Family Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Family - Case Study Example From the facts presented, it may be safe to assume that custody of the two common children shall remain with Susan. There is nothing in the facts which belie any intention on James' part to contest the award of such custody and even granting that he attempts to contest it, the demands of his career and Susan's track record as the primary caretaker of the two children would make such contention largely untenable. As such, we may thus safely assume that custody of the children would in fact be awarded to Susan upon their divorce. Susan's expected custody of the two common children is an important factor that will influence the resolution of the more controversial issues in their case. The issues that must be resolved upon the dissolution of James' and Susan's marriage revolve primarily upon two areas: support and property allocation. In regards to the first area of contention, we further subdivide it into two sections: support for their common children and support for the other spouse. In regards to the question of child support, James may be ordered to provide financial support for the two common children in accordance with Section 23 of the Marital Causes Act of 1973, which allows the court to order a party to the marriage to provide financial support to the benefit of a child of the family. ... As such, it is the duty of the courts to ensure that Susan receives financial support from James so as to meet her own financial needs. Pursuant to 2.53 of The Family Proceeding Rules of 1991, an order for maintenance pending suit may be imposed upon James to compel him to provide financial support while the divorce proceedings are ongoing so as to meet Susan's immediate financial needs. The amount of financial support to be provided for Susan shall be determined by several factors. The amount must not be based solely on her financial needs, but rather on what may be perceived as reasonable and fair, taking into consideration the lifestyle which characterized their marriage as well as other considerations directed towards making the two parties as equal to each other as possible, financially and otherwise. James, as the financially advantaged party may thus be ordered to provided specific payments of financial support to Susan, to be provided in regular periods, and subject to Susan' s remarriage, change in employment status, and other conditions that the court may deem significant in determining whether such maintenance is still necessary.As has been held in White v White (2000 UKHL 54), the overall purpose of the standards set in the Marital Causes Act of 1973 is to promote "fairness" between the two parties involved. This purpose places upon the court the duty to ensure that neither party is left disadvantaged by the dissolution of their marriage, a scenario that is bound to occur should the non-earning spouse be left to his or her own defenses without recourse to the protection of the court. The goal of "fairness" is further elaborated in the recent case of Miller v Miller

Championship Manager Essay Example for Free

Championship Manager Essay Paul and Mark started work on Championship Manager 97/98 in early 1997. One of the greatest quotes ever came from this Oh thisll be easy itll only take a couple of weeks, said Paul, the eternal optimist. It took a solid ten months to get it together and released and that was just the English language version. The Championship Manager 2 engine was brought to its outer limits as nine leagues were combined with the possibility of running three simultaneously almost every part of the game needed to be modified and many improvements were made. A database of some 20000 players and 2500 teams was put together with researchers helping out from all corners of the globe. This final version of Championship Manager 2, released 31st October 1997 at an update price, went straight to number one of the all formats chart and remained in the top 20 for many many months. In the meantime, Oliver, who had taken a well earned rest after 18 months solid work on Championship Manager 2, started to conceive the first ideas for Championship Manager 3. The game would once again be totally re-written. In March 1997, Oliver and new staff member Marc Vaughan launched themselves into the Championship Manager 3 project. After a lengthy three months of interviewing, the right people were found to work on Championship Manager 3. With the team assembled, work on Championship Manager 3 steamed ahead and all involved worked hard to make it into a great game. The game was (finally) released on March 26th 1999 and made history as it was the fastest selling PC Game in the UK of all time shifting over 55,000 units in its first. Championship Manager 3 continued to sell well staying at the top spot of the all formats for 3 weeks and has been top of the PC charts for 11 weeks in total since release. Three foreign language versions of Championship Manager 3 were released in May 1999. The languages included were Italian, French and Portuguese and has proved popular in all these countries as well as all the other countries where it has been distributed.

Macbeth Essay -- essays research papers

Macbeth is an epic tragedy inspiring pity and remorse because the hero, though flawed, is also shown to be human. The play portrays a journey of self-discovery and awareness as both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth pass from happiness to misery. Their punishment is well deserved but the retributive price is enormous. Evil, both internal and external corrupts their minds, distorting their positive traits and exaggerating their worst. Both fall victim to ‘vaulting ambition’, pride and greed, tempting them to acts of treason and betrayal of friends, kinsman and the nation itself. Warfare on the battlefield mirrors the metaphorical warfare being played out between the forces of good and evil within them. Spurred by ambition, supernatural solicitation and by the taunting of his wife, Macbeth deliberately chooses to embark on what he knows to be an evil course. From the moment he listens with ‘rapt’ attention to the witches, he allows himself to be drawn further and further into a vision of hell. The audience accompanies him into a morass of nightmares, ghosts, bloody visions and false prophecies. Abnormal conditions of mind such as insanity, sleep walking and hallucinations demonstrate his moral and emotional decline. We are given insight into their feelings of agitation, anxiety, fear, determination and regret which minimises the horror of the murder. Macbeth’s soliloquies voice his inner thoughts, making him an object of pity as well as a fascinating portrait of evil. A psychological change takes place as we witness the valiant general become a ruthless murderer. Although conscious of this evil transformation, he cannot resist the process. Ambition has become a powerful drug, usurping his reason and will as he lurches towards personal disaster. Brutality hardens him and his misrule brings suffering and chaos to Scotland. Macbeth Macbeth exhibits many of the traditional attributes of a tragic hero. Courage, determination, intelligence and moral awareness are clearly evident in his actions in the early scenes. His reputation is high and he holds a noble, aristocratic position of power and influence. He is introduced as a courageous general, worthy of respect and honour, brave, valiant, noble, imaginative, kind, ambitious, loving and artless. ‘Brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name.’ He is ambitious for public acclaim, recognition and wants to appear great and adm... ...cating Macbeth with his first words "So foul and fair a day I have not seen". His actions unsettle the moral and natural order, consequently his authority is repudiated and overthrown. Macbeth's usurpation is not rewarded "upon my head they placed a fruitless crown, / And put a barren sceptre in my gripe" (III.i.60), he committed an unnatural act. Lady Macbeth's precipitation of these actions is punished accordingly, ironically after the murder of Duncan she suggests that "These deeds must not be thought / After these ways: so, it will make us mad" (II.ii.33). The entire mood of the play is effected by the disruption of nature. Repeated images of darkness, blood, and violence contribute to this tone The vision of the dagger, the murder of Duncan, the murder of Banquo, the sleep-walking of Lady Macbeth, all occur in the darkness of night and evoke for Macbeth a feeling of fear and horror . Again the dramatic verse intertwines the language and themes. The theme of transformation was apparent in Macbeth, the hero esteemed by his peers, however through his desire for power he transformed into a man obsessed with his desires, his tragedy was his downfall

Dark Hart :: Essays Papers

Dark Hart Dark Hart is a fantasy story. It happens in Chicago in the late 20th century. The main characters of the story are Justinian and Lt. Sandra McCormick. Justinian or Justin as he is called has a long past. He was born in England in the fourteenth century, he was a lord then. When the Black Death came he, his wife Gwendolyne and his kids got ill. His wife and kids died from the plague but he survived. He survived because when he was dying a dragon appeared in his mirror and offered him immortality which he accepted. But the price of immortality was eternal service to the dragon. Now Justin lives in his night club in Chicago called Gwendolyne’s Flight. Still serving his dragon master. Sandra is a homicide detective in Chicago. She is divorced and lives with her younger brother Benny. Sandra is investigating strange murders which seem to be comitted by the same person. She has few and very strange clues. She tries to clear her head and go’s out where she meets Justin and gets involved with him. With time she gets closer to the unbelievable truth that dragons exist and that Justin is the murderer that she is trying to find. She also discovers that he can chance into a dragonling (some sort of mini dragon) that has many strange powers. As she gets closer to the truth the dragon gets angrier at Justin for not killing her to conceal the dragons existence and makes Justin feel more and more pain as he delays it. Mean wile Kalsar one of the dragons servant who hates Justin makes it harder for Justin to hide the truth from Sandra. When Sandra has discovered the truth Justin tries to convince her to join the dragon and become immortal. While she is thinking about it Justin convinces her brother to join the dragon and he accepts. When she finds out she gets mad and does not want to talk to him. Mean wile Kalsar tries to kill her to help Justin please the dragon. But Justin manages to hold him of but when she refuses to join the dragon the dragon makes Justin feel so much pain that he cant resist killing Sandra.

