Drama Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Drama - Essay Example In this paper I will argue how on many occasions in Oedipus the King, Oedipus and other prominent characters make such comments which emphasize varying levels of power each of them is awarded with. Facts and discussion presented in this essay are basically meant to illuminate the reality of the claim that though Oedipus is presented as the absolute ruler of the city of Thebes by Sophocles, he is actually overtaken or even thwarted at some points in moments of hotheadedness by other influential characters who in a discreet way have more polished sociopolitical and spiritual understanding. It is evident that Oedipus has at least sufficiently more power than his wife (or mother) Jocasta because no amount of pleading or persuasion from her inflicts any effect on him and he maintains an inexorable, persistent, and adamant attitude about hearing the truth from Tiresias who is the oracle of God Apollo. Jocasta does not have enough power which could make her stand up resolutely against Oedip us in order to stop him from going to Tiresias upon listening from Creon that the plague existed in the city because the murderer of Laius remained in the city. Their spiritual ideologies also set in contrast to each other because unlike Oedipus who is moved after being condemned by Tiresias, Jocasta bluntly expresses that he should not worry in the least because all prophets are flawed or phony which is something very controversial or notorious to be said about the spiritual or religious matters for those times. Also, the political power that Oedipus has surpasses that of Jocasta’s because even though she tries to talk him into not punishing Creon on any account, he refuses to second guess his decisions and goes on to banish his royal colleague (Creon) from Thebes because he says, â€Å"my one-time friend Creon attacks me secretly for wealth and power† (li. 452, Bartel). The title of king and the associated power is desired by Creon even more than Oedipus and he comes across as a shrewder politician with more reasonable social vision than King Oedipus who is often hotheaded, frenzied, and exposed unlike the secretive, calm, and manipulative attitude of Creon. But, that does not mean that Oedipus does not get his share of miseries or defeats in the play only because is the sole ruler of the city who could not be intimidated by anyone else. Tiresias, for example, is one character who is not at all influenced or scared by the political power of Oedipus. When Oedipus accuses Tiresias that â€Å"you are blind in mind and ears/as well as in your eyes† (li. 370-5, Goldhill 219) after listening from him that the plague existed in the city because of himself, the oracle without considering the fact that he is in the presence of a king replies pointblank, â€Å"you are a poor wretch to pile upon me insults which everyone soon will heap upon you† (li. 370-5, Goldhill 219). He also fearlessly tells Oedipus that â€Å"although you are the rule r, we have equal power to speak. I am not a slave to you, but I serve Apollo. You insult my blindness, but you, who are not blind, cannot see your own suffering† (li. 410, Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus). The powerful functions of the Chorus or Choragos are also very prominent in Oedipus Rex. The Chorus have sufficient power over Oedipus in that they try to contribute wisdom by telling him to stay clam like a smart ruler and stay away from seeking trouble. The Chorus have

A Midsummer Nights Dream Drama Essay

A Midsummer Nights Dream Drama Essay A point to consider before bringing the individual character interpretations into play is how to contextualise the performances within the text as a whole. In other words, the characters are not mutually exclusive entities, rather, they are interactive and woven into the landscape of the play. Therefore, I would like to propose a general outline for the overall performance. There are many ways to perform A Midsummer Nights Dream, and the way I choose will affect elements of the characters. There have been many performances of Shakespearean drama, where the play is brought into the modern day. I however, would like to perform the play in its classic setting. I would like the play to retain its archaic time setting. It is a very self-reflexive play it is a play about staging a play. This highlights the idea of drama at its root the reheasrsal and work that goes into a play. I would like to leave the play in an olden day setting because it consolidates the idea of drama being detached from life through its artifice, and the play being set in a by-gone era further consolidates the idea of detaching drama from everyday life. (a) The first character I would like to look at is Lysander. He refuses to yield to Demetriuss demand for Hermias hand, and risks the wrath of Theseus by eloping with Hermia. This demonstrates not only the depth of his feeling for Hermia, but also his conviction in his own beliefs, and the courage to carry out these beliefs. The comic arc of Lysanders performance hits its climax after Puck has sprinkled the love potion into his eyes and he falls in love with Helena. I would perform the character with some hyperbole at this point, in order to convey the comic element of the text to the audience. The idea of Lysander challenging Demetrius to a duel in order to win Helenas hand is an example of the excessive behaviour and heightened action that brings much of the comedy into the play. It is a humour that comes from the reversal of the natural order Helena has gone from being desperately in love with Demetrius and being scorned by him to being the object of both mens affection, for example. This reversal in the behaviour of Lysander is something Id like to highlight in performance. I think a change in demeanor, and in vocal qualities could highlight this. At the beginning of the play, Lysander is portrayed as a romantic hero. I would convey this to the audience through his appearance; ideally, the role would be filled by a tall, handsome man. I would like him to wear a costume of light material symbolising the innocence of the true lovers (Hermias description of themselves). As I would like to keep the play true to its chromatic origins, I would like Lysander to wear a type of Athenean costume, which he could change when he enters the wood. I would like all the characters to change their costumes when they enter the forest, to represent the immense change in their environment. I would like him to don a more earthy, swarthy coloured robe, such as green, to convey the pastoral environment to the audience. I would like to focus on how the character of Lysander should be performed during the sequence in which he challenges Demetrius to a duel. The interpretation that I would like to convey to the audience is one of escalating absurdity, which contributes to humour. This would be done through the props, delivery, vocal quality, paralinguistic features and a demonstration of how Lysander relates to Demetrius in this section: Lysander Helen, I love thee. By my life I do. I swear by that which I will lose for thee To prove him false that says I love thee not. Demetrius I say I love thee more than he can do. Lysander If thou say so, withdraw, and prove it too. (Scene III, Act II, lines 251-256) There is a strong sense of rhythm in these lines, and also rhyme, which contribute to the tension and sense of heightened action. I would like the actor to highlight the rhythm in his delivery. I would like Lysander to adopt a masculine stance, and to circle Dimitrius, expanding his movement around the stage, owning the stage, as it were, using the entire stage to convey to the audience that he feels he owns the space, as he prowls around it. Demetrius A character trait that emerges from the text is the point where he tells the infatuated Helena that when he says, Tempt not too much the hatred of my spirit;/For I am sick when I do look on thee. (Scene II Act I, lines 211-212). This utterance evokes a sense of his cruel nature, a pejorative view of Demetrius which is further consolidated when we examine the first first scene of the first act. When Lysander and Hermia are told that they cannot marry, Demetruis tells them they should let him have his certain right. (Scene I Act I line 92). There is subsequently a huge change in Demetruis when he falls back in love with Helena at the end of the play. This is indicative of a softening of his character a change which I feel should be represented visually in performance. In order to convey Demetruiss somewhat cruel, righteous nature to the audience, I think the actor should appropriate a certain demeanor. Body language could be used to demonstrate his confident, cocky side. For example, he could strut, use large gestures and also make use of all of the stage space exercising his self imposed right to the stage space in the same way that he wants to exercise his right to Hermias hand. I would like his costume to be dark colours such as a rich red and flamboyant design, to contrast with Lysanders. The vocal qualities should also demonstrate these traits. He only has two lines in scene I, act one, so it is very important how these are represented, as they will be the first impression the audience have of him. Demetriuss lines are: Relent, sweet Hermia; and, Lysander, yield Thy crazed title to my certain right. (Scene I, Act I, lines 91-92) The way in which this line is performed is very important. As the tormented lovers, the audience feels very strongly for Hermia and Lysander, to whom the presence of Demetrius is an invasive one. I would therefore also like to convey to the audience this sense of invasion. When Demetrius says, Relent, sweet Hermia I would like him to walk up to Hermia, and put his arm around her, caressing her with his other hand, turning them both away from Lysander. When he speaks to Lysander, Demetrius should keep his back to Lysander, but turn his head to face him, so that his line is like an aside, as if he does not respect him. The words crazed title should be accompanied by paralinguistic features, such as an outstretching arm to convey to the audience how much Demetrius does not want Lysander and Hermia to marry. Finally, the word my should be over emphasized to convey that Demetrius strongly feels that Hermia should be his, whether she loves him or not, because of the wishes of her father. His character, and especially his behaviour towards Helana changes at the end of the play. Whilst in the earlier stages of the play, he is confident, using large gestures and a lot of stage space, at the end of the play, I would like him to express a more tender side to the audience, to convey the development of his character: That we are awake? It seems to me That yet we sleep, we dream. Do not you think The duke was here, and bid us follow him? (Scene IV, Act I, lines 192-194) This line should be used to convey character development to the audience as it contrasts so strongly with his opening line the use of you in contrast to my for example. There is also a confusion in this utterance, which contrast with the confidence in the first lines. Helena At the beginning of the play, Helena is portrayed as hapless; the scorned lover who has been wooed by Demetrius and then ignored in favour of Hermia. However, like Demetrius, Helena demonstrates a massive character development and transformation. Like Lysander, the arc of her character trajectory reaches its crescendo after Puck has sprinkled the love potion in Lysander and Demetriuss eyes. When they both try to woo her, she feels they are mocking her, and gets angry. To best convey the transformation in her character between before and after the love potion has been dispensed, Id like to consider how vocal quality and demeanor can be used in two of her utterances: Call you me fair? That fair again unsay. Demetrius loves your fair. O happy fair! Sickness is catching. O, were favour so, Yours would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go. O, teach me how you look, and with what art You sway the motion of Demetrius heart. (Scene I, Act I, lines 181-194) This except is from a long speech in which Helena proceeds to extol the virtues of Hermia, with whom Demetrius is infatuated. The key message I would like to convey to the audience from this speech is the idea that Helena is confused, upset and slightly jealous of Hermia. She is asking Hermia how she won the heart of Demetrius. In order to convey this dejection to the audience, I think the delivery of this speech should involve some rhetoric while Helena is asking Hermia how she wooed him, and saying how fair Hermia is, my interpretation of this speech is that it is a melancholy meditation on the loss of her love. She is not looking for external answers, rather internal answers, and so it is questions she is asking herself. This could be expressed to the audience by the character of Helena distancing her self physically from the group this would be a visual symbol of her isolation. Her demeanor and body language would be hunched and dejected, and her voice subdued and hushed The other speech that is a seminal moment in the performance of Helen is when she feels she is being mocked by the two men, and gets angry. Clearly her relationship with Demetrius is changed when he falls in love with her. While she may be unaware of it, the hierarchy of the relationship has been overturned, and she has now adopted a position of power. In her speech, she says: O spite! O hell! I see you are all bent To set against me for your merriment. If you were civil and knew courtesy You would not do me thus much injury. (Scene III, Act II, lines 145-148) This speech can be used to great effect to demonstrate the performance possibilities of this role. The demeanor and vocal qualities performing this speech would require differ hugely to the earlier one with a louder voice, delivery directed at the other characters and inflated body language required. Hermia Hermia is represented in the play as a strong, defiant young woman, prepared to take risks in order to fulfil her own desires. This is exemplified in her refusal to bow down to her fathers wish that she marry Demetrius. In the face of a death sentence, or life in a nunnery, she escapes with Lysander into the forest. Lysanders love for Hermia, along with Demetriuss desire, demonstrate that she is an attractive and desirable young woman. These are two important points Id like to consider when constructing the performance of Hermia. I would like to convey to the audience her inner strength and determination, alongside her physical attractiveness. The notion of physical attractiveness could be conveyed primarily through costume and appearance. As Hermia is clearly a woman of considerable charm (illustrated when Helena asks her what charm she used to capture Demetruiss heart), her costume should reflect this. As it is believed that she unwittingly won over Demetrius (this is an ambiguity in the text it is possible that Demetrius loves her because her father is so impressed by him) I would also like to impress upon the audience a sense of naivete and innocence. The obvious symbolic colour of this is white. White would also look striking under the stage lights. I would use floaty fabrics for the costumes, such as organza, to communicate the ethereal quality of not only Hermia herself, but also the forest, and the magic contained within it. When Hermia leaves Athens and escapes to the forest, I would like her to adopt a robe over her dress, of green, to convey to the audience, through her change in costume, that a change is impending in the play. While the charm and beauty of the character of Hermia will be communicated visually, the inner strength and courage that I interpret as being key elements of her character, will be communicated through her demeanor. It is commonly understood in the study of body language that confident people stand up straight, unlike shy people, who hunch up, in a subconscious decision to take up less space. In this way, stage space becomes an important indicator of personality. I have mentioned before that I would, at certain points in the text like characters to use the whole space of the stage to convey a sense of confidence. I would like the performance of Hermia to adopt a comfortable use of the entire stage space. More specifically, I would like to refer to one speech that I feel is very important in the text, in Scene I, Act I, when Hermia is talking to Theseus with regards to her desire to marry Lysander: So will I grow, so live, so die, my lord, Ere I will yield my virgin patent up Unto his lordship whose unwished yoke My soul consents not to give soveregnity. (Scene I, Act I, lines 79-82) This speech is an important point at the text because Hermia makes clear her intentions to avoid marriage to Demetrius. It is a very dramatic, sensitive piece. This speech should be delivered with intensity, to convey to the audience the depth of Hermias feelings for Lysander. The performance should include some paralinguistic features such as moving around the stage, facial expressions and hand movements to express her feelings visually. Theseus My understanding of Theseus is that he is a very complex character there is conflicting evidence in the text as to his true nature. There is one utterance in the text that brings up questions regarding his true nature, when he is talking to Hippolyta and he says that: Hippolyta, I wooed thee with my sword, And won thy love doing thee injuries; But I will wed thee in another key: (Scene I, Act I, lines 16-18) My interpretation of this line is that Theseus raped Hippolyta. The implications of this in terms of how the character should be performed are vast. In much of the text, Theseus is represented as a pensive, thoughtful man. He kindly advises Hermia to Take time to pause (Scene I, Act I, line 83) when discussing the situation with her father Egeus. This scene presents him as rational and kindly. The suggestion of rape in line 16 makes the line highly important, the suggestion I would like to convey to the audience is the idea that Theseus is warning Hippolyta. In bringing the issue of the rape to the forefront, he is reminding her of the power balance in their relationship. There is also possibly some penitence in this admission. This could be communicated to the audience through the use of certain vocal qualities, demeanor and stage space. Back to: Example Essays I would like Theseuss sense of power to be conveyed to the audience in a visual way, so he would deliver this speech standing, and walking around, whilst the character of Hippolyta would be sitting down. The discrepancy in their heights would be a visual representation of the hierarchy, which would further consolidate what Theseus was saying. This is such a patriarchal power play that props could be used to represent a sense of phallocentricity such as a sceptre a regal and phallic symbol. The use of this prop could convey to the audience my interpretation of Theseus as being the patriarchal and dominant force in the opening of the play. His kingdom is run on a set of rigid rules for example, Egeus invoking the ancient law of Athens as Hermia wants to marry Lysander. This is in stark contrast to the forest the mysterious, feminine arena which is the binary opposite of Athens. In terms of demeanor, Theseus should be calm, and considered in his movements. I would like his costume to be of dark colours, and of neat, clean lines. This operates in contrast to Hermias costume the white of her costume is a symbol of innocence while the dark of Theseuss costume is aligned with the dark side he hints at in this speech.

