Cultural Use of Body Art essays

Cultural Use of Body Art essays Body art, body modification, tattoo, whatever called, it is an art form that is a staple of several cultures across the globe. It is arguably claimed to have existed since 12,000 years BC, with purposes varying from culture to culture and its place on the time line, but there are commonalties that prevail form the earliest known tattoos to those being done today on college students here in Indiana. Though the art is very wide spread, the following will mainly be concentrated on three culture areas, the Islands of Polynesia, Early Japan, and modern America. Body art has been a part of Polynesian culture since people first landed there. From Hawaii to New Zealand to Easter Island, natives have worn tattoos for a variety of reasons. The Maori men have ornate full body markings and even some women have chin and lip tattoos that coincide with their descent. There markings are sort of a family crest, that designates there social status. In Samoa, the Pe'a, a full body suit, represents initiation into adulthood. No matter what accomplishments one might have, the males are still considered boys until their Pea is complete. When a young man is deemed ready to receive the Pe'a, a tattooist is chosen, and the process begins. Once the tattoo is completed, a ceremony occurs which marks the young man's shift from childhood into adult life. Women here have more markings than in other areas. Although not as elaborate as the males, it is still of great importance. They also mark criminals in a demeaning, public ritual meant to discourage others again st crime. The most extensive and exquisite marking takes place in the Marquesas. Some have tattoos with very intricate detail, while others tell a story, and yet others might be very extensive and cover the entire body. The method of marking the skin in these cultures is a very archaic and painful ritualistic process. A needle attached to a bone chisel is fashioned and blessed by the tufuga ta ta...

The Black Death in the Middle Ages Research Paper

The Black Death in the Middle Ages - Research Paper Example The bacillus normally persists as a mild infection in the bloodstream of infected rats. The rat flea, or Xenopsylla cheopis, is the vector which transmits the bacillus to other rats. In unusual circumstances, such as the absence of an adequate rodent population, the flea may bite and infect humans. The human immune system is very vulnerable to the bacillus and the plague is usually fatal1. A study of the origin, spread, characteristics and significance of the Black Death in the Middle Ages shows that it was one of the greatest catastrophes in human history. The origin of the Black Death can be traced through historical accounts to Central Asia: â€Å"The earliest documented appearance --- occurred in 1346, in the Mongol territory called the Khanate of the Golden Horde† in present-day southern Russia2. The plague crossed biological barriers in Central Asia to attack and decimate the marmot population. These dead mammals were skinned by Asian trappers and the hides became a part of the merchandise which travelled down the famous ‘Silk Road’ from China, across Asia and to the Crimea.3 The outbreak is reported to have emerged after earthquakes and strange atmospheric conditions. The pestilence first ravaged the teeming populations of China and India, and moved to Persia, supposedly resulting in twenty-four million casualties in the East. There are accounts of horrendous casualties in China, India, Mesopotamia, Cairo, Syria and Cyprus. Gabriele de’ Mussis, a notary of Piacenza, writes that â€Å"In the year 1346, in eastern parts an immense number of Tartars and Saracens fell victims to a sudden and mysterious death.† ... Tartars and Saracens fell victims to a sudden and mysterious death.†5 The Tartars besieged the Black Sea port of Caffa (modern Feodosia), a Genoese settlement in the Crimea, where Italian merchants had taken refuge. The Tartars reportedly catapulted plague-infected corpses into Caffa, spreading the infection to the Genoese, who in turn carried it to Genoa. By 1348, the plague had moved from the seaports to reach the inland areas of Alexandria, Tunisia, Italy and France. It jumped across the seas to Britain, Ireland and Norway. It continued to spread until, â€Å"By 1350 virtually all of western and central Europe has been affected.†6 The plague moved eastwards to Poland and the Baltic lands the next year and then back to Central Asia in 1353, when it finally subsided. Historians currently estimate that, between 1346 –1353, the Black Death may have caused 50 million deaths in Europe. This constituted about 60 percent of the population. The characteristic symptoms o f the Black Death show it to have been a lethal combination of the Bubonic plague and the pneumonic plague. At the onset of the bacillus’ entry into the human bloodstream, the immune system responded with fever and the swelling of the lymph nodes in an attempt to flush out the contagion. These painful, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpits and groin, were called buboes: hence Bubonic plague. These swellings were referred to as the gavocciolo. Boccaccio states that some of these swellings â€Å"were egg-shaped while others were roughly the size of the common apple.†7 By the third day the victim experienced high fever, diarrhea and delirium and the skin showed dark splotches due to the rupture of blood capillaries and the clotting of blood beneath the epidermis. This darkening of the skin may be the