DAIJ

Go through this process, writer will be more understand the messages that the author or artist want to convey. In addition, DAIS is actually more to the writer opinion and It can help writer to improve thinking skill from different angles. In DAIS, we no need to create anything and it only need a short of time to write DAIS. On the contrary, design thinking is a process create something that based on our client's opinion, benefit, requirement and condition. The whole design thinking process include empathic, define, ideate, prototype and test.In this process, we need to do a lot of research to collect information before we start designing, for example, observation, interview, survey, analysis data and etc. It will take longer time for the whole design thinking process, because it need times for gathering data, analysis data, brainstorm idea, testing and experiment. In conclusion, DAIS is based on writer own opinion and a process to understand creator message. On the other hand, desig n thinking is based on our clients benefit and requirement. These are the differences between DAIS and design thinking. ) When would you use DAIS and when would you use design thinking? When want to gather some information about artwork or images, I will use DAIS. Because DAIS is simple and suitable to collect data from artwork or image and an understand the artwork in details. When have my own clients who need me to help them solve their problem, I will use design thinking. It is more suitable to understand the need and the way to help my client. C) How are they related? Visualize the relationship graphically. The above image is about how DAIS related to design thinking.The design thinking process is created based on â€Å"the Right Brain initiative† website and then I add the DAIS between â€Å"empathic† until â€Å"prototype†. From my understanding DAIS is included in between empathic until prototype. It start with empathic; collecting data like description i n DAIS, understand our clients and the market trend. Then, define which is analysis the data we get, think from different angle to understand deeper. After that, follow by ideate, it's like interpretation from DAIS. From the view of designer, create something that can related to our clients product, means how to relate our own idea to clients product.Lastly is prototype, present our idea to the clients, try to convey and allow them to judge see whether the idea is suitable for them or not before experiment. This process is like judgment from DAIS. In conclusion, DAIS and design thinking is actually related to each other. Both also have their own advantages and both also can support each other. By using two method at the same time, can make the process more clear and easy to understand. 2. We have discussed a number of problems that needs to be addressed e. G. Single parent, homeless.In one of the tutorials, the different problems faced, research questions, hypotheses and proposed so lutions for single parents was discussed. Would DAIS or design thinking help you to identify better solutions? Why? Yes. DAIS or design thinking have their own step to find out the answer. By following with these step can help me understand and identify he problem easily. Furthermore, these steps can guide and improve my point of view of the problem. For example, we can use different angle to think and to solve the problem. 3. Based on the above, what does Picasso quote on research mean?What does having your own voice mean? Why do We need to acknowledge the source? What would you define as original? Based on the my research, Picasso quote can be define as art-based research can be defined as the systematic use of the artistic process, the actual making of artistic expressions in all of the different forms of the arts, as a primary way of understanding and examining experience by both researchers and the people that they involve in their studies. From my understanding, the word †Å"research† can define as experiment.Picasso explore himself by using art, he using painting to experiment the changing of the color and technique, and how it can change the element and the feeling of the whole painting. As a designer, we are not just sitting there and read data, we always need to experiment different kind of technique to gain knowledge and experience. This is what I understand from that quote. Having my own voice can be define as to stay strong and believe of my own pinion, to adhere my own decision, to speak out what I want to say or have my own freedom. The word â€Å"voice† can represent idea, choices, decision or freedom.For example, a boy making decision on what to study for degree, parent always hope he can go study as doctor, account or some others career that can earn a lot of money, the boy will choose the subject that he is not interest in, it is because the boy do not want to disappoint to his parent. In this situation, the boys voice being cover by his parent voice and he choose to listen his parent voice rather than his voice in his inner heart. We should rye to listen and believe our own voice, because this is our life. Speak out is the only way to get what we really want and what we really need.Based on my research, there are few reason that why we need to acknowledge the source. The first reason is to avoid plagiarism. Since we are borrowing people's facts or document to prove our research, we should be honest to give them credit to prove that we are borrowing their document and not stealing. The second reason is allow reader to know furthermore about the source of material we use. This not only can convince them, but also can help them understand more about what they interest in. The third reason is to enhance our credibility as a writer or researcher.To show how serious and important that this research to us, for example our research subject, objective, argument, ideas, experiment and so on. These are the three main reason that why we need to acknowledge the source. Original can be define as not only new but the very first or one of a kind. From my understanding, original means some object, thing that created by ourselves. It also mean the beginning of something. For example, as an artist, use to create my own anima character when I was free. I will get some references about how my character should act like.Let's say my character are standing, then I will follow those standing reference for my character. The output would be different because with my own art style it will look totally original by me. 4. What have you learnt from the exercise on abstraction? From the abstraction question 1, I had learnt how to think differently and see things from different angle. The meaning and message will change when we change another angle to understand the problem, it can change the tone of our thoughts from negative to positive. This is how those successful people thoughts.For example, create a AD vie w of the word â€Å"HI†, below is the image. As you can see, there are different be;men a, b, c, and d; a is opposite of c, the shape of b and d is same, but b is red color and d is black color. This show that a tiny changes will always bring different. Just like what Richard Bach said â€Å"A tiny change today brings a dramatically different tomorrow'. This is what I had learnt from the abstraction question 2. From the abstraction question 4, there are 2 different things that I learnt when I created an abstract kaleidoscope pattern; one is from Photos, another one is from Sony Vegas 13. . In Photos, I had learnt how to find he Photos tree brush to help me reduce the time on design the abstract art. Then, adding some sketches and TV noise effect on my abstract art. In Sony Vegas 13. 0, I had learnt how use front and side mirror effect to reflect my abstract art. After I reflected it, I added glowing light effect to make it like moving. In last step, is to change the color by using color correction. In my conclusion, had gain new knowledge from abstraction question 2 and 4 which are â€Å"think in different angle† and â€Å"some technical knowledge† in Sony Vegas 13. And Photos. 5. We have also discussed in 3-4 tutorials, what factors would attract the argent audience's attention and leaves them with a wow feeling. Identify these factors and how they are achieved from: a) The activities related to the handout on self-promotion In self-promotion section, we are requested to create a magazine cover that can convey message to the audience. My group are created a magazine cover about Christmas. We separated few step to achieve our goal.First, is to observe competitor's magazine cover, to analysis how they create the magazine, in what kind of style. From our observation and analysis we noticed that most of the Christmas magazine cover is more to the realistic ND warm feeling image. It looks normal and a bit boring with this kind of style, there fore we decide to change it to illustration style. We arranged different kind Of item to form a red Christmas tree on a simple white color layout to catch people attention from different kind of magazine. The spacing and color will emphasis the red Christmas tree.Our objective is to bring back audience childhood's memory and to convey audience to celebrate Christmas with their family. In this section, we learnt how to use the correct art style to promote the product and use the right image to convey message to audience. ) The activities related to the handout on brainstorm (for our clients) In brainstorm section, we are requested to help our client to solve their problem. My group are help a fashion customer to promote his new fashion brand named â€Å"SPACE†. At first, We are trying to understand our client company and his competitor.Then we will discuss with him about his requirement on promoting the brand, such as budge, printing media promotion, location of the printing m edia, the style of promotion, TV advertisement promotion, discount and etc. Based on the data we collect, we will try to search the related information and get some inspiration to create a ester. Based on this section, we learnt how to communicate and handle our client. It is important to do some survey or interview to our client, because sometime our client do not tell us what they really want or need, they confuse and do not understand what kind of information that graphic designer need. . What do you think fun, sustainable design and interactivity mean? Fun, sustainable design and interactivity can define as something that not only can entertain user, but also can deliver the message to user in creative way. With these fun, interactivity and sustainable design, will leave deep impression in the audience mind. User will remember it forever. For example, a horror website game named ‘the house†, this game is created by SHANGHAI. The house is a Flash horror point and clic k games. Player can experience the scary feeling in horror house by just clicking the item in rooms.It is fun and interesting. Remember the first time I play this game is in high school, it really leave me deep impression, until now I still remember this game. In conclusion, a design that include fun, interactivity and sustainable design will always leave deep impression for the audiences. 7. What have you learnt from the various topics covered in the syllabus? Elaborate on three which have impressed you the most. DAIS, design thinking and the process of creating an abstracting art is the things that had learnt.DAIS is one of the method that similar to the previous critique method that I learnt in History of Art. As method before in the question 1, DAIS is a process to gather information and collect data from critique artworks, images or photos. It includes description, analysis, interpretation and judgment. The reason why remember it is because we have discuss DAIS for few times an d we have use DAIS method to solve problem. Design thinking is the second method that always being discuss in lass or compare with DAIS in exercise.I had used this method for my final year project, it is very useful and it guide me a way to solve some of the final year question, therefore it leave deep impression for me. The third thing I learnt in this syllabus is creating abstraction art. The reason why it impressed me the most is because had created an abstract artwork by using Photos and Sony Vegas 13. 0. The process when creating that kaleidoscope pattern is really fun and enjoy. Experiment different effect like changing the color, adjusting the glowing lights effect and editing mirror affliction, this process is like expressing my feeling in art.As a designer or a creator, We should enjoy the process on creating something rather than outcome. In Bruce Man's quote, he mention that â€Å"Process is more important than outcome. When the outcome drives the process we will only ev er go to where we've already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we're going, but we will know we want to be there. † In my conclusion, DAIS, design thinking and the process of creating an abstract art are method and technique skill that I learnt in this syllabus. Both method an be used in any others subject and can use it to solve the problem in future.

Gun Control essays

Gun Control essays Since the days of the pioneers of the Untied States, firearms have been part of the American tradition as protection and a means of hunting or sport. As the end of the twentyth century th use of guns has changed significantly. Because of fas and steady increase in crime and the fight for the right to own a hand gun, the introduction of legislation for gun control, to try to reduce the crime in the United States, has been a hotly debated issue in recent years. Although many people feel that gun control violates the right of the people, given in the second amendment "the right to bear arms", controlling distribution and sales and the registration of guns and gun owners is necassary because of the homicide rate involving guns and the violence by crimanls using guns. Many people feel that gun control violates the right of the people given in the second amendment the right "to bear arms". Opponents of gun control, including the National Rifle Association, better known as the NRA, argue that the "right to bear arms" is guaranted in the second amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America and licensing restrictions penalize law-abiding citizens while in no way preventing crimnal use of handguns. It is also argued that by making it difficult for guns to be bought and registered for the American public there is a threat to the personal safety of American families everywhere. However controlling the sale and distribution of firearms is necassary because of the homicide rate involving guns. IN 1988 there were nine thousand handguns related murders in America. Metropoltian centers and some suburban communties of America are setting new records for homicides by handguns. Larger Metropolitian centers have ten times the murder rate of all Western Europe. For example, in Washington, D.C. there was an estimated four hundred including guns. In additin gun control has been as necassary because of t ...