Compare And Contrast Two Alternative Systems Of Resource Allocation In

Compare And Contrast Two Alternative Systems Of Resource Allocation In The Economy Economics can be said to be the science which studies the relationship between scarce resources, with alternative uses, and consumers’ unlimited wants. Therefore the ‘problem’ of resource allocation can be seen to be central to the basic economic problem. In this way , how resources are allocated throughout an economy is of great importance and different types of economies employ different methods to achieve this allocation. All economies have this same basic economic problem of ‘what’ to produce, ‘how’ to produce it, and ‘for whom’ to produce it. Deciding what to produce involves choosing a certain allocation of resources, in order to produce a particular combination of goods. The method of choosing the resource allocation varies, according to the economy in question. There is also the question of how to produce the goods which you require. ‘Any particular output can usually be produced by several different techniques, ranging from ones using a large quantity of labour and only a few simple machines, to ones using a large quantity of automated machines and only a few workers.’ (R.G.Lipsey; 1989) Different economies also vary in the way that national product is distributed throughout the individuals and groups within the society. The methods which a society uses in order to tackle these questions determines the type of economy it is. There are various methods of resource allocation and the two most extreme cases are the contrasting methods of the ‘free-market’ and the ‘command’ economies. ‘In a market economy, the allocation of resources is the outcome of millions of independent decisions made by consumers and producers, all acting through the medium of the market’ (Lipsey; 1989) The free-market economy depends upon the interaction of consumers and producers, all acting in their own self interest. The allocation of resources throughout the economy occurs via the ‘price system’ a system which sets the free-market economy aside from the command economy. This system works in conjunction with the theory of demand and supply, that is, price is a function of the demand and supply of goods and services. An example of this could be illustrated using the markets for beef and pork. Let us say that, due to the recent British Beef crisis, the market demand for beef has ... ...ice of a good, are those for whom the goods and services are produced. In a command economy the central authority decides what, how, and for whom to produce in order to create the best economic situation. In practice, however, there are no purely command or free market economies, all economies are mixed with a tendency towards either extreme. The U.K may be said to be free-market, yet the government intervenes in order to combat the inequitable free-market attitude by monitoring resource allocation through benefits, taxation, subsidies and other policies. There are arguments or and against both free-market and command economies, however the modern trend of former planned economies moving towards the free-market attitude, despite problems during transition, seems to indicate that perhaps the advantages of the free-market outweigh the disadvantages and that the ‘free-market based’ modern mixed economy is more attractive than command based economies. BIBLIOGRAPHY Beggs, Fischer, Dornbusch (1997) : Economics 5th Edition. R.G.Lipsey (1989) : An Introduction to Positive Economics. C.Weststrate (1963) :Types of Economy. A.Eckstein (1973) : Comparison of Economic Systems.

