† I jerked away from her, my face flushing. â€Å"I’m sorry,† she muttered, her face darkening, too. â€Å"That was impolite. Forget I said that.† â€Å"I’m going home. Don’t follow.† â€Å"I have to, Wanderer. It’s my job.† â€Å"Why do you care so much about a few spare humans? Why? How do you justify your job anymore? We’ve won! It’s time for you to join society and do something productive!† My questions, my implied accusations, did not ruffle her. â€Å"Wherever the fringes of their world touch ours there is death.† She spoke the words peacefully, and for a moment I glimpsed a different person in her face. It surprised me to realize that she deeply believed in what she did. Part of me had supposed that she only chose to seek because she illicitly craved the violence. â€Å"If even one soul is lost to your Jared or your Jamie, that is one soul too many. Until there is total peace on this planet, my job will be justified. As long as there are Jareds surviving, I am needed to protect our kind. As long as there are Melanies leading souls around by the nose†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I turned my back on her and headed for my apartment with long strides that would force her to run if she wanted to keep up. â€Å"Don’t lose yourself, Wanderer!† she called after me. â€Å"Time is running out for you!† She paused, then shouted more loudly. â€Å"Inform me when I’m to start calling you Melanie!† Her voice faded as the space between us grew. I knew she would follow at her own pace. This last uncomfortable week-seeing her face in the back of every class, hearing her footsteps behind me on the sidewalk every day-was nothing compared to what was coming. She was going to make my life a misery. It felt as if Melanie were bouncing violently against the inner walls of my skull. Let’s get her canned. Tell her higher-ups that she did something unacceptable. Assaulted us. It’s our word against hers – In a human world, I reminded her, almost sad that I didn’t have access to that sort of recourse. There are no higher-ups, in that sense. Everyone works together as equals. There are those whom many report to, in order to keep the information organized, and councils who make decisions about that information, but they won’t remove her from an assignment she wants. You see, it works like – Who cares how it works if it doesn’t help us? I know-let’s kill her! A gratuitous image of my hands tightening around the Seeker’s neck filled my head. That sort of thing is exactly why my kind is better left in charge of this place. Get off your high horse. You’d enjoy it as much as I would. The image returned, the Seeker’s face turning blue in our imagination, but this time it was accompanied by a fierce wave of pleasure. That’s you, not me. My statement was true; the image sickened me. But it was also perilously close to false-in that I would very much enjoy never seeing the Seeker again. What do we do now? I’m not giving up. You’re not giving up. And that wretched Seeker is sure as hell not giving up! I didn’t answer her. I didn’t have a ready answer. It was quiet in my head for a brief moment. That was nice. I wished the silence could last. But there was only one way to buy my peace. Was I willing to pay the price? Did I have a choice anymore? Melanie slowly calmed. By the time I was through the front door, locking behind me the bolts that I had never before turned-human artifacts that had no place in a peaceful world-her thoughts were contemplative. I’d never thought about how you all carry on your species. I didn’t know it was like that. We take it very seriously, as you can imagine. Thanks for your concern. She wasn’t bothered by the thick edge of irony in the thought. She was still musing over this discovery while I turned on my computer and began to look for shuttle flights. It was a moment before she was aware of what I was doing. Where are we going? The thought held a flicker of panic. I felt her awareness begin to rifle through my head, her touch like the soft brush of feathers, searching for anything I might be keeping from her. I decided to save her the search. I’m going to Chicago. The panic was more than a flicker now. Why? I’m going to see the Healer. I don’t trust her. I want to talk to him before I make my decision. There was a brief silence before she spoke again. The decision to kill me? Yes, that one. How to cite The Host Chapter 7: Confronted, Essay examples

Mythological Creatures from Dante’s Inferno Essay Example

Mythological Creatures from Dante’s Inferno Paper The Inferno (Hell) is the first part of The Divine Comedy, followed by the Purgatorio (Purgatory) and Paradiso (Heaven). It is a classic Christian theological text that uses strong poetic imagination and allegorical allusion. Though originally written in Italian between 1308 and 1321 AD, the work is widely translated and its themes are drawn upon by generations of writers since. Written in first person narrative, the comedy is about the imaginative events and experiences of Dante (and his companion poet Virgil) as he traverses through Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso in his afterlife. Dante meets both mythological and real people during his long voyage. He also comes across mythological creatures that pose moral dilemmas and questions