The major themes in Our Day Out Essays

The major themes in Our Day Out Essays The major themes in Our Day Out Essay The major themes in Our Day Out Essay Essay Topic: Literature Our Day Out is set in inner city Liverpool in the mid 1970s. The fictional school is located in a neighbour with a high crime rate, drug use, prostitution, high unemployment, poverty and domestic abuse. The kids in the schools remedial class are all portrayed as economically unstable, poor and deprived children with different stories which reinforce the key ideas of the play. In 1981 there was rioting in Toxteth, a deprived district of Liverpool of which high unemployment rates were blamed for. The setting of the play acts as a prelude to the riots. Willy Russell adds elements of subtle humour which make the play funny and sad at the same time Early on in the play we are introduced to Carol Chandler who is evidently one of the poorest children in the class when she is revealed to be wearing a school uniform which doubles as a street outfit and a Sunday best, eating half a sandwich and clutching a carrier bag Here Russell is introducing us to one of the focal characters with a description which suggests that Carols family cant afford to buy here a school bag, have to share food and cant afford many clothes. This portrayal of Carol is important as it shows the signs of social deprivation and establishes her economic status. She describes Conwy as somewhere far away, I forget (in response to Les the lollipop mans question as to where the trips destination is). This also tells us she hasnt been far from home before since if shed been to Conwy before shed would know it is only about an hour away from Liverpool. We feel a little sorry for Carol and feel guilty about her having to live like that while our homes are often full of materialistic goods and appliances that we take for granted. When up on the cliff she refuses to return to the trip and wants to stay in Wales. We immediately get a sense of her naivety though it is a quality rather than a weakness and she clearly doesnt mean any harm at all. Carol has another quality of being appreciative of lifes simple things i. e. nature,since she cant posses materialistic products for a small price, this is a quality we all hope to have . She reveals to Mrs Kay-whom she looks to for mentoring, friendship and sometimes motherly love, which she cant get at home that she wants to live in one of them nice places with trees and that and underneath Mrs Kays encouraging facade, she knows Carol is stuck in the poverty cycle and wants to get out. Them nice places also shows Carols lack of education. This is tragic but Carols implicit disorganisation and forgetfulness accounts for the plays humour-I find this technique a very clever and powerful way of entertaining the audience and conveying the reality of these deprived childrens lifestyles. The play also focuses on Andrews, one of Carols peers in the progress class who has a similar lifestyle. Firstly, we learn that he smokes. He tells Reilly (an older ex-progress class student) to Gis a ciggy, in return for opening the window. Willy Russell continues with the theme of social deprivation by exposing Andrews mother as a prostitute when Digga refers to all them fellas she picks up This also tells us that Andrews mother not only has to practise promiscuity but has to risk her life on the streets of inner city Liverpool and we start to worry about Andrews mother putting her life at risk which makes us feel sorry. The aforementioned quote also shows bad education and not being able to speak properly. When Briggs tells Andrews off for smoking, he is told that Andrews mother doesnt take any notice but me dad, he belts me Ironically, Andrews is beaten because he wont give his father a cigarette. Andrews has a nasty life and we take pity and feel empathic but the aforementioned irony accounts for the plays humour, as does Briggs lack of understanding when he assumes Andrews father returns home because he is in the forces, when really, all he wants is the money. This portrayal of Andrews establishes the area of where the school is situated a deprived area and includes individual cases of families struggling to survive. Russell also uses Reilly, an ex-progress class student as a mouthpiece for his ideas and to convey aspects of social deprivation. We learn that Reillys dad works at the docks and hates it. Unrealistically, Briggs tells Reilly to tell his father to stop and take a look around. He may see things different then, an unrealistic expectation. Here we get a view of the docks through two different perspectives. To Briggs, an affluent middle class teacher the docks are historic and something to be proud of. To Reilly and his dad however, they are their means of employment which they have spent their lives trying to get away from. We also learn that Reilly has been motherless for ten years when Digga tells Briggs he cant swear on his mum sir shes been dead for ten years Reilly is in love with Susan, a young teacher in her early twenties who wouldnt go out with Reilly in a million years. Whether Reilly is being serious isnt revealed, but it is possible that Reilly is fishing for Susans money, in other words a goldigger. This possibility shows that Reilly doesnt have enough money of his own, so Russell is making us aware of social deprivation, a theme of the play. Reilly clearly has no respect for people above him in the school hierarchy, which shows lack of education, one of the plays theme. Later on in the play Susan turns the tables on Reilly and makes sudden advances and Russell manipulates the audience into believing she is being serious. She later tells him to stick to his own league and so forms a bond with 15-year-old Linda Croxley, a far more appropriate girlfriend for Reilly. We feel sorry for Reilly but being a motherless child has toughened him up and taught him to survive but his crush on Susan has a lot of comic element so contributes to the plays humour. Mr Briggs and Mrs Kay are focused upon heavily during the play who both have very different views on which teaching method is better for the remedial class. In a conversation with Colin, a young, less experienced teacher Briggs says well you have to risk being disliked if youre to do any good for these children and refers to Mrs Kays teaching method as woolly-headed liberalism. From this we can easily draw a conclusion that Mr Briggs doesnt think about the consequences of ruthlessness and all he is concerned about is positive results. Briggs obviously thinks because the kids missed out on a lot of education earlier in life they need some sort of intensive education technique if things are to be put right. He clearly sees respect from the kids as a nice extra when really it is essential. Also, when Mrs Kay changes the itinerary of the trip and takes the class to the zoo, Mr Briggs response tells us he doesnt want to deviate from the schedule and keep the kids bored, something in Briggs opinion would do the kids a bit of good. Colin later calls Mr Briggs a burke, and from this we can deduce that Mr Briggs is no more popular with his colleagues as he is with the students. On the other hand, Mrs Kay has a far more relaxed approach to educating the kids and a motherly, matriarchal attitude to the children-the two qualities awarding her street-cred with the kids. Mr Briggs sees this as a bad thing (he also thinks she has a motherly air) and he thinks if the antics in her department are anything to go by she always reminded me of a mother hen rather than a teacher. From this quote we can conclude that Mrs Kay is less popular with her colleagues, though the opinions of the other staff on her philosophical view of education are undisclosed. During a chat with Carol on the coach, Mrs Kay puts her arm around Carol and the stage directions at this point describe this as looking like a mother and daughter. Later on in the play she reveals explicitly that she is on the childrens side though this doesnt come as a surprise to the audience. This relationship is important since Carol has to look to her teacher for mentoring and motherly love which she cant get at home. This creates a possibility that Carols family maybe bad parents, socially deprived and not respectable. This reinforces the theme of social deprivation. All of these points establish Mr Briggs and Mrs Kays personalities and define the opposing forces. Willy Russell uses this opposition to manipulate the audience into wondering what will happen to the children with two completely different teachers taking control of them for the day, providing some of the plays humour. It also reveals societys opposing viewpoints about education. Throughout the play, stage directions are used to conjure up more explicit visions of what is going on. They are very important because if you are reading the play the more visual humour is hard to convey with words alone. At the start of the play, in the morning the kids are streaming in one direction. They [the kids] are shoving, rushing, ambling, leering and jeering. Here the strong use of verbs adds to the clarity of the description and leering and jeering suggests that there could be bullying going on. This shows lack of education- the kids obviously dont know what is right and wrong and have a poor sense of ethics (also evident in stealing the animals and taking them on to the coach). Stage directions can also express the humour that cant be conveyed with words alone. Just before leaving the zoo the animal keeper runs up to the coach polo-necked and wellied. Russell could have easily omitted that description but running in wellies is almost impossible. The image of someone running in something hard to run in e. g. stilettos, wellies, ski boots etc. is often used as a scene of slapstick humour- as opposed to the more dry, subtle humour used earlier on in the play. Also, animals appear from every conceivable hiding place and the coach is a menagerie. This stage direction pictures animals swarming around a small area(the coach), scuttling from side to side, jumping out of luggage lockers and generally causing chaos. This scene accounts for the plays humour but in my opinion, it is hard to fully appreciate without a graphical representation. The visual medium of TV allows Willy Russell to use the device of visual metaphor. While the class are in the zoo they are compared to a captive bear in an implicit way and are trapped in different ways. The bear is literally trapped in the pit for visitors and tourists to see and it cant do much, if anything to get out. The children, on the other hand are trapped in a more metaphorical way and stuck at their level in the social hierarchy and in the poverty cycle. From Briggs line dont forget it was born in captivity so it wont know any other life, we get the impression Briggs feels the children should stay working class rather than climb the pecking order to a middle or upper class rank and mixing with the more affluent Liverpudlians, while keeping their coarse and vulgar demeanours. From this we can tell Briggs is politically right-wing and if real, would have been one of the many Britons who decided it was time for James Callaghan to call it a day it 1979. Mrs Kay thinks the children deserve better but is unsure as to which route in life is best for the kids. Russell uses this technique again at the castle when comparing Mr Briggs old-fashioned teaching methods to the archaic, medieval castle-despite the fact he is younger than Mrs Kay, though you wouldnt think so. At the castle there is also a showdown between Mrs Kay and Mr Briggs, and the castle provides the perfect backdrop for it. Mrs Kays idea of visiting the modern zoo goes well with her modern philosophical view of education. However, Mrs Kays expectations of the kids are a bit too low and arent likely to bring out the full potentials of the kids. Conversely, Briggs are too high and are less realistic than Mrs Kays. Although neither teachers expectations are perfect (expectations of a teacher who gives the kids push and support simultaneously would be), Mrs Kays are more appropriate on the whole, and despite being too soft on the kids, Mrs Kay seems to know it is better to under-expect rather than to over-expect like Mr Briggs does because his views of education are far from appropriate and are no better for the kids than Mrs Kays. Willy Russell moves the play to a more dramatic climax which creates suspense-a literary device previously unused in the play. Carols naivety is reinforced by her explicit desire to remain in Wales. At this point Briggs doesnt change in personality but is now powerless and has no way of controlling Carols erratic and suicidal behaviour though knowing Briggs he is probably more concerned about being struck off and a legal inquiry than Carols state of mind and only told her she had hope to avoid the two aforementioned crises. When Briggs changes his ways Russell manipulates the audience into thinking Briggs is changing permanently and he will help the kids catch up and excel in life. However our expectations are dashed when the class returns to the city. When Reilly describes the city as horrible when you come back to it, Russell tells the audience that the children must be used to their neighbourhood after 13-15 years of entrapment in the inner city. Linda is unsure what Reilly is talking about which shows that she was taken in by the trip. Russells message to the audience is that living in the inner city of Liverpool can toughen one up and as a result, enables the kids to survive almost anything. The ending is disappointing yet realistic and Briggs making a fool of himself through singing a ridiculous song in a cowboy hat adds a humorous side to this sombre scene.

