Explication of Dulce Et Decorum Est - 1268 Words

Explication of Dulce Et Decorum Est SITUATION The poem doesn’t really tell a story, but walks through all the dreadful situations through the eyes of an innocent and shell-shocked soldier. It is told through a WWI veteran’s point of view in second person. By examining this â€Å"war† poem and Wilfred Owen’s background, it is reasonable to believe that Own is talking about his experience during war. Therefore making the speaker, he himself. Owen is talking to everyone that does not know the realistic feeling of war up in the frontlines. He painfully expresses all the horrific scenes he had to go through. Through remembering it, his description of the mood is very dreary and cold. It kills all sense of joy and secures one in pity and sorrow.†¦show more content†¦However, the poem does include a reference of a dead man’s face to the devils. He says that the man’s face looks like a â€Å"devil’s sick of sin†. Owen also makes a reference to the guns of that time. He tal ks about the danger and terror brought by the â€Å"Five-Nines†. With such powerful images and connections, one can better understand the horror and pain that must have existed in that soldier’s life. Imagery: The majority of the poem is making connections. This poem lacks certain factors such as a lot of personification, but it makes up for these defects through the use of many metaphors and similes. Using these, Owen greatly portrays the pain felt by the soldiers and their â€Å"coughing† and sickness throughout the â€Å"green sea† of gas. These powerful images create a better picture of the harsh conditions of fighting in World War I. Musical Devices Rhyme Scheme: The rhyme scheme throughout the poem is ABABCDCDEFEFGHGHIJIJKLKLMNMN. This rhyming pattern is very formal as each rhyming couplet is a true rhyme. They all fit perfectly and Wilfred Owen even intertwines some internal rhyme such as â€Å"you too† in this poem. The rhyming patterns throughout create a better flow for readers as they better understand this poem’s meaning. Rhythm or Meter: There are a lot of patterns of rhythm in this poem. In the rhyme scheme, there are ten masculine rhymes with four feminine rhymes tied in. This mixture of rhythmsShow MoreRelatedPoetry Explication : Dulce Et Decorum Est1039 Words   |  5 PagesPoetry Explication: Dulce Et Decorum Est To die for one’s country is horrible and wrong. For now, this may seem like a mistake, like this is all a mistake, and that the statement itself cannot possibly be what is meant to be written in the first sentence of this page. But it is supposed to be there, because there it is, bold and right. The poem â€Å"Dulce Et Decorum Est† is truly bold and right in its horrifying descriptions of what it is actually like to die for one’s country. It not only proves aRead MoreEssay about Explication of Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen771 Words   |  4 PagesExplication of Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen ?Dulce Et Decorum Est? belongs to the genre of sonnets, which expresses a single theme or idea. The allusion or reference is to an historical event referred to as World War I. This particular poems theme or idea is the horror of war and how young men are led to believe that death and honor are same. The poem addresses the falsehood, that war is glorious, that it is noble, it describes the true horror and waste that is war, this poem exhibitsRead MoreThe Face of Death: Explication of a Passage in â€Å"Dulce Et Decorum Est†1091 Words   |  5 PagesMy friend, you would not tell with such high zest / To children ardent for some desperate glory, / The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est / Pro patria mori (Owen, lines 25-28). This segment of Owen’s poem depicts one of his comrades being poisoned by tear gas; this is clearly not a pleasant sight and is not wished upon anyone. This is of particular interest to me because it depicts the morbid horror of war. I believe the poem does a fine job of communicating the horrors of war much better than other

Public Relation in China for Business Interest- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about thePublic Relation in China for Business Interest. Answer: Public relation on china has a huge importance in the economic and political reformation of the country. Through this method the country can develop a strong workforce which will collectively serve the countrys economic as well as business interest. For being a highly masculine country, the chines people are success oriented but care for the community as well. China has complicated operation environment which can be intriguing for the foreign marketers. The media and other communication medium is strictly controlled ty the government of China hence create challenges for the foreign companies to operate freely in the market. The organizational culture of China is very much fruitful for the companies to run because there are no complications in the power structure and people do not indulge in luxury avoiding their tasks. Meritocracy is the main source of all political structure where technological advancement is assumed to be most important aspect for growth. Due to globalization, the country has taken initiative to bring changes in the public relation policies. At the time of national crisis due to earthquake, public communication in China took stance to criticize the international organizations for exploiting revenues by ignoring the sufferings. In addition to this, in 2008 Olympics, PR policies of China argued in support for hosting this international event for addressing human rights concerns. Despite the fact that the international companies face major challenges in china they need to follow the expectations and responses which regulate the laws of the country through which the companies will be able to achieve their goals in China.

