Saturday, August 31, 2019

Literary Analysis of David and Goliath

A Character Analysis of David and Goliath When studying any piece of literature there are many different methods and techniques that can be used. The Bible, in specific, is often referred to as a source of moral code, hope, and answers to social, ethical, and political questions. However, this incredibly influential book can also be read as if it were any other novel. The events, settings, and characters can all be evaluated for what they are, forgetting the notion that they are from a religious text. This approach is called narrative criticism.When regarding to the Bible in this way, we do not need to know any historical information or focus on seeking a deeper theological meaning. Instead, the stories are evaluated in terms of how well the characters, settings, and events portray the overall theme or message of the narrative. The story of David and Goliath in particular, does a great job in using its characters to achieve this goal. Though there are many different interpretations o f this story, I am going to focus on one: the idea that power and strength is not needed to succeed or win, but instead it is our heart and determination, intelligence, and above all, our faith in God.To get this point across, the implied author uses narratives to tell us about David and Goliath as well as show us specific and relevant character traits through their actions and beliefs. In order to understand how the characters portray the message of the story we must first develop a set of traits based on what the information given to us by implied author. In the very beginning of the story we are given a detailed description of Goliath: And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion names Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. He had greves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slug between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighted six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him† (1 Samuel 17: 5-7). Based on this description we can easily come to the conclusion that Goliath is extremely strong and powerful and an experienced warrior.He is prepared, confident, and willing to take on whatever he is faced with. It is also explained that Goliath’s height is â€Å"six cubits and a span,† which is about nine feet in today’s society, making him extremely tall. Furthermore, we are explicitly told that he is a â€Å"champion,† alluding to the idea that he never loses a battle. It is here where the implied reader would initially assume that Goliath is most likely to prevail. It is also stated in the text, through the words of David, that Goliath is uncircumcised.Though this minor detail can easily be overlooked it is important to note because it demonstrates Goliaths lack of faith in God. In addition to what the implied author explicitly tells us, there are several characteristics of Goliath that can be presumed from his own actions as well as those around him. For example, Goliath’s character can be described as arrogant and cocky based on his command to fight an Israelite to death for victory. He shouts to the Israelites, â€Å"Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him, then you shall be our servants and serve us† (1 Samuel 17: 8-9). Before the battle can even begin, Goliath immediately takes it upon himself to set the terms and conditions of how to fight the battle at Socoh. He becomes very commanding and authoritative, bossing everyone around. Instead of both armies fighting one another, like a typical battle, Goliath is so confident in his fighting ability that he declares a one-on-one battle to determine the outcome of the battle.In reaction to Goliath’s demand, Saul and all the Israelites â€Å"fled from Goliath, and were very much afraid† (1 Samuel 17:24). Not only does this show the power and terrifying quality of Goliath, but it also demonstrates a weakness in Saul, who is suppose to lead and protect the Israelites, and his people. At this point, it is hard to side with either the Philistines or the Israelites since neither show desirable qualities. Goliath, though strong and powerful, shows nothing beyond that. He shows no faith in God and is entirely dependant on his fancy armor and swords.Goliath has no other source of strength other than his physical stature and possessions. David, on the other hand, is depicted as a character that is lacking brute strength and weaponry. We are told through the voice of Goliath that he is â€Å"only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance† (1 Samuel 17: 42). It is evident that David is meant to appear as an average kid with no exc eedingly superior or spectacular qualities. This simple portrayal of David is significant because it sets in motion the development of realistic empathy from the implied reader towards David.It is important for the implied reader to feel empathetic towards David because even though David kills Goliath in the end, we are meant to view him as a hero, not a murder. Building a connection between the implied reader and David makes this possible. Though David represents a seemingly common boy at the time, he has several qualities that make him stand out. However, these character traits are never simply told to us. Instead, the implied author uses David’s actions, decisions, and beliefs to reveal his nature.For example, while his two brothers followed Saul â€Å"David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem† (1 Samuel 17:15). Through this simple action we see the first sign of David’s loyalty and commitment. Despite the fact that bo th of his brothers decide to focus on their loyalty to Saul, David continues to devote his time to helping his father and stays true to his obligation. Though the ability to be loyal is not enough to help David win the battle against Goliath, the implied reader is able to identify with David creating a deeper and more developed sense of realistic empathy.We are then provided evidence that David does in fact possess a set of military skills. When faced with Saul’s doubt and disbelief that he will be able to successful take on Goliath, David tells him a story of how he protects his Father’s sheep from lions and bears. David proclaims, â€Å"your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it.Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircum cised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God† (1 Samuel 17:34-36). Providing us with this story of the sheep is a very effective way for the implied author to demonstrate David’s skill set. He is unmistakably very courageous for taking on the lion and bear in the first place and appears utterly fearless and determined when he continues to strike and kill them. These, in truth, are qualities that prove to be useful when in a fight. Though David is initially epicted as an underdog, his victory in this story provides the implied reader with more reason to continue building empathy towards him. However, above all these traits, is David’s unwavering and unconditional faith in God. David states, â€Å"the LORD, who saved me from the paw of the lion and form the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine† (1 Samuel 17: 37). This verse clearly depicts David’s relationship with God. Instead of relying on armor, swords, and spears, like Goliath, David puts his fate in Gods hands. He undoubtedly trusts that God will allow him to prevail, just as he did against the lions and bears.This is in contrast with Goliath, who worships false Gods and is completely dependant on his weapons and physical strengths. David then prepares for battle when Saul presents him with his armor, which he refuses to wear because it is too heavy for him to walk in. This simple gesture shows that David is confident in his own abilities and the power of God. Instead of relying on the armor for protection, like Goliath, he plays up his skills and utilizes his familiarity with a sling and stones. When David first appears to Goliath, Goliath â€Å"disdained him, for he was only a youth† (1 Samuel 17:42).Goliath goes on to mock him stating, â€Å"Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the ai r and to the wild animals of the fields† (1 Samuel 17:43-44). Through this statement, we can conclude that Goliath represents a bully figure. He appears cruel and harsh, trying to make David feel lesser than him for having no armor, no sword or spear, but just a sling and some rocks. However, David is not frightened or fazed by Goliaths attempt to scare and discourage him. In fact, the very opposite occurs.In his response to Goliath, David exudes bravery, determination, and loyalty to God and his people. David exclaims, â€Å"This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s and he will give you into our hand† (1 Samuel 17: 46-47).Not only is David’s faith further portrayed in this statement, but also it provides great evidence towards David’s character. Instead of backing down to Goliath, he asserts himself and stands up to him. He also mocks Goliath by mimicking him in that he will â€Å"feed his body to the birds,† displaying his courage and bravery in the face of overwhelming force. Though the climatic point in this story is when David actually defeats Goliath, it is in this very statement where the meaning behind the action derives.The implied author explicitly tells us that it is not force and weapons that win the battle, but it is the ability to fully entrust in God. However, despite the fact that the implied author plainly states the message of the story, the power behind it would cease to exist without the strong character development. It is necessary for us to create a distinct image of Goliath as a tall, strong, and powerful fighter with intense weaponry to understand that these qualities are not what lead to success.Alternately, it is courage and mental strength, combined with faith and trust in a higher power, which is demonstrated through the character of David. Instead of choosing to back down when faced with the tremendous force, Goliath, David steps up and places a strong belief in his abilities and in God. The fall of Goliath is not simply a tale of an unexpected defeat, but of the value of faith in accomplishing the impossible.

Friday, August 30, 2019

College app Essay

1. Obtain applications. Applications can be obtained online at college websites; downloadable and electronic applications are now available at most college websites. In fact, most colleges now prefer that applicants complete their online application (as opposed to the printable paper application), as it is more efficient for them and for you. Application fees may be waived by some schools if you use the electronic applications. However, if you would like to complete the application by hand, you may obtain a printable version online or by calling, writing, or emailing to request an application and information. Some applications are available in the Career Center (check with Ms. Roth). NOTE: Students are responsible for completing and mailing their college applications, essays, and processing fees to the college to which they are applying. All of your application â€Å"pieces† do not have to be mailed at the same time. As materials are received, the colleges will create â€Å"your† file. After submitting applications, you will want to follow up with each college to make sure that they have received all â€Å"pieces† of your application so that they can begin to evaluate your application. 2. Schedule a Senior Interview with your Counselor. Counselors will be meeting individually with you to discuss your post-graduation plans and to discuss how they can help you with the process and with your plans. If you are applying Early Decision or Early Action schedule a conference in SEPTEMBER. 3. Complete your Activity Sheet, Counselor Recommendation Brag Sheet and Parent Brag Sheets. Pick up the brag sheets and an example of an Activity sheet from your school counselor, Career Center or on Family Connection in the Document Library section. 4. Students must complete an Annandale High School Transcript Request and Release of Records form at least three weeks prior to the college’s application deadline in order to give our student services staff ample time to process your transcript and/or letter of recommendation. This form can be retrieved from Ms. Garman in the Office of Student Services or in the Family Connection Document Library. Once completed and signed by you and your parent, the form should be returned to Ms. Garman along with the following for each college you’re applying to: The college’s Secondary School Report Form (if required), a typed copy of your Activity Sheet, an AHS envelope address to the college’s Office of Admission and TWO stamps. If applying to more than 3 schools a $5. 00 fee is required for each additional school. Once the process is completed, your information will be mailed from our office to the colleges to which you’re applying. 5. Obtain teacher or counselor recommendations. Students should refer to each college’s application to find out how many recommendations are required, if any. Not all schools require a recommendation. For Teacher recommendations, students must give the teacher one self-addressed, stamped envelope for EACH school to which they are applying. The teacher will then mail the recommendation directly to each college. Again, Please be sure to give them at least 3 weeks notice on getting a letter of recommendation out. We recommend that Juniors ask their teachers if they’d be willing to write them a letter of recommendation for college at the end of their Junior year. For Counselor recommendations, students should fill out the Counselor Recommendation Brag Sheet and attach a typed or written Activity sheet or Resume of Activities. In addition, the student’s parent or guardian must fill out the Parent Information Sheet. Please be very detailed when filling out these forms. When finished, these forms should be given to your counselor at least three weeks prior to the college’s application deadline. Please note that your counselor will not write a letter of recommendation until these forms are received and a senior meeting has been held. 6. Register for all admissions tests†¦SAT I, SAT II, ACT, and TOEFL. Fee waivers are available for students who receive free or reduced Lunch. Please ask your school counselor for a test fee waiver. Colleges require that student test scores be sent directly to them via Collegeboard (www. collegeboard. com) or ACT (www. act. org) or TOEFL (www. toefl. org). You may send your scores free of charge to a maximum of 4 schools if they are sent within the designated window of opportunity. You will have to pay a fee for any additional scores sent. 7. Begin Scholarship searches NOW! Do not wait until you have been accepted to college to begin your search for money! A good place to start would be scholarship database in Family Connection under the â€Å"College Tab† if you don’t know where this is, see Ms. Roth in the Career Center. 8. Keep organized. Put each school’s materials in its own folder and create a check list for each application. Identify deadlines!!! Remember that application deadlines and financial aid deadlines are often times different dates. 9. Don’t succumb to Senioritis! Don’t stop working after you have been accepted; you have been accepted to a college provided you finish out your second semester satisfactorily! Colleges are not afraid to change their mind on their decision to accept you. 10. RELAX! DON’T STRESS OUT! If you are, please see your counselor or Mrs. Roth in the Career Center for help with the process.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