Theme in The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind Essay Example

Theme in The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind Essay Example Theme in The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind Paper Theme in The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind Paper The Golden Kite and The Silver Wind The first example from the story to support this Idea of cooperation Is the several mimes the mandarins of each village changed the walls of their villages to resemble some animal or object to overtake the other. The mandarin, whose daughter speaks to him from behind the screen, and the mandarin of Khan-SSL literally run their towns into bankruptcy and ruin from the constant changing of the walls. The townspeople all work together and everything stops so they can build the walls. All the citizens join in to construct the new shape of the city walls. Another example of the theme of working together comes from the presence of the daughter and her father, the mandarin. The mandarin is at a loss for what to do. He listens to his daughter, even though it is unheard of to allow the woman to make the decision. The fact that she must hide behind the screen to whisper to her father leads the reader to believe that a ?womans word was not held to any credibility. Yet the father accepts her words and commands that her suggestion be completed. Even the mandarin of Khan-Is listens to the daughter and accepts her final rebuilding instructions. The final example of the theme of cooperation is seen at the end of the story when the narrator states that all is peaceful and calm and that the two towns once again re prospering and sharing in the support of the other. The people became healthy again and the troubles of before disappeared. When they finally decide to work together, the towns again begin to prosper. The daughter of the mandarin makes the point perfectly. Will make a last rebuilding To resemble nothing more nor less than the wind. And we shall build like a golden kite Together, all will be beauty and co-operation. The story The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind, gives us a great example for the theme of cooperation and how working with someone else can help accomplish more than working against someone else Theme in The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind By kilovolt ?Silver Kite, Golden Wind! Theme Essay We struggle with others when it comes to getting our own way. We argue and fight much more. The story by Ray Bradbury, The Golden Kite, The Silver Wind, is a great The first example from the story to support this idea of cooperation is the several to him from behind the screen, and the mandarin of Khan-Is literally run their towns all work together and everything stops so they can build the walls. All the citizens Join point perfectly. Muff will make a last rebuilding To resemble nothing more nor

Employment relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Employment relations - Essay Example Trade unions are institutions which are constituted for the welfare and protection of employees. Such unions are needed to first identify the major issues faced by the workers and then they should work to find remedies for those problems. Women and minority groups have demands for transformation of unions so that unions incorporate their current issues and raise voice for them. Trade unions or labor unions are special organizations formed by individuals that represent people at work to strengthen the protection of their existing rights, and to raise their voice against any uncivil act. It is also constituted as the union’s duty to protect and improve upon the payment and working conditions of the employees. In addition to that, the unions also campaign for laws and policies for the betterment of the working population. The ideology of union formation is basically rooted in the concept that an individual worker has very little power to influence decisions that are made about hi s or her job. Hence, in order to make the workers have more control of their working conditions, the unions attempt to join them all together so that there is more chance of them having a voice (Sofia-Roth, I. 2010, p.3). Labor unions are criticized in many aspects like the ineffectiveness of their existence, raising unnecessary aggression against employers, provoking employees for unjustified demands and so on. Research has been conducted about the usability of unions and their impacts in addition to checking out the argument that unions have outlived their existence. The global environment, the diversity in the workforce, decentralized structures, flattened organizations and increased employee autonomy suggest that unions are no more required. On the other hand, the cases of labor injustices and uncivil practices are still in practice. Employees still have to face the challenge of getting justifiable wages for their skill and effort, suitable working conditions and social benefits . Therefore, it can be easily assumed that labor unions are still required and are needed to play an effective role in setting up standards and regulations fro working class. Although the unions have not become obsolete altogether, yet they require transformation and modification in many ways. Due to globalization, technological advancements and diverse, multicultural workforce the role of unions should be improved and modified according to new requirements. They need to work on building their image as organizations supportive to both the employees and employers, rather than being taken as bodies with their main focus being on strikes and riots. Women and ethnic minority groups are always being discriminated and undervalued since their introduction into employee market. Even their introduction and entry into the workforce is an issue to be considered in this modern and civilized world. These issues require consideration from legislative bodies, labor rights institutions, social welf are groups, non governmental organizations and the most relevant institution that is ‘the union’. Unions need transformation to adjust and accommodate the needs of women and minority groups in an effective way. It can be done by taking into consideration all those issues which are currently being faced by the members of minority groups and then making policies and strategies to process these issues along with the general labor policies. Although the issue is been discussed and resolved in many ways until now, but its complexity suggests that it requires further consideration in various dimensions and by different institutions. To start with the unions, they must recruit the women and minority group members. It will give a moral support and deeper penetration into the problem to be solved. When the union involves such individuals, only then they can argue that they are working in the best interests of all the stakeholders. Furthermore, it will erase the unnecessary

Songs of Solomon (Bible) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Songs of Solomon (Bible) - Research Paper Example Other scholars views Song of Songs as Israel’s salvation as it has been picturesque in the Chapter 3 of the Bible. It is not foreign in Hebrew literature to represent Yahweh as a lover and the Shulammite girl as Israel. Throughout the Old Testament, the relationship of God and Israel has been compared to lovers, in the book of Hosea 2:19-20, God has told Israel that He would take her as wife likewise in Isaiah 62:4-5 that almost same message would want to be delivered. This paper , however will not focus on the allegorical interpretation of the Song of Songs, as scholars of the contemporary times have presented it from its literal interpretation which reflects the stages or the development of human love. Such interpretation has more value to our current generation which seemingly has thread way from the Christian value of loving and faithful relationship. The Position of Song of Songs in the Bible King Solomon is known for his wisdom which brought him fame and fortune. It made him attractive to women. It was presented in I Kings Chapter verse 11:3 that he had 700 wives and 300 concubines. In 1King Chapter 3:4-10, Solomon asked Yahweh for wisdom so he could identify right from wrong. Yahweh was very pleased that for Solomon did not asked for wealth, long life nor death for his enemies but rather asked for wisdom. And thus, Yahweh gave him wisdom and even the things that he did not wish for. However, he had sinned against Yahweh brought by his womanizing. King Solomon defied Yahweh, to the extent of worshipping other gods and idols. At the end, there was no account that King Solomon ever repented from his sins and submitted himself again to Yahweh in the book of Kings. It somehow reflects that Solomon was corrupted by his fame and glory. Thus Ecclesiastes reflects his emptiness and questioning the worthiness of life. Song of Songs which is an account of faithfulness, lasting commitment and fidelity in a relationship was placed after Ecclesiastes to show th at hope and love have triumphed over sin and emptiness. Interpreting the Song of Songs The first chapter of the book reveals that its author is King Solomon, the son of King David to Bathsheba. The succeeding verses and chapters illustrate the courtship, engagement, wedding and the enduring love that evolve between King Solomon and the Shulammite girl. Chapters 1:2— Chapter 3:5 beautifully narrates the courtship of King Solomon and the Shulammite girl. Though, the Shulammite woman felt insecure because of her darkened skin brought by her taking care of their vineyard. It is significant to note that in this period of their relationship, the Shulammite woman has been very vocal and was the first to express his longing for Solomon. On the other hand, Solomon expressed his deep admiration for her, as he likened her to Pharaoh’s chariot and to a flower Sharon. The following verses convey the blossoming of flower and the passage of winter, which can be likened to the feeling of bliss that young couples feel on the early stages of a relationship. At the same time, the first few verses of Chapter 3 where the Shulammite woman dreamt of losing Solomon clearly reflects the fear of losing one’s relationship and her search for him reflects her desire in having a relationship for keeps . It should also be noted that the opening verses of chapter 1 is related to the concluding verses of Chapter 8. It speaks of the vineyard and the role of the Shulammite’

Social responsibilities of multinational corporations Essay - 1

Social responsibilities of multinational corporations - Essay Example In order to prove themselves right, and cover up their flaws in living up to their social responsibility, a few multinational companies have taken different steps that reflect adherence to their social responsibility. In this paper, I will argue that most multinational companies have disregarded their obligations to respect human rights of their host countries, and have continued to violate human rights indirectly, as they capitalize on the weaknesses in their host’s government systems, and lack of standard rights, while earning big profits in their host countries. Multinational corporations extend their production and marketing processes into different world regions. In the new business environment, these multinationals have a great political and economic influence on the host countries. These exploit the resources and labour in these countries with an aim of making more profits. It has been argued that the multinational corporations in the developing countries do more harm t han good and function there without a social conscience. Most multinationals have chosen to operate in more developing countries because the business standards and restrictions there are less tight as compared to those in the West (Arnold 156). Some scholars have argued that multinational corporations play an important role in the modernization and globalization processes. This argument bases on the fact that these introduce new technology and capital market in the host countries. If the host countries are developing nations, they benefit from all the western assets that the multinational corporations come with. Although the multinational corporations might appear capitalistic, these serve the needs of the society, while pursuing their own interests. These corporations make maximum use of efficiency and productivity, with global operations, and help in the distribution of goods around the world. Some analysts have therefore argued that since the multinational corporations have a gre at impact in the world, their activities, links to the governments, and their general influence on the international system needs to be known (Arnold 156). Trends in human rights continue to change today, and human rights issues have ceased to become matters of the state only. There are more multinational corporations today, and some of the concerns raised about human rights issues come from these corporations. Today, different multinational corporations have been involved in a number of cases concerning their violation of human rights in the host countries. This is not a new happening, as human rights violations by multinational corporations can be traced back to the eighteenth century. The non-governmental organizations today accuse multinational corporations of causing environmental degradation in the host countries, exploitation of offshore factory workers, and the denying employees their right to association and free speech. However, the multinationals argue that they have a ri ght to influence the public policy of their host country. However, these have a negative influence on the country’s public policy, therefore, failing to fulfil their social responsibility (Arnold 155). According to Donaldson, the rights people take for granted in the United States are greatly violated in some countries, and citizens are denied these rights. For instance, results of an interview conducted in Central America in 1987,