The East West link Project

Introduction The intention of the Victorian State Government to undertake the East West Link Project is a good move that will improve the state of infrastructure in the City of Melbourne.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The East West link Project specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The construction of 18 kilometer-road network across Melbourne to link the already existing Western Ring Road to the Eastern Freeway is a very ambitious project. Given that this project is estimated to cost about 8 billion US dollars, it is clear that the project will be very involving and therefore, needs a lot of dedication from the government and all the stakeholders. According to Kloppenborg (2009), it is always important to understand the magnitude of a project before developing its prototype. When developing a prototype, the management should have a deep understanding of the intended goals and objectives that the project seeks to a ccomplish. In this case, the project management must have an understanding of what the Victorian State Government expects from the project. This government intends to spend about 8 billion dollars in this project. It must get what its investment is worth. The project management team has a major task of ensuring that this project yields the needed result. This must start from the planning stage of this project. Heldman (2011) says that a successful project is always seen at the planning stage. Planning of the project involves forecasting what the project team members will be doing, the expected timeline for every activity in the project, the associated costs at every stage, and any other costs and tasks that will be carried out within the project. The planning stage also involves defining the roles of every project member. Project Initiation Tonnquist (2009, p. 118) observes that the first stage in project management process is the initiation stage. At this stage, the financiers and those who own the project identifies the need to undertake the project.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In this project, the Victorian State Government has identified the need to develop a road that would join Western Ring Road to Eastern Freeway as a way of decongesting the City of Melbourne. Having identified the need to be met by project, then the project team members can move to the planning stage. Project Planning Project Objectives According to Meredith (2012), it is not possible for a project to be successful when project members and the stakeholders do not understand the exact objectives of the project. Defining specific project objectives is always important before the onset of the project. In most of the cases, the financier is always responsible for the development of these objectives. This is because the financier knows what should be achieved upon completion of the project. In this project, the Victorian State Government knows why this project is important and what it should achieve when it is finally completed. Developing project objectives is not only meant for the financiers or owners of the project. Every stakeholder has a role to play in this in order to ensure that the objectives developed are smart in nature. The objectives should be specific and implementable within a given timeline. The following are some of the specific objectives that this project should achieve when it is finally completed. This road should be able to link Western Ring Road to Eastern Freeway upon its completion. The infrastructure should be long lasting and able to meet the traffic needs within Melbourne City. The infrastructure should be developed based on the set standards of roads in Australia. The development of this infrastructure should cost this government an amount, which is within the initially set budget. The project should be completed on or befor e the set timeline in order to meet the expectations of the taxpayers. The above are some of the objectives that the project members must work with focus of achieving them. Given that this project will commence in late 2014, it is important for all the stakeholders to ensure that they do everything within their powers to make the project start in the right manner, and that all the needed project deliverables are availed. It is through this that this team will be assured that the project will run smoothly until the day of its completion. The Victorian State Government has a duty to play in ensuring that it avails all the resources that is needed for this project. The project managers also have a role of stipulating the path this project will take, and explaining to the financier all that which is needed to make this project a reality. Justification of the project Meredith and Mantel (2012, p. 71) observes that projects are always costly ventures in terms of the resources needed, and the time that is invested in it. The East West Link Project will cost about 8 billion US dollars. The project will also need about six years to be completed. These are massive resources that this project will consume for it to be completed successfully.