Free Essays on Civilizations

Progress The term â€Å"civilization† implies a propelled condition of scholarly, social and material improvement in human culture, set apart by progress in expressions of the human experience and sciences, the broad utilization of record-continuing, including composing and the presence of complex political and social foundations. The accompanying components make up a progress: Urban communities - Man gets settled. Urban communities and towns are constructed, increased and thickly involved dwelling regions are gotten to by winding boulevards and water system frameworks are created to develop the land and develop food. There is a general improvement in the way of life so man remains at home more. Specialization of Labor †Overpopulation urges man to discover new food sources, henceforth, he turns into a food maker. This brings forth the Agricultural Revolution. Likewise, the training of creatures is known as the Pastoral Revolution. A few people are ranchers however a critical part of the populace could now become non-agriculturists and become masters in different occupations. Weaving, earthenware making, metal-work, exchange and development are a couple of instances of specializations of work. Composing - Not just is a typical language being shared, token and ball frameworks are supplanted by level tablets which have wanted data engraved on it by method of proper images composed with sticks. This type of composing was supplanted by utilizing a solid reed pointer known as Cuneiform. In any case, it was difficult to draw pictures with these reeds so images were imagined for each vowel-consonant mix, known as Phonetic images. Without composing, it is difficult to record history. Composed Government †Priests remained at the highest point of these profoundly religious social orders. Sorted out fighting between migrant individuals and settled individuals begins because of Nomadic individuals longing to have what settled individuals have accomplished. Presently advancement of armed forces and local army are required to maintain control. M... Free Essays on Civilizations Free Essays on Civilizations Human advancement The term â€Å"civilization† implies a propelled condition of scholarly, social and material advancement in human culture, set apart by progress in expressions of the human experience and sciences, the broad utilization of record-continuing, including composing and the presence of complex political and social establishments. The accompanying components make up a development: Urban areas - Man gets settled. Urban areas and towns are fabricated, expanded and thickly involved dwelling territories are gotten to by winding lanes and water system frameworks are created to develop the land and develop food. There is a general improvement in the way of life so man remains at home more. Specialization of Labor †Overpopulation urges man to discover new food sources, subsequently, he turns into a food maker. This brings forth the Agricultural Revolution. Likewise, the taming of creatures is known as the Pastoral Revolution. A few people are ranchers however a noteworthy part of the populace could now become non-agriculturists and become authorities in different occupations. Weaving, ceramics making, metal-work, exchange and development are a couple of instances of specializations of work. Composing - Not just is a typical language being shared, token and ball frameworks are supplanted by level tablets which have wanted data recorded on it by method of proper images composed with sticks. This type of composing was supplanted by utilizing a sturdy reed pointer known as Cuneiform. Be that as it may, it was difficult to draw pictures with these reeds so images were developed for each vowel-consonant blend, known as Phonetic images. Without composing, it is difficult to record history. Sorted out Government †Priests remained at the highest point of these exceptionally religious social orders. Composed fighting between migrant individuals and settled individuals starts because of Nomadic individuals longing to have what settled individuals have achieved. Presently improvement of armed forces and civilian army are required to maintain control. M...

Argument. Men and particularly princes Essay Example for Free

Contention. Men and especially sovereigns Essay Contention Presentation  â â â â â â â â â â Men and especially sovereigns should be cautious when settling on their choices and they ought not be worried by the settling on choices that consistently favors their subjects and companions yet they ought to be concerned more on the results of their choices and whether those choices will profit their state. I firmly accept that there ought not be methodology and techniques set to be utilized by sovereigns in managing their companions and subjects. This is on the grounds that various circumstances require to be dealt with contrastingly since the social orders continues changing and hence, sovereigns ought not follow set systems and strategies.  â â â â â â â â â â Princes are decided by their subjects through their characteristics which will make their subjects either to adulate them or to accuse them. In any case, it would be hard for the sovereigns to satisfy all the characteristics that their subjects anticipate that them should have because of human instinct. Along these lines, sovereigns ought to be exceptionally mindful so as to escape from awful notoriety of those indecencies which would cause them to lose the state.  â â â â â â â â â â I concur with the explanation that a quality which is by all accounts an ideals, whenever sought after may wind up destructing the person who chooses to seek after such a quality; while another quality which has all the earmarks of being a bad habit, if an individual chooses to seek after such a bad habit may wind up being progressively helpful to such an individual and to the general public. Along these lines, rulers ought to be exceptionally reasonable when settling on choices since a quality which is by all accounts bad habit may wind up being an excellence, and the other way around.  