Monday, September 30, 2019

Modernism Art Essay

As some critics contended, postmodernism represents a break with the modernist notion that architecture should be technologically rational, austere and functional, discuss the ways in which one postmodern architect has developed strategies which overcome these tendencies. Juxtaposition is seen between the characteristics of early 20th century modern architecture and the artistic endeavours of postmodernism that followed. To represent the ‘Less is More’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) notion the modernist tendencies had adopted, Robert Venturi built a ‘Ghost Structure’ to imply architecture had no longer become an art form and was merely just a ‘spectator’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) in society. This essay will discuss ways in which the architect Robert Venturi adopts methods to overcome these tendencies that architecture has lost meaning and ways in which he attempts to remove himself with any links with the ‘post-modernist’ movement that he is viewed in having. Modern Architects saw their role as ‘reformers,’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) and tended to break with tradition and start anew. Considering it was a new revolutionary movement they tended to ignore potential problems and focused on the new modern advancements available. A modernist tendency was to build individually however Venturi claimed that a ‘building derives meaning from its context’ (Out Of the Ordinary, 2002) and evidently each individual location requires a different form of architectural style to represent this. In Venturi’s book ‘Complexity and Contradiction’ he quotes ‘familiar things seen in unfamiliar context become perceptually new as well as old’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg43) here he perhaps means in order for art to become worthy of aesthetic appreciation the viewer needs to see it in a different context. For example, Tracy Emin’s unmade bed was placed in an art gallery and was more acceptable and appreciated as ‘art’ rather than being viewed in its original, everyday context. Venturi was focused on the reason behind and the visual perception of architecture, he believed that in applying a ‘medley of styles’ (S.V.Moos, 1987, pg32) opposed to an ‘either/or ‘(R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) mind-set would offer a varied combination of architectural styles. Thus enabling to a successful response to the multitude of tastes society desired, as he was well aware that there were an  array of underlying problems of everyday life. Problems that modernist architects tended to ignore due to their concern of the solution not corresponding with what they believed to be their perfect design. Venturi disregards modernist tendencies as he favours a more eclectic style rather than the ‘less is more’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) approach modernism supports. Venturi aims to ensure his buildings have ties with historical architecture thus to draw meaning and value. This was to evoke a sense of familiarity whilst still staying in context with a more modern environment. Venturi believed in using his knowledge from what he had learned and new had worked in the past, so sought to apply these techniques to his designs. An example of this is Venturi’s State Mosque of Iraq; (Ref 1) finished in 1982. Here Venturi sought to draw from numerous styles and periods, specifically, Art Nouveau. The purpose of incorporating so many previous instances was to provide meaning and depth to architecture once more. Venturi was inspired by the work of Edwin Lutyen’s Capital Buildings in New Delhi as Lutyen had successfully managed to integrate historical themes to look postmodern however with an underlying modernist culture. Post-modernist architects questioned the modernist tendency that form depends on function. Walter Gropius quoted ‘aesthetic image and monumentality of a design are more important than functionalism.’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) However the context of the building was all the more important. Venturi championed this and consequently revived the tendency to ‘change things around’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) to develop and discover a more motivating form. He believed that the simplicity of modernist designs were so minimal that they therefore could easily be manipulated to communicate historic and ornamental tendencies of the past whilst taking advantage of the modern advancements in technology and construction all the while considering the users requirements. An example of this is the Vanna Venturi House, (Ref 2) completed in 1961 which has multiple references to past periods and styles. Firstly the street faà §ade denotes Michelangelo’s Porta Pia in Rome, Alessondra Vittoria’s Villa  Barabo at Maser and finally the Nymphaeum at Palladio. Venturi quotes to ‘recognising the complexities and contradictions’ (S.V.Moos, 1987, pg244) in which this building instils, nevertheless was an ideal way to overcome his statement that ‘less is a bore.’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg17) Additionally Venturi’s love of distortion over ‘straightforward’ and ‘ambiguous’ over ‘articulation’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) notion is a prime example of how he overcame the modernist tendency of clean, designed and hence forth the exclusion of design traits. Venturi was similarly intrigued by the parallel of how design in the past related to the hierarchy of upper and lower classes of his today and whether or not the aesthetics of said classes could be outlined into categories that reflected the social divisions. More precisely he connected classical modern architecture with that of ancient upper classes such as ruins of palaces and the contrast of how they were erected differently from that of how Venturi describes as ‘ordinary’ peoples buildings. (Learning from Las Vegas, 1972) Everything appears to be in relation to, form, space and social responsibility also implying modern architecture seems to have forgotten