10 Facts on Orientalism in the 19th Century Art for a Presentation

10 Facts on Orientalism in the 19th Century Art for a Presentation To fully understand how and why the facts to be presented in the following paragraphs will be useful to anyone working on a presentation on art in the 19th century, a brief discussion on orientalism and what it entails is necessary. Orientalism refers to the orient or east as well as every concept that comes from the east. Similarly, Orientalism in 19th century art takes into consideration the effects eastern cultures located in the Middle East and North Africa had on 19th century art and the movement it inspired. So here are 10 facts on the orientalism wave that swept the West during the 19th century. The French invasion of Egypt in 1798 by Napoleon Bonaparte was largely responsible for Europes interest in all things oriental. The invasion which lasted till 1801 led to the inclusion of oriental culture in the art, literature and music scenes in Europe. The book Description de lEgypte, which was published in 1809 through 1822 consisted of four volumes describing Egyptian culture, topography, architecture and population was considered the most influential authority on oriental culture in the 19th century. It served as a major inspiration to French artists,   architects and decorators of the 19th century and its influence could be seen as part of the architecture and art of 19th century France. European artist’s depiction of violence in the orients were fabricated and inspired by the need for propaganda to enforce the Wests sense of superiority over the oriental way of life. The famous works of Eugene Delacroix were created basically to promote the stereotype of Arabs and Muslim men as savages hell-bent on tormenting Christians and destroying the western way of life. Delacroixs famous works The Massacre of Chios and the Death of Sardanapalus were painted without the artist ever visiting the Near East.   His works were based on newspaper clippings, shady eyewitness reports and romantic literature. In the 19th century, even supporters of Eugene Delacroixs work criticized the accuracy of his art by stating that his images were simply derived from pictures of the plague and the Paris mob. European Artists had no access to the women of the orient. In the 19th century, Muslim women lived privately and could not be accessed by men who were not relations or husbands without the men risking injury to their person. Famous 19th century artists such as Jean-Leon George, Jean-Auguste Ingres, Delacroix and Theodore Chasse Riau had based their famous painting of oriental women on hearsay and in some cases French models. Jean-Auguste Ingres popular series of paintings depicting Odalisque, the eastern concubine of a Turkish Sultan was actually the painting of a French model named Madame Felix. Photographic images of the orients were tampered with. The advent of photography in early 1800, and the corresponding advances made by scientists in capturing real-life images had little or no effect to the modes of capturing oriental culture. Ironically some images of the orients were taking but in most cases, photographers preferred to stage scenes rather than capture the reality of the East. According to photography scholar Nissan Perez, photographers chose to stage scenes so as to reinforce the Wests myopic view of the orients. Orientalist art was hugely popular in the 19th century. All over Europe France, Britain, Italy etc. the fascination with the East led to the formation of art groups that placed their focus on explaining oriental culture through art. In 19th century France, 1893 to be precise, the Society of Orientalist Painters was founded and its honorary leader was Jean-Leon Gerome who visited Morocco just once but painted images of Turkey and Western Asia and claimed they were factual. On Jean-Leon Geromes only visit to Morocco, he wrote about his disillusionment with the fact that the subject matters of his paintings were not the reality on ground. The orients spurred a new wave of romanticism in art. The romantic era of European art was largely influenced by imaginations and stories of the orients. Although orientalism in art was looked down upon in the 19th century, the Romanization of oriental subject matters fascinated millions. A large percent of the famous painters and artists of the 19th century based their work and made their names from creating eastern inspired art. Oriental art circa 1760s focused on the landscape and architecture of the East. It was in later years of the 19th century that artists became enamored with representing oriental culture in art. Orientalist painters made up the harems. Eroticism and the false idea that women from the orients were erotic by Western males created a whole genre of exotic art in the 19th century. According to Ruth Bernard Yeazell, the depictions of Eastern harems were based off western male fantasies and stories on what an oriental harem should look like. Foreign male painters were not allowed into the seraglios but relied on stories from other women as inspiration. Unlike oriental art depictions, harems were more familial than erotic. What western painters termed as harems, were actually family centers and places for social gathering for women. Richard Francis Burton toured Mecca in El-Madina and he reports a more family oriented arrangement were wives stayed separately from husbands instead of the western version of harems. While western women