Essay on The Dualism of Joe Christmas - 1715 Words

William Faulkner’s protagonist, Joe Christmas’ trajectory and immoral decisions become the Siren’s song that tip him over the stern of the boat that is his life. Christmas’ path takes turns and twists that create a taciturn man who has been brought into the world unwanted; then, he ruthlessly moves forward looking back at his past in order to make decisions for his future. Light In August parallels Robert Frost’s â€Å"The Road Not Taken†, when Joe finds that he has reached a fork in the road and has to plan for kind of life he wants to lead, contradicting factors jumble his persona. This creates a dualism in Joe’s soul, wherein two sides of a man challenge him to try to make decisions for survival. Faulkner’s novel sets up intriguing†¦show more content†¦Milly maintained that she would be able to free herself and her child from her father, yet her sons story begins with his struggle even with his first breath. When Joe was born he was pure; a light from the heavens, but the transposition of his persona becomes apparent as his life is abridged by the decisions he makes. Joe hung a chair, his murder weapon, over his head. At that moment he lost all innocence, The course destiny chooses is in a sense superfluous, for we are not dealing with the kind of fatality which manifests itself in a dramatic progression of events, from which we cannot add or subtract a single one without changing its entire passage, for to do so would be like saying that someone has not fulfilled his destiny.† Pouillon tells of the belief that a man finds himself on a path and makes a decision not in order to achieve his destiny or in a pre determined path, but instead Joe bases his choices when they appear in front of him. He kills McEachern and after has to think about his next move. Running away with bobby was no longer an option after she rejected his marriage proposal. He moves towards the road much like in Frostâ⠂¬â„¢s poem: â€Å"Then took the other, as just as fair, †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Because it was grassy and wanted wear, Though as for that the passing there†¨ Had worn them really about the same,† (Frost 6-10) Joe Christmas begins to run, and running becomes his life, But

Comparing The River Valley Civilizations - 1509 Words

Comparing and Contrasting River Valley Civilizations In the following treatise, the research that will be presented will provide criteria involving similarities and differences in three attributes of life in the four primary river valley civilizations. The river valley civilizations are composed of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, and China. While each of these civilizations is unique in their habits and traditions, they share many similar qualities. For this work to be as comprehensive as possible, the primary focus will be on comparing and analyzing the cultures and ambiance, or environments, political organization and religious beliefs, and social structures of each society. The following categories are going to be analyzed by utilizing the frameworks of the four river valley civilizations. Without further ado, a juxtaposition of the ancient river valley civilizations. The first topic of comparison is the prospect of culture and environment in each society. Due to cultural di ffusion amongst the civilizations, except geographically isolated China, among other factors, it can be deduced that the civilizations had many similar practices. However, each society boasted distinctive qualities. Early Mesopotamia, known by the moniker of â€Å"the land between the rivers,† was a fertile plain settled near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers located in the Fertile Crescent. All of the river valley civilizations settled near a river. Egypt settled near the Nile; the Indus ValleyShow MoreRelatedComparing The Nile, Mesopotamia, And Indus Civilizations1475 Words   |  6 PagesComparing the Nile, Mesopotamia, and Indus Civilizations The civilizations of the Nile River valley, the Mesopotamia valley, and Indus Valley marked human progress toward fixed settlements and the development of a rich culture. These civilizations shared many characteristics that contributed to their success. What made these civilizations unique were the contributions that each one gave to the world. They contributed their own ideas and accomplishments in the areas of religion, science, and mathematicsRead MoreCivilization: Which Aspects Define1491 Words   |  6 PagesAlex Hummel World Civilization 1 Midterm Paper Civilization is a word that cannot be used too loosely. How then, is civilization defined? It is difficult to define in one word or phrase because a complex society or â€Å"civilization† depends on many different aspects. There are characteristics of a civilization that are more essential than others, some of which may be more important to one group than to another. However, a definition for civilization can be narrowed down to a few fundamentalRead MoreIndus River Vally and Chinese Dynasty838 Words   |  4 Pagesjust the way it works. In ancient civilizations they too had their own culture. 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Egypt was similar to Mesopotamian civilizations in many ways, but Egypt’s distinct differences led to a distinguished socialRead MoreMesopotamia and Egypt Comparative Essay876 Words   |  4 PagesMesopotamia and Egypt Comparative Essay While both the Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations share similar political, social and economic qualities, the details of these broad spectrums branch off in opposite directions. For example, both Mesopotamia and Egypt were ruled by kings, but in Egypt, their kings were called pharaohs and they had significantly more power than the Mesopotamian kings of the city-states. 