the art of steganography in which was not only significantly spanning across four centuries from the 15th to the 19th century but was also how architects learnt to progress, appreciate and respect the aesthetic awareness of form. This can be related back to the Renaissance in which the development of form has been linked to the visual for centuries. Venturi wanted to instil ‘new perceptions of old functions’ (Architecturerevived, 2011). He sought to draw from the past and carefully extract relevant features and characteristics and with the buildings context in the forefront of his mind, apply them. An illustration of is how he exhibited historical examples from Baroque and Egyptian architecture to symbolise frames and overwhelm small window openings. He symbolically implied unconventional messages or problems he thought society needed to address, an  example of this being The Guild House, completed in 1963, (Ref 3) Philadelphia. It displays a system of layers with artistic meaning,  organisation and a well thought out design process which represents the importance of historical and architectural discourse. By instilling a gold-plated TV Ariel on top of the building signified what Venturi described as the ‘relevant revolution of today.’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) It communicated the underlying idea that the importance of architecture could potentially be forgotten with the advancement of TV and media. Venturi was concerned that the development of these new technologies were influential on art, ‘a machine for living while practical, is emotionless,’ (Molly Jacques, 2009) and that all reference to historical architecture could be perceived as irrelevant or even worse, lost in the progressing society he found himself in. Therefore the TV Ariel became demonstrative of this, a representation based on the theme of classical architecture. It was also said to represent the buildings inhabitants, by simply stereotyping the occupants, believing they watch too much TV, and alas the symbolic connotation of classical statues in cathedrals. Modern architects had pragmatic views. They believed technological advances allowed for the disregard of all historical periods and movements. Led by the new approach of ‘machines for living’ (The Arts – Le Corbusier, Dominic Gallagher) as Le Corbusier cited, inevitably led to the demise of decorative and aesthetics in favour for more organised and geometrical buildings, in addition to this there was a new enthusiasm for building vertically. Venturi believed that the introduction of this technologically motivated notion advertently simplified architecture so much so it had seen a departure from the ‘experience of life.’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg17) Consequently becoming focused on what characterised as Realism. Venturi studied people in their everyday life and routines, purposely so as not to exclude designing for social problems and consequently to design for the truth. A somewhat stark contrast to the modernist notion of designing for simplification or t he ‘Less is More’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) idea, as stated by Miles Van De Rohe. This evidently left many social questions unanswered or as Paul Rudolf, a prominent modernist architect quoted ‘all problems can never be solved.’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) Furthermore the development of new materials and constructional technological advances allowed for modernist architects to design freely with focus on spatial forms and  geometric proportions. Miles Van De Rohes Pavilion’s illustrate this as they lacked any sort of reference to the past as his desire and purpose was to exploit new technologies to the fullest and have no recognized relation to the past whatsoever. Venturi opposed this as he looked to past historical architecture for inspiration and saw relevance in previous movements and styles. This allowed him to design with meaning and by combing new methods of construction and technology allowed him to develop and erect innovative buildings that reflected historical traits whilst still fitting into a modern society. A further modernist view was that architecture was about a blend on technology and art, and to inevitably reform some sort of style they believed had become lost in tradition. They admired the emerging new developments, especially in transportation and new materials becoming available. They tried to instil this new, sleek, streamlined look in their buildings. It was almost as if they wanted to draw a line under the past and render a new concept of design to follow with the new advances that were being made in other fields. Nonetheless Venturi held on to his belief that architecture hadn’t become so much as lost but instead had been forgotten. Stating that ‘conventional elements’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg43) could be applied using the advanced methods the modernists championed, and that some sort of balance could be achieved. It suggests a complete rejection of the past is not relevant in order to move forward in not only a social aspect but also to cater for what appeared to be, a demand for a new architectural style. Venturi was positive in regards to the new materials and construction methods now available and did not deny that they were not beneficial to society in his today and stating ‘conventional elements’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg43) constructed in ‘unconventional ways’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg43) supports this. As does his design for the Vanna Venturi House, (Ref 2) constructed in 1961 in which an array of modernist materials were used, such as steel. Yet he chose to mix both development in techniques and materials with historical features to create a design that was visually, functionally and constructed successfully in design. Venturi became interested in the Las Vegas Strip (Ref 4) leading him to write the book ‘learning from Las Vegas’ published in 1972. He came to the conclusion that the city had been built to accommodate for the  technologically savvy society. The architectural advertisement method Vegas seemed to have adopted had all been carefully angled to appeal to the people now driving down the strip. This was an original concept in which to appeal to an audience not necessarily on foot. The architecture almost becomes an advertisement in itself and the landscape inadvertently develops into its notorious messy, chaotic and fast paced form, which also reflected the traits the city and people in it had undertook. The architecture became a direct contrast to the modernist tendencies as the strip ‘serves culture rather than dictates it.’