saw harems as places of social gathering, Western males who had happened to form the majority of the painters viewed harems as a sexual place regardless of the facts. Factual representation of life in the orients exists. In the arts of the 19th century, some artist stuck to reality and produced realistic depictions of the East. Some famous examples are the Italian artist Ippolito Caffi, who actually lived in the East and produced original art on life in the orients. Another notable mention is Fausto Zonaro, an Italian artist who became the official Ottoman court painter. These artists including Gentile Bellini represented Middle-eastern women as reserved and demure unlike the majority of French oriental artists. Criticism of oriental art became widespread in the 20th century. The false nature of oriental life shown in 19th century paintings has been actively denounced by writers over the years. Edward Saids work Orientalism was influential in challenging the Wests perception of oriental culture and women as depicted in the popular artworks of the 19th century.Other notable critical works include Ruth Bernard Yeazell’ s Harems of the Mind: Passages of Western Art and Literature and Howes Orientalism in French 19th Century. References: Suren, L. (2010). Photography, Vision and Production of Modern Bodies, 70-80. Irwin, R. (2006).  Dangerous Knowledge: Orientalism and Its Discontents Princeton Archeology Journal, Global and Views: Nineteenth Century Travel Photographs. http://web.princeton.edu/sites/Archaeology/rp/globalviews/gv1.html Jiman, M. (2009). Representation of Middle-Eastern Women in Orientalist Paintings in Nineteenth Century: A Comparison of French and Italian Orientalists. https://theskinnyjeanrant.com/2014/05/01/representation-of-middle-eastern-women-in-orientalist-paintings-in-nineteenth-century-a-comparison-of-french-and-italian-orientalists/ Alexandra, J. (2009). Orientalism in French Nineteenth Century Art: The Enigma of the East. http://bestamericanart.blogspot.com.ng/2014/05/orientalism-in-french-nineteenth.html?m=1 Nancy, D. (2008). The Origins of Orientalism. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/becoming-modern/intro-becoming-modern/a/orientalism Thomson, G. (2008). The International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences: Orientalism. encyclopedia.com/topic/Orientalism.aspx

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia By Mark Nichol How do you represent various sounds in writing? The term for vocal (and written) imitation of sounds, onomatopoeia, means â€Å"to make names.† (The word, a Latinization of a Greek word, consists of the term that is also the origin of name, nominal, and the like and the one from which poem and poet are derived.) But making names is complicated by the fact that spelling of sounds is arbitrary. Various languages represent common sounds with uncommonly assorted words. What in English would be spelled chomp or munch is in Indonesian krauk and in Japanese musha-musha. Shh, or hush, is translated as psszt in Hungarian and cht in Spanish. Achoo! is spelled apchix in Bulgarian and achhee! in Hindi. Sometimes for instance, because a frog in one country is a different species from one in another country and therefore may actually make a different sound this variation is logical. But often (look up the various representations for meow around the world) the differences are perplexing. But even within one language, a writer is challenged by the ambiguity of sounds. How, exactly, does one spell a yell? That word itself is onomatopoeic, but â€Å"Yell!† is not a yell. A cry of anger is distinct from one of fear. And an exclamation of pain could be spelled starting with an a (â€Å"Aughhh!†), an o (â€Å"Owww!†), or a y (â€Å"Yeow!†). Some variation from what a reader may be accustomed to is reasonable: If I routinely spelled an archvillain’s triumphant evil laugh â€Å"Bwah-hah-hah!† I would be distracted but not derailed to see it treated as â€Å"Muah-ha-ha!† But â€Å"Myau† would not alert me to the presence of a cat; in English, either the spelling above or the British English preference, miaow (or mew, a variation suggesting a gentler cry) is standard. But how do I know that? The compositional catch-22 â€Å"How can I look something up in the dictionary if I don’t know how to spell it?† may come into play, especially when the word starts with a vowel. But that’s step number one: Look it up. Is a donkey’s bray spelled â€Å"Hee haw†? Type the word into Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, and you’ll learn whether your guess is validated. (In this case, English is in the minority among languages, most of which begin spelling of that sound with a vowel.) Or rely on your reading whether your sources are science journals or comic books, some standard is likely to prevail. Neologisms or words not generally granted legitimacy in writing (fuggedaboudit, anyone?) can be a challenge, but try an online search if you’re not sure. You’ll likely get a response for more than one alternative, but apply the quality test, not the quantity test: Judge the preferred spelling not on which is most frequent, but which is used on the most authoritative (or least questionable) sites. But in the right circumstance, go ahead and take a chance. If you desire, for example, that a character respond to another’s cattiness, a flat utterance of â€Å"Meow† may convey the first person’s cynical understatement, whereas â€Å"Reerrrrrrrrrrr!† will, despite its lack of resemblance to the standard spelling, clearly evoke an unambiguous judgment about the second character’s provocative statement or behavior. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Fly, Flew, (has) FlownFlied?Ten Yiddish Expressions You Should KnowThrew and Through