to him. By successfully resolving such challenges, Dante (and by extension anyone with faith in Christ) steadily attains spiritual salvation. The rest of this essay will dwell on the mythological creatures and the nature of their interaction with D ante and Virgil through the Inferno. The first part of Inferno begins on the eve of Good Friday in the year 1300. The world of the Inferno is dangerous and dark. Dante is lost in a thick forest (a symbol for sin) and he is haunted by wild carnivorous beasts such as lions and wolfs. As Dante suffers in despair, the ancient poet Virgil comes to his rescue. Together, both of them seek repentance for their sins. Their sins are broadly classified under self-indulgent sins (lust, gluttony, wrath and greed), violent sins and malicious sins (dishonesty and treason). (Alvarez 89) Having successfully negotiated the diabolical challenges in this hellish underground, Dante and Virgil move on to the gates of the City of Dis in Canto 8, where We will write a custom essay sample on Mythological Creatures from Dante’s Inferno specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Mythological Creatures from Dante’s Inferno specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Mythological Creatures from Dante’s Inferno specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer â€Å"more than a thousand devils bar their entrance. Since hostility and unwillingness to co-operate are defining traits of infernal creatures, Dante and Virgil are not surprised that their progress has been impeded once again. The first creature to block their way was Charon, followed by the infernal judge Minos. In both of these cases the opposition was overcome easily enough with words uttered like a magic formula.† (Pugliese, 2005, p. 175) The next mythic creature that Dante and Virgil encounter is Geryon. Taken from Greek mythology, Geryon was vanquished in battle by Hercules. Geryon is one among several classical monsters that were defeated by the superior skill and power of Hercules. As Virgil describes in Inferno Canto 6, Geryon is a ‘triple-bodied hybrid’. By virtue of this physique, â€Å"Dante metamorphoses Geryon into a fantastic creature like the classical Chimera (Oion, goat, and serpent), mentioned along with Geryon in the same Canto† (Alighieri, 1996, p. 272) Geryon is described in the 10th Canto through these dramatic opening lines ‘Behold the beast the whole world stink’. This opening signifies the threat and mysteriousness surrounding the creature from the sea. This unusual canto opening points to the fact that, like Cantos 8 and 9, â€Å"it forms a major transition between divisions of Hell, for we now move from the circle of violence to the two circles of fraud (simp le fraud and treacherous fraud.† (Alighieri, 1996, p. 268) Dante makes it clear that Geryon is a manifestation of fraud. The magnitude of this fraud is such that it renders powerless physical barriers and protections such as walls, armour and even mountains. Geryon’s scorpion-like tail is full of poison. Here poison is a metaphor for deception and fraud. The opposing virtues are truth and genuineness. The three headed dog-like creature Cerberus poses a tough challenge to Dante and his companion during their spiritual quest. Cerberus guards the third circle of Hell and devours on those spirits which are guilty of gluttony. Dante’s description of Cerberus is taken after its original imagination by Virgil in Aeneid. Consequently, the three headed dog-like creature that guards the entrance of the third circle. It has an intimidating presence, accompanied by a loud growl and with snakes rising from its neck. His three throats produce â€Å"a deafening bark, and he eagely devours like a dog intent on his meal – the fistful of dirt that Virgil throws into his mouths† Other features of Cerberus, such as his red eyes, greasy black beard, large gut, and clawed hands perhaps link him to the gluttonous spirits who suffer in the sixth circle† (Raffa, 2007, p. 40) One of the unfortunate gluttons meted out punishment in the third circle is Ciacco, who rises up and acknowledges Dante as an inhabitant of Florence. Using his powers of prophecy Ciacco predicts that there were to be an epic battle between the two political factions of the ancient city, with the victory first going to white Guelphs, only to be squandered to the opposing black Guelphs in three years. After giving Dante the identities of other Florentines who are languishing in other circles of Hell, Ciacco â€Å"falls back to the ground, not to rise again until the Last Judgment at the end of time.† (Raffa, 2007, p. 39) Having the obstacle of Ciacco thus removed, Dante and Virgil march on to other circles. The winged creature representing Florence is another terrifying encounter for Virgil and Dante. This reptilian nature of this winged dragon is noted from the description â€Å"he who possesses the sea, the land and the whole globe†. (Alighieri, 1996, p. 406) Plutus is another creature which Dante and Virgil encounter on their long journey through the circles of Inferno. Like Cerberus, Plutus is also a hybrid representing the vice of greed. It is hence coined the God of Wealth. Plutus possesses â€Å"the power of speech and the ability to understand Virgil’s dismissive words, while at the same time displaying animal features and a distinctly bestial rage.