An integral part of teaching

An integral part of teaching How and why we assess our children has a massive impact on their life in education and consequently on how and what we plan and teach, and how children learn. The National Curriculum defines assessment as â€Å"an integral part of teaching and learning† (1999, p.17), emphasising the value of assessing the process of learning and teaching as well as the outcome. Suggestions on a range of assessment strategies and tools are included in the curriculum but to enable teachers and schools to continue the development of good assessment practice, more detailed guidance is necessary. To begin with it is perhaps necessary to define ‘assessment’ as any process used to inform teachers as to a pupils progress and learning. There are many different types of assessment, usually discussed as different purposes of assessment – while these assessments certainly differ in several significant aspects; they are united in their aspirations of making a positive contribution to b ringing about learning. There are two main forms of assessment; formative and summative. I have observed both types in the classroom, recognising that the key to excellent assessment practice is to understand what each form and their methods contribute. From these observations I understand that in order to become successful in my pedagogy I need to construct my teaching to maximise the success of both formative and summative assessment in my classroom. To allow me competently use both assessment for learning and assessment of learning I must develop a range and knowledge of assessment purposes and strategies which I will now discuss. Formative assessment can provide a snapshot moment by moment picture of the success of teaching and learning. It provides the two way dialogue between educator and child, the knowledge which enhances pedagogy allowing teaching to become relevant and timely. Assessment for Learning in particular will be a clear focus for me as I look for opportunities to strengthen my own teaching practice, having observed first hand the strong contribution AfL, which the National Strategies defines as â€Å"a natural, integral and essential part of effective learning and teaching and is a key element of personalised learning. Teachers and children continually reflect on how learning is progressing, see where improvements can be and identify the next steps to take† (2004), can make towards effective teaching. It makes the difference between self-assured and stimulated pupils, and disenfranchised pupils who are uncertain of the rationale behind the learning objective. The case for clearly communicating the learning outcome to the class is picked up on by Clarke (2006). In my own experience and observation, this results in making learning relevant especially when the learning intention is placed in the context of previous and future learning. It also helps to illuminate which areas of subject knowledge are required to teach at which time and h ow this information or teaching of skills is to be structured. Clarke also recommends that the teacher works with children to identify success criteria. These are used to supply feedback to both pupils and the teacher regarding the extent to which the learning objective has been met. Consequently, the use of formative assessment enriches the process of teaching, planning and curriculum development. It can inform not only the short term goals for the class, but also the negotiated curriculum, as children are encouraged to become active learners by reflecting on their own progress and motivation. It must be stressed that not all assessment needs to be quantitative, nor does it need to be recorded .The teachers’ own reflective process is a vital part of assessment. The purpose of summative assessment is to illustrate that pupils have met their learning goals or reached a certain standard of accomplishment.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Competitors analysis and 4p analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Competitors analysis and 4p analysis - Essay Example atapact business with three competitors in a bid to determine areas in which the company can adjust to increase its performance using the four parameters. We shall first compere Datapact with Netstar. In terms of products, the two companies offers a variety of IT services to their customers with the sole aim of increasing their revenues and for diversification purposes. Datapact offers consultancy, security and antivirus solutions, hardware maintenance, software licensing and compliance among many other IT services (Datapact 2014). Nestar on the other hand offers a wide range of IT services which includes fixing it problems, cloud computing, experts in mac IT support, ditching slow connectivity among other IT services. The two companies therefore offer several services to help solve their customers’ problems and demands. In terms of promotion, both companies have relied heavily on references and used social media platform to lure potential customers and ensure customer retention. Datapact has for instance included the testimonials of their customers on the website with the objective of attracting new customers and giving assurance to the market of the quality of services it offers. Netsar similarly has included complementary messages of their customers to show satisfaction for their products and as a marketing strategy meant to attract customers. Both companies have also used social media platforms and electronic advertising to help expand their businesses and increase their revenues. Prices of Netstar are fixed and are based on a per user rates. On the other hand, Datapact offers flexible rates to their customers and promises affordable prices as a way of ensuring that their costs are customer friendly. The fourth important element of marketing is the place. Datapact as a company offers their customers services both in their offices and at the customer premises depending on the nature of the service being offered. Computer hardware are sold to the customers

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Recommondation letters for University application Essay

Recommondation letters for University application - Essay Example The results of the student’s assessment tasks have revealed that strengths in the areas of critical thinking, problem-solving, and thinking outside the box have been manifested effectively. On the other hand, there are still areas to be improved such as determining policy implications, which I am sure, could be developed through immersion to higher course modules. With innate enthusiasm and genuine interest on the subject, I am confident that Name of Student would continue to exhibit exemplary academic performance, in conjunction with the knowledge, abilities and skills gained in the course and in other course modules of the identified academic level. The objective evaluation and assessment of the applicant’s previous academic performance, as duly noted and acknowledged, would be highly appreciated given that future contribution to your academe’s mission and ideals would surely be mutually beneficial. It is one’s privilege to recommend Name of Student to the course currently being pursued from your academic institution based on the highly commendable academic performance exhibited during my course, the International Corporate Finance. Said student rose above the rest due to the consistency by which above average results in performance were exemplified. The student was observed to be highly focused on the theoretical concepts presented in the course module which resulted in meritorious ratings and scores. The results of assessment tasks ranging from the mid-semester test, a course project, and the final exam confirmed the dedication and amount of extensive time and effort placed on the subject. Students of this caliber have consistently proven that skills in time management, critical and analytic reasoning, and comprehensive understanding of financial theories assist in the applications needed for future endeavors. In this regard, I am sure that your institution would recognize that

Monday, August 26, 2019

Short Term Long Term Goal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Short Term Long Term Goal - Essay Example Throughout my life I have been always involved in various forms of business practices. As an eight-year old kid, I was already engaged in the art of trading cards collection. At that time, collecting trading cards with Japanese comic characters was a big craze among children like me. In fact, my classmates would pay a lot of money just to acquire the rare ones. Seeing a business opportunity, I decided to invest my lunch money on collecting and trading cards. Fortunately, I acquired a special card early on and this facilitated my trading and selling engagements with other collectors. This went on for a couple of months until I was able to sell my last card and turn my initial investment of $20 to a staggering $150, which, I believe, was no small feat for an 8-year old boy. The ability to display a basic understanding of sales and returns was inherent to me right from the start. Since then, I have never lost sight of my goals of pursuing entrepreneurship. Towards the end of my senior y ear in college, my friend and I started a clothing import company which enjoyed considerable sales. I also joined the companies of AXA Advisors, Philip Simon Developments USA, Inc and later Shoesapart, Inc to learn fundamental business structures and to have an in-depth scope into daily business operations. Despite these developments, I still wanted to achieve more because I have never been someone who is simply content to rest in his accomplishments. I believe that success is surpassing what you have previously achieved and realizing that you can actually achieve even more. These are the reasons why, for my short term goal, I am intent on getting accepted to the Tsinghua MBA program. My recent trip to China made me discover the huge amount of business potential that it holds. Not only does it offer accelerated and extensive market expansion, but it also offers a high level of penetration opportunity. I am confident that throught the Tsinghua MBA program, I will be able to build an extensive network of classmates and alumni and gather sufficient knowledge of the local market in China to streamline future business growth. Within a year of acquiring my MBA, I want to start a promising food business venture, choosing the initial location at a primary market to promote the brand and attract franchising interest. I want to work on a modular menu that can be dexterously handled by a central kitchen in preparation for franchise expansion. I will focus on expanding to other primary and secondary market within China. Meanwhile, I want to keep creating innovative and attractive menus to fend off competitors. As a long-term goal, I expect the company to have reached a considerable scale and to have accumulated adequate capital within 5 years. I plan to expand the business into other sectors of the industry either through name-licensing or self invested methods. Ultimately, I want to develop the business into a cross-industry company that has a lasting and recognizable br and. I believe that Tsinghua’s MBA program will be crucial in helping me fulfill my goals in life. I plan to focus on E-commerce and Supply Chain Management in addition to Entrepreneurship. I also look forward to

Press release critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Press release critique - Essay Example Change, variety, and diversity are critical as far as art is concerned, an aspect that makes the release vital to the academic, community, and social fraternity. Media outlets approachable with this release include, but are not limited to, online platforms, print media, and the broadcast media. This is because the highlights made in the release are appealing to the intended audience. The release is purposeful and driven by an identifiable goal to display and position â€Å"Kora† in the contemporary artwork. In this respect, the lead works because it does not only present Liou’s masterwork, but also adds variety and diversity to contemporary art. At a personal level, the release is interesting because it brings into perspective both â€Å"Kora† and Mount Kailash. While many people may not pay attention to the two, it is captivating to learn about both â€Å"Kora† and Mount Kailash with respect to the ‘State of the Art’ Show. However, the press release fails to capture personal inspiration or motivation behind Professor Liou pursuing the â€Å"Kora† from an artistic point of view. Amid this, the length of the release was appropriate because all the information presented is relevant to the subject matter. Finally, the following questions emerge after reading the