â â â â â â â â â â Princes can be liberal which is by all accounts a prudence however may wind up giving them an awful notoriety among their subjects. This is on the grounds that such sovereigns perhaps liberal and wind up spending every one of their assets or overburdening their subjects with unnecessary expenses and doing everything conceivable so as to the assets. This nature of liberality may give such rulers a terrible notoriety and his liberality may wind up culpable their subjects in this manner detesting their rulers. Likewise through not being liberal may lead them to give off an impression of being a grumpy person as indicated by their subjects.  â â â â â â â â â â For example, Pope Julius II in spite of the fact that he utilized his liberality to achieve papacy anyway he chose to end his liberality so as to decrease the uses to have the option to take up arms. Along these lines, rulers should utilize any goodness, for example, liberality such that won't hurt them. In such manner, sovereigns ought to abstain from overburdening subjects or getting poor because of their liberality. Likewise, all together for a ruler to abstain from obliterating their standard they ought wouldn't fret being marked as grumpy persons since this would be a key bad habit that would assist them with ruling their subjects.  â â â â â â â â â â Although rulers ought to abstain from being barbarous and ought to be forgiving however they ought to be exceptionally mindful so as not to manhandle their leniency. This is on the grounds that being too tolerant might be mishandled which may prompt issue in a state coming about to expanded wrongdoings along these lines hurting the general public on the loose. For example, in spite of the fact that cesare Borgia was respected merciless, he had the option to reestablish request, harmony and solidarity in Romagna through his pitilessness. In this manner sovereigns ought wouldn't fret being refereed to be savage in their endeavors to keep their subjects faithful and joined together. It would be a lot more secure for rulers to be dreaded than being adored by their subjects. In such manner they ought to effectively guarantee that there is organization, harmony and solidarity in their states regardless of whether it implies taking someone’s life to support their states on the loose. This may result to a portion of their subjects detesting them in any case, this would be less destructive to them and furthermore it would useful to their states on the loose.  â â â â â â â â â â Princes ought not mind much on staying faithful to their obligations to their subjects and in certain conditions the sovereigns should control their subject’s mind with astuteness if this would be progressively more secure for them and furthermore if this would be increasingly useful to their state. Rulers must know about how to manage various circumstances since satisfying their guarantees in certain conditions would carry mischief to them and to their subjects. In such circumstances such sovereigns ought to be shrewd and realize how to misdirect their subjects to abstain from satisfying their guarantees where they feel that keeping their words would carry mischief to their state or to themselves.  â â â â â â â â â â in such manner, rulers are not required to have all the great characteristics however it is significant for them to show up as though they have them. This is on the grounds that having those all characteristics and rehearsing every one of them would bring more mischief. For instance, showing up being devoted, strict, tolerant, dependable and empathetic among other great characteristics would be essential and sovereigns should realize how to rehearse them in various circumstances, in any case, rehearsing every one of them would prompt more damage than anything else as subjects would abuse them to cause issue which may expand the crime percentages which would be unsafe to the states. References Machiavelli, NiccoloãÅ"â‚ ¬. The sovereign. Beauty Fourche: NuVision Publications, 2004. Print. Source record

Remembering Gisel

Remembering Gisel I am heartbroken to tell you that this morning we learned Gisel, a beloved member of our team, died unexpectedly yesterday.   If youve applied to MIT this millennium, you probably interacted with Gisel, who was stationed at the front desk in room 3-108 for the last 20 years. If you called the office, she probably picked up the phone and connected you to the admissions officer on duty. If you emailed, she likely responded.01 In fact, she sent almost 8,000 emails to students, teachers, guidance counselors, and others over the last year alone. More than 42,000 over the last five years. When I tried to go over that, our fancy email server analytics system crashed. If you were an elementary school teacher who wrote asking for a poster of MIT to hang in your classroom to inspire your students, Gisel is probably the person who put it in an envelope and dropped it in the mail. If you were an admissions officer who realized, on the plane to some far flung recruiting region, that you forgot to pack your fact sheets, shes probably the one who shipped extras overnight so theyd be at your hotel in the morning.02 As you can probably imagine, she frequently won OVC Appreciation Awards that staff can give to each other as a thanks helping them out in a pinch. Gisels kindness towards others was not limited to her professional responsibilities. If you were the partner of a new faculty or staff member from abroad, and if you were lucky, you might have been matched to Gisel through the language conversation exchange to help you learn English and acclimate to MIT. If you were someone who had worked in the office and were leaving to take another job, she might have knit you a small beaver to remember MIT by. Her latest, unfinished, knitting project was a tiny Baby Yoda.03 Im not actually sure if Gisel had ever seen anything from the Star Wars universe; she just thought it was cute (and she was right).   a knit beaver gisel made for jessica chng when she left the office (pc jessica) Gisel was an integral member of our team and our mission; our work over the last two decades would not have been possible without her. She was what every institution needs: a maintainer, one of the people who quietly, consistently, reliably04 /spanShe was usually the first one in the office and the last one out. Earlier in my career, I remember once asking a senior colleague what Gisels job was, and them telling me, simply, “well, shes always there.” And so she was; and now shes not. kept the office â€" and the Institute â€" going.   