Roman Sculpture Essay Example for Free

Roman Sculpture Essay Roman sculpture effects life and plays an important role in Ancient Rome, Julius Caesar, and modern-day society. Statues were an important and influential part of art and architecture in roman culture. Although, most of roman art and architecture came from Greek culture and habits, most people today think of the statues and sculptural techniques as roman. Ancient Rome used statues as ceremonial pieces, public gathering places, frivolous beautifying accessories in public areas, and honorable tributes to the rich or important people of the time. The Romans particularly like statues of gods, leaders, and heroes in action. (All About Ancient) Most sculptures roles in society were to be public meeting places for important events. They were used as central areas for passing information and communicating new rules and guidelines for an area. A whole category of battle and heroic sculpture filled the citizenrys need for information on conquests made by Roman armies. (All Bout Ancient) Although most statues were used for the public, some statues were intended for private viewing only because the subject matter would not be acceptable with commoners seeing as it was offensive or sexually explicit. (All About Ancient) Roman statue effected and played a role in literature as well such as Julius Caesar. In Shakespeare’s play, roman sculpture is used as a ceremonial image and also used to foreshadow the terrible events that unfolded later. In Act 1 of the play, a statue is described as decked with ceremonies for a parade. (Shakespeare) This would be a festival-type event celebrating an important figure returning home, that of which being Caesar. Later on in the play, the very same statue came into importance in Calpurnia’s dream. â€Å"She dreamt tonight she saw my (Caesar’s) statue which, like a fountain with a hundred spouts, did run pure blood, and many lusty romans came smiling and did bathe their hands in it.† This was an important foreshadowed event and without the statue, it would not have been portrayed the same. For as old as roman sculpting techniques are and for as long as statues have been around, they still have an impact on modern-day society. When people think of classic beauty, they think of the statues of gods and goddesses, heroes and leaders created by the ancient Romans. (All About Ancient) The Roman style of sculpture is influenced strongly by Greek style. The Romans saw what the Greeks were doing, like it and imitated it, although most of the statues that have remained and are still here today are roman. (Art) In addition to statues, Roman Emperors were also portrayed on coins, which is where modern-day society got the idea of putting out presidents on coins. (All About Ancient) Many of architectural buildings today are based off of old roman art such as the United States very own capital building. Roman sculptures are very important as the vast majority of them tell us a story about Gods, Heroes, Events, and act as public meeting areas. These statues played important roles in Julius Caesar, Ancient Rome, and modern-day society. Many sculptures were used to represent important events and people, and that cultural idea to represent significant events through art has transferred through into present-day society. Many of the statues that have survived are actually of Roman origin. Like many people today the Romans had a deep respect for Greek sculptures and many were copied. If the Romans had not made these copies, many of the Greek Legends and stories that we know today would have been lost to antiquity.

benefits of technology :: essays research papers

Ever since it developed, there has been controversy over whether or not mechanical inventions benefit our lives. Doug Rennie’s article, â€Å"Faxed to the Max†, says â€Å"the timesaving devices we created give us more freedom to do what we want have instead imprisoned us in our own technology.† Although this may be true to some people, everyone has the power to resist technological devices. People can chose to use these tools to enhance their lifestyles, like they can chose to use a hammer or a saw for a project; they don’t necessarily need it, but it would save time and energy. It is the ability to mistreat these inventions that makes some people uneasy towards about using technology in their daily lives. Although it can be abused in many ways, technology used properly is a tool that aids in education, health and communication.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Our physical health has benefited greatly from technology. Through inventions like the pacemaker and artificial limbs, a tremendous amount or people have had better physical conditions. This biological technology is not favorable to all. Some say that it is better for nature to do its work and people should not interfere. The spread of new inventions can soon get out of hand. For example, if we have the ability to clone humans, our lifestyles will change. People will abuse this power by being careless about their health. They believe people think technology can save them in the end, so they can exercise less and eat more unhealthy foods. On the other hand, curative inventions have saved lives and allowed people to lead healthier ones. There can be ways to make technology accessible to only certain people, but there is no reason to stop the usage of these medical products if they can help save lives. An example of one of these products is the pacemaker, invented by Canadian electrical engineer, John Hopps. Because the heart stops beating when it cools, he found that mechanical or electric stimulation could make the heart start up again. Since then, many were given healthier lives. Prosthetic limbs have also played a great role in helping the lives of amputees. Artificial limbs with sensors and microchips have recently been designed so that these people can maintain an active lifestyle rather than being confined to wheelchairs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Technology plays a very important role in the communication of people today. With the touch of a button, the Internet and the cellular telephone can allow us to transmit our message to someone on the other side of the planet.