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Human Resource Management - Essay Example For example the mission statement of McDonalds is â€Å"To be our customers’ favourite place and way to eat†. It can be clearly seen here that McDonalds wants to be the favourite place for customers and hence it wants all its employees work in a similar fashion. A vision is different from mission in aspects of goal orientation. Vision is the basic goal of the company which it has to achieve in the future. It is something which the company can achieve if the mission statement is followed. Vision is set by the company for long term goals and it can only be achieved if all the protocols are followed by the employees. Both vision and mission are necessary for organizations as they help the employees to understand the basic role of the company in this world. It gives an overview to both the customers and the employees about the company and tell them as to what exactly are they trying to achieve through their

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Obama SCOTUS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Obama SCOTUS - Essay Example onsideration that such a position should be held by an absolute impartial individual; rather, an individual who would never have been drawn into political variations like ‘The Democratic’ or ‘The Republican’. The surprise choice of a non-political and inexperienced hand for the post has attracted the attention of debates and arguments among the people of America largely. By the selection of Ms.Elena, president Obama marks sport of challenging conservatism. This must have been an example set by him to provide new thoughts from a lady commander for ensuring accurate justice to one and all. Born on April 28, 1960, Ms. Kagan hails from New York City. She has served Harvard Law School as its dean after a pursuit of a creditable career as a professor in law at University of Chicago Law School. Ms. Kagan has had her political experience by serving President Bill Clinton as his policy adviser. Ms. Elena Kagan is expected to deliver her best as the head of the Supreme Bench of American judiciary with her limited experience in the field. But the installation of such a new brain must have focused much on the dispassionate outcome of judicial examination of any issue that could stand on the progress of the political process in America. Ms. Kagan’s approach towards the political system molded her finally to think that result oriented arguments that ignore the plain meaning of the law are the essence of judicial activism. However, the steering of judiciary of America is not going to be a cake walk for Ms. Kagan as she is answerable for the lots of questions asked by the Senate Judiciary Committee. There has been wider speculation that Ms. Kagan can run through easily as she is willfully supported by Patrick Leahy, SJC Chairman and Democratic Senator from Vermont. The spectators are gifted with a high intensity war of ideologies of Jeff Sessions, the Ranking Member of the SJC and a strong Republican who cast doubts on Ms.Kegan’s qualifications. As far as her

Friday, August 23, 2019

Does China's domestic political situation constrain its generation of Essay

Does China's domestic political situation constrain its generation of soft power - Essay Example Such an interpretational model has become so important that leaders of some of the most powerful nations in the world have even begun using the term and describing it as a fundamental and foundational element with regards to how they perceive the best course ahead with regards to development and world relations for the future. However, as with any interpretational model of interaction or other international/foreign relations tool, the use and application of soft power cannot definitively be said to be on the whole effective. This is of course due to the fact that different dynamics within individual countries, overall levels of democracy, and levels of emphasis that the decision-makers placed upon such a construct are all more important to defining the overall degree of success that soft power will enjoy within a specific system. Accordingly, the goal of this particular analysis will be to analyze and discuss the increasing role that soft power plays within the external relations of the People’s Republic of China and whether or not the current and past local dynamic that exist within this nation ultimately helps or constrains the overall level of soft power that it can hope to integrate within its foreign relations framework. Rather than seeking to engage in a value judgment with regards to whether or not the Chinese governmental structure is â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad†, the analysis will instead seek to gain a level of inference with regards to whether or not the current model needs and facilitates a more cohesive application of soft power or whether the undemocratic and monolithic structure of the government necessarily constrains the degree and effectiveness of whatever soft power might exist or be practiced in the first place. Soft Power and the Means Whereby States Engage with â€Å"the other† Soft power in and of itself is not a new concept. Ultimately, at least a basic understanding and interpretation of what this concept stands for has been engaged by many world powers over the past several hundred years. However, the work of Joseph Nye and the introduction into the global political lexicon of the term soft power as necessarily raised this as an issue and approach that has helped it to gain a greatly increased share of notoriety. For instance, in 2007, General Secretary Hu Jintao met with the 17th Communist Party Conference and specifically addressed the growing and extent need for an increase in the exhibition of Chinese soft power. In such a way, the reader can come to the understanding that regardless of what the preceding analysis might illuminate, the Communist Party of China and General Secretary Hu Jintao are keenly aware of the benefits that it can provide and the need to integrate with it on a more effective level as a means of furthering the individual goals that the People’s Republic of China hopes to see affected within the world. Likewise, before delving directly into the means by whic h soft power is furthered or produced by the Chinese system of governance, the reader should first consider the key differentials that separate the People’

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Title Essay Example for Free

Title Essay The first 5 marks are based on your tutor’s monitoring of your contributions to the TGF discussions associated with B120 Book 2. Your tutor will introduce these at the appropriate time. We expect you to participate in all TGF discussions for Book 2. If your tutor does not feel you have participated in at least two of these, the 5 marks will be lost. The second 5 marks for Part II are based on another piece of work which will be a short report you will submit in the same file as Part 1 of the TMA, at the end. This will be a brief summary of one of the TGF discussions relating to Book 2 and what you have learned from it. It should not be any longer than 200 words. Remember that you must submit this short report at the end of your TMA through the eTMA system. demonstrate your understanding of HRM ideas by being able to show how they are relevant and useful to a particular example. This part of the TMA is worth 30 marks. Part (d) The final part of the TMA asks you to perform a simple web-based information search about the concept you have chosen and to present information succinctly. You need to include the URLs, the date the websites were accessed and why you chose them, and also state how trustworthy this information is to gain the full 5 marks available. 3. 4 TMA 02 Part II Part II of TMA 02 is worth the other 10 marks (the TMA is marked out of a total of 100). The first 5 marks are based on your tutor’s monitoring of your contributions to the TGF discussions associated with B120 Book 2. Your tutor will introduce these at the appropriate time. We expect you to participate in all TGF discussions for Book 2. If your tutor does not feel you have participated in at least two of these, the 5 marks will be lost. The second 5 marks for Part II are based on another piece of work which will be a short report you will submit in the same file as Part 1 of the TMA, at the end. This will be a brief summary of one of the TGF discussions relating to Book 2 and what you have learned from it. It should not be any longer than 200 words. Remember that you must submit this short report at the end of your TMA through the eTMA system.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Observation paper Essay Example for Free

Observation paper Essay The Child’s name I have chosen for this observation paper is a 5 year old female named Janiya, she seems to be a happy normal child. Her mother and father are of African American descent. Her mother and father are married yet separated. Janiya lives home with her mom and aunt, her mom keeps her toys inside her room where Janiya regularly accesses her bedroom and bring toys in and out as she pleases, as well as plays inside her room when she wants. Her toys consist of a bike, baby dolls, Barbie dolls, tablet, computer, and PlayStation 4. These are the toys Janiya plays with everyday according to her mom. Observation Janiya is a very bright little girl with a huge personality she loves attention and loves to watch cartoons and play with her toys. The observations I made were in the living room, kitchen and her bedroom and observed her for 30 minutes. Janiya is a very creative little girl adapting to her surroundings and nothing was never too high for her because she climbed on top of furniture when she wanted to reach things that was too high for her I seen Janiya climb on top a chair to get some chips out of the cabinet she used her physical strength to pull her weight up until she was able to reach them. I was amazed at how smart she was when it came to thinking of a way to get things she wanted instead of asking for assistance anything she needs access to and is too high for her to reach she climbs on furniture to reach it or asks her mom or aunt to get it if she couldn’t according to her mom, Janiya is displaying her gross motor skills. She then came in the living room and proceeded to change the channel to Nick Jr. and Sponge Bob Square pants was on and Janiya started singing the theme song standing up in the chair dancing and singing showing off her cognitive and functional play skills trying to do what she sees on tv and also displaying her language development. Janiya’s mom then walked from her bed room in the living room explaining to Janiya that she has to help her with her homework  before she watches cartoons so she needs to go to her bedroom to retrieve her book bag Janiya is in the kindergarten. Janiya runs in her room to get her book bag and quickly came back into the living room with it displaying her gross motor skills again. Her mom pulls out her homework which consists of writing her first name 10 times and writing her last name 10 times she gives Janiya verbal cues on writing her name writing Janiya write and telling her which letter to write next she is encoding this information inside Janiya’s memory and she will eventually have this information in her long term memory and will be able to write her name without verbal cues in the future right now she is now processing information and developing her memory. After doing her homework Janiya went in her room and bought out her dolls and begin playing with herself in the living room displaying dramatic play I heard her talking to her dolls and pretending that was her baby. This was the end of my 30 minute observation; Janiya seems as if she is coming along well with displaying skills, language, playing and her imag ination. She was really a bright little girl and I enjoyed observing her and seeing the changes children go through to develop most of their skills that are going to be used every day when they get older! Observation Paper: Janiya Psychology 221 Michelle Bennett The Child’s name I have chosen for this observation paper is a 5 year old female named Janiya, she seems to be a happy normal child. Her mother and father are of African American descent. Her mother and father are married yet separated. Janiya lives home with her mom and aunt, her mom keeps her toys inside her room where Janiya regularly accesses her bedroom and bring toys in and out as she pleases, as well as plays inside her room when she wants. Her toys consist of a bike, baby dolls, Barbie dolls, tablet, computer, and PlayStation 4. These are the toys Janiya plays with everyday according to her mom. Observation Janiya is a very bright little girl with a huge personality she loves attention and loves to watch cartoons and play with her toys. The observations I made were in the living room, kitchen and her bedroom and observed her for 30 minutes. Janiya is a very creative little girl adapting to her surroundings and nothing was never too high for her because she climbed on top of furniture when she wanted to reach things that was too high for her I seen Janiya climb on top a chair to get some chips out of the cabinet she used her physical strength to pull her weight up until she was able to reach them. I was amazed at how smart she was when it came to thinking of a way to get things she wanted instead of asking for assistance anything she needs access to and is too high for her to reach she climbs on furniture to reach it or asks her mom or aunt to get it if she couldn’t according to her mom, Janiya is displaying her gross motor skills. She then came in the living room and proceeded to change the channel to Nick Jr. and Sponge Bob Square pants was on and Janiya started singing the theme song standing up in the chair dancing and singing showing off her cognitive and functional play skills trying to do what she sees on tv and also displaying her language development. Janiya’s mom then walked from her bed room in the living room explaining to Janiya that she has to help her with her homework before she watches cartoons so she needs to go to her bedroom to retrieve her book bag Janiya is in the kindergarten. Janiya runs in her room to get her book bag and quickly came back into the living room with it displaying her gross motor skills again. Her mom pulls out her homework which consists of writing her first name 10 times and writing her last name 10 times she gives Janiya verbal cues on writing her name writing Janiya write and telling her which letter to write next she is encoding this information inside Janiya’s memory and she will eventually have this information in her long term memory and will be able to write her name without verbal cues in the future right now she is now processing information and developing her memory. After doing her homework Janiya went in her room and bought out her dolls and begin playing with herself in t he living room displaying dramatic play I heard her talking to her dolls and pretending that was her baby. This was the end of my 30 minute observation; Janiya seems as if she is coming along well with displaying skills, language, playing and her imagination. She was really a bright little girl and I enjoyed observing her and seeing the changes children go through to develop most of their skills that are  going to be used every day when they get older!