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The East West link Project specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The taxpayers will have to meet the costs of this project. It is therefore, important to state clearly to them the importance of the project. They should be made to understand why the project is worth the cost. Making all the stakeholders understand the importance of the project helps in justifying the need to implement the project. In the East West Link Project, the intention is to link Western Ring Road and Eastern Freeway, which already exist. The need to link them emanated from the fact that motorists are forced to spend a lot of time on the road using the existing r outes, thereby creating congestions in the city. The project seeks to ease traffic congestion within the City of Melbourne by creating a new route that will enable motorists to take shorter routes. Upon its completion, the project will ensure that traffic snarl-ups that are always experienced within Melbourne City are eliminated. This will improve efficiency of doing business in this city. It will attract more investors who will consider the city attractive due to improved infrastructure. It will also help in eliminating millions of dollars that is lost every year because of the slow movement of traffic, especially during the peak hours. The residents of Melbourne will have a pleasant experience of moving on roads that are free from traffic jam. The link will be cost effective for road users not only because of the eliminated traffic jam, but also because of the reduced distance motorists will have to cover. Therefore, this viable project can help this city in a great way when it is finally completed in 2019. Project scope When undertaking any given project, hopes are always high from various stakeholders as each individual speculates on what the project shall achieve when it is finally completed. According to Bruce and Langdon (2000, p. 56), it is always important to regulate these expectations by defining what the project scope is, in order to make everyone understand the real intention of the project. Harmonizing the expectations of all the stakeholders is important in ensuring that the outcome of the project is convincing to every individual. It helps in eliminating some unrealistic hopes that some stakeholders may have, and making them know what to expect of the project. It is always the intention of project members to satisfy the needs of all the stakeholders when a project is completed.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Defining the scope of the project makes them understand what to expect from the project, hence increasing chances of the project satisfying the stakeholders upon its completion. This will form part of the success of the project when it is finally brought into completion. In this project, the scope is limited to constructing a road linking Western Ring Rad and Eastern Freeway. This road will be a dual carriageway that will be able to support all types of vehicles. The road will have six lanes. This road is expected to eliminate the need for motorists who are on Western Ring Road to travel to the city center before going to the Eastern Freeway. Those on Eastern Freeway will also not need to travel to the city center before getting on the Western Ring Road. The road under this project will link the two routes directly. This will ease congestion in the city, as it will reduce the number of vehicles travelling to the city center. This project will save time for the road users because it would take a shorter time to use this new road than to go through the city center. It will reduce the cost of fuel for road users because of the shorter distance to cover. The project is limited to developing a standard quality road linking the two highways. Project Execution The Project Management Team The first step in project execution is to identify project team members. In every project, it is important to understand the project members who will participate in various activities within the project. As Nagarajan (2005, p. 27) says, sensitive projects such as those involving infrastructure needs people with necessary skills to undertake various duties. In the development of this infrastructure, there will be a need for civil engineers, designers, among others professionals. There will also be a need to have a lawyer who will constantly ensure that the interests of all the stakeholders in the project are protected. There should be a clear hierarchy among all the project members de fining the role of each project member and their ranks. The following diagram shows the hierarchy of the project members. The above diagram shows the capacities held by different individuals within this project. The project manager heads the project. It is important to note that the Financier of the project, who is the Victorian State Government, occupies a special position within the project. The government falls in a special rank within the project, which allows it to supervise the activities within the project, but neither directing nor being directed by any officer within the project. This means that the financier, who owns this project, will have an opportunity to monitor directly the operations of the project without the feeling that it is interfering with the normal operations of the project. Under the project manager are specialists who are responsible for various tasks within the project. The project team managers will be in charge of specific groups tasked with various du ties in the project. The project members, especially the junior officers will be undertaking various operational tasks within the project. Project team manager will head each group within the project. This team manager must be an individual with the technical knowledge in the area he or she will be heading. This means that most of them will be engineers. Each team will be reporting to the project manager who will then brief the top officials of the Victorian State Government. It is important to note that The Victorian State Government will have its own officials in the project who will carry out various investigative activities within the project and report directly to the top officials of the Victorian State Government. The reports given by the government agents in the project will be compared closely with the report given by the project manager to determine if they agree. It is important to note that the government agents will be working independently to investigate progress of th e project. The quality assurance team will be answerable to two offices about the progress of the project and the quality achieved