Information of JADE from Neolithic period to Han dynasty Research Paper - 1

Information of JADE from Neolithic period to Han dynasty - Research Paper Example Previously, history has not recorded the use of metals by humans in any concrete sense. Therefore, China can be seen as a pioneer that ushered in the transformation in this era around 7000 BC though this process of change dates back to a much earlier phase in time. As there is no written evidence, much is not known about who these people were, what language they spoke, and what social norms they followed. However, evidence throughout the history shows that jade remained a major influence in Chinese culture and civilization in the Neolithic period, transcending to the Han Dynasty and beyond. Evidence unearthed from many sites in the form of houses, burials, pottery, and tools suggests the distinction of different cultures through various artifacts. While the earlier settlements flourished all over mainland China, in the north the provinces of Henan, Hebai and eastern and southern Shaanxi thrived with the Peligang and Cishan Cultures. In the central and western province, along the Yellow river and its tributary the Wei, Yangzi and its tributaries, the Yangshao culture (c.4800-4300BC) with its distinguished painted potteries, and later the Majiayao culture (c.2500-2200BC) inhabited. In the east at Hemudu (c.5000BC) near Hangzhou and adjoining regions, an amalgam of different cultures came into prominence. In these cultures, especially in the eastern ones where specialization was intensive, the devotion to jade work and fine ceramics were cultivated with an affinity towards various rituals and ceremonies. Thus, jade was extensively used in creating different versions of weapons, tools that came hardy on everyday life. Besides, decorative items and ceramics were elaborately used in the formation of high pierced stands and lobed bodies of aesthetic and artistic value. When dwelling on the culture of jade in the Chinese history, a mentioning of the Hongshan societies in the

Gentlemen prefer blondes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Gentlemen prefer blondes - Essay Example The novel takes a narrative of Lorelei’s personal account as she wanders, shops in fancy stores, and dines with men of recognizable popularity and fat pockets. Featuring a satirical approach in presenting a popular culture’s stereotypes towards blonde women during the 1920s, Blondes is said to be amusing, mirthful, and gay, but â€Å"full of shrewd observation and devastating irony† (Frost 292). Anita Loos: Experience and Life in Understanding the Novel Anita Loos was early exposed in the world of theater when his father worked as a theater manager after becoming unemployed as a newspaper publisher. Also, she earns knowledge about acting when she starts the craft from her early childhood up until her teens (Szpytko 1). Most of the time, she happens to be the center of attention every time she joins a particular play, and her father is extremely proud of her (Loos and Beauchamp 9). Aside from acting once in a while, Anita is also considered as a â€Å"child prodi gy† as she started writing scripts when she was 12 although reports told that she was already 24 years old when she sold her first book (Loos and Beauchamp 11). Also, when she reached 20 years old, she is already considered as a â€Å"professional screenwriter,† who prolifically worked in over 60 silent films and talkies (Szpytko 1). Moreover, her influences are invariably philosophy readings and the society pages of the New York newspapers (Loos and Beauchamp 11). The early 1900s is characterized as the age of Jazz and the â€Å"Roaring Age of Twenties,† the phenomenal â€Å"flamboyant flapper,† and the age where baring skin becomes a trend (Szpytko 1). During that period also, Anita Loos wrote scripts and stories, which she submitted to various film companies including Biograph production, Mutual production, and D. W. Griffith’s affiliated film outfit (Loos and Beauchamp 13). As a curious child, teen, and young adult, Anita has a penchant for exam ining the lives of the upper class Americans (13). She also has a series of rich boyfriends, which she admittedly dumped and sent to tears when she got bored of the relationship (14). Hence, Anita considers herself â€Å"a failure as a gold digger† (14). However, the significant experience she had when she was young was when H.L. Mencken, a formidable journalist of the early 1990s, to whom she devoted admiration was in fact had a penchant for blonde women. She characterizes one particular blonde woman as empty-headed, leaving her puzzled as to why men compete over a blonde’s attention. As a result, Loos makes careful conversations with herself regarding the status of blonde women in the society. Right then, Loos thinks that blonde women must belong to a certain kind of class that can be considered a privilege. Her novel speaks of this contention. Some aspects of Loos’s story reflect in her masterpiece as the theme of the book reveals women’s fascination o ver a diamond â€Å"that lives forever,† which is both an analogy of women’s inclination towards beauty and material possessions, and a satirical approach in stereotyping women particularly those who are blonde (Snodgrass 335). Anita’s encounters with rich men and the timing of the Great Depression all contribute to her amusing yet meaningful depiction of women in her age. Knowing the author’s background somehow gives readers a deeper understanding of the issues that surround the plot of the novel. It gives readers an added perspective in digesting the