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Chinese Communists and Guomindang Forces Relationship

Chinese Communists and Guomindang Forces Relationship This paper seeks to analyze the political situation in the formative years of the Chinese republic in order to understand reasons for a breakdown of the relationship between the Chinese communists and the Guomintang forces. This paper will examine from the collapse of Qing dynasty, the early days of the major political parties, the role played by Russia and the eventual breakout of war to conclude three reasons behind the failed relationship between the Chinese Communists and Guomindang forces , which are difference in ideology, the power hungry nature of the leaders and the suspicion and mistrust between the leadership. The last dynasty of chinas ruling monarchy collapsed in the year 1912, this dynasty was referred to as the Qing dynasty. The main reason for the collapse was lack of popular support from the people and pressure from the public who wanted change .This resulted in rebellion that was later joined by political leaders and the army. The ruler at the time, known as Pu Yi, finally stepped down; an action that signified the end of the monarchy. After the end of the Qing dynasty, China was left with a chaotic situation where separate regions were controlled by army generals who were particularly strong in the Northern region. These generals were referred to as warlords. What made Chinas situation critical at that point was that there but no national leader who could unify the country. None of these army generals was strong enough to control the entire country and thus their sphere of influence was limited to the geographical regions where they were located.  [1]   During the chaotic years of warlord rule many young Chinese joined the different movements such as the Northern campaign, the Fourth of May movement and Communism. The leaders of these movements wanted to bring changes to China at whatever cost and some of the options they had at the time, included adopting foreign ideas. One of the main ideas that gained popularity was communism as the idea of a classless society at the time seemed very appealing to most Chinese revolutionaries and political leaders. Mao Zedong then a librarian at the University of Beijing formed a society through which interested parties could study and discuss Marxist ideals, this society became hugely popular and the members later formed the Chinese communist party  [2]  . At about the same time, Sun Yat-sen a politician and Chinas foremost nationalist leader at the time was organizing his party known as Guomindang or the Peoples National Party. Suns ideals for the new Chinese republic were of a democratic government for the people, National freedom and livelihood for the nations poor. In order to defeat and overthrow the warlords who held most of the country, Sun Yat-sen, using his political party Kuomintang, sought for assistance from major foreign powers of the time, his efforts were however ignored by western countries. Thus in 1921 he turned to Russia where a communist government had taken over power. 2 Russia responded by offering support to both Guomindang and the communist party an act which was the essence of the struggle for political power between the two parties. As a way of boosting both parties Russia sent representatives to help re organize Guomindang and the communist party of china along the lines of the Russian communist party.1 These efforts culminated in the declaration of 1923 where Russia pledged her support for the unification of China and the two political parties declared their cooperation. The coming together of Guomindang and the communist party of China gave birth to what was referred to as the First United Front. 8 With Russias help Sun Yat-sen reorganized his party along the lines of Russian communist party. The party Guomindang grew into a mass party, where all decisions made by the party leaders were final. It was also run along very strict disciplinary lines. 3 Sun invited members of the communist party then still a small party to join Guomindang in their individual capacity, as both parties had a common goal. During this time Russia also offered military support to Guomindang. They brought in officers to train party members and those of the communist party who had joined suns Guomindang.3 Russia also offered weapons and ammunitions. Later a military academy was also developed to train and impart military skills to officers. 1 This Military academy was headed by Chiang Kai-shek who had risen to prominence in the party and was Sun Yat -Sens likely successor. The purpose of the Military support offered by Russia, was to help their two allies the communist party and Guomindang, to defeat the warlords who were mainly located in the North of the country and in the process to unify China into one Republic. But before an attack on the warlords could be launched Sun Yat-sen died of heart attack in 1925.  [3]   A few months after the Death of Sun, Chiang Kai-shek who was the commander of the revolutionary army launched the Northern campaign. However at the same time the Guomindang party was facing tumultuous times, the party had split into two factions, one left wing and the other right wing. The influence of the communist party was also growing within the Guomindang. In response to this and other happenings, Chiang Kai-shek curtailed the participation of communist party members in the leadership of Kuomintang. He also imposed himself as the leader of the revolutionary army. 6 The campaign against the Northern warlords was quite successful; within a few months the revolutionary army had captured most of the northern territory and imposed governments there. Most of the poor peasants in the country side welcomed the revolutionaries as the believed they represented the chance of better days ahead. But as the power of the Guomindang grew the more discontent the communist party became.  [4]   By the time the revolutionaries had conquered most of China the alliance that existed between them disintegrated. Several incidents resulted in a worsening situation. As the Guomindang were about to enter Shanghai city, there was a rebellion from communist members within the city, the response of the Guomindang soldiers when they finally entered Shanghai, was to arrest and round up the members of the communist party and then proceed to massacre them. Later in another incident, the Guomindang party revolutionary soldiers carried out another massacre of communist party members in Guangzhou, killing several hundred in the process. In response the communists who were being purged from the Kuomintang, retreated to the rural countryside and launched an uprising which was led by Mao Zedong. This uprising was easily suppressed by Chiang Kai-sheks forces  [5]  . In 1928 the Guomindang formed a government that was given international recognition in Nanjing as the government of the Republic of China. Chiang Kai-shek also formally became the chairman of the party. Using his influence among the elite and the military power that he had Chiang Kai-shek was able to maintain a dictatorial grip on the party and to defeat those within and without the party who opposed him. He tried to form a modern state but most accused him of abandoning the ideals on which his party was formed.  [6]   On the other hand the Chinese communist party which had almost been crushed by the Guomindang began to rebuild, they recruited peasants from the countryside to join their ranks with an aim of forming an army for the people which was to win the revolution against the Guomindang.  [7]   In 1931 Japan seized Manchuria and installed a puppet regime led by Pu Yi, the last ruler of the Qing dynasty. This resulted in strong anti Japan sentiment within China. Chiang Kai-shek who held the dominant military power within china opened a second front to engage the Japanese, but still gave most of his attention to crushing the Chinese communist party .To this effort the Guomindang launched a series of encirclement campaigns meant to wipe out the communist partys resistance. Of the five campaigns the first three were failures while the fourth and fifth were quite successful resulting in huge loses to life on both sides. But the Chinese communist party, cornered in the city Jiangxi of was severely depleted and its leadership opted for a retreat to shangxi an event which is referred to as the long march.  [8]   The march was brutal to the Chinese communist partys ranks; many tens of thousand were lost along the way due to desertion, attack by enemy soldiers, disease and hunger. But the positive aspect of the long march to the party was that, it brought together members who would later come to form the top leadership and decision making body of the Chinese communist party. This included names such as Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Liu Shoqi, Lin Biao, Deng Xiaoping and Zhou Enlai. Another important aspect is that during the long march a meeting of the top leaders established Mao Zedong as the top most leader of the party and with the responsibility to lead on all issues regarding overall strategy for the movement.  [9]   Conclusion After careful analysis it can be established that, the main reasons behind the failed relationship between the Chinese Communists and Guomindang forces can be attributed to a number of factors; first was the difference in ideology between the two parties. The Chinese communist party was of the belief that the fledging Chinese republic would be better off if ruled under a communist ideology almost similar to what existed in the united soviet socialist republic. On the contrary the Guomindangs vision was formed by Sun Yat-sen who was a well traveled man who had studied in Hawaii in the United States. Sun had a vision of the new China as a democratic country where the citizens were free of foreign influence and where they were free and able to earn a living, a form of capitalist society so to speak. This view had been acquired through his travels as a result of the economic progress and developments that he had seen in the western world. Mao Zedong on the other hand came from a peasant family; his view of china was that it was society where the upper class ruled and lorded over the poor masses, he felt that a classless society would be the best way to move China from the inequality and poverty that was endemic of the poor class. This was the basis through which the two leaders adopted and embraced divergent ideologies that eventually resulted in the failed relationship between their parties. Another reason for the failure of the relationship between Guomindang and the Chinese communist party was the power hungry nature of the leaders of these parties. Through out the period when there was a relationship and close interaction between the two parties, one can easily spot incidences where the leaders a good example being Chiang Kai-shek, were primarily interested in being the supreme rulers of a unified China. This was a goal that the two sides were ready to follow at all costs even if it meant massive loss of lives. This in fact was the main reason for such a bitter fall out between two groups that were once collaborators. No one, among the leaders of the two sides was ready to put this ambition aside, instead they carried on with a brutal war with a body count running into the millions just so that they could end up the un opposed rulers of the new republic. Even when the Japanese invaded Manchuria and installed a puppet regime, wish should have been sure because for a tr ue patriot to put any internal differences aside, the war between the two protagonists did not come to an end. Not until one of the sides (Guomindang) was vanquished in war did bloodshed and violence cease in China. Another crucial aspect that contributed to failure in the relationship between the two parties was the Russia factor. From the start when Sun Yat-sen approached the Russians for help after being ignored by western countries, they opted to adopt a dual policy in which they supported both the communist party of China and the Kuomintang, This decision was cunning as it was selfish as Russia itself a fledging republic at the time, wanted to peddle its influence with the two major political players in China at the time, Such a decision was likely to result in conflict at one point or the other, this for a fact was inevitable. It cannot be overlooked that Russia initially gave more support in the form of political strategists, weapons and military aid to the Guomindang. This was so because the party under Sun Yat-sen at that time was larger, stronger and had a wider national appeal as compared to the communist party of China. But once the tide began to change during the war and the communi sts gained an upper hand on the battlefield, Russia switched its support from Guomindang to the Chinese communist party. In a sense it can be concluded that Russia was more interested in spreading its sphere of influence through the adoption of its national ideology in China, to achieve this, it was ready to influence both sides acting as a catalyst to the failure of the relationship that existed between them as long as it achieved its ends.  [10]   Lastly point to note that led to the failure of the relationship between Guomindang and the communist party was the high level of suspicion and mistrust between the leadership of the two parties. In the early part of the alliance between the two parties, Guomindang was much stronger and had a far larger number of members as compared to the Chinese communist party which was a small growing movement at the time, Instead of a situation where the two parties would work together for the greater good of China, Guomindang part leadership would not trust the communists and the communists in return did not have trust in their fellow nationalists, instead Guomindang adopted a policy where communists could only join their party or train in their military academy as individuals and not as members of their own party, they also continuously undermined the communist party leadership due to its weak position and due to the high level of mistrust between the two sides. These according to my analysis are the main reasons why there was a failure in relationship between the Chinese communists and the Guomindang party.