And so I wanted to write this, on behalf of all of us here at MITAdmissions, to publicly thank and remember Gisel, and to honor her kindness, her conscientiousness, and her years of selfless service and warm friendship to her colleagues, to the MIT community, and to our applicants.   I also wanted to explain to our applicants why, if you call or email us in the near term, you may not get quite as quick of a response as you typically would, both because Gisel herself is not around to help as she so tirelessly did, and also because the rest of her team is grieving her loss. To be honest, were all in a bit of shock, and its going to take a little bit of time for us to get back up to full operational and emotional capacity. We appreciate your patience while we do so.   If you have a fond memory of Gisel that youd like to share, please feel free to do so respectfully in the comments below. I will update this post as we have more public information to share on how we might collectively honor her.   Miss you always, Gisel.   In fact, she sent almost 8,000 emails to students, teachers, guidance counselors, and others over the last year alone. More than 42,000 over the last five years. When I tried to go over that, our fancy email server analytics system crashed. back to text ? As you can probably imagine, she frequently won OVC Appreciation Awards that staff can give to each other as a thanks helping them out in a pinch. back to text ? I'm not actually sure if Gisel had ever seen anything from the Star Wars universe; she just thought it was cute (and she was right). back to text ? She was usually the first one in the office and the last one out. Earlier in my career, I remember once asking a senior colleague what Gisel's job was, and them telling me, simply, “well, she's always there.” And so she was; and now she's not. back to text ?

Consequences of the Conquest of the Aztecs

In 1519, conquistador Hernan Cortes landed on Mexicos Gulf coast and began an audacious conquest of the mighty Aztec Empire. By August of 1521, the glorious city of Tenochtitlan was in ruins. The Aztec lands were renamed New Spain and the colonization process began. Conquistadors were replaced by bureaucrats and colonial officials, and Mexico would be a Spanish colony until it began its fight for independence in 1810. Cortes defeat of the Aztec Empire had many ramifications, not the least of which was the eventual creation of the nation we know as Mexico. Here are some of the many consequences of the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs and their lands. It Sparked a Wave of Conquests Cortes sent his first shipment of Aztec gold back to Spain in 1520, and from that moment, the gold rush was on. Thousands of adventurous young Europeans - not only Spanish - heard tales of the great riches of the Aztec Empire and they set out to make their fortune just like Cortes had. Some of them arrived in time to join Cortes, but most of them did not. Mexico and the Caribbean soon filled with desperate, ruthless soldiers looking to take part in the next great conquest. Conquistador armies scoured the New World for wealthy cities to loot. Some were successful, like Francisco Pizarros conquest of the Inca Empire in western South America, but most were failures, like Panfilo de Narvaez disastrous expedition to Florida in which all but four men out of over three hundred died. In South America, the legend of El Dorado - a lost city ruled by a king who covered himself in gold - persisted into the nineteenth century.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Population of the New World was Decimated The Spanish Conquistadors came armed with cannons, crossbows, lances, fine Toledo swords and firearms, none of which had ever been seen by native warriors before. The native cultures of the New World were warlike and tended to fight first and ask questions later, so there was much conflict and many natives were killed in battle. Others were enslaved, driven from their homes, or forced to endure starvation and rapine. Far worse than the violence inflicted by the conquistadors was the horror of smallpox. The disease arrived on the shores of Mexico with one of the members of Panfilo de Narvaez army in 1520 and soon spread; it even reached the Inca Empire in South America by 1527. The disease killed hundreds of millions in Mexico alone: its impossible to know specific numbers, but by some estimates, smallpox wiped out between 25% and 50% of the population of the Aztec Empire. It Led to Cultural Genocide In the Mesoamerican world, when one culture conquered another - which happened frequently - the winners imposed their gods upon the losers, but not to the exclusion of their original gods. The vanquished culture kept their temples and their gods, and often welcomed the new deities, on the grounds that their followers victory had proven them strong. These same native cultures were shocked to discover that the Spanish did not believe the same way. Conquistadors routinely destroyed temples inhabited by devils and told the natives that their god was the only one and that to worship their traditional deities was heresy. Later, Catholic priests arrived and began burning native codices by the thousands. These native books were a treasure trove of cultural information and history, and tragically only a few battered examples survive today. It Brought Forth the Vile Encomienda System After the successful conquest of the Aztecs, Hernan Cortes and subsequent colonial bureaucrats were faced with two problems. The first was how to reward the blood-soaked conquistadors who had taken the land (and who had been badly cheated out of their shares of the gold by Cortes). The second was how to rule large swaths of conquered land. They decided to kill two birds with one stone by implementing the encomienda system. The Spanish verb encomendar means to entrust and the system worked like this: a conquistador or bureaucrat was entrusted with vast lands and the natives living on them. The encomendero was responsible for the safety, education and religious well-being of the men and women on his land, and in exchange, they paid him with goods, food, labor, etc. The system was