Illegal Immigration in the European Union Essay

Illegal Immigration in the European Union - Essay Example The Maastricht treaty of 1992 created what is known as the ideology of the European citizens, the aim of this treaty was to incorporate the national identities of the citizens of the EU into a European identity without reducing the importance of the national identity of the citizens. The Amsterdam treaty of 1999 gave the citizens of the European Union the right to vote and also to participate in the elections for the European parliament. The Amsterdam treaty granted human rights to the citizens of the EU and this led to the creation of European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights. It was in the Tampere summit in 1999 that it was decided that there would be certain rights and laws for dealing with the issue of immigration, both legal and illegal. It was at the Tampere summit that it was decided that illegal immigration would be fought against using certain measures that would ensure that the illegal immigrants would be investigated quickly and hence the major goal of this paper was to send back the illegal immigrants to their country of origin as soon as possible. ... Canary Islands is an archipelago that is a part of Spain and it lies west to the African continent and is located at a close distance from morocco though the journey might look very easy but it is a very difficult one especially when the means of transport is not a very stable one. In 2005 around 4500 people entered the Canary Islands through the sea route but in 2006 the number almost grew 6 times when the number of illegal immigrants reached the figure of almost 31000. About 6000 migrants went missing or died and only 5000 people were intercepted by the coast guards. This led the then Canary Islands president to ask the centre for help with the issue of illegal immigrants by setting up a committee to address the problem which he describes as 'critical'. Aden martin, the then president of the canary islands, asked not only thy kingdom of Spain for help but also asked the EU to play its part in controlling this situation because he saw this not as a threat only to the canary islands or Spain but as a threat to a whole of Europe because once the illegal immigrants got through to the canary islands they could pretty much move through the whole of Europe freely as they were no check points because of the relaxation in visa policies for the whole of the European bloc. The problem as illustrated above is indeed quite critical because of the staggering number of people that have been trying to make it to Europe through the canary islands not only risk their lives and more than 10,000 people have already lost their lives but they also pose a threat to every party involved economically and due to the large numbers there are no facilities intact currently to deal with them that leads to the problem of crossing the line with respect to human rights issues and accommodation and

Critical Thinking and Ethics Essay Example for Free

Critical Thinking and Ethics Essay In a discussion of ethics, critical thinking may not be the first term that comes to mind, unless opposing. However in some ways, critical thinking can the foundation, from which an ethical decision is made. This paper will explain the relationship between critical thinking and ethics, how the principles and rules of critical thinking are applicable to ethical reasoning, and if ethical decisions would be necessary if everyone followed the rules of logic. Is Critical Thinking Applicable to Ethical Reasoning? Ethical reasoning is based on the principles of what is considered right and wrong. Critical thinking on the other hand, warrants more of a thought process, causing one to analyze the situation from all aspects before reaching a conclusion. â€Å"By taking the path of a critical thinker, a person develops a mental process of evaluation which helps to determine their ethical standards† (Mnmelillo, 2010, Professional Growth, para. 1). Logic versus Ethical Reasoning The purpose of logic is to find that which is true. Logical thinking processes are often times used in ethics to answer important moral questions. However logic does not guarantee a morally correct outcome. For example, the legalization of marijuana is constantly under debate. Using the rules of logic, one would be able to see both the pros and cons of this argument. Although drug use is considered unethical by US government standards, even for medicinal use, the state of California, has legalized medicinal marijuana. In this particular case or should I say state, the rules of logic did not produce a morally correct result. Conclusion Ethical reasoning and critical thinking are derived from different  processes, although there are circumstances in which one is necessary to reach a decision regarding the other. As with critical thinking, there are no hard rules determining the use of ethics, considering what may be unethical in some cultures, for example, may prove to be ethical in another. Ultimately the use of ethics versus critical thinking or logic is determined by the situation at hand. Reference: Mnmelillo, N. (2010). What is the relationship between critical thinking and ethics? Triad Search Marketing: Professional Growth. Retrieved from http://www.triadsearchmarketing.com/what-is-the-relationship-between-critical-thinking-and-ethics/