Explore Joe Gargerys role in Great Expectations Essay Example for Free

Explore Joe Gargerys role in Great Expectations Essay In Great Expectations, Joe acts as a father figure to Pip, when he is in fact his brother-in-law, as Joe married Pip’s sister, Mrs Joe Gargery. We are introduced to Joe as a â€Å"mild, good-natured, sweet-tempered, easy-going, foolish, dear fellow†. Pip describes him as a kind and gentle man, making the reader immediately like him. â€Å"Good-natured† and â€Å"sweet-tempered† give Joe an endearing quality, so the reader is drawn to him. However, â€Å"foolish† introduces a potentially negative side to his character, like he is stupid, although this too could be considered endearing. Perhaps Dickens does this so that we can understand Joe’s actions better, or at least don’t view him too negatively when he can’t protect Pip from Mrs Joe. In contrast to his gentle personality, he is a blacksmith, and therefore a strong man. Pip thinks of him â€Å"like the steam-hammer, that can crush a man or pat an egg shell†. He is likening Joe to a machine in the forge, giving Joe a sense of power. Although, â€Å"crush† is quite a violent word, suggesting Joe to be violent, which he definitely is not. Perhaps Dickens included this detail to make us respect Joe, which is important for later on in the novel, so we don’t just view him as a â€Å"sweet-tempered† man. But there is a sense of this good natured man in the word â€Å"pat†, it could potentially have paternal connotations. Perhaps this links to the image of the egg shell as well, as it is a fragile protector of life. Furthermore Joe could almost be seen as the protector of Pip’s life, as he saves him several times. Also egg shells can be strong, but have weak sides if they are put under stress, just like Joe has a weak side he can’t protect Joe from Mrs Joe Gargery. As well as this, there is the idea that Joe is in control, in the words â€Å"can† and â€Å"or†, he can choose which side of himself to be, strong or gentle. This is a very adult concept, but Joe can sometimes be very childlike. Joe can’t deal with the idea of death, despite being a strong blacksmith. When Pip asks Joe if Miss Havisham died, he eventually replies â€Å"she ain’t living†. This is a very backward way of saying it, a way we don’t normally use, showing Joe’s childish innocence. He avoids the subject of death again, when Pip asks him if he had heard of Magwitch’s death. Even though Joe never knew him personally, he avoids saying the words, instead he says he heard â€Å"something or another in a general way in that direction†. The vagueness of this statement is almost humorous, he can’t even just say â€Å"yes†. Joe is unable to confirm a person’s death, he just brushes over the subject, not fully acknowledging or possibly understanding it, like a child would. Another way Dickens portrays this childishness is through making Joe illiterate. Pip writes him a letter, and all he can read is his name: â€Å"Why, here’s three Js, and three Os, and three J-O, Joes, in it, Pip! † The exclamation mark at the end implies he is excited and proud that he has managed to read, and that he is wanting Pip to recognise his achievement, like a child would want their father too. This childishness makes Joe a lovable character, the reader wants to see him do well. Perhaps it also makes Pip’s behaviour towards him seem worse, from the reader’s perspective, as Joe is such an innocent character. Whilst Joe may not have great knowledge or academic skills, he possesses something most of the other characters dont have, self-knowledge, he recognises he is illiterate and ‘stupid’. He tells Pip on two separate occasions that he is â€Å"most awful dull†. He is accepting of himself, he knows he is not the cleverest, in fact â€Å"awful† suggests that he thinks he is very stupid. Moreover, â€Å"dull† could imply many things, not only that he is stupid, but also that he isn’t sharp. Perhaps this is a reference to him being a black smith, that he is like one of his hammers, only good for physically things, he’s not sharp witted or clever. â€Å"Dull† could also intimate that he thinks he is boring, perhaps why he struggles to talk to, or be in the presence of people in a higher class to himself, because he considers himself boring and unworthy. But this ‘dullness’ does not stop him from being wise. Throughout the novel, Joe gives Pip many pieces of advice, for example â€Å"if you can’t get to be oncommon through going straight, you’ll never get to do it through going crooked†. Joe, even though he is perhaps the most uneducated character (shown in the wording of the sentence) he can sometimes be the most wise and honourable. Because of this he acts as a hidden role model for Pip. Not only is he honourable and wise, he understands his place: â€Å"I am wrong out of the forge† he tells Pip at their awkward reunion. Dickens suggests (through Joe) that people should stay in their class, and not aspire or try to move up; he argues for social immobility. Joe tells Pip that if he ever came back to the forge he’d â€Å"see Joe the blacksmith, there, at the old anvil, in the old burnt apron, sticking to the old work. † Joe labels himself â€Å"the blacksmith† implying that he believes it is all he is good at. The repetition of â€Å"old† makes him seem experienced, as he has been doing it a long time. There is also the idea that he clings or latches onto his work, in the word â€Å"sticking†, he fixes himself onto it so much that it has become how he defines himself. The fact that he feels himself â€Å"wrong† when not in the forge could be the reason why he can’t talk to Miss Havisham: â€Å"Joe persisted in addressing me. † It is like he cannot deal with the formality of he occasion, as he feels he doesn’t belong there. Dickens humiliates Joe here, presenting him as a shy and awkward character, making the reader sympathise with him. This is another negative quality, helping to balance out the character of Joe.