† (Raffa, 2007, p. 46) The wolf-like Plutus that informs Satan that Dante and Virgil are approaching the fourth circle. Virgil confronts Plutus valorously and silences him temporarily, which allows the duo to pass through unhurt. Herein arrives an enlightenment for Dante as he witnesses a â€Å"multitude of shades damned for the sin of avarice (holding wealth too tightly) or its opposite, prodigality (spending too freely). The two groups push heavy boulders with their chests around a circle in opposite directions: when the avaricious and the prodigal collide, they turn and, after casting insults at one another, repeat the journey in the other direction.† (Raffa, 2007, p. 45) This scene so disgusts Dante that he loses track of individual identities of the shades fighting. It is the ever alert Virgil who notes the â€Å"presence of many clerics, including cardinals and popes, among the avaricious. He also explains to Dante the divine role of Fortuna in human affairs.† (Raffa, 2007, p. 45)

An Introduction to the Jack the Ripper Mystery

An Introduction to the Jack the Ripper Mystery Someone in London murdered and mutilated a number of prostitutes during the autumn of 1888; the press went into a frenzy, politicians pointed the finger at each other, hoaxers polluted the investigation, and one of several nicknames stuck: Jack the Ripper. Over a century later, Jacks identity has never been wholly proven (there isnt even a leading suspect), most aspects of the case are still debated, and the Ripper is an infamous cultural bogeyman. The Enduring Mystery The Rippers identity has never been established and people have never stopped looking: the publishing rates average is a new book a year since 1888 (although most of these have come in recent decades). Unfortunately, the wealth of Ripper source material - letters, reports, diaries,  and photographs - provides enough depth for detailed and fascinating research, but too few facts for any incontrovertible conclusions. Just about everything about Jack the Ripper is open to debate and the best you can get is a consensus. People are still finding new suspects  or new ways to reframe old suspects, and books are still flying off the shelves. There is no better mystery. The Crimes Traditionally, Jack the Ripper is considered to have killed five women, all London prostitutes, during 1888: Mary Ann Polly Nichols on August 31, Annie Chapman on September 8, Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes on September 30 and Mary Jane (Marie Jeanette) Kelly on November 9. In practice, there is no agreed list: the most popular change is to discount Stride and/or Kelly, sometimes adding Martha Tabram, killed August 7th. Authors naming more than eight have achieved very little consensus. At the time Polly Nichols was sometimes considered the second or third person to have been killed by the same person, and plenty of later investigators have searched the world in search of similar killings to see if the Ripper moved on. The Ripper generally killed by strangling his victims, then laying them down and cutting the arteries in their throats; this was followed by a varied process of mutilation, during which parts of the body were removed and kept. Because Jack did this quickly, often in the dark, and because he seemed to have great anatomical knowledge, people have assumed the Ripper had a doctors or surgeons training. As with much of the case, there is no consensus - a contemporary thought him simply a blunderer. There have been accusations that the missing organs werent stolen from the bodies by the Ripper, but by people dealing with them later. Evidence for this is scant. The Letters and Nicknames During the autumn and winter of 1888/89, a number of letters circulated among the police and newspapers, all claiming to be from the Whitechapel murderer; these include the From Hell letter and one accompanied by part of a kidney (which may have matched a kidney taken from one of the victims, but like everything Jack, were not a hundred percent sure). Ripperologists consider most, if not all, of the letters to be hoaxes, but their impact at the time was considerable, if only because one contained the first use of Jack the Ripper, a nickname the papers swiftly adopted and which is now synonymous. Horror, Media, and Culture The Ripper killings were neither obscure nor ignored at the time. There was gossip and fear in the streets, questions at high levels of government,  and offers of rewards and resignations when nobody was caught. Political reformers used the Ripper in arguments and policemen struggled with the limited techniques of the time. Indeed, the Ripper case remained high profile enough for many of the police involved to write private accounts years later. However, it was the media who made Jack the Ripper. By 1888, literacy was common amongst the crowded citizens of London and newspapers reacted to the Whitechapel Murderer, whom they initially christened Leather Apron, with the frenzy we expect from modern tabloids, stirring opinions, fact,  and theory – along with the probably hoaxed Ripper letters – together to create a legend which seeped into popular culture. From the very start, Jack doubled as a figure