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One can establish the facts behind the formation of rivers and the important part they play in the ecosystem by carefully studying their features. However, the topic needs more research to know the reasons behind the uniqueness portrayed by each river. As the river flows, it cuts rocks which it carries them down its course and grinds themRead MoreRiver Dynasties in China3135 Words   |  13 PagesPage 1 of 6 4 River Dynasties in China MAIN IDEA POWER AND AUTHORITY The early rulers introduced ideas about government and society that shaped Chinese civilization. WHY IT MATTERS NOW The culture that took root during ancient times still affects Chinese ways of life today. TERMS NAMES †¢ loess †¢ oracle bone †¢ Mandate of Heaven †¢ dynastic cycle †¢ feudalism SETTING THE STAGE The walls of China’s first cities were built 4,000 years ago. This was at least a thousand years afterRead MoreExploring the Symbolism and Historical Allusions in Langston Hughes The Negro Speaks of Rivers1311 Words   |  5 PagesDear Professor X, In exploring the symbolism and historical allusions in Langston Hughess The Negro Speaks of Rivers, I hoped to trace the different elements that influenced Hughes and how he viewed himself within the world and society. In the process of examining the poem and beginning to create a structure, I had to not only look at the superficial meaning of what Hughes was saying, but also look for alternative meanings of what he said. Additionally, I had to tie in my knowledge of historyRead MoreCulture : The Light Of A Society1097 Words   |  5 Pageschildren, especially boys. Egypt has dominated our story of civilization so far, and significant developments were taken place during this era. Like Egypt, Mesopotamia has also dominated our story of civilization. It is one of the oldest civilizations that ever existed. 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Test of English as a Foreign Language Free Essays

English, the third most common language spoken after Mandarin and Spanish, is spoken by around 370 to 390 million people in around 50 different countries. Many renowned universities, require their students, in the undergraduate, graduate and post graduate programs to first prove their proficiency in the English language, as an entrance criteria. This created a need for a standard test, accepted and recognized by these universities, to be created. We will write a custom essay sample on Test of English as a Foreign Language or any similar topic only for you Order Now Test of English as a Foreign Language or TOEFL as it is commonly referred to as, is such a test. This test is developed and conducted by the Educational Testing Service. TOEFL can be administered via the internet(TOEFL iBT) or can be written as a paper based test(TOEFL PBT). Written Tests are only administered in places where Internet Based Testing Centers for TOEFL are unavailable. This test score along with the applicant’s other academical information becomes the foundation for their admission process. The test score scale ranges from 0 to 120, for TOEFL iBT, and from 310 to 677 for TOEFL PBT. The minimum test score acceptable, varies from university to university, depending on factors like courses undertaken or whether the applicant is an undergrad, grad or post grad. TOEFL iBT TOEFL iBT tests the four basic skills needed for effective communication namely- Reading, Speaking, Listening and Writing. They test the takers to read, listen, and then speak in response to a question listen and then speak in response to a question read, listen, and then write in response to a question The test is 4 hours long and it is essential that all the four sections of the test be taken on the same day itself. Test Format SECTION FORMAT TIME READING 3-5 passages(700words), 12-14 question each 60-100 minutes LISTENING 2–3 conversations, 5 questions each 4–6 lectures, 6 questions each 60-90 minutes 10 MINUTES BREAK SPEAKING 6 tasks which include 2 independent and 4 integrated 20 minutes WRITING 2 tasks which include 1 integrated task and 1 independent task 50minutes(20 for integrated and 30 for independent) The time displayed above is not an actual representation, and may vary on the number of questions. Reading Section The reading sections tests the applicant’s ability to, comprehend, learn and to find information from university level academic passages and texts. The questions asked in the reading section are of the following format Multiple choice questions- asking the applicant to select a single answer from a given set of options Multiple choice questions asking the applicant to select an option to â€Å"insert a sentence† where it fits best in a passage Questions with more than four choices and more than one possible correct answer. Listening Section This section tests the applicants ability to understand Spoken English, by testing his/her ability to understand lectures and conversations. The applicant is allowed to take notes while listening to the material provided. These notes will be collected at the end of the test and destroyed. Questions asked in the Listening section, are usually asked in the following formats Multiple choice questions with a single correct answer Multiple choice questions with more than one correct answer Questions that require the user to order events Questions that require the applicant to match objects or text to categories in a chart Some questions replay a portion of the audio material provided, so that the applicant need not memorize the material before answering the question. Speaking Section Here the applicant is tested for his ability to communicate, participate in casual conversations, respond to questions etc. This section includes six tasks that that the applicant must undertake before proceeding further. The first two task are independent speaking tasks, where the user is asked to express their opinion or idea on topics provided, or on topics that the applicant is comfortable with. The next four tasks are integrated tasks where the applicant must use more than one of their