Holiday Customs in Victorian England :: essays research papers

Holiday Customs in Victorian England Although Christ's Nativity has been celebrated since the 4th century, most of the English customs we are familiar with today are as recent as the mid-19th century. Many of the early ceremonies were started with pagan beliefs. â€Å"The Protestant Reformation condemned most of these pagan customs as superstitious and banned public celebrations of Christmas.† Michelle J. Hoppe. It wasn't until Prince Albert married Queen Victoria and brought many German customs with him that Christmas began to gain popularity again. â€Å"One of the first signs of Christmas was the arrival of the Christmas card in the post. John Calcott Horsley designed the first Christmas card in 1846 for Sir Henry Cole, Chairman of the Society of the Arts. Only 1000 cards were printed that first year and were expensive, but the pattern for the future was formed.† Encyclopedia. Then in 1870, postage was reduced. Thus began the real spread of the Christmas card. By the early 1870s, the custom had reached the United States. Christmas decorations sometimes appeared well before the holiday, also, but many still held to the old superstition that it was bad luck to put up a evergreen (Christmas Tree) before Christmas Eve. †The most favored plants were all 'magical' because of the mid-winter berries they produced--mistletoe, holly and ivy. The red berry of the holly was believed to protect one against witchcraft.† Encyclopedia. The sprig had to be carried into the house by a male, as the berry is on the 'male' holly plant. One use for holly sprigs was to decorate the Christmas pudding. The 'female' ivy symbolized immortality. â€Å"Mistletoe, because of its pagan origins, was not allowed in any church. Kissing under the mistletoe was English custom and only as many berries as were on the mistletoe, could there be kisses. For after every kiss, a berry had to be removed from the sprig.† English Customs. The Christmas tree can truly be called a Victorian innovation. The custom of a lighted tree began in Germany then made its way to America. â€Å"It wasn't until Prince Albert, of German descent, brought the Christmas tree to England in 1840 that it gained popularity there. By 1847, the trees at Windsor Castle were laden with presents as well as wax candles.† Michelle J. Hoppe. The tradition spread as English citizens followed the Royal example. The trees and other decorations were removed on Twelfth Night (January 6).

Monday, August 19, 2019

Free College Essays - Symbols of Her Crime in Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Scarlet Letter - Two Symbols of Her Crime â€Å"It lies not in the pleasure of the magistrates to take off this badge,† calmly replied Hester. â€Å"Were I worthy to be quit of it, it would fall away of its own nature, or be transformed into something that should speak a different purport.† (163) Hester Prynne, the central character in the Scarlet Letter, realizes and accepts the consequences of the adulterous act she committed against her husband, Roger Chillingworth, as Hawthorne shows in this quotation. Hester, throughout the book, excludes and humbles herself because of her crime, rather than simply running away. At the same time, she advertises her sin through the brilliantly embroidered â€Å"A† and through her daughter, Pearl, born out of this sin. Hester realizes that she indeed sinned in committing adultery, and, being the strong individual that she is, accepts the consequences of her actions. In fact, much of the suffering incurred from Hester’s sin results from her own actions. She, by her own choice, wears humble, dismal clothes; she moves to the outskirts of her town, but refuses to run away to a place where no one knows of her crime; she excludes herself from society, while society does not always exclude her. Instead of escaping her crime, Hester embraces it. She declares, â€Å"It lies not in the pleasure of the magistrates to take off this badge... Were I worthy to be quit of it, it would fall away of its own nature, or be transformed into something that should speak a different purport,† realizing the crime she committed and the fairness of her punishment—the scarlet letter (163). Hester goes so far as to dwell upon the letter as a symbol of her guilt. The brilliant crimson â€Å"A† resides on her humbly clothed chest, making the letter stand out all the more; Pearl, the child of sin, runs beside her mother, dressed in spectacular clothing â€Å"abundantly embroidered with fantasies and flourishes of gold thread,† in effect, personifying that same symbol (102). In each case, Hester advertises the fact that she has sinned and that she is paying for her crime, again bring more suffering upon herself. And again, she accepts it. She realizes the letter should only be removed when she is no longer guilty of her crime. She knows, therefore, that day will never come. Society, however, thinks differently.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Chekhovs Vanka - The Pathos of Vanka Essay -- Vanka Essays

Chekhov's Vanka - The Pathos of Vanka  Ã‚   Immediately following Chekhov's death, the Russian philosopher Shestov (1866-1938) wrote an essay entitled "Creation from the Void," in which he stated, "Chekhov was a singer of hopelessness . . . Chekhov did only one thing: In one way or another he smashed human hopes." Anton Chekhov's "Vanka" accomplishes that quite thoroughly. Vanka, the only active character, believes himself beset on all sides by his bleak world and relies on his own innocence and naivetà © to shield him. The basic premise of the story centers around the boy, including his futile epistolary plea for release to his questionable grandfather, while the author stresses the dangers of the boy's reliance on his innocence. The author's exploitation of Vanka's innocence and naivetà © challenges the sentimentality of Chekhov's "Vanka." Vanka assumes his grandfather, the lively Konstantin Makaritch, will lovingly bear him from his bleak existence upon receiving the letter, but upon closer inspection his grandfather is an unfit and unlikely savior. There are two separate aspects to "Vanka." The boy either concentrates on the drafting of his letter or loses himself in the memory of his grandfather. However, the boy's fond recollections contain evidence of his grandfather's disturbing character traits. In one instance, Vanka recalls his "laughing face and drunken eyes" (47). This fond remembrance alludes to a perpetual state of alcohol-induced befuddlement. His grandfather, a probable drinker, was also probably a womanizer, as Vanka imagines him "pinching first the housemaid, then the cook" (47). Thus, the author establishes the grandfather as unfit to care for Vanka. To discredit the grandfather further, the author uses rel... ...easing the pathos of the story, this final joke acts as a heart-hardener, transforming dejected despondency into caustic hilarity. The degree of exploitation of Vanka's innocence in Chekhov's tale alters the tone of the story. The growing sentimentality for Vanka and his grandfather extinguishes itself, replaced by empty mirth. Though first a tale of mawkish sentimentality, the author utilizes Vanka's naivetà © to debunk the grandfather, then ends "Vanka" with an ironic, twisting joke, similar to that of Maupassant's "The Necklace." Works Cited Chekhov, Anton. "Vanka" Understanding Fiction. 3rd ed. Eds. Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1979. 46-50 de Maupassant, Guy. "The Necklace" Understanding Fiction. 3rd ed. Eds. Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1979. 66-72

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Nonstop of Musical Innovation Essay