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) this was perhaps as Vegas was competitive and needed to directly interact with its audience in order to entice them. Venturi was inspired to take aspects of how Las Vegas had so forcefully removed the constraints of which had seemed to be put upon architecture and apply it, however in a not so embellished manner. Venturi states how The Guild House (Ref 3) was built with these intentions as well as having a ‘vernacular’ (Perkowitz, 2002) idea in mind. He went on to exploit every available inch of building space obtainable, by building up six-stories high. An attribute in fact of the modernist conception, however Venturi came to this design conclusion to enable the inhabitants to interact more conveniently with the outside. This was said to be purposely done so as not to break up the prevailing aesthetics of the street, nonetheless still managed to introduce another dimension to it. A fragmented outline of the Southern faà §ade directly contrasts with the smooth surface of the North. This intentionally done so as the building was built for the elderly so rather than isolate, the distorted faà §ade in fact drew the outside in, to allow for maximum interaction in a visual nature. Venturi attempts to imply a Baroque Palazzo style upon the Guild House (Ref 3) by the introduction of white tiles on the lower and upper levels of the building. Which was believed to have ‘symbolic’ and ‘representational’ (S.V.Moos, 1987, pg25) components that merge as a whole which in avertedly was to reflect the architectural connotation of the structure. It was understood that the Guild House (Ref 3) was built on a system of layers. Layers of artistic meaning and organisation, each one symbolising the importance of the  historical and architectural discourse. This is reinforced by Venturi testifying ‘knowledge instead of learning’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg12) supports the fact he draws upon what was effective in the past and relates it to his own compositions. He breaks up the historical foundations and is driven and instils a sense of the past throughout his designs. The modernist notion of designing for what the architect believed society wanted rather than needed impacted primarily upon the poorer societies. Hence forth Venturi was particularly careful when building The Guild House perhaps to show designing with the context and user in mind can be achieved successfully without social problems having to be ignored or forgotten, again a tendency modern architecture seemed to adopt in fear of losing aesthetic value. Venturi sought to prove you could have both. In reflection it can be said that Venturi is extremely knowledgeable and has an in-depth understanding and appreciation for historical architecture in which he feel shouldn’t be forgotten but instead should be admired and inspire future movements. Despite modernism striping what Venturi believed was the ‘art’ from architecture he fought to overcome these tendencies are drew upon relevant historic features and characterisations and applied them liberally to his design, in accordance to their context. Nevertheless he understood that designing for the user was significant and not to exclude social problems. He undertook the modernist concept of advanced ways to construct and recognised and understood the developing society, yet he chose not to ignore historic references and applied them in a system of layers within his designs to accommodate for the advanced civilization whilst electing to apply asceticism for both a functional and visual experience. As some critics contended, postmodernism represents a break with the modernist notion that architecture should be technologically rational, austere and functional, discuss the ways in which one postmodern architect has developed strategies which overcome these tendencies. Juxtaposition is seen between the characteristics of early 20th century modern architecture and the artistic endeavours of postmodernism that followed. To represent the ‘Less is More’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) notion  the modernist tendencies had adopted, Robert Venturi built a ‘Ghost Structure’ to imply architecture had no longer become an art form and was merely just a ‘spectator’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) in society. This essay will discuss ways in which the architect Robert Venturi adopts methods to overcome these tendencies that architecture has lost meaning and ways in which he attempts to remove himself with any links with the ‘post-modernist’ movement that he is viewed in having. Modern Architects saw their role as ‘reformers,’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) and tended to break with tradition and start anew. Considering it was a new revolutionary movement they tended to ignore potential problems and focused on the new modern advancements available. A modernist tendency was to build individually however Venturi claimed that a ‘building derives meaning from its context’ (Out Of the Ordinary, 2002) and evidently each individual location requires a different form of architectural style to represent this. In Venturi’s book ‘Complexity and Contradiction’ he quotes ‘familiar things seen in unfamiliar context become perceptually new as well as old’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg43) here he perhaps means in order for art to become worthy of aesthetic appreciation the viewer needs to see it in a different