William Blake wrote of mind-forg'd manacles in his poem London Research Paper

William Blake wrote of mind-forg'd manacles in his poem London. Discuss at least two works' views on the responsibilities of individuals and the responsibilities of society - Research Paper Example In fear of the revolution spreading at home and overthrowing the government, the authorities were concerned about the radical sentiments that were harboring in England. The public response was much radicalized followed by the authoritarian response of putting restrictions in places. Blake’s reference to â€Å"mind-forg’d manacles† points towards the repression of free thinking which was put in place to restrict the freedom of radical thinking or speech. London subtly talks about freedom, uninhibited freedom, which assists the common man. The relationship between the society and the individual is of vital importance in the poem as Blake writes to describe the society-individual relationship in the social context, as though a social contract exists between the two. Two works that represent the responsibilities of the individual and the society are Boys and Girls by Alice Munro and The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula Le Guin. This paper will seek to explain the responsibilities of the entities, society and individual, in the light of works by Munro and Le Guin. The manacles which Blake talks about is meant to represent a sort of physical restriction preventing free movement, which is used to explain the repressive laws that were implemented to inhibit the freedom of printing presses and publications. Most importantly, these manacles are placed on the mind to restrict free thinking to prevent any radical uprising. Very covertly, Blake has spoken about the social contract that exists between a society and an individual which directs the responsibilities of both entities so that they fulfill their expected tasks in a way that is beneficial for both. However, once the freedom of the common man is restricted by any means, there is sure to be a response. The society as an independent entity exerts pressure on the individuals, dwelling in its context, to show compliance to the agreed set of terms. Much of these implicit

Legalization of drugs Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Legalization of drugs - Term Paper Example It is often argued that alcohol and cigarettes also have the reputation of being an addictive drug, yet both are legalized. Furthermore, those that want drugs will take the steps necessary to get them, so instead of making them criminals and continuing to overcrowd jails, it might be better to allow them to take the legalized form of the drug, which would probably be much weaker, and regulated, making addiction more difficult. Those who oppose this concept worry about increased addiction as well as the moral and ethics of society. There is a strong Christian movement that is against legalizing drugs, led by the Christian Coalition. Rangel (1998) puts this argument and view forth in his journal article. This coalition has a strong influence on politics, especially the Republican party, and thus this issue has been brought to the forefront many times. Krajicek (1998) discusses the power of the Christian Coalition to influence crime laws in his article, thus backing up the point that re ligion often does cross over into law and politics. While morality is an understandable concern, this same moral question already exists with alcohol and cigarettes. Therefore, what is the best approach to this concept The War on Drugs seems to be failing. No matter how hard the United States tries as a country, we still struggle with stopping the crossing of drugs into the country, and it is very apparent that this practice continues. If we have not been able to adequately stop this drug problem after trying for so many years, is there another way to end this issue? Davey (1998) makes a point of this issue in his arguments. ... The answer would be yes, and it would focus on the legalization of drugs. Thus, this researcher feels that the answer lies in legalizing drugs. This would not only end the War on Drugs, it would also clear jails (getting rid of drug crimes and opening up overcrowded prisons for those who have committed serious crimes like rape and murder), and it would also allow individuals freedom of choice. Silen (1994) agrees with the concept that adults who do want these drugs, of course if they desire them, will find a way to get them, one way or another. Therefore, it seems that it would be a good idea to take advantage of the situation. The United States already sells damaging and addictive drugs to its people in the form of cigarettes and alcohol. This would only give individuals more of a choice, and people would still be expected to use drugs responsibly-for instance, drinking while intoxicated on any drug is not acceptable. Shapiro (2003) argues, in his journal article, that our country i s based on freedom of will and choice, as long as others are not harmed. Therefore, the overall point is that there are several benefits to both people and the government when legalizing drugs, and this step should be taken in order to take advantage of the several advantages present in the situation. One important notion to consider is the fact that the legalizing of drugs also promises to reduce crime. How can this be so, when so many crimes are attributed to drug use First, the regulation of the drug itself promises that the drug will be less potent, and that the amount obtainable can be limited. This makes it more difficult for