Individual Rights and Social Order Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Individual Rights and Social Order - Assignment Example Additionally, it was necessary to safeguard the overall well-being of the community. The Commission also observed that in fulfilling this function, a system of justice tends to possess a divided role. Some of the roles were certain prevention of activities and the apprehension and formal processing of individuals, who have committed illegal acts in the society. According to Beames and Stonehouse (2007), a good society is one that nurtures both social values and the rights of an individual. A significant facet of good societies is that they find a healthy tension between individual needs and the needs of a group. Social order lies at the opposite end of the spectrum from individualism. Social conservatives are more interested in reinforcing the moral order. They prefer legislation use, rather than relying on normative means of impacting the behavior of an individual, to promote the values they hold. Examples of normative means that can influence individual behavior include leadership, moral voices within the society and education. Individual rights is the act of seeking to protect the personal freedoms of an individual within the criminal justice system, while social order is whereby the societys interest take precedence over the rights of an individual. Numerous laws and regulation have been put into place to balance the two sides throughout the American history. People are guaranteed the right to free assembly and free speech. However, those rights guaranteed by the Constitution may be limited when those actions harm others. For instance, when the actions of a citizen become violent, the authorities have a duty to halt the violence ant to shield the society. Governments considered to be democratic promote the freedom value but must also place limits on the freedom of an individual. Actions that might cause harm or alarm are forbidden for the common good. For instance, a person has the freedom of speech,

Research Proposal for a Grant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Research Proposal for a Grant - Essay Example The FBI has completely transformed its operations to better detect, penetrate, and dismantle terrorist enterprisesoverhaul[ing] its counterterrorism operations, expand[ing] intelligence capabilities, moderniz[ing] business practices and technology, and improv[ing] coordination with its partners" ("Fact Sheet: Justice Department Counter-Terrorism Efforts Since 9/11," 2008). Currently, the war in Afghanistan against a combination of the Taliban, insurgent rebels, and tribal warlords has fueled a conflict that few could imagine. The treacherous mountainous terrain of Afghanistan makes fighting in that area even more difficult. Right now, "the Obama administration has grappled with whether to send as many as 80,000 additional U.S. troops to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan or use missile-carrying spy planes and covert military missions to focuson al-Qaida leadersin Pakistan...no decision on the future of the war strategy should be made [till after elections]" (Jakes, 2009, pghs. 10 & 11). In Afghanistan, there is most likely to be a runoff election in November due to the mishandling of the election. Incumbent Prime Minister Hamid Karzai's position is at stake, due to the fears that the war will move to the capital of Aghanistan, with the Taliban taking over. According to Seymour Hersh (2004), there was "a tiny C.I.A. ... troops to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan or use missile-carrying spy planes and covert military missions to focuson al-Qaida leadersin Pakistan...no decision on the future of the war strategy should be made [till after elections]" (Jakes, 2009, pghs. 10 & 11). In Afghanistan, there is most likely to be a runoff election in November due to the mishandling of the election. Incumbent Prime Minister Hamid Karzai's position is at stake, due to the fears that the war will move to the capital of Aghanistan, with the Taliban taking over. In fact, the U.S. offensive in Afghanistan According to Seymour Hersh (2004), there was "a tiny C.I.A. outpost in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, near the Afghanistan border, [where people] watched helplessly as Saudi-backed Islamic fundamentalists-the precursors of the Taliban-consolidated training bases and began to recruit supporters and run operations inside the frontier nations of the former Soviet Union" (pp. 79). Quite frankly, the U.S. still has reason to believe that terrorists, including Osama bin Laden, pose a threat to the United States from both Afghanistan and Pakistan. This is the reason for having launched new offensives in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, President Obama must make the decision whether or not to send another 40,000 troops to Afghanistan. In order to make the world (and the U.S.) a safer place, it is commendable to the U.S. that it might send more troops. However, with a burgeoning national budget deficit of $1.4 trillion dollars, the United States is in a weak position to bargain, especially with its main creditor, China. This opens the U.S. up to even more vulnerability since the U.S. is currently borrowing 80% of the U.S. national GDP. In order to make security better in a

Individual Rights and Social Order Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Individual Rights and Social Order - Assignment Example Additionally, it was necessary to safeguard the overall well-being of the community. The Commission also observed that in fulfilling this function, a system of justice tends to possess a divided role. Some of the roles were certain prevention of activities and the apprehension and formal processing of individuals, who have committed illegal acts in the society. According to Beames and Stonehouse (2007), a good society is one that nurtures both social values and the rights of an individual. A significant facet of good societies is that they find a healthy tension between individual needs and the needs of a group. Social order lies at the opposite end of the spectrum from individualism. Social conservatives are more interested in reinforcing the moral order. They prefer legislation use, rather than relying on normative means of impacting the behavior of an individual, to promote the values they hold. Examples of normative means that can influence individual behavior include leadership, moral voices within the society and education. Individual rights is the act of seeking to protect the personal freedoms of an individual within the criminal justice system, while social order is whereby the societys interest take precedence over the rights of an individual. Numerous laws and regulation have been put into place to balance the two sides throughout the American history. People are guaranteed the right to free assembly and free speech. However, those rights guaranteed by the Constitution may be limited when those actions harm others. For instance, when the actions of a citizen become violent, the authorities have a duty to halt the violence ant to shield the society. Governments considered to be democratic promote the freedom value but must also place limits on the freedom of an individual. Actions that might cause harm or alarm are forbidden for the common good. For instance, a person has the freedom of speech,

Strategic Plan (for school) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Strategic Plan (for school) - Essay Example Within the context of the paper, be sure to address the following components: In making a school prestigious in it's community, the principal, the teachers, and the staffs would provide and give their all in achieving this goal. It may take time, but as long as there is a will, ways will be available. In the past, where a basic degree was considered a rarity, it has now basically become a necessity, and it is to this degree that we shall find our students reaching standards greater than this. Even as we speak, the world is demanding more, and we find the need to meet these increasingly difficult demands. As a school set up for the people of Walnut City, we will support our community, its parents and its students to their goal to excellence in our society. At Apache High School, our students shall graduate and be imbibed with wide knowledge and fine character. (142 words) Apache High School is located in Walnut City, in Arizona less than one mile from the international border with Mexico. It is the sole public high school within Walnut City. The current campus, which opened over 25 years ago, is comprised of several buildings spread out on a campus that mimics that of a junior-college setting. The original plans were for the high school to house up to 1, 000 students.