context. For example, Tracy Emin’s unmade bed was placed in an art gallery and was more acceptable and appreciated as ‘art’ rather than being viewed in its original, everyday context. Venturi was focused on the reason behind and the visual perception of architecture, he believed that in applying a ‘medley of styles’ (S.V.Moos, 1987, pg32) opposed to an ‘either/or ‘(R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) mind-set would offer a varied combination of architectural styles. Thus enabling to a successful response to the multitude of tastes society desired, as he was well aware that there were an array of underlying problems of everyday life. Problems that modernist architects tended to ignore due to their concern of the solution not corresponding with what they believed to be their perfect design. Venturi disregards modernist tendencies as he favours a more eclectic style rather than the ‘less is more’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) approach modernism supports. Venturi aims to ensure his buildings have ties with historical architecture thus to draw meaning and value. This was to evoke a sense of  familiarity whilst still staying in context with a more modern environment. Venturi believed in using his knowledge from what he had learned and new had worked in the past, so sought to apply these techniques to his designs. An example of this is Venturi’s State Mosque of Iraq; (Ref 1) finished in 1982. Here Venturi sought to draw from numerous styles and periods, specifically, Art Nouveau. The purpose of incorporating so many previous instances was to provide meaning and depth to architecture once more. Venturi was inspired by the work of Edwin Lutyen’s Capital Buildings in New Delhi as Lutyen had successfully managed to integrate historical themes to look postmodern however with an underlying modernist culture. Post-modernist architects questioned the modernist tendency that form depends on function. Walter Gropius quoted ‘aesthetic image and monumentality of a design are more important than functionalism.’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) However the context of the building was all the more important. Venturi championed this and consequently revived the tendency to ‘change things around’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) to develop and discover a more motivating form. He believed that the simplicity of modernist designs were so minimal that they therefore could easily be manipulated to communicate historic and ornamental tendencies of the past whilst taking advantage of the modern advancements in technology and construction all the while considering the users requirements. An example of this is the Vanna Venturi House, (Ref 2) completed in 1961 which has multiple references to past periods and styles. Firstly the street faà §ade denotes Michelangelo’s Porta Pia in Rome, Alessondra Vittoria’s Villa Barabo at Maser and finally the Nymphaeum at Palladio. Venturi quotes to ‘recognising the complexities and  contradictions’ (S.V.Moos, 1987, pg244) in which this building instils, nevertheless was an ideal way to overcome his statement that ‘less is a bore.’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg17) Additionally Venturi’s love of distortion over ‘straightforward’ and ‘ambiguous’ over ‘articulation’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) notion is a prime example of how he overcame the modernist tendency of  clean, designed and hence forth the exclusion of design traits. Venturi was similarly intrigued by the parallel of how design in the past related to the hierarchy of upper and lower classes of his t oday and whether or not the aesthetics of said classes could be outlined into categories that reflected the social divisions. More precisely he connected classical modern architecture with that of ancient upper classes such as ruins of palaces and the contrast of how they were erected differently from that of how Venturi describes as ‘ordinary’ peoples buildings. (Learning from Las Vegas, 1972) Everything appears to be in relation to, form, space and social responsibility also implying modern architecture seems to have forgotten the art of steganography in which was not only significantly spanning across four centuries from the 15th to the 19th century but was also how architects learnt to progress, appreciate and respect the aesthetic awareness of form. This can be related back to the Renaissance in which the development of form has been linked to the visual for centuries. Venturi wanted to instil ‘new perceptions of old functions’ (Architecturerevived, 2011). He sought to draw from the past and carefully extract relevant features and characteristics and with the buildings context in the forefront of his mind, apply them. An illustration of is how he exhibited historical examples from Baroque and Egyptian architecture to symbolise frames and overwhelm small window openings. He symbolically implied unconventional messages or problems he thought society needed to address, an  example of this being The Guild House, completed in 1963, (Ref 3) Philadelphia. It displays a system of layers with artistic meaning, organisation and a well thought out design process which represents the importance of historical and architectural discourse. By instilling a gold-plated TV Ariel on top of the building signified what Venturi described as the ‘relevant revolution of today.’