skills before responding. These skills may include reading, listening and speaking. The user is only allowed to spend 20 minutes in this section. Writing Section This section tests the applicants ability to present their ideas in a clear and well organized manner. Here students are required to undertake two tasks, one integrated and one independent. Independent tasks include writing essays, articles, expressing opinions etc. The student’s range of grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuations and layout are tested under Independent tasks. Under Integrated tasks students are required to summarize, paraphrase, and cite accurate information from the source material. The total time sanctioned for both these tasks is 50 minutes. TOEFL scores are valid for 2 years. These scores are visible,10 days after the exam on the TOEFL registration website. Printed Scores are mailed after 13 days. More than 10,000 universities in around 130 countries accept TOEFL scores for their admission process. So when you plan on an education abroad, Think TOEFL. How to cite Test of English as a Foreign Language, Papers

art critque Essay Example For Students

art critque Essay Paul Delvaux (1897-1994)Venus Asleep1. What Does the art work look like? describe it. This piece of art work in my opinion looks like a dream. The art work has a certain disoriented charm. It has mainly all dark colors and uses these dark colors to contrast with the light skin pigment of the people in the painting. The painting has a calm erotic nude lady sleeping on a very formal looking couch or day bed. If the picture is read as this ladies dream then it appears as if she were dreaming of death or something of a cult like manner. If it is indeed death she is dreaming of then she is symbolizing that death is very calm and relaxed, for her leg has gone limp as if she is very relaxed as death (the skeleton) is hovering over the foot end of her bed. In the background there are also people flying up in the sky and these people could symbolize the dead rising to a heaven or a god, or even angels attempting to help the dying on there way to a heaven or a god. It also seams as if the people in this dream are in a place of worship and they are all looking up to the skies an d praying. The structures around them are very temple like, for they have many statues and engravings about them. There is one lady in close and she is not praying and looks very formal. This lady is looking right at the skeleton which symbolizes death. This lady could symbolize a priest that is conversationalizing with her god or death itself, or this lady could also symbolize a non-believer that only examines the cult or religion and passes judgment. Another major aspect of this painting is that it is all set at night, which only makes the viewer believe more that the painting is set in a dream state because most dreams occur at night when we are asleep. 2. What subject matter does the artist work with? How is the subject matter represented: realistically, abstractly. Paul Delvaux uses a lot of different subject matters and here is a list of them: mythology, dreams, religion, bourgeois men, death, skeletons, large landscapes with ruins or city views and naked woman who wander expressionlessly. But in this painting he used a dream like atmosphere and a Greek cult like landscape to portray his message. Initially his first works, painted in the early 1920s, mostly consisted of pretty post-impressionist landscapes, but later more into the late 20s (around 1926-1927), Paul Delvaux evolved towards a more simplified style of Expressionism and Symbolism as these styles were seeping into his works. In his own words Paul Delvaux explains I wanted to find something else, but I did not know exactly what that could be.. After this metamorphosis Paul Delvaux converted to Expressionism. From 1935 and onward Paul Delvaux mainly focused on surrealistic works of art. This painting is represented in a surrealistic manner. His choice of subject-matter and his persona l style attest to his own personality. 3. What kind of technique is used to produce the work? Include the type(s) of media that are used. Paul Delvaux uses many techniques, but for this painting Venus Asleep Paul Delvaux used very sharp edge images with a lot of dark shadows. He did this painting with oil on a (173 x 200cm) canvas. He conveys his work using political media from his time period and rearranging it to show his feelings of a subject or the reality of a situation. Sometimes he uses unrelated media that he links together to make a point in his own way. 4. Where was the work produced? (GeoGraphic location)Paul Delvaux is known as a Belgian artist. Paul Delvaux initially studied architecture, but later studied painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. Around 1934 Paul Delvaux withdrew from society, spending a month in the tiny southern Belgian village of Spy filling his many sketch books with lingering fantasies in his mind and childhood memories. From 1951 onwards Paul Delvaux most often worked in Sint-Idesbald (Koksijde). Except in 1952 Paul Delvaux designed murals for the casino of the Kursaal in Ostend and he also did work in a few other places as well. The painting (Venus Asleep) was created in Brussels in 1944. 5. When was the work done? (Dates of the artists life, working life, name of the art period in which the work was done, dates of that period.)Paul Delvaux was born on the 21st of March 1897 and he died on the 27th of July, in the year of 1994. His childhood and adolescent years were important sources of inspiration for his work, even though he wasnt to serious about his art at this time. The works Paul Delvaux painted in the early 1920s, mostly consisted of pretty post-impressionist landscapes. Paul Delvaux evolved from a impressionist artist to a Expressionism and Symbolism artist around about 1926-1927. The church took offense at Paul Delvauxs paintings and had them removed from the Biennale in Venice in 1954. In 1962 a Delvaux exhibition was held in Ostend at the Museum of Fine Arts. In 1979 when he was still alive the Paul Delvaux Foundation was founded. The painting I have included with my essay (Venus Asleep) was done in Brussels on 1944 during German flying bomb attacks on the city. This period in art history is referred to as modern art. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of this Belgian artist Paul Delvaux, The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium hosted the first major retrospective exhibition of Paul Delvauxs work ever to be held in Belgium. It was held on the 27th of October 1997. John Marshall Essay14. What was the social economic position of an artist during the time period being researched?Paul Delvaux wasnt very high up on the social ladder in his time period, but nor were any other artists that practiced the same form of art as Paul Delvaux. These artists were considered bad by the church and were often banned from the churches. Society as a whole also frowned upon these artists, because the y for the most part followed the church. Therefore as that not many people understood these artists or tried to understand them, so not vary many people would buy there works. These artists were often money deprived for this reason and would paint murals and portraits on the corners of downtown streets. 15. What kind of life did the particular artist you are studying live?Paul Delvaux led a life of much change and exploration of his own mind. He would often take trips to free his mind and to make art of the memories and fantasies of his childhood and personal life. After going through art academies he tried to develop his own style, which he did. He spent a lot of his life observing and recording in his own way what he sees. 16. Was the artist personally involved in any specific political or social movement?Paul Delvaux wasnt personally involved in political or social events, but he was always indirectly involved in them by portraying there images. 17.Did the artist see his her involvement in art in any particular way? All art has some intent. The intent in Paul Delvauxs work is that he wanted to show people his way of viewing the world and to put across his feelings about the emotions he felt about the occurring events in his life. 18.What was the artist trying to show through the art which he she created? a. deal only with abstract, element or compositional aspects of artIn the painting Venus Asleep Paul Delvaux was trying to show a dreamlike composition with an abstract approach towards death. By using a relaxed woman and a skeleton hovering over her, which could symbolize death coming in her sleep. Using these images Paul Delvaux could be conveying the thought of German bombers attacking while the citizens are calm and relaxed, not expecting the bombers, or he could be symbolizing that the enemy is trying to be a friend to the woman while deep inside the enemy want whats not best for the woman. b. reflect the times which the artist lived?As I explained in Question a this painting was created when the Germans were bombing the Belgium city. So Paul Delvaux was probably pretty emotional at the time of the paintings creation and these emotions are showing through in this painting. c. reflect his personal view of the world?Well, I cant really say what Paul Delvauxs personal view is with out asking him myself, but judging by his artwork Id say his personal view of the world comes out in his paintings because he most always uses dark pastel colors in his paintings for the landscapes and backgrounds, which contrast greatly with the bright skin color of the people in his paintings. I think this choice of colors symbolizes how dark the world really is when people are on it to contrast with it and exploit it. d. reflect some emotional aspect of him herself or others? This painting Venus Asleep has many emotional parts that go deep within this painting and expose the true quality of the images of war and unfair death. Evaluation. 19. What do you see in the art work produced during this period or by this artist? What message comes across? (the message need not be sentimental or political it may be only visual.)In the works and mostly the painting Venus Asleep by this artist I see a deep message of pain and uncertainty that came from a war combined with an already restless soul that needs attention not violence. The people in the background to me symbolize the unhappiness of many people and the dark structures symbolize a highly growing technology of old theorys and questions. To me this painting shows me the end of the beginning of a pain that Paul Delvaux once suffered. 20. Is the art work of the time or of the artist successful? Does it do what it is set out to do? Does it convey the message that it intended?I feel that this piece of art from its time period does what it is set out to do. It conveys the message in so many different ways so that it can be interpreted as the viewer feeling the pain of a past event. I think the artist is successful in what he set out in achieving, because now over 70 years later were still talking about this painting. 21. Do you like the artwork of your research topic? Explain. Yes, I like the art work of my research topic, because it opens a window into something I cant normally see. One should forget that a painting is a painting that is to say, another realityPaul DelvauxBibliographyBooksSurrealist Painting 1975Simon WilsonMagazinesTimeApril 21, 1997 VOL, 149 NO.6The Art/Arts(A Singular Path)- Julie K.L. DAM InternetPaul Delvaux(Retrospective Delvaux Paul 1997 in Brussels, Belgium)http/www.geocities.com/retro/bel/happy/9897576/Paul Delvaux(PMMK Jubilee- Delvaux(Antheit 1897- Veurne1994)Info)http/www.PMMK.com/hiyt/0009/delvaux/expo/OtherEXPO Delvaux 1897-1994Royalmuseums of fine arts belgium address 9, Ruedu musee, 1000 Brusselsfax 32.2.508.32.32http/www.expo-delvauh.com/hist/76/09~hgy