at each stage. The first office it will be answerable to is the project manager’s office. This must be done twice in every week. The quality assurance team is also answerable to the agents of the Victorian State Government whenever they request for any information. The project manager will be responsible for ensuring that the project members work in line with the overall objective of the project, and in unity. This will help in ensuring that all the intended objectives are achieved successfully and within the desired timeline. Project Costs and Timeline It is important to state project costs and the timeline within which it should be brought to completion. Specifying project costs helps in weighing the benefits against its costs. This way, the client in the project can determine whether another cheaper option can be taken. To the team responsible for implementing the project, it is important to define costs in order to ensure that every item within the project is catered for to avoid disruption. According to Kerzner (2013, p. 45), there are cases where a project fails because there was no precise determination of the costs of the project. In such cases, implementers may come to realize that the amount of money they had set for the project is not enough. It would force them to ask for more funding otherwise the project may be grounded. In order to avoid such failures, defining a comprehensive cost of the project is important in ensuring that the project experiences no financial challenges once it gets underway. In this project, it is expected that the total cost of the project will be about 8 billion US dollars. Project timeline helps in defining project success. Haynes (2002, p. 45) notes that stating the timeline helps in the assessment of the project. The project assessment team will always use the set timeline to determin e if the project is running within the schedule. Every stage in the project must have a clear date on which it should be completed. Any causes of delay that are justifiable should be communicated to the relevant authorities as soon as possible so that they can make a decision on how to handle the issue in time. In this project, it is estimated that it would take about six years for this project to be completed. It will start in late 2014 and completed in 2019 or 2020. The timeline for this project is further stated in the Gantt chart attached. The Gantt chart explains all the activities involved in this project and the estimated time it will take to complete the entire project. Activities to be undertaken in the Project It is at the implementation phase of a project that a lot of attention and concentration is needed. This project is expected to begin officially in 2014. This means that the duration between now and its commencement date will involve a series of planning, and other a pproval activities that will be carried out by various stakeholders. This will need to start by development of a prototype (Field and Keller 1998, p. 89). The prototype will need to be tested to determine its effectiveness and the ability to meet the required standards. The engineers involved in the project will do this. The lawyer will help them by giving advice on relevant laws and government requirements in every stage of planning and project implementation. The lawyer will tell the engineers of the consequences that the project may face when they take a given path. Monitoring and Controlling Process In order to ensure that the needed quality in this project is achieved, a team will monitor the project closely. When a given prototype has been developed, the project manager and the engineers who were responsible for developing the prototype will explain the model to the owners of the project (top officials of the Victorian State Government). These officials will need to approve th e prototype before it can be given green light for full implementation. When these officials reject the prototype, the engineers and all the responsible project members will be forced to go back to the drawing board and develop a new prototype that is acceptable to the project owners. When the prototype is accepted, then the project members will go to the next step of implementing the approved model. When monitoring the progress of the project, the quality assurance team, and Victorian State Government officials will use the prototype that was approved to determine if the project is in line with its objectives as outlined in its plan. Closure This project can be brought to a closure under three circumstances. The first circumstance under which the project can be brought to a closure is upon its completion, which is scheduled in 2020. The project can also be brought to a closure when either of the parties breaches the contract. The third reason for the closure can be when either of t he parties feels frustrated with the project. Conclusion The East West Link Project is very ambitious, and upon its completion, it will help improve the infrastructure within the City of Melbourne. However, the project will cost the Victorian State Government a lot of money to complete. The government will need to spend about eight billion US dollars to bring the project to completion. The project will take about six years, starting from 2014 until 2019 or 2020. For this project to be successful, all the project members must understand the requirements of the project at every stage. All the project members must actively participate in this project. List of References Bruce, A Langdon, K 2000, Project management, Dorling Kindersley, New York. Field, M Keller, L 1998, Project management, International Thomson Business Press, London. Haynes, M 2002, Project management: Practical tools for success, Crisp Learning, Menlo Park. Heldman, K 2011, Project management jumpstart, Wiley, Hobok en. Kerzner, H 2013, Project management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling, John Wiley Sons, Hoboken. Kloppenborg, T 2009, Contemporary Project Management, South-Western, New York. Meredith, J 2012, Project management: A managerial approach, Wiley, Hoboken. Meredith, J Mantel, S 2012, Project management, Wiley, Hoboken. Nagarajan, K 2005, Project management, New Age International, New Delhi. Tonnquist, B 2009,Project management: A complete guide, Academica, Aarhus. This report on The East West link Project was written and submitted by user Punisher to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