implemented in subsequent conquests, including Central America and Peru. In reality, the encomienda system was thinly-disguised slavery and millions died in unspeakable conditions, particularly in mines. The N ew Laws of 1542 tried to rein in the worst aspects of the system, but they were so unpopular with colonists that Spanish landowners in Peru went into open rebellion. It made Spain a World Power Before 1492, what we call Spain was a collection of feudal Christian Kingdoms which could barely put aside their own squabbling long enough to oust the Moors from Southern Spain. One hundred years later, a united Spain was a European powerhouse. Some of that had to do with a series of efficient rulers, but much was because of the great wealth flowing into Spain from its New World holdings. Although much of the original gold looted from the Aztec Empire was lost to shipwrecks or pirates, rich silver mines were discovered in Mexico and later in Peru. This wealth made Spain a world power and involved them in wars and conquests around the globe. The tons of silver, much of which was made into the famous pieces of eight, would encourage Spains Siglo de Oro or golden century which saw great contributions in art, architecture, music, and literature from Spanish artists.   Sources: Levy, Buddy. . New York: Bantam, 2008. Silverberg, Robert. The Golden Dream: Seekers of El Dorado. Athens: the Ohio University Press, 1985. Thomas, Hugh. . New York: Touchstone, 1993.

The Environment Was Dark - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 745 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/05/07 Category History Essay Level High school Tags: Industrial Revolution Essay Did you like this example? As children in this time period, we consider school as our job. We go there for 8 hours every day and do classwork. Imagine our school was rarely cleaned and has no heat or air conditioning. We would be miserable. This is how women and children felt during the Industrial Revolution. They also had to struggle with how the workplace owners treated them. Everything was unsanitary and unsafe for everyone. After all that happened during the Industrial Revolution, factories horrible conditions and affected women and children in many ways.To begin, factory conditions during the Industrial Revolution were not pretty. The environment was dark, dirty, full of smoke from many machines, and not safe. Since the rooms were so small, with so many people in it, diseases spread rapidly. This also caused many deaths due to their lack of medicine (Poddar). This was a problem to workplace owners because they would rather pay people wages than pay their medical bills. Many workers developed deformities, such as lung diseases and eye problem, due to the lack of sunlight, physical activity, lack of education, and an excessive amount of dirt and dust from the machines (Hon). The air wasnt good for the workers, but neither was the temperature. Factories did not have heating or cooling, so they had to deal with the temperatures outside. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Environment Was Dark" essay for you Create order If it was cold outside, the workers would freeze. If it was hot outside, the workers would melt. They couldnt even open windows due to the fact that the threads didnt work well when the wind blew (Female Worker of Lowell). This means that no matter what it was like, the workers had to deal with it if they wanted a job and to get paid. Although these conditions seem very bad, women had it worse. Secondly, women working in factories during the Industrial Revolution struggled with how they were treated. For example, women got paid †¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"   sometimes even   of what men got. The reason women were even hired in the first place is because factory owners wanted cheap labor and working machines (Hon). As explained in the previous paragraph, factory conditions were not the best. Since women were replaceable, owners didnt care about the workplace conditions. As for their actual jobs, young women pulled sleds or carts full of coal. This caused lots of childbirth deaths due to the reforming of pelvic bones (Hon). So, not only do they make girls lives miserable, they also mess with the population. Some jobs women took on were watchmaking, candy manufacturing, carpet weaving, rope making, spinning, carding, and weaving (Manual Labor). After doing these jobs during a long day at work, most girls were very fatigued. Besides how they were treated, women were considered to be a big part of the factory labor forces (Manual Labor). Without them, factories wouldnt have been producing as many products as they were. Although women have it tough, imagine what the children have to go through. Lastly, the factory conditions, during the industrial revolution, affected children in America. Children 4 years and older were forced to work long hours in order to support their family (Child Labor). Because of the small wages, it was required in that time period for children to work alongside their parents. Its very wrong for children to live that lifestyle. It should be playing first, then working next (Child Labor). Not the other way around.   During these forced work hours, children filled boxes and pans full of beans, berries, and tomatoes. Even that seemed too hard for them (Child Labor). When they were too small to sit up, workers would put them on their lap or stow them away in boxes. (Child Labor). Thats not even the worst of it. If children working in mines fell asleep on the job, theyd be excessively beaten by the owners of the workplace. The factories conditions also played a factor in the childrens lives. Unguarded belts and wheels from machines were very unsafe for them. Some even compared how they were treated to slavery (Child Labor). In conclusion, The industrial revolution factory conditions affected both women and children in the United States. Factory conditions were very bad during the industrial revolution. This caused Women and children to suffer during work hours. They struggled through the heat, cold, and disgusting environment in factories. Each little thing affected women and children in large ways. Think about how you would feel if these things still applied today? Would you be happy or miserable?