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) It communicated the underlying idea that the importance of architecture could potentially be forgotten with the advancement of TV and media. Venturi was concerned that the development of these new technologies were influential on art, ‘a machine for living while practical, is emotionless,’ (Molly Jacques,  2009) and that all reference to historical architecture could be perceived as irrelevant or even worse, lost in the progressing society he found himself in. Therefore the TV Ariel became demonstrative of this, a representation based on the theme of classical architecture. It was also said to represent the buildings inhabitants, by simply stereotyping the occupants, believing they watch too much TV, and alas the symbolic connotation of classical statues in cathedrals. Modern architects had pragmatic views. They believed technological advances allowed for the disregard of all historical periods and movements. Led by the new approach of ‘machines for living’ (The Arts – Le Corbusier, Dominic Gallagher) as Le Corbusier cited, inevitably led to the demise of decorative and aesthetics in favour for more organised and geometrical buildings, in addition to this there was a new enthusiasm for building vertically. Venturi believed that the introduction of this technologically motivated notion advertently simplified architecture so much so it had seen a departure from the ‘experience of life.’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg17) Consequently becoming focused on what characterised as Realism. Venturi studied people in their everyday life and routines, purposely so as not to exclude designing for social problems and consequently to design for the truth. A somewhat stark contrast to the modernist notion of designing for simplification or t he ‘Less is More’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) idea, as stated by Miles Van De Rohe. This evidently left many social questions unanswered or as Paul Rudolf, a prominent modernist architect quoted ‘all problems can never be solved.’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg16) Furthermore the development of new materials and constructional technological advances allowed for modernist architects to design freely with focus on spatial forms and geometric proportions. Miles Van De Rohes Pavilion’s illustrate this as they lacked any sort of reference to the past as his desire and purpose was to exploit new technologies to the fullest and have no recognized relation to the past whatsoever. Venturi opposed this as he looked to past historical architecture for inspiration and saw relevance in previous movements and styles. This allowed him to design with meaning and by combing new methods of construction and technology allowed him to develop and erect innovative buildings that reflected historical traits whilst still fitting into a  modern society. A further modernist view was that architecture was about a blend on technology and art, and to inevitably reform some sort of style they believed had become lost in tradition. They admired the emerging new developments, especially in transportation and new materials becoming available. They tried to instil this new, sleek, streamlined look in their buildings. It was almost as if they wanted to draw a line under the past and render a new concept of design to follow with the new advances that were being made in other fields. Nonetheless Venturi held on to his belief that architecture hadn’t become so much as lost but instead had been forgotten. Stating that ‘conventional elements’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg43) could be applied using the advanced methods the modernists championed, and that some sort of balance could be achieved. It suggests a complete rejection of the past is not relevant in order to move forward in not only a social aspect but also to cater for what appeared to be, a demand for a new architectural style. Venturi was positive in regards to the new materials and construction methods now available and did not deny that they were not beneficial to society in his today and stating ‘conventional elements’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg43) constructed in ‘unconventional ways’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg43) supports this. As does his design for the Vanna Venturi House, (Ref 2) constructed in 1961 in which an array of modernist materials were used, such as steel. Yet he chose to mix both development in techniques and materials with historical features to create a design that was visually, functionally and constructed successfully in design. Venturi became interested in the Las Vegas Strip (Ref 4) leading him to write the book ‘learning from Las Vegas’ published in 1972. He came to the conclusion that the city had been built to accommodate for the technologically savvy society. The architectural advertisement method Vegas seemed to have  adopted had all been carefully angled to appeal to the people now driving down the strip. This was an original concept in which to appeal to an audience not necessarily on foot. The architecture almost becomes an advertisement in itself and the landscape inadvertently develops into its notorious messy, chaotic and fast paced form, which also reflected the  traits the city and people in it had undertook. The architecture became a direct contrast to the modernist tendencies as the strip ‘serves culture rather than dictates it.’ (Architecturerevived, 2011) this was perhaps as Vegas was competitive and needed to directly interact with its audience in order to entice them. Venturi was inspired to take aspects of how Las Vegas had so forcefully removed the constraints of which had seemed to be put upon architecture and apply it, however in a not so embellished manner. Venturi states how The Guild House (Ref 3) was built with these intentions as well as having a ‘vernacular’ (Perkowitz, 2002) idea in mind. He went on to exploit every available inch of building space obtainable, by building up six-stories high. An attribute in fact of the modernist conception, however Venturi came to this design conclusion to enable the inhabitants to interact more conveniently with the outside. This was said to be purposely done so as not to break up the prevailing aesthetics of the street, nonetheless still managed to introduce another dimension to it. A fragmented outline of the Southern faà §ade directly contrasts with the smooth surface of the North. This intentionally done so as the building was built for the elderly so rather than isolate, the distorted faà §ade in fact drew the outside in, to allow for maximum interaction in a visual nature. Venturi attempts to imply a Baroque Palazzo style upon the Guild House (Ref 3) by the introduction