Challenges Walmart Faces Expanding Their Territory To China Management Essay

Challenges Walmart Faces Expanding Their Territory To China Management Essay Business operations across national borders are becoming the trend in the current era. And this trend continuously grows because of globalisation and multinational operation. In response to this globalisation issue, multinational corporations like Wal-Mart tend operate in other countries to have excellent advantage. According to Amponsah (2001) globalisation and the eagerness of a certain business organisation to operate across borders involves two dimension i.e. change in economic operations of various countries, and change in the participants of global economic operations. Several people believe that the globalisation of economic activities of every country would hasten the fight against poverty (Macarov 2003, p. 103). But like other companies that are operating in local scale, Wal-Mart a multinational company also faces different opportunities and challenges in the foreign market. With this, this paper will be discussing the opportunities and challenges that Wal-Mart faces in venturing the Chinese territory. Opportunities A business venturing to a foreign market creates good opportunities. As for Wal-Mart venturing in China, a new foreign market like China might provide opportunities for new growth. Aside from this, Wal-Mart uses global expansion to lower costs of goods, accelerate speed to market, improve quality of products and of course to cut their overhead costs considering that China is a low cost country whereas the labour is cheap compared to other countries in the West (Walmartstores, 2010). Most MNCs are establishing subsidiaries in other nations to reduce costs, mainly through the use of cheap foreign labour in developing countries. Like other MNCs, Wal-Mart can hold down costs by shifting some or all of its production facilities abroad. Although Wal-Mart are not claiming that they using the opportunity of global expansion to escape the protectionist policies of an importing country, it is remains the motives of most MNCs. Through direct foreign investment, a corporation like Wal-Mart can b ypass high tariffs that prevent its goods from being competitively priced. For example, when the European Common Market (the predecessor of the European Union) placed tariffs on goods produced by outsiders, U.S. corporations responded by setting up European subsidiaries (Multinational Corporation 1998). Venturing in China is also a good opportunity for Wal-Mart to prevent competition. The most certain method of preventing actual or potential competition from foreign businesses is to acquire those businesses ((Multinational Corporation 1998). Despite of the opportunistic feat of global expansion, Wal-Mart holds that they create employment, create wealth, and improve technology in countries that are in dire need of such development. Critics, however, point to their inordinate political influence, their exploitation of developing nations, and the loss of jobs that result in the corporations home countries. Challenges Cultures Maddox (1993) claims that going global require transformation of managerial skills learned at the home office to enable the managers to function cross-culturally. Business firms must focus on selecting and training managers to become more attuned to different cultures, particularly in the culture of their country of assignment. In the case of Wal-Mart, their Board of Directors should have identified economy, politics, religion, value systems, and frame of reference of the Chinese consumers regarding the products and services that they offer as the primary areas that posed distinct challenges in their expansion to China. Thus, the same aspects merit the attention of the leaders of Wal-Mart who will be assigned at the companys branch in China. The Chinese culture and lifestyle are different from those of the Wal-Marts home country i.e. USA and other Western nations where the company operates. Thus, the success of operation in China relies on the ability of the leaders to facilitate bus iness operations in the midst of cultural diversity among the employees and distinct cultural characteristics surrounding the company such as laws, social norms and business practices. In evaluating the culture of China as part of Wal-Marts business operation, Hofstedes dimensions culture was used. Actually, Geert Hofstede is a Dutch organisational anthropologist who divided culture into four dimensions at culture level-power distance, individualism/collectivism, masculinity/femininity, and uncertainty avoidance (Dahl, 2004). It is important to be aware and comprehend these cultural dimensions for these have an influence on the internal and external workings of organizations that operate on an intercultural level. Power Distance. Power distance is described as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally (cited in Hofstede 1991, p. 28); more simply, it is concerned with how equal, or unequal, the people are in a specific society or nation. In China, they