Portrayal of Female Harassment Issues in TV Dramas Essay

The values of gender equality are promoted among all countries all over the world. Women have become more economically strong and independent even in South Asian region. Media has played a vital role in molding the opinions and providing a sigh of relief to the suppressed women folk. The relationship of women and media is very important as media transforms the real picture of women and their core issues in front of the public through its programs and TV dramas. Media broadcasts important messages on women harassment issues, domestic violence, gender bias, stories of mental torture and gender norms through various TV dramas, talk shows and magazine shows. Keywords: Domestic violence, mental torture, gender harassment, faith, religious strength, patience, tolerance. Introduction Pakistani media has become very liberal, moderate and independent since 2001. Media has played a vital role in molding the opinions of the people and providing a sigh of relief to suppressed women of our society. The relationship between woman and media is very important as media presents the real picture of women issues among of the public. Pakistani media is growing with 60 private TV networks and 12 FM radio channels. Media transmits women domestic harassment, violence, mental torture, rape cases through talk shows and TV dramas. Our TV channels represent all cultural and social bindings of women so the audience can digest them without criticism. In some TV dramas, the Islamic values and trends are also projected. Mostly Pakistani dramas are centered especially on ‘women’ shown as mothers, sisters and wives. Women are critical to almost each and every story. Majority of Pakistani dramas today are a strange mix of growth and regress while some serials do carry a liberal, progressive and gender-sensitive messages. Most of them strengthen the patriarchal values and criticize orthodoxy in the same stride. It is very difficult for the general public to understand the conflicting messages behind several storylines in the modern-day drama. Working women are depicted as strong and independent but also negatively is portrayed by their cunning and vampire-like nature. Women are shown being maltreated by men i. e. slapped, beaten up, humiliated, abused and conversely, men are depicted as the exclusive decision-makers who simply order the women in their lives around, telling them what to do or what not to do. One point is extremely worrying about such scenes depicting male dominance and male chauvinism as they invoke similar negative behavior especially among males in the general public. The ordinary man or woman becomes subject to this reinforcement of stereotypical images of women and adapts and accepts these stereotypes as normal and natural. Honour is depicted often in highly distorted contexts. A brother’s or father’s reaction when a sister or daughter is suspected of immorality is portrayed in such a manner that the crime is glorified and the victim condemned. Very rarely, do these serials convey the idea that ‘honour’ does not have a physical manifestation and is purely related to a person’s character. Honour can never be taken away by the use of force. Overly negative emotions attached to having a daughter-in-law. Words and phrases constantly refer to the presence of a daughter-in-law as an individual who will take far away son from his parents. The expressions of insecurity is attached with parents as they do not want to lose their boy after getting married neither they want to allow him being very close to his wife. Connected to this patriarchal approach is the issue of a divorced woman. The blame is placed squarely on the woman for not being able to keep her marriage intact or her husband happy. A woman who asks for a divorce is portrayed as committing an unpardonable act. In some cases, divorced is given by husbands on suspect of shaky character of women at family level. In Pakistan even today, young girls are forcefully married to old men under the tradition of ‘Family Marriages/Vani’. Sometimes girls are married with old men as their brothers or father has killed someone in bridegroom’s family due to enmity i. e. Fata, North Waziristan, South Waziristan. The