of white tiles on the lower and upper levels of the building. Which was believed to have ‘symbolic’ and ‘representational’ (S.V.Moos, 1987, pg25) components that merge as a whole which in avertedly was to reflect the architectural connotation of the structure. It was understood that the Guild House (Ref 3) was built on a system of layers. Layers of artistic meaning and organisation, each one symbolising the importance of the historical and architectural discourse. This is reinforced by Venturi testifying ‘knowledge instead of learning’ (R.Venturi, 1966, pg12) supports the fact he draws upon what was effective in the past and relates it to his own compositions. He breaks up the historical foundations and is driven and instils a sense of the past throughout his designs. The modernist notion of designing for what the architect believed society wanted rather than needed impacted primarily upon the poorer societies. Hence forth Venturi was particularly careful when building The Guild House perhaps to show designing  with the context and user in mind can be achieved successfully without social problems having to be ignored or forgotten, again a tendency modern architecture seemed to adopt in fear of losing aesthetic value. Venturi sought to prove you could have both. In reflection it can be said that Venturi is extremely knowledgeable and has an in-depth understanding and appreciation for historical architecture in which he feel shouldn’t be forgotten but instead should be admired and inspire future movements. Despite modernism striping what Venturi believed was the ‘art’ from architecture he fought to overcome these tendencies are drew upon relevant historic features and characterisations and applied them liberally to his design, in accordance to their context. Nevertheless he understood that designing for the user was significant and not to exclude social problems. He undertook the modernist concept of advanced ways to construct and recognised and understood the developing society, yet he chose not to ignore historic references and applied them in a system of layers within his designs to accommodate for the advanced civilization whilst electing to apply asceticism for both a functional and visual experience.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Compare and contrast ‘Charge of The Light Brigade’ and ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ Essay

In this essay, I shall be comparing two poems namely ‘Charge of The Light Brigade’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson and ‘Dulce et decorum est.’ by Wilfred Owen. Wilfred Owen was actually a soldier in the war, whereas Alfred, Lord Tennyson had no experience of the battle itself and only wrote the poem based upon the second hand evidence that he either read or heard. ‘Charge of The Light Brigade’ delivers a strong message base on the theme of the war. The poem gives the impression that war is a glorious and noble act and consists of phrases such as ‘When can their glory fade?’, ‘Honour the charge they made!’ and ‘The Noble Six Hundred’. This shows that in Alfred Lord Tennyson’s opinion it is noble and glorious act to fight and die for one’s country. Alternatively, Wilfred Owens’s poem has a far more negative outlook on war. Contrary to Tennyson’s noble and proud view of war Owen believes that dying in a war s a horrible, bitter death especially when such an end is as a result of a gas bomb being discharged in the surrounding area. He recounts graphic and horrific descriptions a soldier gradually dying while gasping for air. Some of the phrases that the poet uses to convey the hideous horror of the battlefield are; ‘He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning’, ‘And watch the white eyes writhing in his face’, ‘come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs’. I believe Wilfred Owen includes these vile descriptions to show the stark reality of war and the ultimate human sacrifice that so many of those innocent young men endured while fighting for King and country.. While the theme of both poems is of war; they are in fact depicting two different battles. The poem ‘Charge of The Light Brigade’ was written to commemorate the battle of Balaclava in 1854 while the other poem ‘Dulce et Decorum Est ‘ was written to reflect battles of the First World War in 1916. The poem ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ tells the story of a young man and his fellow troops who march into war and find themselves fighting for air when a gas bomb hits the battlefield.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Euthanasia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Euthanasia - Essay Example Of course, in relieving the pain, the victim has to pay the ultimate price. Nevertheless, despite the fact that the person’s life is eventually lost, many people across the world are presently advocating for the legalization of the so called â€Å"mercy killing†. Their argument is based solely on the fact that killing is the only way of relieving people from unbearable pain. However, legalizing euthanasia has the potential of causing grave consequences to the society. First, it can lead to a very high rate of death by euthanasia, a situation that may likely be unacceptable by a large proportion of the society. Basically there are three reasons why euthanasia must not be legalized in our society. These reasons are: ethical, religious and practical (Goel, 2008). Ethics is the most important reason why euthanasia must not be legalized. Many analysts are of the opinion that legalizing euthanasia will properly make people believe that killing a sick patient is normal and thus a right thing to do (Aramesh & Shadi, 2007). According the argument, even the introduction of a voluntary euthanasia can not the change the mentality as voluntary euthanasia itself is the very first step toward adoption of involuntary euthanasia, which of course is a great blow to individual right to life. Right from creation, life is seen as an inalienable right of every human. Thus, it will be very wrong and unethical for doctors to end the life of some people whom they describe as being unworthy to live. Euthanasia is naturally against the professional ethics of the medical doctors, who are specifically trained to prevent patients from dying or becoming seriously ill. Thus, ending patients’ lives, whom ordinarily they are supposed to protect, can never be an option. Moreover, killing patients absolutely contradict the famous Hippocratic Oath. This oath, which has been in