have high power distance i.e. 80 PDI, this means that there is significant amount of inequalities in power and wealth within China. As a result, it is quite likely that that society employs a caste system and does not permit significant development for its people (Geert Hofstede cultural dimensions 2010). In the corporate-oriented context, firms with a high power distance employ a tall organizational structure because there is greater and higher rigidity in terms of hierarchy. Also, there is a large proportion of managerial employees to the overall human resource population, high job ranking for white-collar work, large compensation differentials, and low requirements for entry-level positions (Earley, 1997, p. 147). Individualism versus Collectivism. Individualism is how a society perceives achievement and personal relationships, may it be individually or collectively. Furthermore, according to Hofstede (1991), individualism is a set of values that concern the relationship of a person to his or her collectivity in the society (as cited in Earley, 1997, p. 144). In China, the individualism was low i.e. 20 IDV which indicates that China is a nation with low individualism and has a collective nature wherein close bonds exist among the people (Geert Hofstede cultural dimensions 2010). Moreover, collectivistic people also perceive themselves in relation a societal and cultural context. This is a great challenge for Wal-Mart considering that their mother country United States has high collectivism as can be observed through the nature of their families. People who reside in such locations live in nuclear families, as oppose to highly collective Asian individuals who normally live with members of their extended families. Masculinity versus Femininity. Masculinity versus femininity refers to the gender differentiation, or more specifically, the extent of how a society applies the traditional perception of man as a model of success, control, and authority. In nations with high masculinity, men control a major part of the society and power structure, while females are restrained because of such male supremacy (Geert Hofstede cultural dimensions 2010). In China, they have high masculinity i.e. 66 MAS. Actually this is important for Wal-marts operation since it relates to achievement, industrial strife, high growth, aggression, work stress, and conflict. To be more specific, firms that are more masculine are fast-paced, aggressive, and focus more on development and growth over harmony and stability (Earley, 1997, p. 164). On the other hand, a feminine-oriented company is more concerned on the social interaction and operations among human resources. Moreover, such firm has a considerate and nurturing natur e, which means that there is more focus on interpersonal functioning and harmony over personal gain (Earley, 1997, p. 164). Hence, the employees welfare is the foremost concern, because this results to the companys ability to establish the capability of an individual to contribute to interpersonal welfare in the organization. Uncertainty Avoidance. As was defined by Hofstede, uncertainty avoidance is the extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by uncertain or unknown situations (cited in Hofstede 1991, p. 113). As seen in the index, China has low uncertainty avoidance which indicates that the country was less rigid when it comes to change, could handle risks, and have less rules and regulations, since they could effectively endure diverse opinions (Geert Hofstede cultural dimensions 2010). For Wal-Mart, uncertainty may come from the internal and external environment. An organizations response to such ambiguities, through the use of rules, rituals, and technology, affects its image of high or low uncertainty avoidance. This could be a great challenge for Wal-Mart since China wont easily embrace the change they would bring in the country. A Fifth Cultural Dimension. After additional studies which were mainly focused on Chinese managers and workers, Hofstede introduced a fifth cultural dimension, which is the long-term orientation. This focuses on how nations apply, or do not apply, long-term devotion to conventional, forward thinking principles (Geert Hofstede cultural dimensions 2010). Countries with high levels of long-term orientation recommend a strong work ethics and anticipate long-term rewards as a consequence of todays hard work. Thus, long-term commitments are emphasized and traditions are respected (Geert Hofstede cultural dimensions 2010). This is a great challenge for Wal-Mart since they came from countries with low levels of long-term orientation that are capable to experience change because long-term customs and behaviours are lessened, and change is no longer hindered. Political The primary difference in the economies of West and China is the orientation. Most of the west countries economy is affluent while the Chinese economy adopts the economic style of Soviet Union wherein most of the economic activities are centrally planned by the government. In China, the local officials have immense authority although the economy is open to foreign investment and trade. The regulations state that Chinese firms should have at least 51 percent ownership and control of joint ventures with foreign investors (Economy of China 2010). Ramsay (2003) reports that it generally takes two to three months to register a business in China with the government putting limits on the companys business scope (p. 8). The