Archetype Research Project Essay Example for Free

Archetype Research Project Essay Archetypes are â€Å"An inherited idea or mode of thought in the psychology of C. G. Jung that is derived from the experience of the race and is present in the unconscious of the individual† (archetype). Archetypes are central in all cultures across the world and can provide important lessons and outlooks on the common aspects of human life. The journey, is an archetype in which the main character is in search of some sort of truth and typically faces many difficult trials along the way, this can be both physical and mental. While going through these trials a kind of hell is reached and the character must attempt to make their way back to society. Though the journey is not always well liked due to its dark and serious nature, it provides self-confidence and shows society how to react to difficulties they may face in life. This archetype can be found in slightly different forms in the three novels: â€Å"Jane Eyre† by Charlotte Brontà «, â€Å"The Odyssey† by Homer, and â€Å"The Plague† by Albert Camus. Each author uses the archetype, the journey, to express their own thoughts; they create an overall theme or message to influence their readers. â€Å"Jane Eyre† was written in 1847 by Charlotte Brontà «. The novel follows Jane Eyre from her childhood as the family scapegoat, through her schooling at a poorly managed charity school, and later when she becomes a governess and falls in love with her employer, Mr. Rochester. Jane’s journey is in search of the love and acceptance of others, she goes through many trials before reaching her goal. The theme that Brontà « creates using the archetype of the journey is: In times of hardship you must persevere and not lose sight of yourself and your morals while striving to find happiness. This is one of the most important messages that she is sending to her readers through Jane Eyre. She does this by giving multiple examples of Jane’s strength. One example of Jane’s strength is when she struggles to regain her since of dignity and self-worth after discovering, on her wedding day, that Mr. Rochester was already married. This is the most devastating part of Jane’s journey but her reaction to the situation is what builds the theme. â€Å"Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be† (Brontà « 369). Jane is very tempted to just give in to her weaknesses but she regains her composure and continues her struggle. Jane’s strength is also shown when she leaves Thornfield the night after the wedding. â€Å"But I was soon up; crawling forwards on my hands and knees, and then again raised to my feet — ­ as eager and as determined as ever to reach the road† (Brontà « 374). At this point Jane’s emotional turmoil has gone as far as to cause physical weakness. Which, she also finds courage to overcome. Brontà « uses Jane’s strength of morals and self-respect in times of trial to get her theme across to her readers. The importance of her perseverance throughout the novel is solidified in the fact that her suffering pays off in the end with a happy conclusion after Mr. Rochester’s wife is dead. â€Å"I hold myself supremely blestblest beyond what language can express; because I am my husbands life as fully is he is mine† (Brontà « 522). Jane would have been very unhappy if she had given in to her weaknesses before she felt morally sound in doing so. This shows how significant her waiting was in securing her happiness in the end. Charlotte Brontà « used the archetype of the journey in Jane Eyre to impact the reader by illustrating the importance of maintaining your moral standards and since of self-worth through times of trial and hardship when you are most prone to weakness. She has exemplified this through the strength and persistence of her main character, Jane. â€Å"The Odyssey† was written by Homer around 700 B.C. It is an epic that tells the story of Odysseus, a man who must make his way back home from war to his wife and son. His journey home however is delayed by a series of trials and while he is away suitors take over his household. Odysseus has been a role model not only in Greek culture but all around the world. Homer uses the characters reactions to the trials that are typical to the archetype of the journey to show the need for determination, hope and strength in the face of hardship. As Odysseus goes through the many challenges of his journey his perseverance is put to the test. One of these occasions is when Odysseus and his crew are within sight of Ithaca, but the curiosity of his crew causes them to be thrown severely off course and pushed back many days in their journey. â€Å"And I woke up with a start, my spirit churning— should I leap over the side and drown at once or grit my teeth and bear it, stay among the living? I bore it all, held firm, hiding my face, clinging tight to the decks† (Homer 10. 55-58). True strength is shown by Odysseus here due to the fact that it is laden with the dramatic irony of almost reaching your goal then being set back to the beginning. Homer uses Odysseus’s will to continue on and not give up to show the determination needed to overcome a trial such as this. Odysseus is not the only character in â€Å"The Odyssey† that the archetype of the journey applies to. Telemachus, Odysseus’s son, also goes through a journey and discovers darker truths as he searches for news of his father and watches the suitors tear apart his house. â€Å"But for me the gods have spun out no such joy, for my father or myself. I must bear up, that’s all† (Homer 3.236-238). Homer presents Telemachus much like his father, always determined to keep moving forward even when it seems all is against him. The archetype of the journey is constantly full of challenges and often disappointment. Odysseus comments on what he has learned of the nature of life and hardship. â€Å"But then, when the happy gods bring on the long hard times, bear them he must, against his will, and steel his heart. Our lives, our mood and mind as we pass across the earth, turn as the days turn† (Homer 18. 154-157). Odysseus has learned this lesson from experience and his calm warnings and advice on the subject contribute to the theme of the necessity of strength when it comes to the archetype of the journey. In relation to the archetype the journey Homer uses â€Å"The Odyssey† to create a theme of resilience and determination when encountering struggles and trials. This is created through the way that the characters handle hardship with their lives. Odysseus is a major role model whose success and failures can easily be learned from. â€Å"The Plague† was written by Albert Camus in 1947; the novel relates the story of a city falling into and later recovering from an epidemic of plague. Each character has his own personal interests but as the plague progresses and the gates of the city are closed, fighting the plague becomes everyone’s main interest. The entire town goes through an archetypal journey with each characters experiences differing in their own ways. When a group of people is suffering, each person has a duty to think more of the group and less of individual desires; everyone has to try to help others. It is the few people who fulfill that duty who make the difference for the whole of the community in the end. As the first few cases began to arise, nobody wanted to admit the high level of danger that came with them. Due to the town’s lack of experience with the plague things move slowly at first and no one really knows what to do. Despite this confusion and lack of knowledge it is important that there are a few people who are always fighting to make progress. â€Å"No, we should go forward, groping our way through the darkness, stumbling perhaps at times, and try to do what good lay in our power† (Camus 205). Camus shows the absolute need for action even when nobody is quite sure what to do. The town is urged to forget personal matters to devote themselves to following blind determination. After months of plague it becomes obvious to the townsfolk that they are all in the situation together and that they are in the same amount of risk even though nobody wanted to acknowledge it out loud. â€Å"No longer were there individual destinies; only a collective destiny, made of plague and emotions shared by all† (Camus 151). The atmosphere of the survival situation has made personal interests unimportant and the survival and health of the community the main point of the people’s lives. As the city of Oran attempts to regain its stability its citizens sacrifice their personal feelings such as love to go into a survival mode. â€Å"Evening after evening gave its truest, mournfulest expression to the blind endurance that had outlasted love from all our hearts† (Camus 168). People have become so engrossed in the plague and its effect on their lives that emotions like love are pushed to the back of the mind. Camus stresses the fact that in order for a community to endure, personal sacrifice is necessary. â€Å"The Plagues† main theme in relation to the archetype of the journey is that personal sacrifice may be needed in order for a community to go through a journey and still prevail in the end. It can also be seen that hope is necessary when you are faced with hardship even if you are completely lost and in the dark. All three novels, â€Å"Jane Eyre† by Charlotte Brontà «, â€Å"The Odyssey† by Homer, and â€Å"The Plague† by Albert Camus have strong examples of the journey archetype. Each tells a story of trials, hardship, and suffering. â€Å"Jane Eyre† focuses largely on Jane’s personal development and the challenges that she faces in her everyday life. Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s main theme is to not lose sight of who you are when things get tough in contrast to the ideas behind â€Å"The Plague† which call for almost an exact opposite due to the community setting in which the journey takes place. â€Å"The Odyssey† is more about a since of strength and endurance, though Odysseus’s emotions are evident and are very important in maintaining his will to continue trying to reach home, they do not dominate the scene like in â€Å"Jane Eyre† and â€Å"The plague†. The journey archetype is very important in giving people insight to possible life situations. By reading about a characters development while going through a journey it is easy to realize their achievements and failures. This makes these types of situations easier to handle when they come up in real life later on because the reader has already been warned of what to do and what not to do. The main characters of a story focused on an archetypal journey are also inspirational and can provide the same hope and determination by giving people a â€Å"they did this so I can too† type of attitude toward life’s challenges.