from the horror genre, a bogeyman to scare your kids. A century later, Jack the Ripper is still hugely famous world over, an unknown criminal at the center of a global manhunt. But he is more than that, hes the focus of novels, films, musicals,  and even a six-inch high model plastic figure. Jack the Ripper was the first serial killer adopted by the modern media age and hes been at the forefront ever since, mirroring the evolution of western culture. Will the Mystery Be Solved? Its extremely unlikely anyone will be able to use the existing evidence to prove, beyond all reasonable doubt, who Jack the Ripper was and, while people are still uncovering material, the discovery of something unarguable has to be regarded as a long-shot. Fortunately, the mystery is so fascinating because you can do your own reading, draw your own conclusions and, with some critical thinking, generally have as much chance of being right as everyone else! Suspects range from people the detectives at the time suspected (such as George Chapman / Klosowski), to a whole gallery of strange suggestions, which include no less than Lewis Carroll, a royal doctor, Inspector Abberline himself, and someone who even blamed their relative decades later after finding some tenuous items.

The Tropical Rainforest Biome

The Tropical Rainforest Biome All tropical rainforests have similar characteristics including climate, precipitation, canopy structure, complex symbiotic relationships and an amazing diversity of species. However, not every tropical rainforest can claim exact characteristics when compared by  region or realm  and there are rarely clear defining boundaries. Many may blend with adjoining mangrove forests, moist forests, mountain forests, or tropical deciduous forests. Tropical Rainforest Location Tropical rainforests mainly occur inside the worlds equatorial regions. Tropical rainforests are restricted to the small land area between the latitudes 22.5 ° North and 22.5 ° South of the equator - between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer. The global distribution of the tropical rainforest can be broken into four continental regions, realms or biomes: the Ethiopian or Afrotropical rainforest, the  Australasian  or Australian rainforest, the Oriental or Indomalayan/Asian rainforest, and the Central and South American Neotropical. Importance of the Tropical Rainforest Rainforests are cradles of diversity. They spawn and support 50 percent of all living organisms on Earth even though they cover less than 5% of Earths surface. A rainforests importance is truly incomprehensible when it comes to species diversity. Losing the Tropical Rainforest Just a few thousand years ago, tropical rainforests are estimated to have covered as much as 12% of the land surface on earth. This was about 6 million square miles (15.5 million square km). Today it is estimated that less than 5% of Earths land is covered with these forests (about 2 to 3 million square miles). More importantly, two-thirds of the worlds tropical rainforests exist as fragmented remnants. The Largest Tropical Rainforest The largest unbroken stretch of rainforest is found in the Amazon river basin of South America. Over half of this forest lies in Brazil, which holds about one-third of the worlds remaining tropical rainforests. Another 20% of the worlds remaining rainforest exists in Indonesia and the Congo Basin, while the balance of the worlds rainforests is scattered around the globe in tropical regions. Tropical Rainforests Outside the Tropics Tropical rainforests are not just found in tropical regions, but also in temperate regions like Canada, the United States, and the former Soviet Union. These forests, like any tropical rainforest, receive abundant, year-round rainfall, and are characterized by an enclosed canopy and high species diversity but are without the year-round warmth and sunlight. Precipitation An important characteristic of tropical rainforests is moisture. Tropical rainforests usually lie in tropical zones where solar energy produces frequent rainstorms. Rainforests are subject to heavy rainfall, at least 80 and in some areas over 430 of rain each year. High volumes of rain in rainforests can cause local streams and creeks to rise 10-20 feet over the course of two hours. The Canopy Layer Most of life in the tropical rainforest exists vertically in the trees, above the shaded forest floor - in the layers. Each tropical rainforest canopy layer harbors its own unique plant and animal species interacting with the ecosystem around them. The primary tropical rainforest is divided into at least five layers: the overstory, the true canopy, the understory, the shrub layer, and the forest floor. Protection Tropical rainforests are not all that pleasant to visit. They are hot and humid, difficult to reach, insect-infested, and have wildlife that is hard to find. Still, according to Rhett A. Butler in A Place Out of Time: Tropical Rainforests and the Perils They Face, there are undeniable reasons to protect the rainforests: Loss of local climate regulation - With forest loss, the local community loses the system that performed valuable but unnoticed services like ensuring the regular flow of clean water and protecting the community from flood and drought. The forest