top most watched TV channel is GEO TV Network owned by Jang Group of Publications and was launched in 2002. Geo TV is news based and an entertainment channel. Rationale The present paper will highlight the relationship between gender and media with reference of Pakistani TV Drama Serial titled as â€Å"Meri Zaat Zarra-e-Benishan† that went on air on GEO TV in 2009. The rationale of carrying out this research on this play is as follows: Domestic (married) woman portrayal in media? How religion can be used for woman harassment in domestic affairs and consequences? How human relationships can be disturbed by telling lies, taking fake oaths on Holy Books and putting allegations on innocent people? Sometimes woman fights against many strange persons and situations to safe her martial life or relationship besides having feelings of self-pity and self-assassination. What are the reasons behind it? Domestic violence on women Pakistan is counted among those countries that falls in the headlines due to domestic and gender-based harassment issues. The ratio of sexual harassment victims is alarmingly getting high in Pakistan. Domestic violence is physical, sexual, psychological or financial violence that takes place within an intimate relationship and forms a pattern of coercive and controlling behavior.  This can include ‘forced marriage’ and ‘honour crimes’. * Pakistan is an Islamic state where 70 percent girls are forced to get married on their parent’s choice in rural and urban areas and choice marriages are still rare due to prevailing feudal culture of the society. Culturally and ethically, women are bound to pass their lives as per their husbands will and under his supremacy and authority. * Divorce in any case is not tolerable even in well-educated and sophisticated families and a divorce woman cannot pass a ‘stable’ life ahead. Choice marriages (boy/girl) are considered as a severe crime. * Repression of women continues even after marriage at the hands of husbands or in-laws. The worst form of married woman’s conflict is with her mother-in-law. In most of the divorce cases, mother-in-law or sister-in-law have played a primary role. * The husband or any close relative from the family can show doubts on woman’s character/ extra-marital affair. In some cases, husbands are found killing or divorcing t heir wives on these issues. Concept of Oath-taking on Holy Book Religious aspect is also very important in our society. Sometimes, woman has to justify herself in front of the whole family by taking an oath on ‘Quran’ which is considered as giving decision of conflict in Allah’s Almighty’ s hand. This custom is called as â€Å"Quran Uthana† in our society commonly practiced in four provinces of Pakistan. If the oath is completely based on truth, it will save her life forever but if the oath taken on Quran will be on false statement; the situation will be vice verse. I will mention a saying of Hazrat Imam Hussain (AS) â€Å"Do not be aggressive towards a person who has nobody to defend against you except Allah†. Never take a false oath by Allah as a witness keeping hand on Quran, as it is one of the major sins in Islam. Do not make your oaths a means of deceiving one another or your foot will slip after it was firmly placed and you will taste evil for barring access to the way of Allah and you will have a terrible punishment. (Quran: Nahl, 16:92) Those who sell Allah’s contract and their own oaths for a paltry price, such people will have no portion in the next world, and on the ray of rising Allah will not speak to them or look at them or purify them. They will have a painful punishment. (Quran: Al Imran, 3:77) Methodology: This study is an attempt to examine the relationship between gender and media as well as media dependency on religious norms of the society. It focuses on the female gender harassment at domestic level by giving religious justifications. This issue has been depicted brilliantly in one of the Pakistani TV drama serials â€Å"Meri Zaat Zara-e-Benishan† in 2009-2010. For a purposeful study, this play, its dialogues, scenes, characterization, religious aspects, impact on female viewers has been studied and deeply reviewed by the researcher under the methodology of content analysis and survey.