Friday, September 27, 2019

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 7

Marketing - Essay Example eryday city driving because its McPherson front axle offers high levels of driving safety, making it an excellent choice for everyday drivers as well who can enjoy the driving experience with relative safety ensured. The car is priced above $100,000. In devising an effective marketing plan for the Porsche, the market must be segmented so that target marketing can be directed at the appropriate segment that is most likely to purchase the new cars. Smith originally defined market segmentation as follows: â€Å"†¦..viewing a heterogeneous market as a number of smaller homogenous markets, in response to differing preferences, attributable to the desires of customers for precise satisfaction of their varying wants.† (Smith, 1965:5). In effectively marketing a sports car such as the Porsche, which is priced in the luxury car range, it may be necessary to direct marketing efforts towards a cosmopolitan, city area where there would be an adequate number of customers in the high income ranges. The city of Melbourne offers excellent potential for the Porsche 91 Turbo car, since it is experiencing rapid growth – for example, between 2000 to 2002, employment grew by 5.4%, while between 2002 and 2004, it grew by an additional 2%. (Profile, 2005). Segmentation is one of the essential ideas in marketing discipline, however it has evolved over time from purely descriptive factors of customers to benefit segmentation as a tool to identify factors that may influence future purchasing behavior.(Haley, 1968). According to Baker (1988), if market segmentation is to prove to be viable, then the following tools should apply: (a) viability (b) sustainability (c) responsiveness (d) stability (e) accessibility and (f) actionability. Benefit segmentation is a method that aids in the development of products and services that are of actual benefit to customers, therefore firstly, it is necessary to identify the kind of customers who may be benefited by the Porsche 911 Turbo car. For

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Relationship between Theory and Application or Practice Research Paper

Relationship between Theory and Application or Practice - Research Paper Example It can be mentioned that the concepts related to the association between theory and practice has been the main focus among the psychologists and psychotherapists among others because it assists them to attain their respective research objectives. Although, the term theory is not used much in the context of any researches but the principles guide the theories in order to enhance its applicability in various fields (Fook, 2002). A theory is considered to be a representation or a collection of assumptions about a specific reality. Theories can either be explanatory or analytical. People tend to make use of the theories in order to anticipate the results of its actions and to make efficient decisions. Conversely, practice is considered to be an academic research which enhances any research methodology output. It can be affirmed that different theories have a tendency to guide or inform practice by offering direction for action as well as scope for decision making. In the context of psych otherapy, it is considered to be significant to be capable of intervening in the decision making process. In this similar context, it can be revealed that practice can also guide as well inform theory. The observant can gauge the action of others and hence offer feedback. Hence, it can be stated that there exists mutual association between theory and practice owing to the fact that an individual regularly tends to evaluate his/her own hypothesis and generates new meaning from previous experiences. Hence, on the basis of the above discussion, it can be stated that there needs to be a consistency between theory as well as practice. It is well identified that when the action of a person is aligned with his/her intention, the consistency is generally known as ‘walking your talk’. A person acting in a manner being consistent with his/ her intentions can be viewed as possessing integrity, while failure to do so is generally viewed as hypocrisy (Granick, 2005). A theory is sim ilar to the lens that assists a person in viewing experiences. The lens further tends to possess its focal strength along with the areas of misrepresentation. Identification of the relative strengths as well as shortcomings related to different theories has provoked the movement towards collective psychotherapies that summarizes multi-theoretical views. However, none of the theoretical views claim that theories as well as practices shall be aligned (Granick, 2005). One of the interesting facts related to theory and practice has been that they are at once both autonomous and inter-dependent. It can be observed that though the interests as well as the goals of the academics help in increasing the effectiveness, there lies genuine gap between theory and practice. It is argued that the communities tend to gain advantage from cross-fertilization of the people, work and ideas. It has been further identified that the gap arising between theoretical as well as practical views in the context of management learning has not been paid due attention from long period of time. Owing to the factors of increased globalization in businesses and the developments in technology, it has been viewed that there has been a major alteration in the social as well as in the economic environment which in turn forced the organizations all over the globe to make significant changes in their organizational purpose as well as structure.  