How to handle anxiety and stress in the workplaceÂÂ

How to handle anxiety and stress in the workplace   The world of work offers many challenges. We get to learn more about our passions and interests, as well as our strengths and areas for improvement, and it gives us opportunities to mature as we take on new responsibilities, gain professional satisfaction, and chart a course for our lifelong career journeys- all key factors in leading a happy and fulfilling life. However- there’s a flipside to the work coin, which includes the reality that work is not always fun and easy. In fact, for most of us, our work lives can be a serious and persistent source of anxiety and stress, and it’s no small matter: It can affect all facets of our lives- not just our time spent at work- and can have lasting effects on our physical and mental well-being.The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) recently conducted a survey regarding workplace stress and anxiety. Among their key findings:Employees say stress and anxiety most often impacts their workplace performance (56 percen t),  relationship with coworkers and peers (51 percent),  quality of work (50 percent), and relationships with superiors (43 percent).More than three-fourths who say stress interferes with their work say it carries over to their personal life, particularly men (83 percent vs. 72 percent for women).7 in 10 adults report that workplace stress affects their personal relationships, mainly with their spouses. Men (79 percent) report it affecting personal relationships more than women (61 percent).The main culprits of work-related stress are deadlines (55 percent),  interpersonal relationships (53 percent),  staff management (50 percent), and  dealing with issues/problems that arise (49 percent).Does this sound familiar? If so, and you’re experiencing anxiety and stress resulting from work, you’re not alone- and you don’t have to suffer through it with no end in sight.Be honest about itWhen some of us feel the weight of workplace stress and anxiety, our firs t impulse may be to write it off as something else. We analyze the symptoms- everything from lethargy to sleeplessness to irritability and changes in mood and behavior- and make excuses. We say that we’re just tired, or we’re just feeling sick, or even that it’s due to the weather. Basically, we do anything but acknowledge that our stress has a direct and obvious source- our jobs. We also try to rationalize that it’s only temporary, and that things will get better after this project or this â€Å"busy period,† even though it often never does. The truth is, these attempts to rationalize and â€Å"explain away† our work stress and anxiety only serves one purpose- to prolong it and avoid confronting it. The first step in handling workplace anxiety and stress is to be honest about it. This empowering move will help you begin to deal with it effectively.Diagnose the problem(s)Workplace stress and anxiety is similar to other problems in life in th at you need to fully understand the issues contributing to the situation before you can turn the tide and overcome it. When you’re feeling the effects of work stress and anxiety, take a step back from things and give yourself the time to fully understand each and every individual source and symptom that is affecting your life. Often, a â€Å"one size fits all† solution to your workplace anxiety is ineffective when there are multiple sources at play. Once you see all of the sources clearly, you can start thinking about effective individual solutions for each. Often, just understanding the problems can alleviate some of the strain and propel you on the path to improvement.Get helpLike other issues involving our jobs, we’re rarely completely alone in having to deal with stress and anxiety. Help is available- whether or not you choose to ask for it and accept it is your call. Depending on the issues that are contributing to your stress and anxiety and your specific workplace dynamic, you may benefit from taking the direct approach- be open with colleagues or bosses regarding the issues in an attempt to come up with effective solutions. Also, don’t forget that friends, family, and peers can be great sources of help and guidance here- especially if they’ve gone through similar situations. Also, don’t count out seeking the help of a professional. Many workplaces offer help through counseling and guidance services (both in-house and/or outside), and you always have the option of hiring a professional for help, the cost of which may be covered by your insurance plan. The bottom line is that you’re not alone here, and seeking help to deal with difficult issues isn’t shameful or embarrassing- it’s smart strategic thinking!Find outletsWhile there are times we can effectively tackle and reduce our workplace stress and anxiety by confronting it head-on, the truth is, sometimes it isn’t quite so easy. Simp ly put, some of us just have to accept that it’s a facet of our jobs. However, what we do have control over is how we spend our time outside of work, and making time for activities that help us offset the negative impact of our work is always a good idea. Get involved in things you enjoy doing in an effort to alleviate workplace stress and anxiety- finding a fulfilling life outside of work is very often the key to finding happiness within it.