George Washington’s Farewell Address

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were the first and the third presidents of the United States, respectively and both were established presidents in their own ways. In George Washington's Farewell Address he advised Americans to not get entangled within foreign countries' problems and conflicts and to not have everlasting alliances and treaties. Washington also did not like the idea of having diverse political parties, and he also stressed the magnitude of religion and morality.Thomas Jefferson, in his first Inaugural Address states that a superior government ill be able to permit its citizens to be well mannered, but at the same time let them organize themselves in what they desire to do. Jefferson also says that all principles will never change. Although they were both highly respected and regarded to as some of the greatest presidents in American history they didn't always have the same opinions on what would be best for the growing nation.In his Farewell Address, George Wash ington mentions that Americans should mind American business and not be concerned with foreign conflicts because the United States had Just won a ery expensive war for their independence and already owed money to their new ally the French. This was a warning to all Americans because during that time America was still young, and it had many of its own problems to solve. Jefferson was also not in favor of getting involved with foreign entanglements.As Napoleon advanced into Europe, Jefferson decided to remain neutral in the conflict by banning all European trade from American Ports because of the British forces firing upon the Chesapeake. As harassment from Barbary pirates began to become an issue Washington was ersuaded to build up an American Navvy in order to protect those in harm and to retrieve the captured sailors. Thomas Jefferson's approach to the pirates was a little different from Washington's in that he chooses to implement a blockade of Tripoli and other Barbary ports in 1 801; these actions forced him to reconsider his advocacy of budget cuts for the American navy.These actions then allowed the American naw to become respected by the rest of the world, because it proved that they wouldn't be pushed around by anyone. Jefferson and Washington were both in favor of not etting involved in foreign entanglements as they showed through these actions and in their Addresses. George Washington specifically addressed the issue of diverse political parties. Washington thought political parties and political party dominance were very bad ideas.He wanted it to be about the best candidate being elected, not about two parties taking over and preventing all other parties from having an opportunity of being nominated. He said this because he believed it was dangerous to have power blocs arise from these different opinions. These different parties, the Democratic-Republicans and the Federalists were beginning to surface had different thought which in turn caused many h eated debates and a lot of aggression towards the opposite parties. However Jefferson knew that political parties were necessary, he voiced the thought in this famous quote.Jefferson said that there is basically no way to escape the differing opinions and political parties in a successful and free nation, due to the nature of man to disagree and to form their own opinions on how they think the nation should be run. Jetterson and his close triend James Madison organized the Democratic-Republican Party. Jefferson and Washington both had different opinions on the subject of political parties, with Washington strongly disapproving of it and Jefferson being a founder of one of the political parties it is safe to say they didn't share the same mindset on this topic.George Washington was instrumental in stressing the importance of morality and religion. In his Farewell Address Washington that through experience religious values in a government are important. This is referring to the succes sful European nations that have an established religion integrated into their government. Jefferson agreed hat religion was important for people to be able to express and to believe in freely, however Jefferson was very vocal in trying to solidify a position between the church and the state.He was himself a Christian man and placed several god-like statements in the Declaration of Independence. Washington disagreed with Jefferson on the separation of church and state however, they both agreed religion was important in the new nation. In both of their addresses they discussed the issues involving the new government such as the issue of making alliances with other nations or becoming involved in foreign entanglements.Both Washington and Jefferson agreed that for the nation to become successful they must keep away from any foreign affairs regarding the fact that the nation was still developing and if war was to occur it would leave them more susceptible to being taken over. Each of the highly regarded presidents discussed the formation of political parties. Washington thought that political parties would destroy the new system of government. Jefferson on the contrary knew that political parties were inevitable; he then went on, with another respected colleague James Madison, to create the Democratic-RepublicanParty. The subject of religion and morality was discussed greatly in this period of time. Washington believed that for the government to be successful religion must be involved in all of the important branches such as the court systems. Jefferson on the other hand wanted to create a â€Å"wall of separation between church and state. † Although both of the presidents were extremely instrumental in founding and establishing this great nation, they didn't always agree with each other, which isn't bad because to create a good story you must have all points of view.