Character, Dignity, and Self-Respect Essay

This paper will summarize the movie Glory and relate one or two characters to Aristotle, Epictetus, and Saint Augustine on character, dignity, and self-respect. Alina Campbell This paper will summarize the movie Glory and relate one or two characters to Aristotle, Epictetus, and Saint Augustine on character, dignity, and self-respect. The movie Glory is based on a true story about the Commander of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry which was the first black regiment to be listed in the service of the United States. It is based on the letters by Col. Robert Shaw. Col. Shaw felt he was involved in something that he was not completely sure about, considering he had previously lost a lot of soldiers to battle. He was now faced with survivor’s guilt which he knew would heal in time. Shaw later became a mighty leader that lead the black regiment to take on the battle in Fort Wagner. Aristotle Character is mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. Aristotle believed character to be neither a feeling or a capacity or a mere tendency to act in certain ways (Sommers & Sommers, 2010). He believed instead that character was a settled condition we are in when we are well off in relation to our feelings and our actions. The virtues of character are dispositions to act in a certain way in response to similar situations. Good conduct arises from habits that in turn can only be acquired by repeated action and correction. Col. Robert Gould Shaw fits Aristotle’s view of Character best in my opinion. He was not only the commander of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, their voice. The black men that fought with Shaw were slaves that wanted to fight for their freedom. When Shaw was told of the United States Government planning to form this regiment of black soldiers he agreed to take the Commanding position. He then asked his best friend Major Cabot Forbes to fight along with him and Forbes accepted. At one point Shaw fights for these men to get the proper uniform and boots. He also refuses pay along with them after finding out that they are paid less than the white soldiers. Both Shaw and Forbes strongly connected with this group of men: the angry Private Trip (Denzel Washington); Private Jupiter Sharts (Jhine Kennedy); Corporal Thomas Searles (Andre Braugher), a very smart and educated man that grew up with Shaw and worked for Shaw’s father, and Sgt. Maj. John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman), a runaway slave who speaks with the voice of wisdom and reason. Dignity is the state of quality of being worthy of honor or respect. Aristotle’s view on dignity consists of the consciousness that we deserve honors, not in processing them. You cannot earn dignity through external awards; instead it is something you bestow upon yourself. â€Å"Dignity consists not in possessing recognition from others, but in consciousness that we deserve recognition from others† (Sommers &Sommers, 2010). The character played by Morgan Freeman, Rawlings, knew that being a slave was not worth much, so he decided to help Shaw fight the battle at Fort Wagner. Forbes also displayed dignity in the movie. Forbes was Col. Shaw’s best friend and is who told Col. Shaw of this regiment. Due to the type of relationship the two had, Col. Shaw asked Forbes to come along with him to prepare the black slaves. Forbes agreed and stood by Col. Shaw and these black men through the name calling, getting the proper shoes, and receiving their uniforms like the white soldiers had while fighting in the Civil War. Aristotle describes the position of character, dignity and self- respect as character being a state concern with choice, lying in a mean relative to us, that this is determined by reason and in such a way that a man of wisdom would determine it. It is a mean between two vices that depends on excess that depends on defect (Sommers & Sommers, 2010) Aristotle feels neither a feeling nor a capacity nor a tendency to behave in specific ways. It is the settled condition we are in when we are well off in a relation to our feelings and actions when we are in a mean or intermediate state in regard to them. Meaning we have a vicious character that we are badly off in relation to feeling and actions, and we fail the means in regards to them. The character that I felt showed this type of role would be Denzel and Andre’s characters, known as Trip and Thomas. Trip was a runaway slave that was very angry. He didn’t have anybody and had been previously beaten several times. Trip had specific thoughts of the white man and they were that the slaves were seen as monkeys. He thought that the slaves should be dressed up in uniform and fight, since the white men would only get themselves killed and wouldn’t be able to win. Andre Braugher played Thomas. He was an educated man that had worked for Col. Shaw’s father. He believed that black men should know how to read and have pride within themselves. In the movie Glory, Thomas had learned to take a lot. Thomas assumed that since he and Col. Shaw were close friends that he would be treated a bit differently, but to his surprise, he was called out by his best friend to train a lot faster than he was and then yelled at. Thomas learned much at the end of the movie, including self-respect. Thomas had been shot in a previous battle and he asked Col. Shaw to promise that he wouldn’t send him back, which Shaw didn’t allow Thomas to continue in battle. Later in the movie, Col. Shaw asks who would be willing to standin the place of the flagman, should something happen, and Thomas stated that he would and did. Epictetus Epictetus held the Orthodox Stoic view that everything in the universe is directed by divine will. Epictetus was different from the early stoics in that he believed happiness was found in maintaining one’s moral character as opposed to striving for moral excellence. He emphasized self-knowledge and keeping one’s moral character in order as the way to achieve a happy life. Epictetus warned his students to expect persecution since their actions and attitudes would be different from those around them. He encouraged them to view life as an athletic challenge, a festival or a short military service, where success would come from a combination of correct choices and skill. Epictetus believed that â€Å"grief was the most offensive emotion; he considered the suffering of grief as an act of evil. It was a willful act, going against the will of God to have all men share happiness† (Stockdale, 1995). Col. Robert Shaw, through his personal growth and internal realizations fulfilled his leadership duties on the battlefield, as well as beyond. He chose to take the beliefs he had from his life prior to war to another level. Shaw struggled with the question of equality among the races yet he recognized the character and desires of the Black Americans and chose to act on their behalf as well as the Unions. Shaw felt that his soldiers, regardless of color, deserved respect just as much as the white soldiers. Shaw was willing to not take pay to make a point that his soldiers deserved the same pay as their fellow white soldiers. He stuck his neck out to make sure they received the proper gear in order to fight. Shaw had finally decided to not let the grief from the prior battle to control him, he chose to help in the happiness of the slaves and continue to fight for their freedom. Saint Augustine Augustine’s approach was not just brilliant, it was practical. His insight is intellectually credible and emotionally satisfying in that it gives hope and offers meaning to the Christian trying to make sense out of life in a fallen world (Sommers & Sommers, 2010). To Augustine, anything that had being was good. Good as the ground of being was perfectly good, along with everything he brought into being. This goodness was a property that came in varying degrees. The obstacles that Col. Robert Gould Shaw had to overcome is the fact that he failed in battle another time. He had to pick himself back up, and he then led the black regiment in the Civil War and was refused to let these black soldiers be treated with any less respect than the white soldiers. Another hardship that Col. Shaw and his black soldiers had to endure was the fact they were getting under paid, they were not given the proper shoes to march in, and the fact they were not given the proper uniforms like the other soldiers. Col. Shaw had shown a life of character, dignity and self- respect by being the honorable Commander that he was. Col. Shaw never let others views get in the way of his personal view of his soldiers. Col. Shaw had self- respect even though he had been defeated, prior to leading the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry soldiers with dignity and never gave up on them.  He was a man that believed in faith and that the black soldiers were no different than any others.

Description of my visit to cemetery

The cemetery visit causes eerie feelings of stillness and uneasiness. 1. It is very quiet, serene, peaceful and absolutely still, except for birds chirping all around me. 2. I made sure that I visited during the daylight hours when the sun was indeed shining brightly: displaying brilliant beauty and dispelling any shadows as I walked on tiptoes it seems. -I am very afraid to visit the gravesite after sunset hours. I do not like dark shadows or anything that is mysterious or makes me feel queasy and uneasy. -The gravesites all around are flat for the most part, with a few mounds of earth and head stones. -The entire place is not even called a cemetery or gravesite, but it is known as a memorial garden. It does seem far more pleasant to me to visit and explore a memorial garden instead of a cemetery. When I hear the word garden connected to anything I think of doing fun things, of flowers, the green blossoms and the springtime buds and joyful memories. I think of vegetables and fruits growing on a plot of ground. I think of well-manicured lawns carpeted by rich, healthy green grass. I think of produce I can harvest from the earth, wash off and eat right away. 4.  Ã‚   My cemetery visit is pleasant and exciting simply because of the weather and the environment I encounter at the site and it is daytime and the light everywhere is very bright. The grounds are also immaculate and blossoming. The whole of nature seems to be at peace everywhere. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most gravesites have names on them with very pretty collections of flowers and floral arrangements atop the ground. I cannot help but notice the green grass is flourishing well — healthy well-fed and quite inviting. A few other visitors stroll through the garden thoughtfully, mincing and watching their every step, apparently out of respect for the dead buried there. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I also notice a few crystal white gazebos scattered throughout the garden where visitors can sit in order to reflect and meditate. Indeed flowers and perennials surround their white lattice work of wood with intricate and striking designs. Everything seems to have been made to encourage reverence and awe. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even though very beautiful and still and quiet, the gravesite environment causes me inevitably to think of my life, to think about death itself — what it is and why it is. I really wonder where all of those people went whose remains are buried beneath the cemetery dirt. 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The entire scene also makes me think of my own mortality. How very fragile and transient human beings really are. â€Å"Here today and gone tomorrow† is a commonly spoken folk phrase that reminds me of how we must really take care of ourselves and live our lives as long and as rich as we can. The gravesite makes me think of the beauties of life that I possess now. Its joys and its many opportunities are incomparable. I certainly do not plan or wish to die now. I want to live as long as I can. 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The cemetery visit also forces me to think of my own passage into the other realm, into oblivion. What shall it be like it? I really wonder and have wondered for some time, now. What is

Face Down On The Ground essays

Face Down On The Ground essays Throw me into the hands of angry sinners. Has not every man felt thrown into reprobate hands? Father I beg of you...take the cup of suffering away from me. Ive been wallowing in my own olive garden, counting the tears that stream down my face. Ive been weeping over my losses and the tribulations I must face. What a glorious depiction of such agony. This is truly a beautiful painting of horror and distress, an inaccurate illustration of a man conjured to be a new man over time. This man crushed with such an amount of grief that he would rather die, but yet a man claiming honors that belong properly only to God himself. Is this the only solution for sin? Is this the messiah inaccurately portrayed on his knees peacefully praying? It is too easy to relate to such a Godly figure. Give me back the worldly possessions I have lost. Give me back my bride. Here I lay face down on my olive garden trying to rise to my knees. Stay awake and watch with me even one hour, Christ begs. Dont leave me here alone to decay, I plead. Miracles climaxed in His own bodily resurrection just after the agony suffered in the garden. I count my tears one by one. I count five hundred and thirty one tears. Ive been thrown into emptiness and solitude just as Christ was. Ive been on my face demanding a way out. My soul has been crushed with grief to the point of death. If the definition of being Christian is being Christ-like than I have never been more Christian. Such a photo as this is a mockery of the elementary descriptions outlined in the New Testament of the Bible: Jesus began to be filled with horror and deep distress. He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and watch with me." He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground. "Everything is possible for you, Lord. Please take this...