Essay --

Candide by Voltaire (Francois Marie Arouet) is a critique of the â€Å"all for the best† philosophy that Christians keenly followed in the mid-1700s. Voltaire is a famous philosopher from the Enlightenment period. He wrote about his perspective on certain issues existent in the world and addressed them in various ways. In Candide, he specifically used French satire to criticize a popular notion of the 18th century stating that all things, good or bad, are for the best. Voltaire himself was an anti-religious man and he rejected this philosophy that all things happen for a reason; this concept seemed highly irrational, unreasonable, and unnatural to him. He felt that it was dangerous for people to think that God has a plan and that if something bad happens in His plans, its still all for the best. He used many utilities to prove his point, including satire and irony. He displayed various themes throughout the story and indirectly targeted his audience with sarcasm. He created va rious characters to represent the different types of people he was targeting. Even the names of the people were satirical. The word Candide, for example, literally means â€Å"naà ¯ve† and â€Å"childlike honesty†. Pangloss, another major character, means â€Å"all tongue†. By doing so, Voltaire was able to play with his readers on every page of the book. Candide was repeatedly put into situations of good fortune only to have that good fortune taken from him by some unexpected tragedy: there was a constant cycle of one good thing happening followed by a bad thing. A good thing happened to fix the previous bad thing, but the bad thing could only be prevented if the good thing never happened. For example, in the beginning of the story, Candide kissed the Baron’s daughter whom he h... ... Enlightenment philosophy or Voltaire’s specific criticisms in mind. It then becomes a very interesting and compelling story. With Voltaire’s notion in mind, one can appreciate the story’s wit and philosophical perspective on the world. Enlightenment philosophers found religion to be irrational and unreasonable and preferred to view things from a more natural perspective; that things do not happen for a reason, they just happen. When they happen, they come with consequences, good or bad, that can or cannot be justified. Candide is both excellent not only in how it utilizes satire and irony, but also because it is appealing to the reader in how it uses philosophy to tell a story. Candide is often claimed to be Voltaire’s best work. It is a philosophical masterpiece that even today can be revered and appreciated by readers years after the Enlightenment era has passed.