acts as a sort of sponge, soaking up the tremendous amounts of rainfall brought by tropical downpours, and releasing water at regular intervals. This regulating feature of tropical rainforests prevents destructive flood and drought cycles.Erosion and its effects - The loss of trees, which anchor the soil with their roots, causes widespread erosion throughout the tropics. Only a minority of areas have good soils, which after clearing are quickly washed away by the heavy rains. Thus crops yields decline and the people must spend income to import foreign fertilizers or clear additional forest.Loss of species for forest regeneration - A fully functioning forest has a great capacity to regenerate. Exhaustive hunting of tropical rainforest species can reduce those species necessary to forest continuance and regeneration. The increase of tropical diseases - The emergence of tropical diseases and outbreaks of new diseases including nasty hemorrhagic fevers like Ebola and Lassa Fever is a subtle but serious impact of deforestation.Destruction of renewable resources - Deforestation can rob a country of potential renewable revenues while replacing valuable productive lands with virtually useless scrub and grassland (desertification).

Emigration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Emigration - Essay Example In 2011 alone, the United States, which has the largest number of immigrants in the world, received 87,000 permanent residents from China (â€Å"Wary Future, Professionals Leave China†). Consequently, the increasing number of immigrants has resulted to a number of research studies to understand this phenomenon. One effective way to understand the concept of emigration in the present time is to examine its causes. People emigrate for various reasons, but the most common causes are education, employment, freedom, and war. These causes are the prime motivation for people around the world to emigrate to other countries. Education, which is a product of globalization, is one of the leading causes of emigration. Globalization has pushed immigrant children to move to the first world countries like the United States to obtain their education. People seek for a better quality of education for them to be globally competitive and hirable in their own chosen fields. Education in the form of research and development is another result of globalization. Academicians accomplish their research studies in other countries where they are able to utilize more advanced facilities and technological equipments to get better results. Scholarships also largely contribute to the number of immigrants in the academe. It enables immigrants to avail low cost and yet high quality education through scholarships. Employment is another leading reason for emigration as people in poor countries work overseas. As developed countries have good economic conditions, industries in these countries offer much higher salaries than poor countries do. In addition, the worker’s rights and benefits are top priorities for these countries as developed countries have more stable policies that protect employees’ welfare. Lastly, these countries have high employment rate that means that they offer many job opportunities. Other people emigrate to find more freedom in the things that

Professional Resume and Cover Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Professional Resume and Cover Letter - Essay Example CH2M HLL is a global leader in consulting, design, design-build, operations, and program management where success of turnkey projects is critical part of organizational success. My skills and professional expertise in office management can be judiciously exploited to accelerate the progress of ongoing projects. I strongly believe that role of leaders, managers and the administrators of the organizations have increasingly become more challenging especially when new strategy and policy decisions are introduced in the organizations. As such, I have often undertaken leadership role to ensure effective feedback through participatory approach and helped solve the problems and workplace conflicts. My professional competencies, experience and my desire to acquire more knowledge would help me to become top performer in your company also. My work experience has involved extensive interaction with major clients and public, thereby equipping me with necessary traits of effective verbal communication techniques. I have attaches resume for your kind perusal. My key strength have been my ability to function under limited direction and worked independently using initiative and good judgment. I can assure you that my personal and professional competencies would add value to your organization. I would appreciate an opportunity to discuss the same with you in person and look forward to meeting you. Strong leadership initiatives in performing liaison work for CEO and proven record for excellent office management. Talent for organizing meetings and ensuring effective coordination with different stakeholders for resolving conflicts and promote communication. Highly efficient in managing confidential information and drafting agendas for important meeting and ensuring smooth conduct of the same. Exceptional organizational skills; Leadership initiative in prioritizing