Taylor McCauslin Essays (1331 words) - Jean Kilbourne, Advertising

Taylor McCauslin Essays (1331 words) - Jean Kilbourne, Advertising Taylor McCauslin Nick Lakostik English 1100 October 31, 2015 Slow Descent For years, women have fought to have equal rights in relation to men. The fight continues and will continue for the foreseeable future. Society has yet to completely overcome this major obstacle to advancement. There is no doubt that this world is run by men. Yet we rarely acknowledge this anymore. We have come to accept the demeaning and de-humanizing ways society portrays women as fact. We rarely blink an eye. This idea is further taken apart and elaborated on by Jean Kilbourne in her video, Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women. Advertisements continue to elicit a negative impact on society's view of women. 576322428156200One example of such an advertisement is an image of a fairly young looking woman on the floor next to a shoe. The quote on this ad reads, "Keep her where she belongs..." The woman is smiling and seems perfectly content with her current position. The only evident part of her in the ad is her head and slight upper body. She is wearing light makeup and has her hair done nicely while wearing jewelry. She is portrayed as an ideal woman for her time, as one who doesn't mind being on the floor and listening to her husband. Kilbourne argues, "Women's bodies are dismembered in ads, hacked apart - just one part of the body is focused upon, which of course is the most dehumanizing thing you could do to someone." This is portrayed in the ad in the form of the woman's head being the only part of her shown. This takes away a lot of what makes her a human being, let alone a person with her own personality and thoughts. She is subjected to being property with no independent thought or ideas. Kilbourne also maintains, "They sell values, they sell images, they sell concepts of love and sexuality, of success and perhaps most important - normalcy," in reference to modern advertisements. This idea is demonstrated by the emotion shown on the face of the advertised women. She seems so happy to be related to a shoe, and content to remain in that position. This further exasperates that women should feel like their position as below their husband is "normal" and should not question it. The ad encourages women to submit to their husband's every whim without falter. Thus, women are told to not have self-esteem and that they are the property of their husband. 431990584963000Kilbourne stresses, "it's not that simple but turning a human being in to a thing is almost always the first step towards justifying violence against that person." The previously mentioned woman is put on the floor next to a man's shoe. This is unarguably dehumanizing. Thus, it can easily lead to violence against women. When people see others as a thing instead of a person, what is stopping them from harming said object? Nothing. Another ad is perhaps one of the most offensive to today's society. This advertisement consists of a pear on the vast majority of the page with the heading, "This is no shape for a girl." This is followed by two products that claim to give women a more desirable shape. The ad emphasizes that "girls with too much bottom and too little top" should not be content with their body and need help to address said issues. Kilbourne suggests, "girls are getting the message these days just so young, that they need to be impossibly beautiful." This advertisement portrays beauty through a correct body type. It implies that any other shape other than the one suggested is wrong and women with said body type should be ashamed of it and change it. When these messages are so commonly found in society, how can they be ignored? Little girls see them and already start to believe that there is only one correct way to look. This then can lead to several mental and physical instabilities. Readers later view Kilbourne's statement, "no wonder we have an epidemic of eating disorders in our country and increasingly throughout the world." This is indirectly shown in this advertisement. The ad does not explicitly say that eating is wrong for women. Nor does it claim that eating will

Siege of Acre in the Crusades

Siege of Acre in the Crusades Siege of Acre - Dates Conflict: The Siege of Acre took place August 28, 1189 to July 12, 1191, during the Third Crusade (1189-1192). Commanders Crusaders Guy of LusignanRobert de SableGerard de RidefortRichard the LionheartPhilip Augustus Ayyubids Saladin Siege of Acre - Background: In the wake of his stunning victory at the Battle of Hattin in 1187, Saladin swept through the Holy Land capturing Crusader garrisons. This culminated with the successful Siege of Jerusalem that October. One of the few Crusader cities to withstand Saladins efforts was Tyre which was administered by Conrad of Montferrat. Unable to take Tyre by force, Saladin attempted to obtain it through negotiation and treaties. Among the items he offered was the King of Jerusalem, Guy of Lusignan, who had been captured at Hattin. Conrad resisted these entreaties, though Guy was ultimately released. Approaching Tyre, Guy was refused admission by Conrad as the two had argued over the formers ascension to the throne. Returning with his wife, Queen Sibylla, who held legal title to the kingdom, Guy again was refused entry. Lacking options, Guy established a camp outside of Tyre to await reinforcements from Europe who were responding to the call for a Third Crusade. These arrived in 1188 and 1189 in the form of troops from Sicily and Pisa. Though Guy was able to sway these two groups into his camp, he was unable to come to an accord with Conrad. Requiring a base from which to attack Saladin, he moved south to Acre. Opening Stages: One of the most heavily fortified cities in the region, Acre was located on the Gulf of Haifa and was protected by large double walls and towers. Arriving on August 28, 1189, Guy immediately moved to assault the city despite the fact that the garrison was twice the size of his army while Sicilian ships began a blockade offshore. This attack was easily defeated by the Muslim troops and Guy began a siege of the city. He was soon reinforced by a variety of soldiers arriving from Europe as well as by a Danish and Frisian fleet which relieved the Sicilians. The Battle of Acre: Among the arrivals was Louis of Thuringia who convinced Conrad to provide military aid. This development concerned Saladin and he moved to strike Guys camp on September 15. This attack was repulsed though the Muslim army remained in the area. On October 4, Saladin again approached the city and began the Battle of Acre. In a day of bloody fighting, the strategic situation changed little as he was unable to dislodge the Crusaders from in front of the city. As the autumn passed, word reached Acre that Frederick I Barbarossa was marching to the Holy Land with a large army. The Siege Continues: Seeking to end the standoff, Saladin increased the size of his army and laid siege to the Crusaders. As the double siege ensued, the two sides contested control of the waters off Acre. This saw both sides exert control for period which allowed additional supplies to reach the city and the Crusader camp. On May 5, 1190, the Crusaders attacked the city but achieved little. Responding, Saladin launched a massive eight-day attack on the Crusaders two weeks later. This was thrown back and through the summer additional reinforcements arrived to bolster the Crusader ranks. Though their numbers were increasing, conditions in the Crusader camp were deteriorating as food and clean water were limited. Through 1190, disease ran rampant killing both soldiers and nobles. Among those who died was Queen Sibylla. Her death reignited the succession debate between Guy and Conrad leading to increased dissention in the Crusader ranks. Sealed in on land by Saladins army, the Crusaders suffered through the winter of 1190-1191 as the weather prevented receiving reinforcements and supplies by sea. Attacking the city on December 31 and again on January 6, the Crusaders were again turned back. The Tide Turns: On February 13, Saladin attacked and succeeded in fighting his way through to the city. Though the Crusaders ultimately sealed the breach, the Muslim leader was able to replenish the garrison. As the weather improved, supply ships began reaching the Crusaders at Acre. Along with fresh provisions, they brought additional troops under the command of Duke Leopold V of Austria. They also brought word that King Richard I the Lionheart of England and King Philip II Augustus were en route with two armies. Arriving with a Genoese fleet on April 20, Philip began constructing siege engines for assaulting Acres walls. He was joined on June 8 by Richard who landed with 8,000 men. Richard initially sought a meeting with Saladin, though this was cancelled when the English leader fell ill. Effectively taking control of the siege, Richard pounded away at Acres walls, but attempts to exploit the damage were thwarted by diversionary attacks by Saladin. These allowed the citys defenders to make needed repairs while the Crusaders were otherwise occupied. On July 3, a major breach was created in Acres walls, but the subsequent assault was repulsed. Seeing little alternative, the garrison offered to surrender on July 4. This offer was refused by Richard who rejected the terms offered by the garrison. Additional efforts on Saladins part to relieve the city failed and following a major battle on July 11, the garrison again offered to surrender. This was accepted and the Crusaders entered the city. In victory, Conrad had the banners of Jerusalem, England, France, and Austria raised over the city. Aftermath of the Siege of Acre: In the wake of the citys capture, the Crusaders began quarreling amongst themselves. This saw Leopold return to Austria after Richard and Philip, both kings, refused to treat him as an equal. On July 31, Philip also departed to settle pressing issues in France. As a result, Richard was left in sole command of the Crusader army. Crushed by the citys surrender, Saladin began gathering resources to ransom the garrison and conduct a prisoner exchange. Displeased by the exclusion of certain Christian nobles, Richard refused Saladins first payment on August 11. Further talks were broken off and on August 20, feeling that Saladin was delaying, Richard ordered 2,700 prisoners executed. Saladin retaliated in kind, killing those Christian prisoners in his possession. Departing Acre on August 22 with the army, Richard moved south with the intention of capturing Jaffa. Pursued by Saladin, the two fought the Battle of Arsuf on September 7 with Richard achieving a victory. Selected Sources History of War: Siege of AcreHistoryNet: Siege of Acre Medieval Sourcebook: Siege and Capture of Acre

Response to the Guidelines and Syllabus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Answer PhD Application Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answer PhD Application Questions - Essay Example I am privileged to have graduated with a degree in Master of Sciences of Management on January 2010 at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, United States of America where leadership courses focusing on contemporary theories and applications in leadership in organizations were highlighted. As a masteral student, my skills in leadership were enhanced through training on negotiation, conflict resolution, and motivation, among others. As a graduate of a degree in Education from the Taiba University, Medina, Saudi Arabia in 2007 I have gained competent qualifications in Educational Novelties, Ecology and Pollution, Clinical Psychology for Children, Islamic Ethics, and Developing Language Skills for Children, among others. Being a recipient of a full scholarship from King Abdullah Graduate Studies Scholarship for both the master degree and doctorate degree, the most important contribution so far is sharing the theoretical knowledge learned through applications as volunteer in the Madinah Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Saudi Arabia. If accepted for the PhD in Educational Leadership at University of Wyoming, significant research made in the field of education and leadership would be instrumental in updating practices in my native country and enhance policies in this field of endeavor, concurrently in both private and public organizations in Saudi Arabia, as