The Tragedy of Macbeth :: Classics, Shakespeare

â€Å"Macbeth,† written by William Shakespeare initially described the main character, Macbeth, as an honorable, brave, loyal hero. He was a Scottish General and thane of Glamis. Macbeth fought for his country and supported the king. Macbeth was looked up to and admired for being so courageous and brave. He understood the difference between right and wrong. Macbeth was a man who seemed to have everything, including a loving wife! So what happened to this great man? How did he change from a hero to a villain in a very short time? Macbeth had a very bad character flaw. He was a powerful man, but he was not virtuous; thus, he allowed many outside influences to invade his thoughts and he acted on them! He was immoral. The first outside influence that allowed Macbeth to begin showing his true colors was the three witches. The witches addressed Macbeth as Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland (1.3.49-51). Initially Macbeth is stunned by the way they addressed him and he had many questions. He was confused and, yet a bit excited. His best friend, Banquo, was with him and both of them began asking questions. Banquo was told that he would father a line of kings (1.3.68). While Macbeth and Banquo were still talking with the witches and asking them questions, they disappeared. Two of the king’s men arrived and told Macbeth that King Duncan had sent them to thank him for defending the country and that King Duncan wanted to see Macbeth to give him good news. They told Macbeth that King Duncan told them to call him thane of Cawdor (1.3.107). When the witches’ first prediction came true, Macbeth began to think that he might become King of Scotland. In doing so, he imm ediately began to think about murdering King Duncan (1.3.135-141). This is the first sign of the evil that lies within Macbeth! Macbeth sent a letter to Lady Macbeth to tell her of the witches’ predictions and how the first prediction came true. While reading the letter, Lady Macbeth, thinking about her husband’s nature as she knew it for many years, felt that he had ambition but that he did not have a mean streak that would allow him to kill King Duncan (1.5.15-19).