In recent times, pop culture had been one of the most evident products of media which had strongly influenced many, many generations including our present society. Legions of different rock bands from the very famous groups such as Beatles, The Who, Metallica and Aero Smith and other different bands and artists have sprung out through the years and have influenced the kind or genre of music that can be currently heard by many people. Different age groups had been affected the lyrics, rhythm, and trends that all the bands had brought to the public. The popularity of the pop culture had spread in different parts of the United States as well as other countries. Aerosmith: In the early times of rock music artist such as Elvis Presley and the band called Beatles had been invading the airwaves. Most of the albums made by these artists had been best sellers in the world having sold millions and millions of copies in every record that they have made. Because of the uniqueness and charm of these artists many people had been captivated by them. Millions of fans adores and put them in a pedestal like they were gods. Devotion to these people was too much that there were horrendous acts done by people just in order to see them live. The frenzy of admiring rock and roll bands had been absorbed by the next generation and was passed to the incoming rock bands of the next generations. In the 1970’s a new rock band paved its way in the rock music scene called the Aerosmith. This group became the most popular hard rock band of the 70’s that have set the sound and style of heavy metal and hard rock for two decades given their rough bluesy attitude. This Boston based group of five discovered a sound between the menace of the band Rolling Stones and campy, grubby grandiosity of the punk rock band called the New York Dolls. In the flowery words of writer Stephen Thomas Erlewine Aero Smith â€Å"developed a lean, dirty riff-oriented boogie that was loose and swinging and as hard as a diamond† (Erlewine n. p. ). The rock band was originally from Boston and was also known as â€Å"The Bad Boys of Boston† and â€Å"The Greatest Rock and Roll Band† due to their attitude on stage and the transform that they have contributed to the American music and its society. The band had mixed the sound of hard rock, metal, and R&B which was imitated by many artists and bands of the following generations. The band have musically innovated this type of music which had been their signature sound. However, this band did not start from the top of the music industry thus they started in Massachusetts, Boston and eventually they were able to acquire supporters that followed them through out their career. The band Aerosmith is composed of 5 group members with Steve Tyler as the lead vocalist, Joe Perry and Ray Tabano as the guitarists, Tom Hamilton as the bassist, and Joe Kramer as their drummer. After a few months of playing together, Ray Tabano was replaced by another guitarist named Brad Whitford. After only 2 years of continuous gigs the band already has recorded songs for Columbia Records and their album was first release in 1973. Their album was entitled Aerosmith which already sold millions of records. Their following album was released and became successful. In 1976, their album Rock has made their existence in the music industry stable. Due to this album, the band had been named as one of the most significant artists that are in the hard rock genre. Through the continuous rise of the band’s career, conflicts within the groups have risen. Misunderstanding among its group members became a problem that they needed to face. Another issue that they have to overcome was the drug addiction of members of their group Due to these concerns two of the band members Perry and Whitford left the band in 1979 and 1981. In the following years of Aerosmith’s career, they have received nominations and gained more fans through the years. Due to the unchanging popularity of the band and their songs, the new generations of listeners were grabbed by this band gaining more support and influence unlike other band did. The ability of the band to relate their lyrics to the current listeners and their talent to mix genres of music had been very helpful for the group because they had been flexible for all their listeners. Though the years, many different songs had been popularized by the band. Many songs made by Aerosmith have topped the charts of MTV, Billboard and the likes. They were also nominated in different parts of the world and had performed in different stages may it be in Europe, Asia, or Latin America. Their songs had been soundtracks for different movies like Armagedon, Charlie’s Angels and other long list of other movies. All the songs that were done by the Aerosmith had been a hit for most people and one of the most popular songs that they had made was â€Å"Walk this Way. † The song was made in 1970s and became one of the most popular songs at that time. The heavy rock blues of the song became one of the most significant symbols of the era due to the honestly of the lyrics and the upbeat rhythm of the song. It had captured the ears of mostly the teenagers who would definitely relate to the lyrics of the song. Walk this Way: Aerosmith and Run DMC In the August of 1975, the song â€Å"Walk this Way† was released by Aerosmith that was in the â€Å"Top of the Attic† album. The song itself had topped the Billboard Charts 100 and America’s top ten (Power 22) when it was released. Based on Maury Dean the author of the book â€Å"Rock ‘N’ Roll Gold Rush: A Singles Un-cyclopedia,† said that the song â€Å"Walk this Way† of the year 1975 said that â€Å"its lyrics get often smushed by screeching guitars, smashing crash drum thunder, whooshing keyboards, and keening guitar phrasers. Then the bass uppercuts the overwhelmed singer off an amp the since of a Rolls-Royce† these were that words expressed by the author as he describes the song launched by the Aerosmith. In another book written by Martin Power, he also described the song and said that the song â€Å"Walk this way† is a â€Å"wise –cracking tale of lost virginity† (Power 22). In Songfacts. com, it was understood that the song was about a â€Å"promiscuous cheerleader who leads a school boy through his first sexual experience. † In the following facts, it was said that the song was inspired by the movie â€Å"Young Frankenstein. † In the movie, Igor tries to teach Frankenstein to â€Å"walk this way. † Franskenstein then imitates the walk of Igor and learns how to walk. Aerosmith finds Frankenstein’s walk funny and then they decided to make it as the title of the song. Immediately, the song was written by Steve Tyler however, when they were about to record the song, he left the lyrics in the cab that they rode. Steve Tyler immediately ran outside of the studio but he was not able to neither call the cab nor obtain the lyrics again. In the last minute, Tyler wrote the lyrics on the wall. A fresh material such as the talk box was used in making this hit song. For your added information, a device box is used by guitarists to create vocal sounds through a vinyl tube that is fastened to the unit that is attached to the output/speakers of the guitar amplifier. An example is in the video of the Bon Jovi â€Å"It’s My Life,† where in the guitarist was controlling the sound of the guitar to create new dynamics of sounds being radiated by the guitar. In the continuing years, the song â€Å"Walk this Way† was stuck into the minds of people as well as many artists. The song was well appreciated by many and due to this a remake of this song was made in 1986 by a group called Run DMC. The group is composed of 3 African-American men that had made a mark in the musical industry similar to Aerosmith. The genre of this group is Rap and Hip-Hop which is very different from the genre of the rock band. Parallel to the rock band Aerosmith, Run DMC are legendary in their specialized genre. They had also won awards in the MTV music awards and Billboard Awards. Currently they are seen as hip-hop legends and an inspiration for many aspiring artists of the present time (Sony BMG Music Entertainment n. p. ). The remake of the song â€Å"Walk this Way† by Run DMC made a unique strike in the music industry. The two very different musical genres have come together in one song without over powering or overlapping the unique sounds of the two bands. The rugged sound of Aerosmith and the upbeat tempo of Run DMC were both evident and enjoyed by their followers. Due to remake and the collaboration of the song, the lyrics of the next version were changed to fit the rap part of Run DMC which elaborated the theme of the song. In the book written by Anthony De Curtis, he stated that â€Å"it was one of the first rap videos to get heavy play on MTV† (DeCurtis 248). In another phrase stated in the book of DeCurtis he said that, â€Å"the video was a successful attempt to introduce rap music to the white audiences† (De Curtis 248). In the point of view of DeCurtis, he sees that the collaboration of these two legendary artists have opened up the white Americans and African-American supporters of these groups to open up the minds of in the types of music that they are hearing. Although in the 1990s, racism was not a big issue unlike in the history of the United States, the types of music that person chooses reflects of the cultural background of the listener. The labeling of the hard rock genre is the type of music that white Americans wants to hear while the African-Americans listen to rap and hip hop music. Through this song, the strictly limited genres of hard rock and hip hop opened up to the whole society while showing that White American music and African-American music could be combined and eventually creating a new type of music. In addition, the video of the song was very symbolic in a sense that the video showed a wall separating the two artists—which were purely whites (Aerosmith) and purely African-Americans (Run DMC) on the other side. In reality, the invisible wall that is separating the two races was very present due to many factors of the society. As mentioned earlier, the connotation of white Americans as listeners of the hard rock genre and the African-Americans as listeners of the hip hop culture. In the conservative view, any person that is showing interest in a genre not usually appreciated by his/her race is seen as unfaithful to his/her community but through the music made by these artists. In some sense, the capability to hatch up the two very different musical genres was made possible. Aerosmith and Run DMC were able to reach the masses and were able to communicate their intentions. The successful collaboration of these two legendary artists led the way for the younger generations to appreciate the new genre created by these artists. In much recent times, the very obvious collaborations of various artists with different types of genres had somehow been a trend. Current artists such as Linkin Park, Limp Biscuit, Korn, Papa Roach, Incubus and Blink 182 are some of the most popular bands who had been exemplifying the great influence Aerosmith and Run DMC. The mixture of hip-hop, rap and rock is in fact manifest in the music made by these artists. Still, the upbeat tempo of rhyming words and the heavy screeching of the guitar had been a great influence for many artists today and is continuously developed to create new genres of music. Looking at the current music industry, more and more artists had been collaborating with one another. One example is Mariah Carey which never fails to include collaborations in her album and it eventually became her signature style. Artists such as the Black Eyed Peas have collaborated with a couple of various artists that has different genres such as Sergio Mendez (Bossa Nova) , Justine Timberlake (pop/ R&B) just to name a few. Jack Johnson an acoustic artist allows his music to be mixed which house music in order to create new a fresh sound out of the old ones. Timbaland a very well known producer and artists is one of the most famous individuals in Hollywood that made collaborations of artists. Most of the collaborations that he produced topped the charts in different parts of the country and the world. Through the continuous creativity, innovation and talent of the current generation as well as the influences that they had in the past, the simple genres of pop, rock, rap, had became much more diverse and fluid. The conservative notion of just following the current trend in music, brave souls that are willing to be rejected and ridiculed by the society due to the music that they believe is beautiful are very well known and very much appreciated by the listeners not only in the United States but also in various parts of the world. Conclusion: Through the analysis of the artists: Aerosmith and Run DMC, the song: Walk this way (1975) and Walk this Way (1986), the video of the song, the current artists and their new innovation in their music, it is evident that the song and the legendary artists who bravely produced this song made a history in the music industry. The groups have opened up the creative minds of the new generation in creating new types of genres which could be more appreciated by various types of people because of the diverse mixture of sounds and rhythm. The one-time collaboration of Aerosmith and Run DMC have paved the way to many artist not to fear in creating the type of music that they really believe is striking and also be appreciated by many people. The constant innovation of music creates diversion of the music appreciated by everyone. The social construct of limiting a person or a race with the type of music that she or he should listen is now gone. The racial separation within the choice of music within the society had now been lessened. This creates a more diversified society and limits the barriers that are restrain the society from totally mixing with one another. Music is evidently one of the strongest influences that the society has. The wide scope of media and technology has allowed everyone to listen, and watch how various artists live their lives and inspire themselves in creating good music. The availability of the internet had created a much more intimate relationship between the artists and their supporters which creates much stronger connection between them. More and more artist had been influencing the people and society which creates more power and persuasion towards the people. WALK THIS WAY Aerosmith feat. Run DMC (1987) There’s a backseat lover, that’s always undercover and I talked till my daddy say, said â€Å"ya ain’t seen nothin till your down on a muffin, and theres sure to be a change in way† now theres a cheerleader, that’s a real big pleaser as far as I could reminice and the best thing lovin’ was you sister and your cousin and it started with a little kiss, like this She start swingin’ with the boys in school and her feet are flyin’ up in the air singin hey diddle diddle with the titty in the middle, and you swingin like you just dont care so I took a big chance at the highschool dance with a lady who was ready to play it wasn’t me she was foolin’ cause she new what she was doin when she told me how to walk this way, she told me to CHORUS walk this way, talk this way (x2) she told me to walk this way, talk this way (x2) just give me a kiss†¦ like this school girl sleezy with a classy kinda sassy little skirt hangin way up her knee there were three young ladies in a school gym locker and I find there were lookin at D I was a highschool loser never made it with a lady till the boys told me somethin’ i miss then my next door neighbor had a daughter, had a favour and I gave the girl a little kiss, like this she start swingin’ with the boys in the school, with your feet flyin up in the air singin hey diddle diddle with the titty in the middle I was swingin like I didnt care so I took a big chance at the highschool dance with the miss who was ready to play wasn’t me she was foolin, cause she knew what she was doin when she told me how to walk this way, she told me to CHORUS Works Cited Aerosmith, â€Å"History. † 2 July 2008. Aerosmith. com. 2 July 2008. . Aerosmith and Run DMC, â€Å"Walk this Way (AeroSmith Run DMC). †2 July 2008. Lyrics007. com. 2 July 2008. . Dean, Maury. â€Å"Rock ‘N’ Roll Gold Rush A Singles Un-cyclopedia. † Newyork: Algora Publishing, 2003. 380. Power, Martin. â€Å"The Complete Guide To the Music of Aerosmith: The Complete Guide. † New York: Omnibus Press, 1997. 22. Rubey, Dan. â€Å"Voguing at the Carnival: Desire and Pleasure on MTV. † Present Tense: Rock & Roll and Culture. Ed 1992. DeCurtis, Anthony. United States of America: Duke Publishing Press, 1992. 248. Run DMC Featuring Aerosmith. â€Å"Walk this Way. † Posted on: 2 February 2007. Retrieved 2 July 2008. . Song Facts. â€Å"Walk this Way† 2 July 2008. Songfacts. com. 2 July 2008. . Sony BMG Music Entertainment. â€Å"Bio. † 2 July 2008. Run DMC. 2 July 2008. .