The Simpsons Are Sociologically Savvy a Postmodernist Perspective Free Essays

string(42) " the point of absurdity† \(2004 p264\)\." The Simpsons are Sociologically Savvy: a Postmodernist Perspective Using The Simpsons, a long-running American animated continuing series, as a case study I will analyse the links between audiences, production and text in the creation of meaning. Using a triangulated approach of close textual reading, and theoretical models of post-modernism and queer theory to question the role of agenda setting in contemporary society, I will identify particular mechanisms of agenda setting within this example. The Simpsons, described by Paul Cantor (1999) is a â€Å"postmodern re-creation of the first generation family sit-com† (p738) which can be used effectively to illustrate innovative and radical themes and encourages critical thinking. We will write a custom essay sample on The Simpsons Are Sociologically Savvy: a Postmodernist Perspective or any similar topic only for you Order Now David Arnold (2001) describes The Simpsons as â€Å"an irresponsible text, one rich in associations and connotations [†¦] a self-parodic, self-referential pastiche of previous texts† (p264). I will endeavour to show that despite the fact that The Simpsons is associated with cartoons, which in their very nature are assumed to be childish and frivolous, it is because of all of the above associations that the postmodern Simpsons are useful as a pedagogical tool (Hobbs, 1998) and can be used to teach adults and children various sociological issues including sexual identities and hegemony. The Simpsons lends itself to be a vehicle of a ‘media-virus’ which according to Douglas Rushkoff (1994) can carry [the] â€Å"revolutionary message conveyed in an apparently innocent, neutral package† (cited in Irwin et Al 2001 p254). Such programmes appear to have proven to be the most acceptable and accessible spaces to show such subjects as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (glbt) identities because of their separation from reality. Arnold (2001) claims that the ridiculousness of the funny yellow looking characters who pop up on your television and look almost human, but with crazy storylines and unbelievable un-human like behaviours â€Å"increase their ability to function as satiric signifiers† (p262). It’s because of their unfeasibility, their â€Å"lack of seriousness† that Diane Raymond (2003 cited in Dines Humez) maintains allows programmes like The Simpsons to â€Å"†¦play with themes under cover of humour where those themes might be too volatile or even too didactic for another sort of audience† (p101). The Simpsons creators and writers rely on the history of other shows and they take from them all the best titbits rewarding their viewers according to Rushkoff (2004) with â€Å"a-ha moments† or â€Å"pattern recognition† (p296). Whether it is Maggie in ‘A Streetcar Named Marge’ (1992, 9F18) attempting to rescue her dummy-tit at Springfield’s day-care centre to the theme tune of The Great Escape by Elmer Bernstein. Or when Homer arrives to pick her up some of the babies are precariously perched and watch on, which to the media literate is an obvious spoof of The Birds a classic Hitchcock movie from 1963. The wedding scene from The Graduate is spoofed in ‘One fish, two fish, blowfish’ (1991, 7F11) where Homer bangs on the living room window and shouts â€Å"Marge† at the top of his voice. ‘Lisa’s Substitute’ (1991, SF19), is where we see yet another classic scene from the The Graduate, where the substitute teacher is seen at the front of the class through Mrs Krabappel’s leg which is hitched up on the desk and Bart’s teacher says those famous words â€Å"Mrs. Krabappel, you’re trying to seduce me. Some of the audience, children moreover adults may see the ridiculousness of the scenes as ‘funny’ but may not see the more hidden intertextual message due to their time spent viewing media texts. However David Buckingham (2001) claims that children are more active, and sophisticated users [†¦] that they see much more television and are able to detect and decipher the â€Å"formal codes and conventions about gen re and narrative, and about the production process† (cited in Barker and Petely 2001). These pieces of intertextual fragmented texts have different connotations to different ‘readers’. For example in The Graduate the storyline, for the chief protagonist, was about the coming of age and losing his virginity and the power it gave him, this ‘revolutionary message’ would not be available in prime-time viewing unless such a vehicle as The Simpsons made it accessible through its animation. Ironically The Simpsons was created to be a ‘bridging device’ for The Tracy Ullman Show to cross from the main parts of the show into adverts (Rushkoff 2004 p295). The Simpsons became more popular than the host show and Matt Groening the show’s creator was offered $10m and a 13 episode series at FOX Television (Ibid p295). According to Allen Larson (2004) technological advances, the availability of cable, federal deregulation and corporate consolidation were already in place from the 1980s and 90s but the media conglomerates further assisted the development of corporations like FOX Television which refined prime time sit-coms and the commodification of the audience, they â€Å"re-imagined, and re-exploited profit maximisation† (cited in Stabile Harrison 2004 p56). At the onset of the 90s production costs for a show like The Simpsons would have cost around $600,000 (Mallory 1996, Karlin 1993b cited in Stabile Harrison p56) and so attention to attracting the widest demographic was crucial. Merchandising to children was the future as the cable-age children had already become consumers and so the conglomerates â€Å"turned the full force of their attention towards maximising the potential revenue streams provided by children†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ibid pp57-59). USA Today reported in 2009 that in the previous year â€Å"Consumers worldwide spent more than $750 million on Simpsons-related licensed merchandise [†¦]† (Lieberman, 2009). Television programming is not only programming the viewer’s sets but the viewers themselves in order to sell them a product (Rushkoff 2004, p293) [†¦] which would prove why â€Å"advertisers spent $314. 