MARKETING INTELLINGENCE Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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Discuss the reforms of Solon and Cleisthenes . what were the problems Essay

Discuss the reforms of Solon and Cleisthenes . what were the problems in Athenian society that made reform necessary how did th - Essay Example Additionally, Solon divided society into four classes—each of which were based on wealth. The two highest classes were allowed to serve on the Areopagus, which was the highest council of Athens. The third class were permitted to serve on elected councils, and the lowest class was able to take part in the assembly, which brought affairs to the elected council. On the other hand, Cleisthenes developed a constitution in order to make Athens a democracy. Cleisthenes is commonly referred to the founder of democracy in Athens for this very reason. This constitution was loosely based on the ideas of Solon, but Cleisthenes expanded on them. As part of the new constitution, all men aged 18 years and older were registered as Athenian citizens and became members of their village. This was a significant step in the evolution of Athenian society because these new citizens were each allowed to vote, thus giving them power over elected officials. At that time women were not considered citize ns of Athenian society, and because of this they did not have any voting powers. The council that was established worked as the chief arm of the government and had full executive and administrative power. Any citizen aged over 30 was qualified to be part of this council. Each year the members of the council were picked at random. The Assembly had the power to veto any of the council’s decisions.

How Plants are fingerprinted (Genetic) Research Paper

How Plants are fingerprinted (Genetic) - Research Paper Example It is based on polymorphism reaction taking place on the bases of the genome at molecular level and a number of techniques are based on Polymerase Chain Reaction ( PCR) used for the amplification of DNA. The basic technique of fingerprinting was developed by geneticist Alec J. Jeffery of Great Britain, who was associated with University of Leicester. DNA profiling is also used in plants for identifying different characters, identification of gene diversity and for the management of biodiversity. Widely used techniques are Restrictive fragment length polymorphism, randomly amplified polymorphism DNA, Inter sample sequence repeats, Simple sequence repeats. However, a number of traditional techniques are being used for the identification of DNA fingerprinting but new innovations are being made in the field to make the process easier and precise. These traditional methods of DNA testing involved the comparison of random pieces of DNA but afterwards more reproducible and accurate analysis were conducted based on the comparison of gene sequencing in a particular DNA strand. Living cells, from flora and animals to human beings, are composed of basic building blocks namely DNA or deoxy-ribonucleic acid. It guides the production of enzymes or compounds that are required for growth or development of various traits of living being. It is a hereditary material which is passed from one generation to another for the production of specific types of characteristics as guided by the genetic material. Nearly every cell in an organism’s body is composed of same type of DNA. The genetic information is stored in DNA in the codes of these four chemical bases namely Adenine, Thiamine, Guanine and cytosine. The order of these bases determines the encoded genetic information. And all of these parts combine to form a single nucleotide structure. The sugar from one nucleotide links with the base of other nucleotide forming the structure of double helix. Meanwhile the bases links

Kurdistan workers party Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Kurdistan workers party - Research Paper Example It is significant to note that the focal operation of the Kurdistan Worker Party is in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, and Turkey. Further, the PKK has strong financial support and huge propaganda operations in some European countries, and it mostly relies on violent and bloody crime for financing. The group started out in the beginning of the 1970’s in Ankara comprising mainly of students. By 19978, the PKK had begun establishing a strong base since it targeted people from the Kurdish group. Days later, the group was named the Kurdistan Workers Party. It believed in a Marxist-Leninism ideology and it frequently engaged in violent and bloody conflicts as a part of its political operation in Turkey. The PKK holds that it is its role and responsibility in changing the lives of the Kurdish race in Southern Turkey. Therefore, its focus is to represent their ambitions and thoughts. The Marxist-Leninism propels the group to launch irresponsible struggle against people it calls the bourge ois (Anil, 2010). The Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) has been linked to numerous attacks and bombings. For instance, PPK was accused of attacking and bombing of the Turkish embassy in Strasbourg. They collaborated with the ASALA (Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia), an Armenian radical group to launch the attack. In 1984, the organization took another structural formation. They changed into a paramilitary group. They used France as their base setting up training camps in different parts of France. All through to the late 1980’s, the organization became very dangerous as it continued to launch numerous terrorist activities. For instance, the extremist group attacked state institutions, military bases, and government agencies. Some of these were linked to the Anatolia project that was taking place in the Southern part of Turkey (Marcus, 2009). The organization further expanded their activities in multiple countries in the Middle East and Europe, especially France a nd Germany. This expansion made them to become less and less centralized and past containment. The radical grouped continued to inflict pain and suffering to the civilian through its attacks and bombings. For instance, the group is known to be responsible for the frequent attacks and bombings on civilian and military targets in countries such as Turkey, Iraq, Belgium, and France. In the mid 1990’s, Syria started from the radical group. This was because of a transformation of tactics in the PKK’s operations in that it had began using suicide attacks on innocent civilians. As an inevitable eventuality, it started losing the edge in its operations. Further, the group used women to launch these attacks something that Syria was not happy with. The groups’ founder Abdullah Ocalan, was captured in 1999 and was sentenced to death. However, this sentence was reduced to life imprisonment. Without its leader, the group somewhat lost direction and posed less security threat s to the people. This gave Turkish government initiative to bring down the group (Marcus, 2009). In 2004, the European Union named the group as a terrorist organization. The hit against the organization heightened later that year when the United States treasury froze resources of branches of the group claiming that it was propagating terrorism activities. The group retreated to the Iraqi mountains and formed base there, with

How Plants are fingerprinted (Genetic) Research Paper

How Plants are fingerprinted (Genetic) - Research Paper Example It is based on polymorphism reaction taking place on the bases of the genome at molecular level and a number of techniques are based on Polymerase Chain Reaction ( PCR) used for the amplification of DNA. The basic technique of fingerprinting was developed by geneticist Alec J. Jeffery of Great Britain, who was associated with University of Leicester. DNA profiling is also used in plants for identifying different characters, identification of gene diversity and for the management of biodiversity. Widely used techniques are Restrictive fragment length polymorphism, randomly amplified polymorphism DNA, Inter sample sequence repeats, Simple sequence repeats. However, a number of traditional techniques are being used for the identification of DNA fingerprinting but new innovations are being made in the field to make the process easier and precise. These traditional methods of DNA testing involved the comparison of random pieces of DNA but afterwards more reproducible and accurate analysis were conducted based on the comparison of gene sequencing in a particular DNA strand. Living cells, from flora and animals to human beings, are composed of basic building blocks namely DNA or deoxy-ribonucleic acid. It guides the production of enzymes or compounds that are required for growth or development of various traits of living being. It is a hereditary material which is passed from one generation to another for the production of specific types of characteristics as guided by the genetic material. Nearly every cell in an organism’s body is composed of same type of DNA. The genetic information is stored in DNA in the codes of these four chemical bases namely Adenine, Thiamine, Guanine and cytosine. The order of these bases determines the encoded genetic information. And all of these parts combine to form a single nucleotide structure. The sugar from one nucleotide links with the base of other nucleotide forming the structure of double helix. Meanwhile the bases links

Democracy in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Democracy in America - Essay Example If the headlines and pundits are to be believed, the American government is a wreck. The reality of the situation is the American government is alive, well and working much the way it was designed by the gentlemen that crafted it over two hundred years ago. The system of checks and balances keeps any one branch of the government from bullying the other, personal liberties are vigorously defended each day and an amazing amount of services, from safe food to national defense, are provided ceaselessly to the American people. Considering the often touted inefficiencies of our democratic government and the wonderful things that are actually accomplished and achieved each day, it is clear that there are certain aspects of the constitution that could be changed or updated. This is clear when one looks at many of the social issues that face the nation at this time. The changes do not need to be profound, but as in any system, when you make a change to one part of the system, you may see nega tive effects in other parts. As we examine the parts of the out governmental structure, it becomes apparent that our modern society requires some changes to how people are elected to government, how the departments of government works, the relationship of the executive to the other branches of government and even some of the personal liberties enjoyed in the Bill of rights. ... I would increase the length of term for a member of the House of Representatives to four years. As it stands now, most of the House of Representatives spend their time running for re-election and not running the country. Elections every two years are a huge distraction to these members of congress. Running an election is more complicated and expensive than it was when the constitution was established. For this reason, members of the house should have longer terms. The House of Representatives should have 25% of its members being elected each year. This means that some of the members will always be running for office, but it also ensures that there will be constant turnover if people are not pleased with the way the House of Representatives is running the nation. These changes will result in more focused legislators and a more responsive House. The second change that should be made concerns the role of money in the electoral process. The entire process of getting elected now focuses o n having enough money to get your message out, hire staff and run negative advertisements against your opponents. The only donors that can give enough money to really influence a national campaign are the ultra-wealthy and large corporations. The Supreme Court has recently ruled that corporations can make unlimited, anonymous contributions to political parties and individuals though Political Action Committees (Liptak, 2010). This ruling is very dangerous for our democratic process. The Court reasoned that money is the same as speech, as protected in the Bill of Rights. The justices ruled that if the government curtailed the spending of money in the political process, then it would be the same a curtailing