Friday, August 16, 2019

Love Triangles and Betrayal in Carmen Essay

The creation of operas from pre-existing literary texts is a complex process implicating the original author, the librettists, the opera directors, the publishers, and the composer. In the process of transformation, the involved parties consider prevailing cultural values as well as their own artistic ideals. These considerations weigh all the more heavily on the process when the literary text involves complex romantic relationships. Georges Bizet’s Carmen (1875), Giuseppe Verdi’s Otello (1887), and Claude Debussy’s Pelleas et Melisande (1902) provide examples of this transformation process. In all three of these works, love triangles figure prominently. These love triangles, though they share some superficial similarities, are extraordinarily different in terms of their composition and the ultimate fate of the characters. Carmen When the directors of the Opera-Comique, a venue with repertoire typically geared towards an extremely conservative, family-oriented, bourgeois audience (McClary, 1992, p. 15-16), commissioned Bizet to write an opera in 1872, Bizet suggested Prosper Merimee’s novel Carmen as a possible subject (Macdonald, 2010). The directors of the Opera-Comique were divided in their support of this work as a subject for an opera. De Leuven, in particular, was against this choice, citing the scandalous nature of the story and the conservative nature of the venue’s target audience as reasons behind his disapproval: â€Å"Carmen! The Carmen of Merimee? Wasn’t she murdered by her lover?†¦ At the Opera-Comique, the theatre of families, of wedding parties? You would put the public to flight. No, no, impossible. † (as cited in Jenkins, 2003). Indeed, it appears that the on-stage death was of particular consternation for the director: â€Å"Death on the stage of the Opera-Comique! Such a thing has never been seen! Never! † (as cited in Nowinski, 1970, p. 895). The choice of Carmen ultimately played a role in de Leuven’s resignation from his post in 1874 (McClary, 1992, p. 23). The source text for Carmen is a novella by Prosper Merimee. The author originally published this work in 1845 in the Revue des deux mondes, a non-fiction journal. The author had previously published travelogues in the same journal, and this work contained no indication that it was a work of fiction (Boynton, 2003). Instead, the work reads as a â€Å"true† story of Merimee’s voyage to Spain in 1830. In the midst of his travels, the author-narrator encounters Don Jose, the man who, after succumbing to Carmen’s seductive powers, kills her in a jealous rage following her confession of a love affair with Lucas. The librettists for Carmen, Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy, at the time that they were commissioned to write this work for the Opera-Comique had already successfully worked together as a team on a number of works (including Offenbach’s La Belle Helene and La Vie parisienne) for the Parisian boulevard theatres (McClary, 1992, p. 18). In their previous librettos, the team had split the work: Meilhac wrote the prose dialogue, and Halevy supplied the verse (McClary, 1992, p. 18). In operatic settings, the prose would typically be left as spoken dialogue (for the Opera-Comique) or set as recitative. In transforming Merimee’s novella into a libretto, Meilhac and Halevy made numerous changes. Unfortunately, there is a lack of primary source evidence detailing the minutiae of the collaborative process which would shed further light upon the reasons behind these changes (Jenkins, 2003). These changes include minimizing Carmen’s criminal activities, adding the character of Micaela, and eliminating Merimee’s framing device. The removal of Merimee’s framing device (accomplished by not including a narrator) and the introduction of Don Jose before his downfall make Carmen, and not Don Jose, the focus of the story (Jenkins, 2003). Indeed, the Carmen of the libretto, with her voice not being interrupted by the narrator’s commentary, speaks directly to the audience (McClary, 1992, p. 21). Carmen was composed as a four-act opera comique, originally with spoken dialogue (as opposed to recitative). The dialogue was transformed into recitative by Guiraud for a production in Vienna, and it was performed this way for many years before producers reverted to Bizet’s original spoken text (Macdonald, 2010). Further changes to Merimee’s original resulted from Guiraud’s involvement. Meilhac’s original dialogues at times quoted directly from Merimee’s Carmen, and these instances of direct quotation were largely eliminated in Guiraud’s version (McClary, 1992, p. 45). With the addition of Micaela, the librettists created a moralizing character, the polar opposite of Carmen, with whom the Opera-Comique audiences could readily identify (McClary, 1992, p. 21). The addition of Micaela complicates the love triangle. In Merimee’s original, the love triangle included the characters of Carmen, Don Jose, and Lucas. In the operatic version, both Don Jose and Escamillo are in love with Carmen, and both Carmen and Micaela are in love with Don Jose. The librettists also substantially changed Carmen’s character. Though they downplayed Carmen’s involvement in criminal activities (she is no longer the leader of the smugglers as Merimee portrayed her) arguably in order to make her more sympathetic, they focus almost exclusively on her sexuality (to the exclusion of her healing powers and intelligence as presented in the original) (McClary, 1992, p. 22). Bizet’s music underlines the differences in characters and underlines the complex nature of the interlocking love triangles in the opera. Micaela is presented as a sweet, pure, innocent woman. Her entrance is conventional, and her music is marked by neither intense chromaticism nor indications of exoticism (McClary, 1997, p. 120). Carmen’s entrance, in contrast, disrupts the formal procedures Bizet set up from the beginning of the opera, and her music is largely chromatic and marked with features typically associated with the exotic (McClary, 1997, p. 120). Her music, like her body and personality, is irresistible to any man she sets her sights on. Don Jose’s music is different from that of both of his female admirers. His melodic lines are long, irregularly phrased, and lacking in regular cadences (McClary, 1997, p. 124). Additionally, he, unlike Escamillo, lacks a signature melodic line (McClary, 1997, p. 127). McClary points to the incompatibility of Carmen’s and Don Jose’s musical styles as evidence of the ultimate failure of their relationship. In contrast, Carmen’s brief duet with Escamillo in act four seems sincere because their musical styles are compatible (McClary, 1997, p. 125). Ultimately, Don Jose kills Carmen in a fit of jealousy over her relationship with Escamillo, and Micaela is deprived of her true love as he gives himself up to the police following his murder of Carmen. Otello Though the two Shakespeare aficionados Giuseppe Verdi and Arrigo Boito met as early as 1862, it was not until 1879 that the events leading to the composition of Otello were set in motion (Aycock, 1972, p. 594). The four-act Otello received its premiere on February 5, 1887 in Milan. In transforming the play into opera libretto, Boito eliminated six of the fourteen characters and cut the entire first act (Aycock, 1972, p. 595). Boito also cut Othello’s statement of self-defence following his murder of Desdemona from the end of the play (Aycock, 1972, p. 596). This last cut serves to keep the opera’s focus on the tragic love story. This love story principally revolves around the actions of Othello, Desdemona, and Iago. When the opera opens, Desdemona and Othello are newly married. However, Roderigo (Iago’s friend) still loves Desdemona. Iago, upset with Cassio who has been promoted over him, fabricates proof of Desdemona’s infidelity with Cassio in order to play on Othello’s jealous nature. The proof of this infidelity, in both the play and the opera, is a handkerchief. Othello murders Desdemona, and when he learns that his belief in his wife’s infidelity was mistaken, he kills himself. In this story, both Roderigo and Othello are in love with Desdemona. Given Roderigo’s minimal role in the opera, however, Iago takes his place in the dramatic situation of the love triangle. It is his betrayal and deception that leads to the demise of the two main characters. The end of the first act contains a conventional love duet between Othello and Desdemona. As Aycock (1972, p. 595) remarks, the love between these two principal characters is mature and predicated on confidence in each other’s fidelity. The climax of this love duet, on the words â€Å"un bacio†¦Otello!†¦ un bacio,† features a new melody in the orchestra. This melody reappears only in the last act, most notably when Othello commits suicide (Lawton, 1978, p. 211). The character of Iago in the opera is much more the creation of Verdi and Boito than of Shakespeare. Iago’s Credo, where he proclaims his devotion to a cruel God and admits that he is unquestionably evil, was entirely the invention of Boito (Aycock, 1972, p. 600). For Verdi, the emphasis on this character allowed him to confirm to Italian operatic tradition, which called for a baritone villain role (Aycock, 1972, p. 601). Pelleas et Melisande Maurice Maeterlinck’s play Pelleas et Melisande received its Parisian premiere at the Theatre des Bouffes-Parisiens on May 17, 1893, and Claude Debussy was in attendance (Grayson, 1985, p. 35, 37). By the fall of the same year, he had already begun composing what would later become Act IV scene 4 (Grayson, 1985, p. 37). In the case of this operatic transformation, there was no librettist acting as a middle-man. Instead, Debussy constructed the libretto himself, from Maeterlinck’s original text. The composer remained true to the original play, changing nary a word. He did, however, cut some scenes, and these cuts were made with the Maeterlinck’s authorization. In November 1893, the composer travelled to Ghent to meet with the author, and the two men discussed several possible cuts. Debussy reported to Ernest Chausson that Maeterlinck had given him â€Å"complete authorization to make cuts and even indicated some which were very important, even very useful† (as cited in Grayson, 1985, p. 37). From Maeterlinck’s