8 million [in 2008] on the prime-time show on Fox and reruns that local stations air†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Lieberman, 2009). Postmodernism points toward the fact that we no longer create anything other than the texts made up from the materials which already existed and we patch them together to make fun of that which is present and now. Furthermore there is a notion of ‘it doesn’t get any better than this’ The Simpsons uses all the good bits from the past to fill the present, history is no longer being made it could be perceived. Arnold claims that The Simpsons â€Å"†¦lampoon and amplifies that culture’s foibles up to and beyond the point of absurdity† (2004 p264). You read "The Simpsons Are Sociologically Savvy: a Postmodernist Perspective" in category "Essay examples" Jameson is in agreement (1984 and 1991) he insists that postmodernism has a â€Å"new depthlessness† and that globalised late capitalism does not allow for the text to be critically analysed but commodified and consumed. Jameson states that â€Å"they no longer simply ‘quote,’ as a Joyce or a Mahler might have done, but incorporate into their very substance† (1991 p3). Intertextual referencing is key to how The Simpsons works as a postmodern text, although legible to the avid reader of texts, a certain amount of media literacy is required which has taken many decades to achieve, leaving the adult to appreciate the intertextuality of high culture embedded in the ‘funny animation’. The timing with which The Simpsons emerged into mainstream television has proven to be crucial- The Simpsons could not have thrived on prime-time network television unless it was embraced by an audience so advanced in â€Å"TV literacy† that they are able to recognize and relish the signs and symbols from TV culture which the show continuously throws at them (Bj? rnsson 2006). In various episodes The Simpsons have portrayed many sociological concepts, for example; Aging and health in ‘Stark Raving Dad’ (1991, 7F24); Class and socioeconomic status in ‘Burns’ Heir’ (1994, 1F16); Crime law and criminal justice in ‘Homer the Vigilante’ (1F09). Homer has dealt with the urge to cheat on his wife Marge ‘The Last Temptation of Homer’ and ‘Life on The Fast Lane’ (1993, IF07 1990, 7G11). The horror of war was tackled in ‘The Principal and the Pauper’ (1997, 4F23) and homosexuality in ‘Homer’s Phobia’ (1997, 4F11) (The Simpsons Archive, 2010). It is this last issue of other sexual identities in The Simpsons which I will be analysing using queer theory as an analytical framework. â€Å"Queer is a category in flux† according to Raymond (2003, cited in Dines Humez p98). Historically the term was used in a negative or derogatory manner, although most recently the term is used to identify marginalised identities such as gay, lesbian bisexual and transgender (glbt). Queer theory identifies â€Å"a body of knowledge connected to but not identical with lesbian/gay studies† (Ibid p98). According to Raymond (2003) queer theory emerged in the 1960s and 1970s and â€Å"unlike their earlier theoretical forebears like Marxism and feminism †¦ [do not demand] exclusive theoretical allegiance or hegemony (Ibid p99). Instead it asks; what is the point in asking why someone is gay? Or what is the function the question of causation serves in the culture and in ideology? † Queer theorists look less at the nature/nurture argument of Charles Darwin and in addition ask that we see the term as ‘fluid’ and not ‘fixed’. ‘Homer’s Phobia’ (1997, 4F11) looks at Homer and his homophobic behaviour when he meets and befriends a gay man John who is voiced by writer and director John Waters of the critically acclaimed and very camp film ‘Hairspray’. John sells kitsch collectibles in a shopping mall and enjoys chatting to his customers. John tries to explain to Homer what ‘camp’ means when he is showing him around the shop which Homer doesn’t understand. To explain John says that camp is â€Å"The tragically ludicrous? The ludicrously tragic? † When Homer still doesn’t get it, he adds â€Å"†¦more like inflatable furniture or Last Supper TV trays† The penny finally drops as Homer has made a connection, albeit a financial one, and replies â€Å"and that kinda stuff is worth money? †¦Man you should come over to our place †¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"It’s full of valuable worthless crap†. John’s views â€Å"echoes cultural critic Andrew Ross’ argument that camp is primarily concerned with reconstituting history’s trash as reasure† (Cunningham 2003). Ross (1989) writes â€Å"The knowledge about history is the precise moment when camp takes over, because camp involves a rediscovery of history’s waste† (p151, cited in Cunningham 2003). This piece also serves to confirm Medhurst’s claim that camp