Vietnamese culture

Vietnamese culture VIETNAMESE CULTURE Totally this topic needs a wide knowledge about Vietnamese culture. Although I am a Vietnamese but maybe my knowledge is still not enough to talk about everything I want you to know. So, my entire essay is my result in finding from Internet and from my understanding about my country. Actually, there are some words I dont know how to translate into English, and then I let them in Vietnamese. That thing means keep tradition of Vietnam. Thank you for your attention! Some website you can find more information about this topic: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/vietnam/index-1945.html#dien Vietnamese Culture and Tradition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Vietnam http://www.vietnam-beauty.com/vietnamese-culture.html http://www.vietnamtradefair.com/en/vh.htm http://www.trekkingtravel.com.vn/about_vietnam_list/14/1/VietNam_Culture.html http://www.adoptvietnam.org/vietnamese/index.htm http://www.vietspring.org/ http://www.terragalleria.com/vietnam/ http://www.photosbymartin.com/asia/vietnam_pictures.htm http://www.bugbog.com/gallery/vietnam_pictures/vietnam_pictures_door.html http://www.vietnam-photograph.com/ http://history1900s.about.com/od/vietnamwar/tp/vietnamwarpictures.htm I) INTRODUCTION Vietnam has a very rich culture that has been shaped by many different civilizations throughout history. Through many long struggles, the Vietnamese have created our unique culture. Our culture has been influenced by many other civilizations: the ancient peoples that once inhabited the land, the Chinese, the French, and most recently, the Americans and Russians. From all these outside influences, and centuries of war, oppression, and hardship, we have formed, and maintained our culture. The people of Vietnam are hard working and feel strong ties to our families. We are well versed in the arts, and have made several contributions to the world of literature. Aside from our painful history, the Vietnamese people have a culture and many customs, all our own. We can begin with wars of Vietnam. II. BODY: 1. Vietnam wars: We had to struggle many years to take the government back from enemies. Vietnam was split into two in 1954, as part of the Geneva accords. It had a communist government in the north, and a democratic south. A series of events led up to a full scale war between the two countries which included not only the Vietnamese, but people from America, Australia, and other nations. The Americans supported the widely unpopular southern regime, and although in the beginning they attempted to keep their involvement limited, they sent millions of soldiers to war in Vietnam to prevent the spread of Communism. Years of bitter guerrilla warfare in the rugged jungles and villages of Vietnam eventually resulted in a North Vietnamese victory and the reunification of Vietnam. Millions of people, American and Vietnamese alike died in the war, and the country today still struggles to reestablish itself after the damages on its economy, land, and people the war caused. Especially, we have Vietnam war which also known as theSecond Indochina War, was aCold Warmilitary conflictthat may be said to have occurred inVietnam,Laos, andCambodiafrom September 26, 1959to April 30, 1975. The war was fought between the communistNorth Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government ofSouth Vietnam, supported by theUnited Statesand other anti-communist nations. TheViet Cong, a lightly armed South Vietnamesecommunist-controlledcommon front, largely fought aguerrilla waragainst anti-communistforces in the region. TheNorth Vietnamese Armyengaged in a moreconventional war, at times committing large units into battle. U.S. and South Vietnamese forces relied onair superiorityand overwhelming firepower to conductsearch and destroyoperations, involvingground forces,artilleryandair strikes. The United States entered the war to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam as part of their wider strategy of containment.Military advisorsarrived from beginning in 1950. U.S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s, with U.S. troop levels tripling in 1961 and tripling again in 1962.[13]U.S.combat unitswere deployed beginning in 1965. Involvement peaked in 1968 at the time of theTet Offensive. After this, U.S. ground forces were withdrawn as part of a policy calledVietnamization. Despite the Paris Peace Accords, signed by all parties in January 1973, fighting continued. TheCase-Church Amendment, passed by the U.S. Congress in response to theanti-warmovement, prohibited direct U.S. military involvement after August 15, 1973. U.S. military and economic aid continued until 1975.[14]Thecapture of Saigonby North Vietnamese army in April 1975 marked the end of Vietnam War. North and South Vietnam were reunified the following year. The war exacted a huge human cost in terms of fatalities, including 3 to 4 million Vietnamese from both sides, 1.5 to 2 million LaotiansandCambodians, and 58,159 U.S. soldiers. But after all the difficult time we had to struggle, there was one day, when Vietnamese had our independent day. From that day, our country became an independent country, an free country. On 2 September 1945,Ho Chi Minh(leader of the Viet Minh) declared theindependentDemocratic Republic of Vietnambefore a crowd of 500,000 inHanoi.In an overture to the Americans, he began his speech by paraphrasing theUnited States Declaration of Independence:All men are created equal. The Creator has given us certain inviolable Rights: the right to Life, the right to be Free, and the right to achieve Happiness 2) People: Although there are as many as 60 different groups of people living in Vietnam, the majority of the populations are the Viet people. Of the 78 million people living in the country, 85 percent are what we refer to as Vietnamese. They live primarily in the lowlands of Vietnam. Three-quarters of the population of Vietnam live in rural villages. A vast majority of the citizens are rice farmers, and live in the lowlands where there is fertile, easily irrigated soil. Where the ancestors of the Viet people came from is not completely known. They were probably farmers that moved gradually into the northern part of Vietnam from China, and slowly moved south, pushing other native people like the Champa out or up into the mountains as they migrated along the coast. One of the larger minority groups in Vietnam are the Chinese. They immigrated to the lowlands of Vietnam during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Before the war between North and South Vietnam, they were involved in foreign and rice trade, and remained somewhat independent from the Vietnamese people. Later, however; new laws and regulations forced most to abandon their ways of life, and many fled the country. Two other minorities living in the lowlands include the Cham and the Khmer. The Cham are descendants of the Champa kingdom that existed along the central coast for thousands of years. Now there are only about 50,000 of their people left living as fishermen and farmers in scattered villages along the coast. The Khmer, of Cambodian decent, live and have lived for a long time in the swampy Mekong Delta, south of Ho Chi Minh City. They are more numerous than the Cham people. The other residents of Vietnam live in the mountainous regions of the country. They, as a group, are commonly called the Montagnards. In the northern mountains, along the Chinese border, live tribes that have migrated there in the last several centuries. Some of the more common of these include the Tai, Nung, Meo, Yao, Muong, and the Tay. The Tay are by far the most numerous of the northern people. To the south, in the central highlands, are the Rhade and the Jarai peoples. They are descendants of nomads who came to the central coast in the third or second millennia BC, and have since been pushed up into the highlands. Now they live mainly by slash and burn agriculture. For centuries, the mountain people lived in isolation and were suspicious of lowlanders. They maintained only limited communication and trade with the Vietnamese. In the last fifty or so years, Vietnamese people have tried both peace and force to integrate them into their society, and finding themselves in the middle of several wars. Now the Vietnamese government is implementing programs to improve and develop communities, bring lowland Vietnamese people into the mountains, and educate the children of these Montagnards, while still allowing them to maintain their heritage. Vietnam is the 13th most populous country in the world. Its official language, Vietnamese is spoken throughout the country, but dialects vary between the north, south, and center. English is common in larger cities and is taught in schools, and French is also spoken in various parts of the country. Vietnam has an 88 percent literacy rate. Their national script is called Quoc Ngu. It was introduced by European colonists, and utilizes the Roman alphabet (the alphabet used for English †¦ but Vietnamese alphabet has some letters different from English). Nowadays, in a lot of school, besides English and French we can also learn many foreign languages such as: German, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Italian, and Canada †¦ Those languages service to our new economy, we join with world, with other developing country and so on. The Vietnamese people and the many minority groups living with us have created a unique culture and form of society. We have held onto their heritage and pride throughout countless struggles and wars, and are still striving to integrate and unite all parts and people of their incredible country. 3) Food: Typical Vietnamese food varies from one region of the country to another. In the north, spices are mild and no used often. In central Vietnam, food is much spicier, and uses ground chilies often. Foods in the south often include spicy seasonings such as curry. Tropical fruits, stir fries, rice, and soups are eaten all over. The same as almost other country in Asia, rice is the main grain for the Vietnamese people. It can be served plain, sweetened, stir fried with meat or vegetables, added to soups, made into rice cakes, or into flour to make rice noodles or thin rice paper. Rice paper is often seen wrapped around meat, vegetables, and noodles, and then fried to make Vietnamese egg rolls. Rice is eaten at almost every meal. Beef and other meats are uncommon; they are too expensive and spoil easily without refrigeration. Instead, the people of Vietnam eat seafood, eels, frogs eggs, and the occasional duck, chicken, or pork. In the mountains, they hunt birds and other animals, and eat or sell the meat they obtain. Vegetables, grown on plots near the house when possible, include onions, soybeans, bamboo shoots, yams, and other roots. Common fruits include bananas, mangoes, coconuts, and other tropical fruits. Tea, soda, beer, and rice wine are the main beverages. A common sauce is nuoc mam, a fish sauce used to flavor many things, including rice. Dishes of meat, vegetables, seafood, and rice are placed in the center of a table. People choose what they want, and mix them with their bowls of rice. Soups, also with mixtures of meats and vegetables, are also popular. The Vietnamese eat with chopsticks, and raise their up off the table to eat. Vietnam also has a large variety of noodles and noodle soups. Different regions invented different types of noodles, varying in shapes, tastes, colors, etc. For breakfast, people often eat a soup called pho. This soup can contain whatever the cook wishes to put in, but usually includes rice noodles, beef broth, onions, seasonings such as ginger, and bits of meat. Street vendors sell snacks and meals at all times of the day. As people go to or from work or school, they can pick up a bowl of pho, rice cakes, tiny meatballs, and noodles with sauces, candy, or any number of other treats. This food has become famous in the world. It is considered the symbol of Vietnamese food. If you are a tourist traveling Vietnam, that is the food you cant ignore. It has the private taste, so delicious and unforgettable. Vietnamese cuisine is extremely diverse, often divided into three main categories, each pertaining to Vietnams three main regions (north, central and south). It uses very little oil and many vegetables, and is mainly based on rice, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Its characteristic flavors are sweet, spicy, sour, nuoc mam (fish sauce), and flavored by a variety of mint and basil. Currently, Vietnamese cuisine has been gaining popularity and can be found widely in many other countries such as the United States, Australia, Canada, South Korea, Laos, Japan, China, Malaysia, and France. Vietnamese cuisine is recognized for its strict, sometimes choosy selection of ingredients. A chef preparing authentic Vietnamese cuisine may incorporate the ingredients provided in these countries, but generally will prefer ingredients native to Vietnam. 4) Life style: In each region of Vietnam, lifestyles differ, but there are some aspects of life which remain fundamentally the same. The family is the center of Vietnamese life. Many homes support large extended families with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all living under the same roof. Although the government encourages, and rewards people for small families, the average number of children per couple is four. Respect is important in the family. Each person has his or her own place with the father or eldest son as the head of the household, and the one who gets the most respect. Every member of a family must work hard. Eighty percent of the populations of Vietnam live in rural villages scattered throughout the lowlands and mountains. Villages in the north consist of a group of houses with a temple or central building as a town center and social meeting place. Southern villages are houses lined up along a central road. Many houses are built on stilts to keep above flood waters. Many rural families dont want or cant afford to have running water or electricity. People living in the lowlands make money by farming. There are several state owned farms as well as private, family run ones. People grow rice, fruits and vegetables, sugarcane, tea, or coffee. Some families raise livestock for extra money. Along the coast, in addition to farmers, there are many fishermen. People who live in the central highlands and the northern mountains are very self sufficient. They only buy things that they can not make, grow, trap, or hunt. To obtain money, mountain dwellers grow certain types of rice, harvest the rubber trees, and work with coffee and tea. Some are also involved in the illegal growing and harvesting goes the opium poppy. The life of a farmer is hard. People must rise before the sun comes up to get started on their work. They take a break in the middle of the heat of the day, and then return to the fields. Each member of a family has certain jobs to perform. Men do heavy labor like plowing and digging. Women work around the house, and help with the harvest, planing and weeding. Elderly people do light labor. Girls clean, cook, and work in the vegetable garden; while boys carry water, and help the men in the field. The entire family helps out during planting and harvest. Typical clothing worn by farmers is lose pants and shirts (or skirts for some women) that can be easily rolled up and kept out of water an mud. Most people wear sandals or go barefoot. All over Vietnam people wear conical shaped hats called non la to protect them from the scalding sun and heavy rains. The other twenty percent of the inhabitants of Vietnam live in cities. They have jobs just like the jobs people living in cities all over the world have. There are construction workers, office secretaries, merchants, street