difference in the economic orientation of China and Wal-Marts home country USA poses certain challenges to the leaders of said company. These leaders are accustomed to a free market in the USA economy wherein investors, consumers and producers transact free business and d etermine the flow of economic activities. In China, they would encounter restrictions in the various operational activities of the company such as production and marketing of certain types of products because the Chinese government pursues the interests of Chinese business organizations. Secondly, Chinas transitional economy as cited by Alon Shenker (2003) since the mid-1970s has fostered a tremendous opportunity for international firms to establish operations in the country and made international joint venture as a primary mode of foreign direct investment. However, managing joint ventures sometimes leads to cultural conflicts between Chinese managers and foreign managers. Wal-Marts leaders are more Western and their approaches to management clash with the Chinese management approach. Chinese managers rely on interventions from the extended network outside the company to manage risks and threats rather than following the budgets and plans established in advance that are expected t o guarantee success. The Chinese managers prefer particularistic and pragmatic solutions to organizational problems by analyzing causes of problems and soliciting outside intervention in problem solving while Western managers like Wal-Marts managers have the tendency to act in reference to a belief in an underlying principle that provides a ready matrix into which current reality and present existence can be fitted. As an American, Wal-Marts managers believe that future circumstances can be integrated into the ready matrix which serves as an analytic model to guide decision making processes (p. 147). Considering these differences, the Western leaders who will be assigned to China may encounter conflicting management styles with their Chinese colleagues. Thirdly, USA and China differ in religious beliefs. USA follow Christianity, especially Protestantism, and believe that good works are gifts of hardwork and Gods grace in the life of His believer and not by interventions of outside f orces (Christianity-Protestantism 2010). Chinese are more fatalistic and believe that humans must follow their destiny by living in unity with the world of nature and pursuing social conformity (Religion in China 2001). Hence, Western employees would perform their duties based on their personal judgments and decisions while their Chinese counterparts would consistently attempt to abide by the rules and seek opinions of other employees as they are more inclined to seek conformity. These differences in idea of independence would make the leaders of Wal-Mart consider the outcomes and motivations of their manpower. Western employees would be motivated to perform well if they are given sufficient freedom at work while Chinese employees may prefer to work in teams and have access to constant supervision. Fourthly, the Western value systems relative to interpersonal relationships are in conflict with those of the Chinese. Western people as cited by Alon Shenker (2003) value personal relat ionships with colleagues and supervisors but organizational hierarchy does not dictate their relationships. They equally communicate and relate to all members of the organization. Chinese employees, on the contrary, prefer a system in which coordination is hierarchical wherein the key institutional values underscore loyalty and submission to a leader whose right is to establish the goals of the group. Accordingly, the leaders of Wal-Mart who would be assigned to manage some operations of China have to practice special care in dealing with their Chinese subordinates and fellow supervisors. They may encounter Chinese colleagues who would constantly consult them before they perform their responsibilities. These leaders have to recognize that the Chinese culture places much reverence to leaders while Western people prefer to work independently most of the times. Conclusion The best way to measure success in international business is through constant monitoring by the mother company. Through monitoring, the head company can gauge expatriate failure or success, and cross-cultural competence of expatriates. Wal-Mart must be able to implement consistent monitoring measures in their operations and the performances of the employees and managers sent to China. Venture failure is oftentimes associated with lost opportunities, reduced productivity, and damaged relationships while expatriate success connotes the accomplishment of the opposite. Furthermore, cultural competence is measured if the manager assigned at a foreign location possesses a strong personal identity, has knowledge of and complies with the beliefs and values of the culture of the country where he is assigned, demonstrates sensitivity to the affective processes of the culture, communicates clearly in the language of the country of assignment, displays a degree of culturally-sanctioned behavior, nurtures active social relations with the people and authorities of the country, and negotiates the institutional structures of that culture. Basically, the leaders should be able to adapt quickly to the Chinese culture, comply with its requirements while performing their responsibilities, and gain appreciation of the unique processes of doing business in the country.