We grieve that the innocent have suffered but we are satisfied that evil has been defeated

In the play ‘Othello' by William Shakespeare it could be said that in the end, despite the killing of Desdemona, Othello and Emilia that, â€Å"we grieve that the innocent have suffered but we are satisfied that evil has been defeated†, but to what extent is this actually true? There is no doubt that ‘Othello' is full of the suffering of innocence. None more so than the suffering of Desdemona who can be described in no other way than pure and virtuous. At no point in the play can it be said that she shows anything other than these qualities and there really can be no justification for the fate that befalls her. ‘She is indeed perfection', which is stated by Cassio, is the perfect description of this woman and yet she arguably suffers most within the text. Not only is her integrity questioned, the man she loves and has given her soul to, denounces her as a ‘whore' and a ‘strumpet' and in the end murders her. There is no doubt either that Othello suffers within the play. He is driven to kill Desdemona, the woman he loves, due to the notion that she has lied, cheated and is ultimately a lustful adulteress. His innocence however, could be questioned. The only proof that Desdemona has done the things she had been accused of is that which is in Othellos imagination. He never really has any real proof, just suggestions. It is in fact his jealousy and imagination that makes him believe that Desdemona is an adulteress. Without his jealous tendencies, the seed of suspicion could never have been planted. As well as the circumstances it is a personal failing within Othello himself that leads to the murder of his wife and so therefore he is not completely innocent in his suffering, or that of Desdemona. Despite Othellos already jealous personality playing an important role in the events, it cannot be denied that Iago is the character who initiates, and through exploiting Othellos jealous nature and the naivety of Desdemona, brings about the suffering of all. The blame, to a great extent, lies with Iago. His character is nasty, crude and disrespectful. This is shown in the scene where he encourages Roderigo to inform Brabantio (Desdemonas father) of her where abouts. He says, ‘an old black ram, is tupping your white ewe', which is an altogether crude and animalistic way to describe the act of love making between two people who are clearly in love. He again uses a vulgar description of the pair when he says, ‘your daughter covered with a Barbary horse'. Despite talking about Othello in this derogatory way he pretends to be his friend throughout the play. He clearly states that ‘I follow him to serve my turn upon him' and ‘I must show out a flag and sign of love, which is indeed but a sign', which shows his vindictive and scheming nature. Although he pretends to be a friend to Othello, he is actually only doing it in order to let him suggest that his wife isn't the women he thought she was. With this in mind, the most truthful words that Iago says are, ‘I am not what I am'. Iago never actually does anything, he doesn't kill or hurt anyone physically and yet he undoubtedly lies behind the suffering within the play. This makes what he's doing all the more sinister. His evil nature is unquestionable and so when he is found out at the end of the play it could be said that evil has been defeated. However, Iagos true colours being shown and him being punished hasn't stopped him doing what he set out to. He has after all still made Othello suffer significantly and in turn got his revenge. In conclusion I feel that although it is true that innocence has suffered a great deal throughout the play, the fact that Othello played a role in his own suffering cannot be over looked. Nor can the question of to what extent he really was innocent in the whole scenario. In addition to this there is the question of, has evil (Iago) really been defeated? I don't believe that it has, as in my opinion, evil has done what it set out to do and has in fact won.