â€Å"is now absolutely everywhere† (1997 p289 cited in Sullivan, p194) and so Homer has become completely blind to it. Homer has not realised John is gay even though there have been quite a few stereotypical ‘a-ha moments’ (Rushkoff, p296) or ‘knowing nods’ to his sexual identity. John has knowledge of female Hollywood actresses and gossip, an appreciation of Marge’s hair John even answers in a ‘camp’ manner with â€Å"my heart is palpitating, hoo hoo†. Marge conversely has determined John’s sexual identity and later, at home, informs Homer of it (much to his disgust). This may signal that the producers are aware of how different people have different ‘cultural capital’ (Bourdieu, 1977) or that Marge and women for that matter are more adept at reading the signals in media-represented images of sexual identities and can see the signifiers due to the time spent watching television. It may also signify the ways in which gay men have been ‘reduced’ to the status of women i. e. engaging in tittle-tattle and pointing out good hair-dos. According to Gross (1995) misinformation and gay stereotyping in the media is due to â€Å"lack of first-hand knowledge of gays and lesbians† (cited in Raymond 2003). Media texts are ‘polysemic’, meaning they have many meanings to many people, although Stuart Hall (1980) states the texts do not have an infinite number of interpretations as they â€Å"remain structured in dominance†. Nicholas Abercrombie (1996) claims that â€Å"audiences are not blank pieces of paper†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (p140 cited in Hanes 2000). Reception Studies agree that the meaning is not inherent within the text itself and that the audience create the meanings using their own cultural capital. Morley’s reception study ‘Nationwide’ in 1980 will attest to this fact. In 1992 Morley revisited his ‘Nationwide’ study and found that there were â€Å"totally contradictory readings of the same programme item [†¦]†. There are many criticisms of reception theories, Morley himself states that â€Å"it shows an understanding of the micro-process of consumption†¦and without reference to the broader cultural question†¦ [which is then] of only limited value† (1992, p272). Signs of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (glbt) identities are clearly shown in The Simpsons; in ‘Homer’s Phobia’ (1997, 4F11) Roscoe and his fellow workers at the ‘Springfield Steel Mill’ are openly gay and host ‘gay discos’ after working hours. The scene in the mill looks like a ‘guerrilla attack’ where hundreds of gay men have descended on the unsuspecting Simpsons to make them feel like the minority in the ‘queered space’. ‘Guerrilla tactics’ like ‘queering’ are seen in America where glbt people gather in an unsuspecting venue. The venue would commonly be frequented by mainly heterosexuals, the dominant sexual identity. With a flood of glbt patrons the glbt have changed their position to a dominant one within that space. This encourages the audience to see what it must feel like to be in the minority, but also highlights that there are other sexual identities, that heterosexuality is not superior and that gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people live in your street, work in your factories, they have worthwhile jobs contributing to society just like heterosexual people. Queering’ extends to texts too as shown above and also in ‘Three Gays of the Condo’ (2003, EABF12) where Homer shared a room with Grady and Julio who were both openly gay. Glbt identities are also hidden, for example Judge Constance Harm is transgender in ‘The Parent Rap’ (2001, CABF22) the judge refers to ‘once being a man’. There are also the characters such as Waylon Smithers and Dewey Largo who are still in the closet and all of these stories offer viewers a little ‘queer pleasure’. In ‘My Fair Laddy’ Brunella Pommelhorst the gym teacher at Bart’s school tells her students she will return in the next semester as Mr Pommelhorst the new shop teacher (2006, HABF05). Marge’s sister Patty who ‘comes out’ to her in when Springfield became a same-sex-marriage tolerant town to bring in much needed revenue (after Bart brings it into disrepute). Agenda setting in the media is made accessible in The Simpsons and can be seen especially in ‘There’s Something about Marrying’ (2005, 16E10). Mayor Quimby in a speech says he is â€Å"happy to legalise gay money†¦ I mean ah gay marriage†. This may be in response to an article reported by Catherine Donaldson-Evans (2004) written for FOXNEWS. com that states â€Å"Recognizing same-sex couples and families as an emerging market, large corporations have begun targeting the demographic in their ads† [†¦] [the ads are] focused on the micro-lifestyles of the consumers, and same-sex families are a micro-lifestyle. † This clearly shows the emergent culture of commodification of sexual identity. ‘There’s Something About Marrying’ (2005 16E10) which is a clear intertextual reference to the film There’s something about Mary which itself may also be pointing out through the use of intertextuality the name given to Gay men i. e. ‘Marys’ or ‘little-Marys’) was it seems written in response to the controversy in America over gay marriages which was â€Å"a particularly hot topic in the US [at the moment] during election campaigning† (BBC 2004). In February 2004 â€Å"President Bush announced his support for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, saying he wants to stop activist judges from changing the definition of the â€Å"most enduring human institution† (Huus, 2004). This makes for a difficult position to be in as a queer viewer. Jacqueline Rose (1986) has noted, â€Å"The relationship between viewer and scene is always one of fracture, partial identification, pleasure and distrust† (p227 cited in Raymond, 2003, p100). The Simpsons are not subversive or anti-family, in fact they are probably quite conservative Homer attempts to vote for Democrat Barack Obama in ‘Treehouse of Horror XIX’ (S20E04, 2008) however the machine would not allow him and instead registered his vote for John McCain a Republican â€Å"in a humorous take on the allegations of voter fraud that [had] occurred in prior elections† (Stelter, 2008). How to cite The Simpsons Are Sociologically Savvy: a Postmodernist Perspective, Essay examples