original play, there were only four scenes that Debussy did not set: Act I scene 1, Act II scene 4, Act III scene 1, and Act V scene 1 (Grayson, 1985, p. 38). These scenes appear to have been cut because they are unrelated to the central narrative, leading to the demise of both Pelleas and Melisande. While Debussy used Maeterlinck’s original text, he did, in some instances, cut some of the text to make the libretto more concise. Act III scene 3, for example, was cut so heavily so that only one third of the original text remained (Grayson, 1985, p. 40). Two further cuts came in 1902. During Pelleas et Melisande’s first season at the Opera-Comique, Debussy was forced to cut one scene from the performances: Act IV scene 3 (Grayson, 1985, p. 39). This almost purely symbolic scene features Yniold (Golaud’s son from a previous marriage). At the end of the scene, Yniold, wishing to share his experiences with Melisande, unwittingly reveals to Golaud that she is not in her room (Grayson, 2003, p. 76) – in essence, he signals her disloyalty to her husband. The scene was reinserted in its second season. Also, at the dress rehearsal, the Director of Fine Arts, censored the work, calling for the suppression of Act III scene 4, a scene where Yniold is forced, by his violent father, to spy on the suspected lovers (Grayson, 2003, p. 80). Pelleas et Melisande begins with Golaud discovering Melisande by a fountain in a forest. She seems to be lost and confused, and she follows Golaud on his wanderings. The two get married in secret and return to the castle of Golaud’s father. There, Melisande meets Golaud’s brother Pelleas, and these two fall in love. In one scene, Golaud happens upon Pelleas caressing Melisande’s hair streaming out from a tower window, and he realizes that his brother has betrayed him. Golaud, blind with jealousy, kills his brother in Act III. At the end of the opera, Melisande also dies, but not before giving birth to a daughter. The plot, then, revolves around the love triangle of Melisande, Golaud, and Pelleas. The unquestioning inclusion of on-stage deaths demonstrates how much the Opera-Comique had changed since the 1875 premiere of Carmen. From the time of Debussy’s first draft of Act IV scene 4 in the fall of 1893, it took almost a decade for the opera to reach the stage of the Opera-Comique. Debussy worked intensely on the opera in 1895 and completed a short score of the opera in August of that year (Grayson, 2003, p. 78). Though he had a completed opera, he had major difficulties finding a suitable venue for the performance of the work. Albert Carre, the director of the Opera-Comique, accepted Pelleas â€Å"in principal† in 1898, but he did not give Debussy written confirmation of the deal until 1901 (Grayson, 2003, p. 79). Though Debussy was ambivalent about Wagnerian leitmotive techniques, he does employ leitmotivs in Pelleas. While most of these leitmotivs are connected to ideas, each major character has his or her own leitmotiv (Nichols and Smith, 1989, p. 81). Melisande’s motive, for example, is comparatively lyrical, wandering, and typically played by oboes or flutes while Golaud’s motive consists of two notes in alteration with a more pronounced rhythmic emphasis. These motives are typically associated with different harmonic fields. Melisande’s melody is pentatonic but is typically harmonized with a half diminished seventh chord (Nichold and Smith, 1989, p. 91). Golaud’s motive, because of its sparse melodic line consisting of only two notes, is more harmonically flexible. Debussy uses it in a variety of harmonic contexts including whole-tone, dorian, and minor. Comparison of Works These three works present a widely diverse picture of operatic life in late nineteenth century France and Italy. In terms of source texts, there is a novella (Carmen), a play in verse (Otello), and a play in prose (Pelleas et Melisande). In two of the cases (Carmen and Otello), neither the composer nor the librettist knew the author of the original literary work. In the case of Pelleas, the composer had direct contact with the original author and constructed the libretto himself. These three operas were then composed in different forms: an opera comique in versions with both spoken dialogue and sung recitative (Carmen), a hybrid of continuous action with set pieces (Otello), and a largely through-composed work with one aria (Pelleas). In each instance, the transformation process reveals that it was not only the librettist and composer who were involved in the opera’s ultimate form: opera directors, publishers, and censors also had some hand in the final product. One shared trait amongst these three works was the need for the librettist to cut considerable amounts of literary material from the original text. This phenomenon is understandable given that it takes a considerably longer period of time to sing a text rather than say it. In choosing sections of texts to cut, the librettists were faced with the challenge of leaving enough of the narrative design so that it would remain comprehensible to the audience. The composer could then use musical devices to fill in some of the gaps that this missing text created. For example, Bizet could use different musical styles to highlight differences in race and class (McClary, 1997). Similarly, Debussy could use different harmonic languages (whole tone, pentatonic, modal) to indicate subtly differences in the quality of light (Nichols and Smith, 1989). A second shared trait is that two of the composers appear to have made decisions based on operatic convention in their composition of the opera. Bizet’s concession to operatic convention takes the form of the introduction of the character of Micaela, a character absent from Merimee’s original but whose presence, as mentioned above, was deemed necessary to make the work suitable for the conservative Opera-Comique audience. Verdi’s concessions are evident in the finale to Act 3, where he asked Boito to alter the libretto to make room for a traditional grand concertato finale (Parker, 2010) as well as in the changes to Iago’s character mentioned above. A third shared trait is that these three works focus on love triangles, with an act of betrayal or jealousy leading to the deaths of one or more of the principal characters. In Carmen, the primary love triangle revolves around Carmen, Don Jose, and Escamillo. In the end, Carmen dies. In Otello, the love triangle of Othello, Desdemona, and Roderigo has a tragic ending with the death of both Othello and Desdemona. Similarly, the Pelleas-Melisande-Golaud triangle results in the death of two of the characters: Pelleas and Melisande. In each case, the composer highlights one of the romantic relationships as being more viable or more sincere than the others. Bizet, as noted, employs different musical styles for each of the characters, with only Escamillo’s language being compatible with Carmen’s. Verdi wrote a traditional love duet for Othello and Desdemona, the sincerity of which is highlighted with its aforementioned reappearance in the final act. Debussy employs a technique similar to that of Bizet: he has Pelleas and Melisande sing together in octaves in Act IV scene 4). The similarities between the presentations of the love triangles stops with this characteristic, for the relationship dynamics within the central triangles are quite different in these works. In Carmen, the title character is both the primary female love interest and the character responsible for the betrayal. She betrays Don Jose’s love for her, however ill-founded it may be, by confessing her love for Escamillo. In contrast to the other operatic heroines studied here, Carmen is a femme-fatale. In Verdi’s Otello, the love between Othello and Desdemona is sincere, and neither one carries on an affair with someone else. The primary reason behind their deaths is Iago’s treachery. However, Othello does, in a sense, betray Desdemona by believing Iago’s lies. His acknowledgment of this betrayal can be seen in his committing suicide. In Debussy’s Pelleas, the guilty party is less clearly identified. Melisande, though she betrays her marriage by falling in love with Pelleas, is not depicted as a femme fatale. Instead, she is presented as an innocent, idealized woman (Smith, 1981, p. 105). Pelleas betrays his brother by having an affair with his wife. Though Debussy, as mentioned above, sympathizes with their love and highlights the love Pelleas and Melisande have for each other by having them sing together in octaves. It appears that these characters are not to be held accountable for their actions because their love was inevitable, foretold in advance by fate. ? References Aycock, R. E. (1972). Shakespeare, Boito, and Verdi. The Musical Quarterly, 58 (4), 588-604. Boynton, S. (2003) Prosper Merimee’s novella Carmen. New York City Opera Project: Carmen. Retrieved from http://www. columbia. edu/itc/music/NYCO/carmen/merimee. html Grayson, D. (1985). The Libretto of Debussy’s Pelleas et Melisande. Music and Letters, 66 (1), 35-50. Grayson, D. (2003). Debussy on stage. In The Cambridge Companion to Debussy. Ed. Simon Trezise. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 61-83. Jenkins, C. (2003). Carmen: The Librettists. New York City Opera Project: Carmen. Retrieved from http://www. columbia. edu/itc/music/NYCO/carmen/librettists. html Lawton, D. (1978). On the ‘Bacio’ theme in Otello. 19th-Century Music, 1 (3), 211-220. Macdonald, H. (2010). Carmen (ii). Grove Online. Retrieved from http://www. oxfordmusiconline. com/subscriber/article/grove/music/O008315? q=carmen&search=quick&pos=22&_start=1#firsthit McClary, S. (1992). Georges Bizet, Carmen. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. McClary, S. (1997). Structures of identity and difference in Bizet’s Carmen. In The Work of Opera: Genre, Nationhood, and Sexual Difference. Ed. Richard Dellamora and Daniel Fischlin. New York: Columbia University Press, pp. 115-130. Nichols, R. & Smith, R. L. (1989). Claude Debussy, Pelleas et Melisande. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Nowinski, J. (1970). Sense and sound in George Bizet’s Carmen. The French Review, 43 (6), 891-900. Parker, R. (2010). Otello (ii). Grove Music Online. Retrieved from http://www. oxfordmusiconline. com/subscriber/article/grove/music/O003882>. Smith, R. L. (1981).