Bio Mechanical Analysis Of The Golf Swing Physical Education Essay

Bio Mechanical Analysis Of The Golf Swing Physical Education Essay Since hitting of the ball may be repeated an average of 50 times during an 18-hole course, or 300 times or more during a practice session by a professional, it is easy to understand that, for both professional and recreational players, injuries can occur either through overuse or bad technique through actions causing severe trauma (Kohn 1996). McCaroll (1990) found that professionals injured their self less frequently than that of amateurs, and that the causes of injury were due to poor swing mechanics. Injuries to these musculoskeletal structures are caused either by overload of tension, twisting of the tissues or the strain of the physical impact of hitting the ball (Stover 1976). The aim of this essay is to review and analyse the golf swing biomechanically to identify the correct technique to help prevent common golfing injuries. The golf swing will be broken down in to 6 phases; ball address, end of backswing, forward swing/acceleration, ball impact, early follow through, and late follow through. For each of these 6 phases the human body undergoes biomechanical stresses likely to provoke injuries, these injuries and their prevention will be discussed during each phase. Phase 1 and 2 Ball Address and End of Back Swing There are several factors to consider during the ball address to ensure an effective technique for force production and injury prevention. Bad posture can cause skeletal and joint misalignment, which will affect the pattern of stress imposed on tissue and the area of force distribution (McGinnis 1999). Therefore if the players posture is less then optimal they begin and end movement in an aberrant position and as a result the chances of accelerating joint wear are increased. The attainment of the optimal pre-stroke posture is achieved through a good starting position i.e. even weight distribution on both feet with a shoulder width stance. This will ensure a significant base of support that will promote stability and equilibrium to the golfer as the centre of gravity moves throughout the shot. Therefore allowing maximal potential kinetic energy to be generated through the club. If the stance is too wide truck rotation will be reduced placing greater strain on the spine, causing injury. Alternatively, if the feet are too narrow, reducing the base of support, it could lead the golfer to lose control of the swing due to a decrease in stability. To help prevent injuries to lower back during the entire swing it is essential to have good core stability. (Wilson 2005 p. 316) describes the core as  the ability of the lumbo-pelvic hip complex to prevent buckling of the vertebral column and return it to equilibrium following perturbation. As a result, core stabi lity is essential to help stabilise the body which in effect will help to support the antagonist of the abdominal, therefore preventing injury to the lower back. As joint mechanics are less than ideal with poor posture, joints will not effectively move around a central axis, therefore preventing angular motion. With poor posture, the stabilising muscles of the body (those that help maintain joint axis rotation), become long and weak. In opposition, the movement muscles of the body become overused, short and tight. A continuation of this cycle leads to further imbalance, increasing the chances of injury (Chek 1998). Once good posture is achieved there should be slight anterior flexion of the trunk at the hips and the shoulders, knees and feet must be aligned. The back must be kept straight while keeping the vertebral column perpendicular to the ground in the frontal plane (although the upper body of the player remains leaning forward towards the ball to allow a lower centre of gravit y to optimise equilibrium throughout the swing). If your centre of gravity is not distributed evenly when you take your setup due to a postural fault or incorrect stance the  centre of gravity may be too far back, which in effect will cause the legs to move before the backswing is complete. Consequently power is supplied by the arms and shoulders only, which again creates excessive force through the shoulder and elbow. In the second phase, the backswing, a simultaneous rotation to the right side around the spinal vertical axis of the knees, hips and upper limbs is executed. This raises the club to its highest point in order to obtain the widest possible arc of motion (Adlington 1996) Injuries related with the address and backswing of the golf swing are: Frontal flexion at the dorsolumbar spine rather than at the hips increases the possibility of vertebral hypermobility and unbalanced muscular stress during the backswing (Hosea 1996) Overextended, straight arms (especially the left) or hyperextend elbows and abnormally high muscular tension in the forearms (too tight a grip) reduces the effectiveness in creating speed in the downswing and can induce elbow and wrist injuries at ball impact (Gosheger 2003) A grip without interlocking hands or too loose a grip increases the danger of dropping the club causing a loss of accuracy on ball impact and injury of the elbow, wrist or hand through ground impact. An excessively long backswing may cause trunk over-rotation injury or throw the golfer off balance leading to ground collision injuries. Excess backswing also increases tension in the left thumb and right wrist. Excess arm/shoulder elevation on the backswing, with the left arm abducting the left shoulder, impinges on the subacromial tissues (tendons, bursa) and requires good stabilisation from the rotator cuff muscles. If the bursa continues to be impinged this could lead to the bursa becoming inflamed causing bursitis.( Jobe 1996) Leftward spinal lean, instead of being parallel to the ground, during the rightward weight shift increases the possibility of a conflicting spinal curve posture at the end of the follow through. The rightward weight shift abnormally collected on the outside of the right foot can cause a loss of equilibrium and right ankle sprain.( McCarroll 1990) Phase 3 and 4 Forward Swing/Acceleration and Ball Impact The third phase of the golf swing is characterised by the activation of an anatomical multi lever system which gives the club a downswing in a rotational, angular trajectory and a maximum speed. A lever system is rigid or semi-rigid object that is capable of rotating around a fulcrum (McLeste 2008). In a golf swing a third class lever is present and consists of the golf club and the golfers arm. Levers increase speed and power, therefore maintaining a longer lever will increase power production. If the lever is shortened due to flexing the elbow on impact it will take a greater force to obtain the same power. Therefore excessive force will be transferred into the elbow. If the fulcrum is so far off-set away from centre, a lot of muscular effort must go into the grip of the club at one end in order to move the club head at the other. These levers are activated in sequence from the ground level upwards; from the feet to the wrists. Prior to the completion of the backswing, good golfers are gathering kinetic energy from the ground upwards in preparation for the downswing. As the feet push into the ground forces are generated and then transferred back into the body, in turn accelerating firstly through the hips, shoulders, arms and then club head. This is an effective use of the kinetic chain by generating forces from the bottom up which will allow for an efficient smooth motion. If the kinetic chain breaks down due to inconsistency in the swing technique this could lead to injuries as the force is not being controlled and distributed evenly through the body. The risks for injuries in the downswing and ball impact occur in the zones of greatest muscular activity. There is also risk for injury to the elbows, wrists and hands if any of these 3 structures is held too stiff. (Kohn 1996) Injuries related with the down swing and ball impact of the golf swing are: Thoracic and abdominal muscular strains may arise after forceful upper body rotation on the downswing. (Stover 1976) The leftward weight shift can create considerable compressive forces on the left leg (hip, knee, ankle and foot) which are hazardous to individuals with osteoarthritis. (Hahn 1991) Lateral or medial epicondylitis (golfers elbow) can be sustained at impact if the grip is too tight or the elbows are held too tightly or are hyper extended. Grips size is therefore important as too small a grip will make the golfer grip tightly. Clubs of proper weight, length, and grip are therefore important in significantly reducing the vigorous forces generated within the  elbow (Kocker 2000) Excessive wrist flexion/extension in the downswing, or hitting the ground after losing equilibrium, can cause serious hand and wrist injuries. (Murray Cooney 1996). Phase 5 and 6 Follow Through and Late Follow Through The follow through is essentially the deceleration of the body after contact with the ball has been made. Deceleration by the body occurs as a result of the absorption of energy back up through the kinetic chain of the body. The danger for injuries to the lumbar dorsal zone arises if the deceleration stops too abruptly or if the final range of motion of spinal rotation is too prominent (Parnianpour 1988). Posterior shoulder injuries are most likely during the follow through due to the high inertia and large acceleration (Atwater 1979). At the very top of the follow through, the spine is rotated to the left, and the hips are fully facing the target which enlists the help of the abdominal muscles to support the spine, while the wrist joints abduct working the wrist extensors to drop the club behind the back. At impact, the body shifts back to the relatively symmetrical position for a very short time, then the centre of gravity shifts towards the target as the mass of the arms and club move in that direction. To golfer must dissertate and control this energy if he intends to remain on his feet. Research by Fleisig (1995) indicated that at impact the left foot (right-handed golfer) is supporting 80% to 95% of the golfers weight, therefore concluding it is essential for golfers to wear spikes to help control this energy. Gatt (1998) supports this theory stating they provide additional traction, allowing the forces generated by the lower body to be transferred into the club. Injuries associated with the early and late follow through are: Shoulder ligaments and rotator cuff muscles can experience excessive mechanical stress (tension or compression) in a forceful follow through (Hovis 2002) Injury to the hips or dorsolumbar spine may arise due to the deceleration of the follow through is too rapid (Parnianpour 1988) An excessively forceful drive, inducing a reversed C lordotic spinal curvature, may induce unusual high stresses on the dorso-lumbar vertebral bodies, in particular on the posterior joints (Batt 1993) An off-balance weight transfer or slide can cause an ankle or foot sprain as well as knee injury Injury Prevention Flexible muscles and tendons are extremely important in the prevention of most strain or sprain injuries. It is important to have a significant amount of muscular strength and muscle endurance as this will affect the magnitude of the loading and shock absorption on the body. Joint flexibility will affect the load pattern of segments (McGinnis1999).When muscles and tendons are flexible and supple, they are able to move and perform without being over stretched. If, however, muscles and tendons are tight and stiff, it is quite easy for those muscles and tendons to be pushed beyond their natural range of movement and therefore this will increase the risk of injury. When this happens, strains, sprains, and pulled muscles occur. In addition for the need for flexibility the following strategies aid to prevent golfing injuries: Dorsolumbar spine Injuries sprain, muscular strain, herniated disc and arthrosis (Hosea1996). Preventive techniques Straight back posture, maintaining joint alignment and weight transfer during the golf swing Speed control during trunk rotation (i.e. use of the kinetic chain) Reduction of the shoulder range of motion and trunk Effective use of angular motion Dorsolumbar conditioning through flexibility and muscular strengthening exercises Elbow, wrist and hand Injuries Epicondylitis (Golfers Elbow), chronic sprain, tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome and fracture (Murry Cooney 1996) Preventive techniques Reduction of wrist flexor/extensor (grip) tension and loosening of elbows Reduction of excessive wrist motion Maintaining good balance during weight transfer Wrist and finger flexor/extensor conditioning for flexibility and strength Use of a counter-shock brace, a more flexible, lighter golf club (graphite) or club counter-shock device (Metz 1999) Shoulder Injuries Tendinitis, bursitis, glenohumeral instability, sprain (Jobe 1996) Preventive techniques Reduction of the angular shoulder displacement at backswing Control of excessive arm motion at follow through Conditioning exercises for flexibility (posterior capsule) and rotator cuff strengthening to help stabilise the shoulder joint (Hovis 2002) Conclusion In conclusion restrictions in the body in terms of flexibility, muscular strength, endurance, or power can create boundaries in the swing from a biomechanical viewpoint. In addition, biomechanical defects in the swing itself limit the potential and kinetic energy outputs of the body. Injuries to the upper limb account for the majority of golf-related injuries. Most injuries occur as the club impacts the ball and are muscle-related due to the high forces and strain applied during the downswing. An understanding of how the body moves biomechanically to harness these forces and the muscle activity achieved during the golf swing will help athletes and coaches to understand why these injuries occur and the ways to prevent them in the future.