Why is education so important free essay sample

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. Benjamin Franklin A direct effect of education is knowledge gain. Education gives us knowledge of the world around. It develops in us a perspective of looking at life. It helps us form opinions and develop a point of view. The information we are constantly bombarded with, cannot be converted into knowledge without the catalyst called education. Education makes us capable of interpreting things rightly and applying the gathered information in real life scenarios. Education is not limited to lessons from textbooks. Real education is obtained from the lessons taught by life. It Leads to Career Progression An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less. Nicholas M. Butler Education is important because it equips us with the expertise that is needed in helping us realize our career goals. Expertise is an in-depth knowledge about a specific field and its ought to open doors to brilliant career opportunities. We will write a custom essay sample on Why is education so important? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Education fetches better prospects of career growth. Good education is an eligibility criterion for employment in any sector of the industry. Be it any field, education always proves to be rewarding. We are weighed in the market on the basis of our educational skills and on how well we can apply them. It Builds Character A mans own manner and character is what most becomes him. Marcus Tullius Cicero The words cultivate and civilize are synonymous with educate. That says it all. Education is important as it teaches us the right behavior and good manners, thus making us civilized. It is the basis of culture and civilization. It is instrumental in the development of our values and virtues. Education cultivates us into mature individuals; individuals capable of planning for the future, and taking the right decisions in life. It gives us an insight into living, and teaches us to learn from experience. It makes us self-confident, and develops our abilities to think, analyze, and judge. It fosters principles of equality and socialism. It forms a support system for one to excel in life. It is the backbone of society. It wont be wrong to say that good education makes us more human. It Leads to Enlightenment Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel. Socrates Education paves the path to disillusionment. It wipes out the wrong beliefs from our minds. It helps create a clear picture of things around, and erases all the confusion. It kindles the flame of curiosity and helps awaken the abilities to question, and to reason. The more we learn, the more questions we have, and without questions, there are no answers. Education teaches us to find answers. It makes us more self-aware. It leads us to enlightenment. It Helps a Nation Progress Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource. John F. Kennedy Though not enlisted as one of the three basic human needs, education is equally important. For the progress of a nation, for the enrichment of society in general, education is important. A countrys literate population is its asset. In todays competitive world, it wont be wise to neglect the importance of education for the development of society as a whole. Most countries have realized this. It has led to the development of many government-aided educational programs and government grants to schools and colleges. The motive behind this is fostering education in society. The future of a nation is safe in the hands of the educated. Education is important for the social development and economic growth of a nation. Schools and other educational institutes define the basic framework of education. Schooling gives us the fundamentals. We specialize in fields of our interest during degree courses. The number of institutes offering vocational courses and those offering online education is increasing by the day. Vocational courses help earn specialized education. Online degree programs help the working class and adults pursue education even while continuing work. Distance education has proven to be of great help for many. But education is not limited to that obtained from educational institutes. Learning is a lifelong process. Rather, self-learning begins at a point where institutional education ends. The process of self-learning continues throughout ones life. This is well-supported by a speech made by US President Barack Obama. In his national address to students across the nation, he said: Every single one of you has something that youre good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. Thats the opportunity an education can provide. The process of discovering whats within never ends.