Byzantine Civilization of the Middle Ages

Byzantine Civilization of the Middle Ages In the fifth century AD, the mighty Roman Empire fell to invading barbarians and complex internal pressures. The land that had been centrally governed for centuries disintegrated into numerous warring states. The safety and privileges enjoyed by some residents of the empire vanished to be replaced by a constant state of danger and uncertainty; others merely traded one set of daily terrors for another. Europe was plunged into what Renaissance scholars would label a dark age. Yet Byzantium remained. The Empire of Byzantium was the eastern portion of the Roman Empire, which was divided in 395 A.D. Its capital of Constantinople, located on a peninsula, was naturally secure from invasion on three sides, and its fourth side was fortified with a network of three walls that withstood direct attack for over a thousand years. Its stable economy provided a strong military and, together with an abundant food supply and advanced civil engineering, a high standard of living. Christianity was firmly entrenched in Byzantium, and literacy was more widespread there than in any other nation in the middle ages. Although the predominant language was Greek, Latin was also fairly common, and at one point all seventy-two of the worlds known languages were represented in Constantinople. Intellectual and artistic endeavors thrived. This is not to say that the Byzantine Empire was an oasis of peace in the desert of the perilous middle ages. On the contrary, its long history is marked by numerous wars and remarkable internal strife. Its official borders expanded and shrank several times as its rulers attempted to restore the empire to its former glory or fought off invaders (or occasionally attempted both simultaneously). The penal system was so harsh as to be viewed by western crusaders no strangers to mutilation and other extreme measures in their own systems of justice as exceedingly cruel. Nevertheless, Byzantium remained the most stable nation of the middle ages. Its central location between western Europe and Asia not only enriched its economy and its culture but allowed it to serve as a barrier against aggressive barbarians from both areas. Its rich historiographical tradition (strongly influenced by the church) preserved ancient knowledge upon which splendid art, architecture, literature and technological achievements were built. It is not an altogether unfounded assumption that the Renaissance could not have flourished were it not for the groundwork laid in Byzantium. The exploration of Byzantine civilization is undeniably significant in the study of medieval world history. To ignore it would be akin to studying the classical era without considering the cultural phenomenon of ancient Greece. Unfortunately, much (but thankfully not all) historical investigation into the middle ages has done just that. Historians and students often focused on the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the numerous changes in Europe without ever once glancing at Byzantium. It was often mistakenly believed that the Byzantine Empire was a static state that had little impact on the rest of the medieval world. Fortunately, this view is changing, and a great wealth of information concerning Byzantine Studies has recently been produced much of it available on the net. Selective Byzantine TimelineHighlights from the dynastic history of the Eastern Roman Empire. Byzantine Studies IndexA multilevel directory of useful sites about the people, places, art, architecture, religious history, military history and general history of the Eastern Roman Empire. Also includes maps and useful resources for the professional. Suggested ReadingUseful and informative books about the Eastern Roman Empire, from general histories to biographies, art, militaria, and other fascinating topics. The Forgotten Empire is copyright  © 1997 by Melissa Snell and licensed to About.com. Permission is granted to reproduce this article for personal or classroom use only, provided that the URL is included. For reprint permission, please contact Melissa Snell.