United Nations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

United Nations - Essay Example After the end of the World war one, the League of Nations was formed by the great and victorious powers who participated in the war. The goal was simple, not to allow another war in the future. Due to the failure of the Versailles treaty, all were looking for another organization which could bring stability to the world.The organization had success in solving conflicts between different countries namely The Aaland island issue between Sweden and Finland, Upper Silesia problem between Germany and Poland, The Memel problem of 1923 in Lithuania, humanitarian crisis in Turkey, conflict Between Greece and Bulgaria etc. however the organization faced failures also they were the crisis in Italy in 1919, Teschen problem between Poland and Czechoslovakia, the Vilna conflict between Russia and Lithuania, the war between Russia and Poland in 1921, the invasion of the Ruhr, conflict between Italy and Albania etc are few of them (League of Nations, n.d)The year 1970 was an important year in the h istory of the world as far as relations between countries were concerned. Many important changes occurred in Europe as well as in Asia. The concept of Third World got prominence during this period. The erstwhile Soviet Union, which was a great super power during that period, took initiatives for setting up an international jurisdiction with the cooperation of other countries. G.I. Tunkin a renowned soviet jurist was credited for formulating the first volume of international law in 1970. the law was made by him based on the events took placed internationally since 1917. The main highlights of the law were the nature of legal relationships among socialist countries, principal factors at work in international politics, legal nature of international organizations, international law, foreign policy, diplomacy etc (Tunkin, G.I. n.d) After the failure of the league of nations, a new organization was formed by the world powers after the second world war ,which came to be known as the United Nations established in the year oct24,1945 (Charter of the United Nations, n.d). The general assembly of the United Nations was established in the year 1945, the main objective of the assembly was to become a major policy making establishment of the UN. The general assembly consists of 192 member countries. Normally meeting sessions are generally conducted in between September and December every year (Functions and Powers of the General Assembly. (n.d). The International Security Council, another r prominent arm of the UN comprises of five permanent members. They are US, China, Russia, France, and the UK. It also has ten non permanent members having a term of one year. There is a president of the Security Council who is selected among the member countries holding the office for one calendar month (About the Council. (n.d)). The international court of justice established in 1946 is another important establishment of the UN. The main aim of the ICJ is to look after the judicial matters globally. It is situated in The Hague, Netherlands. The main activity of the court is to settle dispute submitted by member countries as well as to provide advices (International Court of Justice, n.d) East Timor was a small country neighbouring Indonesia under Portuguese occupancy in the year 1975 Indonesian forces attacked the region and annexed it. The conflict forced the Portuguese to withdraw from East Timor on the condition that East Timor should remain a self governing region. In 1991, the Portuguese authorities went to the court against Australia on the reason that Australia and Indonesia had a treaty between them for the exploitation of "Timor gap". The complainant claimed that the actions of Australia for exploration were against the self governing rights as well as other rights of the people of East Timor. The Portuguese authorities also claimed that the treaty between Australia and Indonesia was against the administering rights of Portugal in the area. The ICJ did not entertain jurisdiction in this matter because of the reason that a

Describe, compare and contrast the ethical systems of Hinduism and Essay