Where Germans Go for Winter Holidays

Its no secret that the Germans love to travel. According to the UNWTO Tourism Barometer, theres no European country that produces more tourists and spends more money on seeing the world. Family holidays during the summer can last up to five or six weeks. And its not uncommon for people to squeeze in another short trip over the winter holidays.   There is no need to worry about Germans missing out on their work duties. The average German employee benefits from 29 Urlaubstage (annual leave days) per year, which puts them into the oberes Mittelfeld (upper mid-field) of Europes leave allowances. School holidays are staggered throughout the Là ¤nder to avoid traffic chaos  so that even German downtime is as efficiently planned as it can be. Since 1 January marks the day that many employees lose their outstanding allowance, its high time for them to use up that Resturlaub (remaining leave). Lets have a look at the most popular holiday destinations for German people escaping the house in winter. 1. Germany Germanys number 1 travel destination is Germany! As a country where all winter lovers can get their share of snow, forest and mountains, ski trips is high on every winter lovers wish list. Families love that it only takes a few hours by train or car until they can let the kids roam free and slip into their mountainwear. Family trips to the Alps are popular with families from all around the country. They indulge in winter sports and healthy walks, warming up by a fire in the chalet by night. Its a tradition so popular that many songs have been sung about it.   But in fact, Germany can boast snowy mountain peaks far North of the usual suspects with Gebirge (mountain regions) like the Hunsrà ¼ck and Harz. In this country, youre never far from winter fun. Essential Skiurlaub vocabulary: Ski fahren - skiingLanglauf - cross-country skiingRodeln - sledgingSchneewandern - hiking in the snowder Kamin - chimney 2. The Mediterranean (Spain, Egypt, Tunisia) Summer in Italy, winter in Egypt. Germans love chasing the sun and the beach, and many believe that a comfortable 24 degrees C is preferable to Christmas trees and freezing in February. Its the perfect answer to a dreaded new disease the Germans are scared of: Die Winterdepression. 3. Dubai For those who are seriously sun-deprived, sunny long-haul destinations like Thailand offer exactly what they have been dreaming of. Its a true escape from Weihnachtsstress, especially when there are the added delights of insane attractions (ironic indoor skiing)  and cut-price shopping. Essential Strandurlaub  vocabulary: der Strand - beachsich sonnen - to sunbathedie Sonnencreme - suncreamder Badeanzug/die Badehose - swimming costume/swimming shortsdas Meer - the sea 4. New York and Other Cities New York is the leading destination for travelers who love nothing more than Stà ¤dteurlaub  (city trips). When there is only a tiny supply of Resturlaub  left, even a long weekend in Hamburg, Kà ¶ln or Mà ¼nchen is more attractive than staying at home. Braving cold temperatures, the German tourists wrap up warm and still get their supplies of culture and escapism. After all, who wants to experience the same Alltagstrott  (daily grind) all the time? Essential Stà ¤dteurlaub  vocabulary: die Anfahrt - journey to the destinationdie Erkundung - discoveryspazieren gehen - going for a relaxed walkdie Theaterkarte - theatre ticketdie Rundfahrt - city tour

The Imbalance of Gender in China - 1894 Words

China’s Burgeoning Sausage Supremacy The Dying Room seals the fate of a myriad of girls in China who are abandoned. Starvation, lack of medical care, and neglect occupy the orphanages that unwanted girls are crammed and imprisoned in. It is often termed as the Kindergulag (Mosher). Girls, the second class citizen in a patriarchal society, live in squalid environments of filth that predetermine their life expectancy solely because of their gender. China, among other East Asian countries, continues to grasp onto the fact that male superiority is key to success. Men, unlike women, are less emotional, more rational, and physically stronger. This backwards and sexist perception is deeply embedded in Chinese culture. In the 20th century, it officially resurfaced when Chinas Population and Family Planning Commission implemented the infamous One-child policy - which limited families to producing only one child in efforts to stabilize the national population (Greenhalgh 1). The intended effect of the One-child policy engendered several erroneous consequences upon the female faction of the country that has and will continue to put a strain on the Chinas future generation and its efforts to propel itself onto the stage as a world power. Introduced in the 1970s, after the Mao regime, the One-child policy or jihua shengyu acted as a measure to decrease the Chinese population. The ones who imposed this policy asserted that this law would be advantageous to the future of China. ItShow MoreRelatedChinas One Child1290 Words   |  6 PagesJack Avetisyan Essay #1 [Choice#2] The one-child policy is a population control policy that was introduced in 1979 to relive social, economic, and environmental problems in China. At the time the growth rate of China’s population was very high and the main purpose of the policy was to limit the large family units in the country to one child each. 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