A Comparison of The Chrysalids and 1984 :: comparison compare contrast essays

   A comparison of life in London, Air Strip One (or Great Britain) in the George Orwell novel '1984' and Waknuk, Canada in the John Wyndham novel 'The Chrysalids.' Waknuk is a society living after a nuclear attack. The people of Air Strip One (or Britain) in 1984 live in a dictatorship controlled by "The Party".      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Waknuck is an enclosed society similar to Victorian Britain. As people spend all their lives in the town or city they are born they can't experience different cultures and therefore have a lack of tolerance and understanding for differences in the lifestyles of these cultures. The lack of experience of different cultures is not the reason for a lack of a true understanding of these cultures in 1984. The people of London are effectively poisoned against such cultures by the Party and so have no reason to want to experience them.  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Waknuck is also based largely on Religion - it is a Christian society. Most of the prejudices are formed from the Bible. Any creature that is against "the true image of God" (or a mutant) is called a Blasphemy. The Christian religion (and indeed other religions) have been the source of numerous prejudices in modern society in Britain (for example sexism and homophobia) and indeed conflicts (for example the conflicts between the Republic and Northern Ireland). In the novel '1984' no-one follows a religion as such, as far as the people of Britain in 1984 are concerned there is no God, the complete opposite of the radical religious views of the people of Waknuk. Most people in Waknuk have been 'brainwashed' by Christianity in the same way many people in Great Britain in 1984 have been 'brainwashed' by the party and Big Brother. Each use repetitive slogans, in 1984 such slogans as: "War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength." are used and more subtly in Christianity in the form of prays and commandments. The Party and Christians each worship a figure, Big Brother and God respectively, neither people can be completely sure of   there presence but convince themselves that they exist nevertheless. The power lies with the Party in 1984 but lies with the church in Waknuk.         Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The people of Waknuk are unable to comprehend theories such as the Evolution Theory dispute finding fossils and other evidence that would conflict with Genesis.

Symbol and Allegory :: essays research papers fc

The use of symbol in poetry and in literature as a whole is commonplace because it is an outlet for the author’s creative psyche. A symbol is a creative use of metaphor, using a comparison but not just a direct comparison. The author attempts to achieve the effect that there is much more than just the reader’s initial reaction creating a want to delve deeper into the true meaning, leaving a vast space of interpretation. Allegory on the other hand is a specific comparison, a symbol that is set in its meaning. This would point towards the absolute meaning of the comparison the poet or author was trying to convey (in other words, a parallel). I have chosen the E.E. Cummings poem â€Å"l(a† because it not only encompasses the idea of symbolism through its need for interpretation, but also due to its simple beauty, creating a visual image of a leaf falling. Edward Estlin Cummings was born on October 14, 1894 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in his family’s home, within an extremely short distance of Harvard (Dreams 9). His word usage and literary abilities were garnered at a young age from his parents. His father Edward was a professor (in fact, the first professor of sociology at Harvard) and a Unitarian minister and his mother Rebecca utilized reading poetry and stories to her children. His father’s strong voice and use of wordplay from his sermons and his mother’s encouragement for E.E. to keep a diary starting at age five started to shape his craft at an early age (Revisited 11). Rebecca aspired for her son to be the next Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (the Cummings family lived across the street from the Longfellow home before E.E. was born) (Dreams 19). Edward Estlin was also a cubist painter in addition to being a poet. During World War I, E.E. Cummings was an ambulance driver in France and was imprisoned under the p retense of treason (Poets.Org). The experience led to one his more important works, The Enormous Room. Around the time of writing â€Å"l(a† E.E. Cummings health was in a very poor state. The poetry reading tours he took part in were furthering his terrible stomach problems in which he had been suffering from around 1955-56 (Dreams 459). In late 1957, his stomach ailments came to a head when a bleeding polyp was discovered in his colon. He spent his sixty-third birthday in a hospital bed and then spent six months in recovery while his â€Å"wife† Marion (of whom he was never actually married to) was in New York (Dreams 461).

Case Study Proposal for Coca Cola Amatil Sydney †Blowfill Technology Essay

Subject: Case Study on Coca- Cola Amatil (Australia) I am pleased to submit â€Å"A proposal for the Blow fill technology Packaging Project†. The material described in the attached proposal used the most relative and advance data on implementation of blow fill technology by Coca Cola Amatil. Of the particular interest are the state of the art technologies that are used by the organization to improve the supply chain and make environment friendly. The proposal explains the need to work on analyzing the crucial issues faced by the organization while implementing this technology. Please have a look at the case study proposal and in case you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact. Yours truly, Niranjan R Balikai Project summary The case study would work on analysing, the implementation of blow fill technology at Coca Cola Amatil. Based on the current information, implementation of this technology will reduce the risks associated with quality. The contamination of bottle can be avoided. The use of blow- fill technology at CCA lead to cost reductions along with reduction in carbon footprint at CCA by eliminating the empty bottle storage, transport costs and raw material rise PET resin which was previously used to manufacture bottles. The most important point of focus in this case is to analyse the benefits that CCA derives from implementation of blow fill technology and to examine the extent to which this technology could be used as a means to stay ahead in these competitive times. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of the costs and benefits of blow fill technology at Coca Cola Amatil and extensive insight on management at CCA would be required for this project. INTRODUCTION Introduction to Company Coca- Cola Amatlil (CCA) is known as one of the largest bottlers of the various non-alcoholic, ready to drink beverages in the region of Asia Pacific. CCA is one of the world’s top five bottlers of Coca- Cola. The organization has an employee base of more than 15,000 people and maintained access to around 265 million customers among which 700,000 are active customers. CCA is known to have operations in five major countries and these countries include Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Fiji and Papua New Guinea. The company works on manufacturing as well as selling and distribution of a well-diversified product portfolio. This portfolio includes water, coffee, carbonated soft drinks, fruit juice, energy drinks, flavoured milk and even ready to eat fruits and vegetable products are packaged by CCA (CCA, 2013). Coca- Cola Amatil is involved in the selling and distribution of some of the premium spirits portfolio of the Beam Global Spirits along with premium wines, which takes into account products like Makers Mark and Canadian Club. Coca- Cola Company owns around 30% share of CCA and there are two directors sitting among the eight member board of directors at CCA (CCA, 2013). Coca Cola Amatil head office is located in Sydney. CCA is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. The company has a market capitalization of more than $8 billion and the company is among one of the top 50 Australian listed companies (CCA, 2013). Coca Cola Amatil reported a net profit after tax of almost 558$ million in the year 2012 before significant items. This profit observed an increase of around 5% from 2012 (Annual repo rt, 2012). Introduction to Technology CCA decided to open two new â€Å"blow fill† technology lines for production facility in the year 2011. The â€Å" blow fill† technology represented around 35$ million investment in the Coca Cola Amatil South Australian operations which in turn enables the organization to design and manufacture their own PET beverage bottle by utilizing less raw material. Blow fill technology was considered as one of the single largest capital investment made in the history of CCA and this new technology was analyzed to bring change into the entire nature of the manufacturing in the business of CCA (Coca-Cola Amatil, 2011). The attached file in the appendix Coca-Cola Amatil (Aust) Pty Ltd  Australian Packaging Covenant Action Plan provides the benefits and time associated with the implementation of blow fill technology at Coca Cola Amatil. CCA views that by introducing this technology, the organization was enabled to redesign the entire small carbonated soft drink and the water PET bo ttle range. This technological innovation brought some major benefits to the organization, which are very good for Coca Cola Amatil, the customers of the company, and the communities in which they operate. Some of the major benefits include significant savings in cost, production efficiency gains and the increase in shelf life of the product and the product stacking ability (Coca-Cola Amatil, 2011). BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY & PURPOSE OF PROPOSAL Coca Cola Amatil vertically integrated their manufacturing operation in order to enable the PET bottle self-manufacture and to manufacture the preforms and PET caps. There are various investments made in warehouses and production facilities by CCA. However, the largest piece from the Project Zero which is known as the largest of the capital project undertaken by Coca Cola Amatil is on the 450$ million investment on PET bottle manufacture also known as blow fill which is likely to get functional in all the major manufacturing operations of the group most likely in 2015 (Trevor, 2012). This investment made by CCA meant to reduce the PET resin in the environment equal to around fifty thousand trucks off the road and the truck loading reduced to almost 7 minutes which was actually 25 minutes leading to stock accountancy from 80% to now 98% (Trevor, 2012). Coca Cola Amatil works on continuing high levels of automation in their supply chain like including various automated guided vehicles along with artificial intelligence, advanced robotics and various other technologies to provide benefits in the future. The investments in technology made by CCA in their supply chain shows that these investments were instrumental in turning the company in the 90’s characterized at that time as a low technological organization to now as a profitable and customer centric consumer goods business. The question here is to understand that whether investment in blow fill technology would enable Coca Cola Amatil to achieve competitive advantage in these challenging times. If not then is this technology only makes contribution to the business in terms of cost saving and supply chain improvement. Statement of the problem in company Coca Cola Amatil sees packaging of their products as one of the most valuable resource and not as waste. One of the examples is that every single PET bottle is considered as a resource and they are recycled to make other products. Coca Cola Amatil recognizes that they are required to work on sustainable packaging and responsible recycling making an important contribution to the environment. That is one reason that the company main a huge investment in Blow Fill Technology that allows them to product light weighting PET bottles. Making an investment in a technology to this extent enables the organization to reap major benefits including cost saving and production efficiency. However, the point of concern is that whether investing in blow fill technology enabled Coca Cola Amatil to stay ahead of the competition. This case would explore the entire implementation of blow fill technology to identify the critical issues faced by Coca Cola Amatil during the implementation of this technology . Along with that, this case would analyze the benefits that Coca Cola Amatil achieved by implementation of Blow Fill technology and whether blow fill technology would enable the firm to remain competitive in these challenging economic times where the competition is tough and investment of this scale need to deliver significant outcomes. Proposed solutions Coca Cola Amatil aims to implement blow fill technology in all the major manufacturing plants. For this reason, it is extremely for the organization to work on utilizing this technological innovation in a manner that would enable them to achieve a competitive edge and at the same time provide business with benefits like costs saving and reduction in raw material. Therefore, the case would enable CCA to discover the path that they can work on in order to use this technology as a means to stay competitive ACTIVITIES OF IMPLEMENTATION The following flow chart provides a clear picture of the list of activities that are to be performed in a systematic order to complete the case study within the identified period. Activity/ Week| Week 1| Week 2| Week 3| Week 4| Week 5| Week 6| Week 7| Week 8| Week 9| Research background on company | | | | | | | | | | Literature search & Developing Questionnaire| | | | | | | | | | Visit to the Plant| | | | | | | | | | Conducting Interview| | | | | | | | | | Analysis of Primary and Secondary Data| | | | | | | | | | Conclusion | | | | | | | | | | Writing Case Study| | | | | | | | | | Final editing, formatting, and compiling| | | | | | | | | | CONCLUSION This case study would examine the implementation of blow fill technology in one of the significant technological firms Coca Cola Amatil. The case in itself provides the reader with a thorough insight into the implementation of one of the most important technologies and the critical issues faced by Coca Cola Amatil while implementing the blow fill technology. Along with that while analyzing the blow fill technology as a means to achieve a competitive edge, this offers the reader with an understanding as to how an organization can utilize their existing resources to remain competitive in these extremely challenging times. BIBLIOGRAPHY * Annual report (2012). Available at : http://ccamatil.com/InvestorRelations/AnnualReports/2012/CO27_CCA%20Annual%20Report%20-%20A4_220313_FIN_LR_single.pdf[ Accessed 1st April 2013] * Coca-Cola Amatil (2011) . Coca-Cola Amatil Unveils $35 Million Investment In Bottle Self manufacture. Available at : http://ccamatil.com/InvestorRelations/md/2011/Coca-Cola%20Amatil%20unveils%20$35m%20investment%20in%20bottle%20self-manufacture.pdf[ Accessed 31st March 2013] * CCA (2013). Company Overview. (online). Available at : http://ccamatil.com/AboutCCA/Pages/CompanyOverview.aspx [ Accessed 3rd April 2013] * Clarke, T. (2012) Big companies count on technology for supply chain future ( Sydney morning herald). Available at :