Describe, compare and contrast the ethical systems of Hinduism and Confucianism - Essay Example This core belief presupposes a journey of transcendence, of transformation, that ultimately brings the soul to spiritual perfection, or moksha. The idea of the reincarnated soul is intrinsic to Hinduism, which teaches that the atman at long last merges with the great universal soul, or Brahman. Confucianism espouses a more humanistic, temporal view that emphasizes the improvement of human nature through teaching and personal experience. Confucianism is not a Deist religion in the same sense as Hinduism. It is sometimes considered more of a philosophy than a pure religion in the sense that it doesn’t emphasize care of the soul. However, its 6 million adherents have come to regard Confucius as a divine source of wisdom who achieved a form of ideal perfection in his life. Confucianism is a fairly elastic term for a belief system that has been present in China â€Å"from time immemorial† (Sarkar, 1916). In â€Å"Chinese Religion Through Asian Eyes,† Sarkar writes that a man named Confucius was the librarian at Lu and is thought to have compiled, or edited, a classic text in which the ancient Chinese â€Å"Cult of the World Forces† found expression (Ibid). Therefore, Sarkar writes that Confucianism, as it is now known, had actually pervaded China long before Confucius was born. It has since the 5th century A.D. become more like Hinduism in that Confucius himself has been worshipped as a god since that time (Ibid). Confucianism may, in practice, be an intricate system of moral, philosophical and social thought but it has long held the status of a religion in China as Hinduism has for hundreds of millions in India and throughout Southeast Asia. For many, the comparison between the two begins and ends there. Hinduism is, after all, a polytheistic religion with thousands of deities in which reincarnation plays a prominent role. Salvation only comes after the soul is at long last freed from the cycle of birth and death. For adherents of

Minimalism and Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Minimalism and Music - Essay Example The cultural milieu of the first wave of minimalist composers all born in the mid 1930s in the United States was one marked by social upheaval, political revolution, and a new sense of global awareness and connection after the isolationist 50's. This sense of a world stage in which the United States and the Soviet Union were the two antipodes invited an influx of ideas and cultural artifacts from the rest of the world. The late 50's and early 60's saw a massive increase in the number of colleges and universities and the subsequent rise in attendance of those institutions. This academic boom laid the groundwork for the ideological struggles that would precipitate politically, culturally, and artistically. As such, minimalism owes more to non-Western music, jazz and rock than to 20th-century Modernism or any other Western art music, at least that since the Baroque period (Potter "Minimalism"). While their modernist predecessors and their electronic and electro-acoustic contemporaries w ere interested in withdrawal, socially and musically as evidenced by Milton Babbit's statement, "the composer would do himself and his music an immediate and eventual service by total, resolute, and voluntary withdrawal from this public world into one of private performance and electronic media, with its very real possibility of complete elimination of the public and social aspects of composition" . That particular quotation of Babbit's was present in his controversial essay, "Who Cares If you Listen," Steve Reich. believed quite the opposite and suggested that the work that he, Terry Riley and Philip Glass were doing was interested in the public reaction and interested in connecting with a more mainstream approach (Schwarz, 375). The second wave of minimalist composers came later in the 80's and 90's under the rubric of "holy minimalism." This trio of composers included: Henyrk Gorecki, Arvo Part, and John Taverner. Their milieu is also suggestive of a multi-culturally infused, cosmopolitan attitude towards music, with an interest in connecting with the people around them. However, in addition to this cultural context, there is a religious or transcendent impulse in their music that is not necessarily present in the work of Riley, Glass or Reich. This transcendent impulse is also indicative of the opportunity to connect with an audience in a mainstream way, by the utilization of religious imagery perhaps common to many. Stylistically, Minimalism is a response to serialism, free atonality, and aleatory styles of John Cage and other post-war avant-garde musicians (Schwarz, 375). It