Representation of Women in the Action Film Genre – Marion Ravenwood + Lara Croft

In this essay, I will be looking at the representation of women in the action film genre and study the social messages that are constructed and conveyed by the media. The two media texts I will be comparing from are The Raiders of the Lost Ark and Tomb Raider. The female lead in Raiders of the Lost Ark is Marion Ravenwood who is played by Karen Allen and the male lead; Harrison Ford plays Indiana Jones. In Tomb Raider Angelina Jolie plays the female lead, Lara Croft. Marion Ravenwood is seen as a typical action heroine.In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Marion unveils different characteristics about herself; for example Marion tends to be quite feisty. She displays this in the beginning, when we see Indy walking into her bar. Acknowledging that they had a past and that Indy left her, instead of being quiet, she goes and slaps him. Another scene is when she’s trying to escape after she’s been kidnapped and this opens another idea that she does not give up. This suggests that wo men, however stereotypically gentle and calm, can be zestful.However courageous, Marion also has her female traits. For example, when she’s in the Well of Souls and there are dangerous creatures lurking at each angle, she screams and complains. This different portrayal of Marion suggests that she as well as being tough, she can also be a female who’s frightened and needs a man (Indiana Jones) in this case to protect her. She is smart and uses whatever she can find, for example the frying pan, to protect herself and her man with.But at the same time, she’s also always getting into trouble because of her zesty self, for example when she refuses to give the gold medallion to the Nazis and nearly getting killed. Lara Croft is seen more as an unconventional action heroine. In Tomb Raider, Lara plays a British Aristocrat and is seen as a woman who likes to live on the edge and can seem as a quite stonehearted woman as she is very focused in what she does. The fact tha t she does martial arts propose of Lara Croft to be of a manly character by carrying and applying traits that are mostly used by successful.When Lara’s butler tries to get her to put on a dress, she drops her towel to reveal herself, which portrays her a sexual character. I believe that the media wants to convey that women can be seen equal to men and although usually underestimated, they can do a lot more than men can. On the other hand, Lara also is very emotional and we see that this is a great weakness of her, which is used against her. Lara is emotionally unstable by her father’s death and tries to take a big risk in order to fulfill her desire of meeting him once more. We see this when Mr.Powell emotionally blackmails her and offers her By this, we can see that Lara has a very emotional aspect in her, which is mostly seen as a womanly trait is the strongest and only thing which is stopping her to become a man. Lara can be seen as a positive character in the fact that she’s self reliant and successful in it, which Marion doesn’t prove to be. Looking at Marion Ravenwood and Lara Croft, we can see that there have been some major changes in the Representation of Women in the Action Film Genre. In both films, the female character is portrayed in a different way.For example, Raiders of The Lost Ark which is a film that was set in the 1936's showed Marion as a side heroine who was dependent on the Male Lead. On the other hand, Tomb Raider which is much more modern movie depicted Lara to be the main star and was independent and even though had a past, didn't necessarily need a man. As a common stereotype created for them, females were shown as smart but by using their brains – Marion, for example when trying to get Belloq drunk so that she could escape while he'd gone unconscious.In modern times, however women are also shown to be using their physicality and brainpower – Lara Croft could be used as an example as she was known to figure out the correct area to place the triangle and defeated the creatures that came her way. Female leads were much more believable back then as they mostly stuck to the stereotype built for them, however Female leads now are not as believable as they showcase more male stereotypical characteristics, one of them being physical strength.This As times have changed so have women's roles in society, and accordingly their representation in the media. The representation of women has improved as they have moved forward into a more equal society. Hollywood is a reflection of real life, and the point that the representation has improved because of society views, making it easier for the audience to relate in general, has proved this. Also, if an Action film has a male lead, chances are that the majority would be male audience as women are mostly not interested.But if an Action film has a female lead, there's more possibility of both gender audiences, as it would contain a bit of emotional drama that women would enjoy and the female lead would have to be attractive, appealing to the male gaze. This shows that Hollywood imitates what has been going on in the natural world. In conclusion, I believe that women in action films are positive role models if we’re looking only at Marion and Lara. Marion and Lara are both very different placed because of the timings

I Was A Music Major Is For Me - 855 Words

â€Å"I thought I was talented†¦then l I came to college† Can you imagine being told your good at something your whole life, then get to college and not be half as good as you thought you were, or maybe not good at all. Just plain BAD! Ok, I’m exaggerating. I’m being really dramatic, but that’s how I feel at least once a month for at least†¦ never mind. In high school, it wasn’t hard for me to stand out. There was one girl that played the snare drum, one person that played classical piano, one person who competed in pageants and gave out signature cards, and one person that said the morning announcements. ME!! I had it ALL!!! All I had to do was smile, and teachers gave me what I wanted. In college, it seems everyone wants what I want. After two weeks, I called my mom crying saying, â€Å"I don’t think being a music major is for me†. I felt so stupid, as I looked at my self cry on FaceTime. (it wasn’t cute) I was struggling terribly in music theory (it’s improving, I guess) and fe lt way behind musically. However, my mom reminded me that I had to work for what I wanted. (something I never did before). I developed a regime where I practice and study non-stop, which works beautifully. I just don’t sleep or eat like a normal human-being, but it’s whatever. The other day, I listened to Pastor Terry Anderson (via YouTube, he lives in Texas) talk about dreams. He said that everyone has a dream that God has placed in our heart, and we must exercise those gifts/dreams to the best of OURShow MoreRelatedPersonal Essay : A Day In The City1245 Words   |  5 Pagesyesterday, I saw something. I noticed there was a group of individuals setting up a tent, electric keyboard, and a few other things amongst these. It was obvious to me as if there was going to be a local concert in the park. I assumed this would be produced by a group of younger people, but it was led by an older group. 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