Was government and economy of Tsarist Russia transformed in the years between 1881 and 1914?

There were many changes made to the government and economy of Tsarist Russia between 1881 and 1914, however fundamentally I do not think either were completely transformed as the country was still under almost complete control of the Tsar and the majority of people had a very limited political voice, and also the economy remained a major issue with few problems solved. Considering that in 1881 Russia was incredibly underdeveloped and mainly based on agriculture, there were many changes made.The first finance minister of Alexander’s reign was Nikolai Bunge and he introduced laws which reduced the tax burden on peasants in 1882, and also established the Peasant Land Bank offering loans to peasants to help increase their holdings and increase productivity. The â€Å"Great Spurt† under Witte between 1892 and 1903 was a period of great economic transformation. Much emphasis was placed on the production of capital goods like iron and steel, coal and machinery. Also, much inve stment was made from abroad mainly France, Britain and Belgium: within Russia the peasantry was also further taxed to pay for this.The result of this was incredibly dramatic. Over half of the industrial workforce was employed in factories with more than a thousand workers by 1900 as industrial growth was concentrated in industrial areas like Moscow and Ukraine. The population also rose dramatically due to this rapid industrialization for example the population of St Petersburg doubled between 1890 and 1940 from 1 to 2 million. The completion of the Trans-Siberian also meant that influence in the East was increased and the economic potential of Siberia was opened up.In some respects Stolypin was an economic reformer, as he wanted to create a prosperous peasant class to be loyal to the Tsar. In November 1906 he passed a law that freed peasants from the commune and later redemption payments were abolished. This had been a huge weight on the peasants since 1861 and could be argued to be a transformation in the countryside. Agriculture production rose from 45. 9 million tonnes in 1906 to 7 million in 1913. The October Manifesto is arguably a huge political transformation because reforms were promised like an elected national Parliament, freedom of speech, religion and civil rights.The Dumas that came out of the October Manifesto had some successes for example: the replacement of Land Captains by justices of the peace, making the judicial system fairer. It could also be argued that there was political transformation because by 1914 political parties had been established legally and the Duma allowed political debate of elected representative. Now, due to a relaxation of censorship, radicals had the opportunity to influence public opinion: something that had previously been much harder.However, the leaders of the country themselves were incredibly against political transformation: Alexander III was repressive and incredibly against political reform, partly due to his father’s assassination by the radical group the People’s Will, and also due to his own conservative views. This meant that he made sure to do as little as possible to transform the government politically during his reign. When coming to power Alexander almost immediately published his manifesto declaring absolute political power to the Tsar and to create the Statute of State Security to try government opponents without the need for a jury.These courts stayed in existence up until 1917. Press freedom at this point was also severely restricted and fourteen major newspapers were banned between 1882 and 1889 for displaying â€Å"liberal† tendencies. Foreign books and newspapers were also censored by the secret police (the Okhrana) to prevent ideas like democracy and parliamentary government from reaching the Russian people. Land captains were also introduced in 1890 to undermine the Zemstvas created by the more liberal Tsar before Alexander, and in order to increase the political power of the landed classes doctors and schoolteachers for example could not be part of the Zemstva.These repressive policies had huge long term effects and the secret police remained for the entirety of Alexander III’s reign. It also clearly shows Alexander’s conservative mentality and his attempt to undermine any transformation politically Nicholas II who succeeded Alexander III was also incredibly conservative and saw the plea of the zemstva for greater political responsibility as â€Å"senseless dreams†. We can also say that obviously not enough was done to transform Russia politically as radicals overthrew Nicholas in 1917. The 1905 revolution could be argued as showing very little change because of theunrest caused by the lack of political reformation and political voice of the people. The country still had no democratically elected national assembly of any kind. It could also be argued that little had changed in 1905 because the amred force s did remain loyal to the Tsar and were incredibly important in the dispersion of the rebels. The October Manifesto, despite seeming like a huge political transformation, the Fundamental Law of 1906 which became the constitution of the Russian epire actually gabe the right o the Tsar to gvern by decree and ignore the new elected body.He also retained the right to select his own government and so he retained much of his political power Also, the Tsar could dissolve the new parliaments at any time, and the first was dissolved after only 73 days showing that despite their existence, the Dumas hadn’t changed much because the Tsar still had political control. The first Duma passed only two resolutions despite making 391 requests against what it saw as illegal government action: the Tsar had ensured no definitive action would be taken against him.The only Duma lasting its full term only did so because it was weighted so heavily in favor the Tsar that demand for reform was low and t he Duma was unrepresentative of the population, so that though it lasted a long time it didn’t transform the country politically. Stolypin is another example where politically there was no transformation, even after the 1905 revolution. He used traditional and ruthless methods, distributing 1144 death sentences between October 1906 and May 1907. Six hundred trade unions and a thousand newspapers were also forced to close.This directly goes against promises made in the October Manifesto showing the lack of transformation caused by it. Economically, despite attempts at reform throughout this time period, Russia remained backward and inefficient. Agriculture remained backward, despite attempts at reform by Vyshnegradsky, the demand for land stayed high and lead to the catastrophic famine of 1891, showing that not enough was done to prevent it; there had been no great transformation. Also, by 1914 90% of peasants were still strip farming and only 1/5 of of the peasants had even l eft the Mir, showing the failure to move peasants out and increase productivity.Russia was also still behind the other great powers of Europe (UK, USA, Germany). In conclusion, I think that there were many reforms made to both the economy and the government, and that both were definitely somewhat transformed because industry was modernized and Russia did have a kind of national elected body for the first time in its history. However, these were not huge transformations because these reforms did not fundamentally change Russia at all: the Tsar still had supreme authority over ruling, and Russia was still a backward economy based mainly on agriculture.