Henry David Thoreau Was a Fool :: Henry David Thoreau Essays

Lincoln has been credited as being a person that fought for equality between races, when he himself believed that African Americans were inferior, the image people give him is unreal, propaganda by the Radical Republicans in the reconstruction era. Many people have ideas that do not hold up when put to the test, or even their own reasoning. Henry David Thoreau’s ideas and ideals do not hold up when compared to reality. Thoreau believed that if a man did less work, the better it would be for the man and his community. He set out to accomplish this task, and accomplished not working, but failed to prove his point. He died at age forty-five, younger then most people in his time, and although he did benefit his community, doing little labor only shortened his life, and proved no better for the community. Not only does reality disprove Thoreau’s theology, but his own words contradict him. He proclaimed â€Å"the government that governs least is the best,† (Civil Disobedience pg. 222 paragraph 1) and then says that, â€Å"We have had to agree on a certain set of rules†¦ to make this frequent meeting tolerable†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Solitude pg. 95 paragraph 3). His contradiction is evident, what is government but on how the people conduct their meetings, lacking the laws of the government, the society would collapse. He also criticizes the government for not being virtuous (Ponds pg. 119 last paragraph). The American government is controlled by the people, if he wants a government that is virtuous, he should either get elected, or try to get the non-virtuous people out of office. Further, politicians who made their name elsewhere have said things to the effect of, â€Å"either you already have a name for yourself, or somewhere along the line you sell your soul†¦Ã¢â‚¬  essentially saying that virtue and politics don’t work together. Thoreau further shows how he cannot support his own ideas when he says that he spent two years â€Å"alone, in the woods,†(Economy pg. 7, 1st sentence). He did not spend two years â€Å"alone† and a great period of the time which he was there was not â€Å"in the woods.† In fact, he had as many as thirty guests at a time (Visitors pg. 97 last line). He tries to show how he had few visitors in the winter saying, â€Å"†¦no visitor ventured near my house for a week or a fortnight at a time,† (Winter Visitors pg. Henry David Thoreau Was a Fool :: Henry David Thoreau Essays Lincoln has been credited as being a person that fought for equality between races, when he himself believed that African Americans were inferior, the image people give him is unreal, propaganda by the Radical Republicans in the reconstruction era. Many people have ideas that do not hold up when put to the test, or even their own reasoning. Henry David Thoreau’s ideas and ideals do not hold up when compared to reality. Thoreau believed that if a man did less work, the better it would be for the man and his community. He set out to accomplish this task, and accomplished not working, but failed to prove his point. He died at age forty-five, younger then most people in his time, and although he did benefit his community, doing little labor only shortened his life, and proved no better for the community. Not only does reality disprove Thoreau’s theology, but his own words contradict him. He proclaimed â€Å"the government that governs least is the best,† (Civil Disobedience pg. 222 paragraph 1) and then says that, â€Å"We have had to agree on a certain set of rules†¦ to make this frequent meeting tolerable†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Solitude pg. 95 paragraph 3). His contradiction is evident, what is government but on how the people conduct their meetings, lacking the laws of the government, the society would collapse. He also criticizes the government for not being virtuous (Ponds pg. 119 last paragraph). The American government is controlled by the people, if he wants a government that is virtuous, he should either get elected, or try to get the non-virtuous people out of office. Further, politicians who made their name elsewhere have said things to the effect of, â€Å"either you already have a name for yourself, or somewhere along the line you sell your soul†¦Ã¢â‚¬  essentially saying that virtue and politics don’t work together. Thoreau further shows how he cannot support his own ideas when he says that he spent two years â€Å"alone, in the woods,†(Economy pg. 7, 1st sentence). He did not spend two years â€Å"alone† and a great period of the time which he was there was not â€Å"in the woods.† In fact, he had as many as thirty guests at a time (Visitors pg. 97 last line). He tries to show how he had few visitors in the winter saying, â€Å"†¦no visitor ventured near my house for a week or a fortnight at a time,† (Winter Visitors pg.