vendors, teachers, government workers, factory workers, and many other occupations. Cities experience more of the western influence than rural areas do. People wear western clothing such as jeans and T-shirts, and do things like people in Europe and America do. Most families live in small, crowded apartments, or in government housing. The city is very crowded, and streets are often crammed with bikes, motorbikes, scooters, and some cars very early in the morning. Street vendors are all over. One can pick up a meal or snack from them as soon as he gets hungry. Overpopulation is a problem in cities. The government encourages couples to have only to children, but many have more. They are also trying to resettle families into the less crowded mountains. City life is also hard, crowed. Many people must take two jobs to get enough money to support their families. Both men and women work, although men do most of the heavy labor and hold positions of authority. Everybody gets up early in the morning. Work starts at about 7, but before that people are up and about, and in public parks exercising, or at open markets buying the days groceries. Children go to school for half the day; either in the morning or afternoon shift, then go home to work, study, or play. Women buy food and necessities on the way to or from work. Most families eat at about 6 or 7 PM and go to bed at about 10 or 11. Homes are small and sparsely furnished. Straw mats are used for both sleeping and sitting. Meals are eaten on a low table, in low down chairs. Food is often cooked outside, or on three legged wood or coal burning stoves in the main room. In the country, electricity and running water are rare. In cities, they are in many homes, but most families dont have appliances such as refrigerators or TVs. 5) Religion: Although only about half of the people of Vietnam belong to organized religions, religion, and the beliefs arising from religions play large parts in the lives of most Vietnamese. They are often very superstitious, and believe things must be done right, or the family will have bad luck. Most Vietnamese practice ancestor worship. They believe that the spirits of their ancestors come back to earth on specific days, and throughout the year they pay high respect to them. In many homes there is a small alter to the ancestors of the family where they burn incense, have food offerings, and pictures of their deceased family members. Certain beliefs of many religions such as Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, animism and Catholicism are incorporated into the lives of the everyday, not seriously religious, Vietnamese person. Of the people who are members of organized religions, the greatest number is Buddhists. Buddhism came to Vietnam from India, during the Chines rule. This religion concentrates on self improvement and the belief of more lives after death. People must carry themselves well and improve and realize themselves in this life in order to pass on to a better life in their next one. There are slightly different beliefs between the north and south. The members of the Hoa Hao sect in South Vietnam are more radical in their beliefs than members of the more passive sects in the north. Hoa Hao is the largest major sect of Vietnamese Buddhism, was founded during the early 20th century in South Vietnam, and has over one million followers. Catholicism is another major religion. It was brought to Vietnam by the French colonists and has about four million followers. Many Catholics were against communism, and many fled the country when it was split up in 1954 and when it was reunited in 1975. Other Christian churches have sent missionaries to Vietnam, but were not widely adopted. Many of the mountain tribes practice spirit worship, or Animism. There are differences between what each tribe believes. In general, Animism is an ancient religion centered on the belief that clouds, rivers, forests, animals, etc. all have spirits. It used to be believed all over the world, but now only in scattered regions, including the Vietnamese highlands. Confucianism is more of a philosophy than a religion, but it has a strong influence on Vietnamese life. The Vietnamese took many of the Confucian morals and ethics. Confucianism, introduced by the Chinese, teaches respect, honest government, formality, and that people should be rewarded for merit. Another Chinese religion that influences Vietnamese philosophy today is Taoism. A few of the teachings of Taoism are belief in the spirit world, and the importance of how things line up. People must be very careful where they build houses, dig graves, or face doors, or it could be very unlucky. Perhaps the strangest Vietnamese religion is Cao Dai. It was founded in 1919 in the city of Tay Ninh and has as many as one million followers today. Cao Dai was established to bring together the best of all religions. There are little bits and pieces of many religions as part of it. Among its saints are religious figures from other faiths as well as famous people from history such as author Victor Hugo, and comedian Charlie Chaplain. They have statues and icons that are mixtures of important Vietnamese mythical animals, and things found in other religions, with a little bit of their own innovation included. Many seriously religious people are activists. They believe in justice for all, and the government may not completely trust their loyalty, so it discourages strong devotion to some religions. Vietnams diversity of people and religions throughout history has helped make Vietnam the fascinating country that it is today. Religion in Vietnam has historically been largely defined by the East Asian mix of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, the so-called Tam Già ¡o, or triple religion, but today it has become more diverse including other religions such as catholism, etc. Vietnamese Buddhism has typically been the most popular. The country also has a strong cultural norm of ancestor worship as well as animism. This fits perfectly with the triple religion; making it difficult for many Vietnamese to express exactly which religion they practice. Of the three, Vietnamese Buddhism has always been the most popular with commoners. Besides the triple religion, Vietnamese life was also profoundly influenced by the practice of ancestor worship as well as native animism. Most Vietnamese people, regardless of religious denomination, practice ancestor worship and have an ancestor altar at their home or business, a testament to the emphasis Vietnamese culture places on filial duty. Along with obligations to clan and family, education has always played a vital role in Vietnamese culture. In the old days, scholars were placed at the top of society. Men not born of noble blood could only wish to elevate their status by means of studying for a rigorous Imperial examination which could potentially open doors to a position in the government, granting them power and prestige as Mandarin officials. A part we must to mention in this part is temples, pagodas †¦ Architecture in Vietnam today is a mixture of French colonial manors, and Chinese pagodas and temples. Many traditional Vietnamese buildings were destroyed by nature or war. Many big buildings and cathedrals resemble French Gothic architecture. Other buildings have pointed roofs and curving eaves, like Chinese buildings. There are remains of ancient stone buildings built by previous inhabitants of Vietnam. In cities, many buildings contain stores on the bottom floors and homes on top. Homes are small. In rural and mountain areas, houses are larger, one or two room wooden dwellings. 6) Recreation: Elementary schools dont have sports teams, but secondary schools do. The most popular sport is soccer. Schools also have track, tennis, and volleyball teams. In large cities, the government sponsors sports teams in soccer, swimming, table tennis, badminton, volleyball, tennis, and other sports. Children, in their free time, like to play games similar to those played in other countries. They swim, jump rope, play kickball, marbles, card games, and many other games. People enjoy playing musical instruments and having any number of friendly contests. In rural areas, they have competitions in things that help people with tasks that they must complete in day to day life. Although the Vietnamese are not very competitive, they enjoy friendly games and competitions. Teens in the cities like to hang out in the streets, ice cream parlors, or in cafes. The like listening to music, and going to movies, dances, and cafes where they can eat and watch movies. Many people in cities exercise early in the morning in public parks. Thai cuc quyen, a form of slow motion shadow boxing related to kung fu, is very popular among young and elderly women. Martial arts are often taken up by boys. People also attend dance and music lessons. Most free time is spent with friends and family. In the cities there are many things to do, and in rural villages, people are never lost for something to entertain them with. When families go on vacation, they usually go to one of Vietnams many beautiful beaches or to the mountains near the town of Da Lat. 7) Customs: The Vietnamese have many unique customs. They have a great respect for their families and ancestors. Children obey their parents, and wives obey their husbands. Many people practice ancestor worship. They have shrines in their homes where they burn incense for their deceased family members. They believe that they must treat their ancestors well, or bad things could happen. If a special pet dies, a family might bury it as if it were one of the families. People, especially in the highlands, believe that everything has a spirit. They respect and even worship things like trees, animals, clouds, and streams. Sacred animals of Vietnam include dragons, turtles, and more. The Vietnamese are very suspicious. Things must happen right on special occasions such as Tet, or the family will have bad luck. There are numerous signs that could mean bad fortune is imminent. Geomancy is another superstition. It is centered on the belief that all things in the universe must line up. Before the building of any important structures or buildings, geomancers or pepole who understand the principals of geomancy are consulted. Confucianism introduced a strict moral code, formality, harmony with nature, and established a social order centered on society, family, and male dominance. Buddhism stresses self improvement, and greatly influences Vietnamese life. The French colonists brought industrialization, the idea of individual importance, and the equality of men and women. Nowadays, there are a bit of all shape Vietnamese life and traditions. 8) Clothing: In feudal Vietnam, clothing was one of the most important marks of social status and strict dress codes were enforced. A part of that relates to the way people design them. Its art.Vietnamese art shows a strong Chinese influence, but has the delicate Vietnamese twist. Ceramics are common in Vietnam as is silk weaving, and elaborately engraved furniture. A popular art form is wood block printing where a design or picture is carved into a block of wood, then painted. The paint is pressed onto a sheet of paper, and a beautiful picture appears. Mother-of-pearl inlay originated in Vietnam over 1,000 years ago. Pieces of colorful mother-of-pearl shells are inlayed in wooden bowls, boxes, furniture, or other things. Silk screen painting is also popular. Before photography, portraits and scenery would be painted onto pieces of white silk. Lacquer ware, introduced by the Chinese is found all over Vietnam. Wooden objects are painted with black and a design, and coated over and over with a clear, glassy liquid. When the coats dry, there is a glossy layer over the object that protects it from the humid Vietnames e climate. Dragons and turtles are two very important animals in the Vietnamese culture. There are many beautifully crafted sculptures of those and other important animals, people, and things all over the country. Many of these arts have been used in Vietnam for centuries. Commoners had a limited choice of similarly plain and simple clothes for every day use, as well as being limited in the colors they were allowed to use. For a period, commoners were not allowed to wear clothes with dyes other than black, brown or white (with the exception of special occasions such as festivals), but in actuality these rules could change often based upon the whims of the current ruler. The à o tá » © thà ¢n or four-part dress is one such example of an ancient dress widely worn by commoner women, along with the à o yá º ¿m bodice which accompanied it. Peasants across the country also gradually came to wear silk pajama-like costumes, known as à o cà ¡nh in the north and à o bà   ba in the south. The headgear of peasants often included a plain piece of cloth wrapped around the head (generally called KhÄÆ'n Ä‘á »â€˜ng), or the stereotypical Nà ³n là ¡ (conical hat). For footwear peasants would often go barefoot, whereas sandals and shoes were reserved for the aristocracy and royalty. Monarchs had the exclusive right to wear the color gold, while nobles wore red or purple. Each member of the royal court had an assortment of different formal gowns they would wear at a particular ceremony, or for a particular occasion. The rules governing the fashion of the royal court could change dynasty by dynasty, thus Costumes of the Vietnamese court were quite diverse. The most popular and widely-recognized Vietnamese national costume is the à o Dà  i, which is worn nowadays mostly by women, although men do wear à o dà  i on special occasions such as weddings and funerals. à o dà  i is derived from the Chinese Qipao, although it consists of a long gown with a slit on both sides, worn over cotton or silk trousers. It is elegant in style and comfortable to wear, and likely derived in the 18th century or in the royal court of Huá º ¿. White à o dà  i is the required uniform for girls in many high schools across Vietnam. Some female office workers (e.g. receptionists, secretaries, tour guides) are also required to wear à o dà  i. à o Dà  i was once worn by both genders but today it is worn mainly by females, except for certain important traditional culture-related occasions where some men do wear it. In daily life, the traditional Vietnamese styles are now replaced by Western styles. Traditional clothing is worn instead on special occasions, with the exception of the white Nowadays, throughout the lowlands of the country, people dress in loose pants or skirts with long sleeve shirts that can easily be rolled up. In cities jeans and T-shirts are common as well. Most people wear sandals or go barefoot. The ao dai are a traditional garment worn for special occasions and commoly seen with high school girls in Vietnam. The mountain people wear traditional dress made on looms. The material often has a repeated pattern and is decorated with beads. Each mountain tribe has a different style of clothing, and wears different colors. Conical hats, made out of tightly woven straw or bamboo are worn by people all over Vietnam to protect them from the scalding sun, and heavy rains 9, Literature: First, its the trend of music in Vietnam. Vietnamese music has a sad eerie quality to it and is quite mesmerizing. Often it takes the form of poetry that is sung. It is very interesting because the tones of music must rise and fall as the Vietnamese language does. There are three main types of Vietnamese music: folk, classical, and choral. Folk music includes childrens, work, festival, and funeral songs, and is sometimes accompanied by instruments. Classical music, based on the Chinese opera, is played by a large orchestra. Choral music is sung by a chorus with instrumental accompaniment. Common Vietnamese instruments include bamboo fl