Supreme Court Cases Dealing with Pornography

Supreme Court Cases Dealing with Pornography The Supreme Court has addressed pornography more often than almost any other issue of comparable specificity, and small wonder why- the Court has read an implicit obscenity exception to the free speech clause, giving it the unenviable responsibility of interpreting an unstated 18th-century definition of obscenity two centuries later. And the more the Court has attempted to define obscenity, the more complex that definition has become.The Supreme Court made things slightly easier for itself in three cases, all decided between 1967 and 1973.Jacobellis v. Ohio (1967)Forced to determine whether the art film Les Amants was obscene, despite the fact that it was obviously not intended to serve as pornography, the Court acknowledged the difficulty of its job- before ruling in favor of the film on multiple, vague grounds. Justice Potter Stewart memorably captured the Courts challenge: It is possible to read the Courts opinion in [past pornography cases] in a variety of ways. In saying this, I imply no criticism of the Court, which, in those cases, was faced with the task of trying to define what may be indefinable. I have reached the conclusion, which I think is confirmed at least by negative implication in the Courts [recent decisions] that, under the First and Fourteenth Amendments, criminal laws in this area are constitutionally limited to hard-core pornography. I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I understand to be embraced within that shorthand description, and perhaps I could never succeed in intelligibly doing so. But I know it when I see it, and the motion picture involved in this case is not that. These are the rights that appellant is asserting in the case before us. He is asserting the right to read or observe what he pleases the right to satisfy his intellectual and emotional needs in the privacy of his own home. He is asserting the right to be free from state inquiry into the contents of his library. Georgia contends that appellant does not have these rights, that there are certain types of materials that the individual may not read or even possess. Georgia justifies this assertion by arguing that the films in the present case are obscene.But we think that mere categorization of these films as obscene is insufficient justification for such a drastic invasion of personal liberties guaranteed by the First and Fourteenth Amendments. Whatever may be the justifications for other statutes regulating obscenity, we do not think they reach into the privacy of ones own home. If the First Amendment means anything, it means that a State has no business telling a man, sitting alone in his own house, what books he may read or what films he may watch. Our whole constitutional heritage rebels at the thought of giving government the power to control mens minds. The difficulty is that we do not deal with constitutional terms, since obscenity is not mentioned in the Constitution or Bill of Rights †¦ for there was no recognized exception to the free press at the time the Bill of Rights was adopted which treated obscene publications differently from other types of papers, magazines, and books †¦ What shocks me may be sustenance for my neighbor. What causes one person to boil up in rage over one pamphlet or movie may reflect only his neurosis, not shared by others. We deal here with a regime of censorship which, if adopted, should be done by constitutional amendment after full debate by the people.Obscenity cases usually generate tremendous emotional outbursts. They have no business being in the courts. If a constitutional amendment authorized censorship, the censor would probably be an administrative agency. Then criminal prosecutions could follow as, if, and when publishers defied the censor and sold their literature. Under that regi me, a publisher would know when he was on dangerous ground. Under the present regime whether the old standards or the new ones are used the criminal law becomes a trap. In practice, all but the most harmful and exploitative forms of pornography have generally been decriminalized despite the Courts relative lack of clarity on this issue.

Urban Sustainabiliy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Urban Sustainabiliy - Essay Example Populations grow vertically because families stick together and find space to work and connect with people through wealth. Urban places have a better chance of growing horizontally than those places with poorer services who are growing vertically as each person in the block or family or cross-section investigated has to grow out on their own and wish selfishness for himself while growing up. Defining what an urban citizen needs is what every citizen in the world requires:clean air,natural beauty,less pollution and intoxication of natural resources,peace and quietude and simplicity of living and understanding life and people with less complicated structure of behaviour than that which is by the people of rural or countryside places. 'In the context of sustainable urban development, we discuss the assessment of residential environmental quality and the importance of considering inhabitants' perceptions of natural resources in urban areas. Two series of studies, conducted in Guildford (United Kingdom) and in Rome (Italy), addressed the correspondence, or contrast, between inhabitants' and experts' assessment of urban quality concerning two crucial natural resources: air quality and biodiversity. The Guildford study emphasized the accuracy of the assessment of urban air quality by experts and the public. The Rome study focused on the evaluative criteria employed by scientists and the public in assessing the quality of urban green spaces. The results from both studies shed more, albeit complex, light on the simple conventional wisdom about public versus expert understanding and assessment of environmental quality.' (1) This is true as scientists do not have themselves living under the pressure of the persons in need of the changes and challenges especially that their points of discussions could be more of a story than of a realistic impression of what goes on and what is the fact that results in such concerns and what they mean and what they impose on the people who live such conditions which could be fatal to their lives because there is no escaping it. Scientists speak for the purpose of being heard even though much of them speak to solve,but the point of differences resulting in both words of the inhabitants and experts is the realism of what the inhabitants speak of and in the semi-realism of what the experts speak of. As always,the words of inhabitants shown in expert's words leads to the fact and result that inhabitants speak out of emotions and not realization and realization of facts;that their perspectives of the problems is nave and unemploying reason and facilities to exert more effort t o bring thoughts and understanding of the nature of the problem to the person who really lives such an issue. It is like what a doctor's manner of trying to soothe the pain of a dying patient by telling them that they are going to be alright except that they just have to wait a while 'and see furthermore solutions to solve