Book design, visual analysis on “The Art of Looking Sideways”

The above quote was used by The Daily Telegraph to describe Alan Gerard Fletcher on his obituary. Fletcher was a well-known British graphic designer who was awarded the Prince Philip Prize for Designer of the Year, and was elected the President of the Designers and Art Directors Association in 1973 and was also elected as the International President of the Alliance Graphique Internationale from 1982 to 1985.He wrote a number of books, but his master piece, which was written on the topic of graphic designing and visual thinking and took him nearly 18 years to finish is the book under consideration known as â€Å"The Art of Looking Sideways†.In the words of the reviewers at the Library Journal, â€Å"this book will delight anyone who enjoys unexpected visual and verbal play, cultural and historical observations and insights, and staggering amounts of trivia and anecdotes† (The Art of Looking Sideways by Alan Fletcher, p.1).The book is very extra ordinary and one of its ki nd, and the author has succeeded in presenting a nearly beyond description mixture of tales, citations, illustrations, and strange realities that presents the reader with an astonishingly warped visualization of the pandemonium of modern life (Alan Fletcher, p.1).Book Design and Visual Analysisâ€Å"Graphic designers (presumably with the support of publishers) seem to have embraced the principle that size matters. First there was Life Style, Bruce Mau's cinder-block-size illustrated meditation/portfolio. And now, at more than a thousand pages and weighing in at slightly less than a large infant, we have Alan Fletcher's The Art of Looking Sideways†.The book is based on about seventy two chapters, which have titles like Culture, Improvisation, Colour, Ideas and the likes. Comprised of nearly more than a thousand, the book is a brilliant treatise on visual thinking, one that exemplifies the sense of play and the extended frame of reference of the designer.A number of designers a s well students of design usually go through the pages of this book in order to grasp ideas, while others go through the book in order to enjoy the gently challenging mind-teasers the book has to offer.Putting together the most determined of sets for his work, aligned with a background encircling art, drawing and literature from pre-history to the current day, Fletcher has put forward a persuasive case for the role that graphic designs play in the course of civilization.The book is very visual. It has more illustrations than text. According to sources, â€Å"Sideways isn't so much a book you read; rather, it's an experience you savor over time. If it were a bottle of wine, you'd want to sip it gradually, over a period of years. Gulping is completely out of the question.On every page, you'll find a juicy little nugget† (Buchsbaum, p.1). The design of the book is rather very creative. With every turn of the page there is something new present there waiting for you to go through . The Art can easily amuse and enthuse all of the people who like the interaction amid word and image, and also those who appreciate the odd and the unpredicted.The book is nothing to read, but it can rather be taken as a visual experience by the reader, where a new image, with a new twist is waiting for the reader. The front and the back cover of the book can be taken into consideration to understand what to expect inside the book, but even that might not be much help.Through the visuals, the author or lets say the designer has put forward some pieces of information, which we would in general consider useless and ignore.All of the visuals and the illustrations that have been presented by the author barely have any connection with each other. Even on opposite pages, the reader would find pictures that are completely opposite each other.For example, presented on page number 162, is a picture of a water color of flowers along with a short note about The Academia in Venice and the art that are exhibited in its galleries and right next to it on the opposite page paragraph by Philip Roth, which also has quotes from Nietzsche, Baudelaire, Wilde, Paul Auster, Napoleon Bonaparte and many others, as well as a concise description of the word â€Å"mopery† intermingled within it.Now both of these pictures have no relation what so ever amongst themselves, which shows the broad horizon of the images that the author had. The pictures can be said to be very random and are very stimulating, which would challenge the viewer into seeing and thinking from a completely different perception, which is sideways.The design of the book consists of all kinds of visual stimuli, which makes the viewer look at ordinary everyday things with a completely new perception. In the words of the author of the book, â€Å"I am intrigued by apparently useless information, such as 8% of the population is left-handed; giraffes only sleep five minutes every 24 hours; Italians kiss twice, the S wiss three times; is a zebra a white animal with black stripes or vice versa; and, are you left or right eyed?This book is everything I was never taught at school. It has no thesis, is neither a whodunit nor a how-to-do-it, and has no beginning, middle or end. It is a book for visually curious people, full of things to make you think twice† (The Creative Life, p.1).