Glaciation in Ohio and impacts of glaciation in Ohio Essay

Glaciation in Ohio and impacts of glaciation in Ohio - Essay Example The most important impact of glaciation is the materials that have been left behind by the sheets of ice. These materials includes particles of clay, sand, gravel and rock debris. Most of the materials that had been deposited both above and under the surface of water as a result of glaciation has resulted in formation of geographical features called eskers and kames (Peacefull, 1996). The numerous kames that are found in Portage and Summit counties are a result of deposition of glaciation materials in-between ice sheets that protruded southwards. Comparatively eskers are rare in Ohio although one may encounter eskers in Portage County. Another major impact of glaciation in Ohio is the formation of the glacial lakes. The deposits of these lakes were primarily constituted of fine clay and silt particles. Changes in the drainage pattern of Ohio is also a result of glaciation which disrupted the northwest flow of the River Teays and its tributaries which helped in the formation of Lake Tight in southern

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Risk adjusted discount rate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Risk adjusted discount rate - Essay Example When considering a business investment of large sums of money within a long term project, it is an important objective to ensure that the money received over the life of the project is higher that the initial cost of investment. In deciding on the investment to undertake time is the most essential factor, followed by the amount of cash going in and out of the business. In some cases, an investment is made not to generate more cash but to make a saving on present cost. (Tony D. and Brian P. 2002, pg 458).The lay out of investments usually involve the injection of large sums of money and returns on the investment are received in a series of small amounts over an extended period of time. In addition, because large sums of money are usually involved it can be very expensive and catastrophic to pull out. Considering the loss of production and investment that can be lost from a failed investment, it is essential that investment proposals are properly screened and examined to ensure that the business uses the appropriate appraisal method. Businesses need finance or funds, both in the short-term and long-term to expand, operate their business or just survive. The business is involved in a continuous in and out flow of money by way of income and expenditure. Expenditure can either be capital expenditure, which is the payment made to acquire additional fixed assets and these fixed assets can in turn be loans made by the business or shares in another business bought by the company, as well as buildings and machinery which are usually long term. On the other hand, income can be revenue expenditures which relates to the purchase of goods and services are in use or have already been used in daily running of the business. In financing an investment a company can either use internal or external source of finance, related to the period repayment. Internal sources of finance as a long term approach are retaining profits from previous investment rather than issuing out new shares and re-investing the profit. The short term source of finance can be to increase level of creditors and reducing the stock and debtor levels. External sources of finance in the short-tem funding are short-term debts which are elements of overdrafts, loans, leases that are payable within one year and invoice discounting. Other sources of external finance are long-term which include ordinary shares or equity shares, preference shares, debentures and leases. INVESTMENT APPRAISAL ANALYSIS Capital investment appraisal methods are divided into two: firstly, those which do not take into account the time value of money and lastly, those which take into account the time value of money. METHODS WHICH DO NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE TIME VALUE OF MONEY Accounting Rate of Return (ARR) ARR is concerned with either the profit before interest and ta

Monday, September 23, 2019

Supporting Organization Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Supporting Organization Strategies - Essay Example The strategies enhance the organization's competitive advantage in the market place. (Pfeffer, 1998).By implementing these strategies the companies can be sure of maintaining a good status in the market and improving in their business in spite of any odds. It is difficult for any organization to enhance or improve the human resources without the help of any specific strategy. The organizations must employ certain unique strategies that will help in the development as well as growth of the company. Human resource management comprises of various functions like recruiting the employees, maintaining the details pertaining to them and conducting training sessions. The other activities include rating of employee's performance, conducting appraisals and resolving their issues. Pfeffer's strategies have become so popular that even a smaller organization implements it to expand their business. The strategies include employment security, selectivity in recruiting and selection, self-managed teams and decentralization, high compensation, extensive training and skill development. The other strategies are information sharing and reduced status distinctions and barriers. The selectivity in recruiting and selection is important for an organization. If the employees are not selected properly it will lead to severe consequences. This can turn the situation of the organization upside down. If the company is going through a bad phase, the selection of a correct candidate can certainly improve the prevailing situation. Instead if right candidate is not chosen, the situation will get even worse and this will eventually affect the improvement of the organization. The selection of a potential candidate can change the fate of the organization. The capable employees can make a considerable difference on the present scenario of the organization. The selection of a candidate can make or break the way to company's reputation.(Pfeffer, 1998). Human resource department is responsible for the recruitment of the candidates. They have the responsibility of selecting the candidates who possess all the abilities. The selection procedure must be decided by the human resource organization. It must be effective enough to select a candidate with the right attitude and talent. The selection procedure must include different types of Recruitment is not an easy task and the organization must be prepared well in advance. The necessary arrangements must be made to select the candidates. The recruitment panel must consist of people who are well equipped and they must have the capability to select the right candidate. This strategy must be implemented in an organization to improve the company's situation. Selecting a right candidate will improve the profits of the company since the employees will work efficiently. This will also help in the improvement of the quality of the company's products. Dynamic workers will contribute to the betterment of the company and this in turn will reflect in the major work of the organization. The human resource department has to select the candidate according to the position. It depends on the requirements of the organizatio

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Coexisting Disorders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Coexisting Disorders - Essay Example According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, methamphetamine is classified as a Schedule II drug, which implies that the drug can be obtained only through a medical prescription and has high probability of abuse and addiction. It is chemically similar to its parent compound, amphetamine, but its effects are more conspicuous. It is prescribed medically under the name of Desoxyn for the treatment of severe Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Narcolepsy and extreme cases of obesity. Methamphetamine, primarily affects the brain, stimulating an increase in the secretion of the neurotransmitter, dopamine. This neurotransmitter acts as a chemical messenger and is responsible for the experience of pleasure and stimulation of motor activities. It also alters the level of serotonin, another neurotransmitter. Both these properties make this drug potentially dangerous. It can alter moods, cause depression, lead to violent tendencies and suicidal thoughts. It is also the root cause of other psychotic ailments like hallucinations, paranoia and delusional behavior. Medical studies have also shown that chronic use of methamphetamine can lead to damaging changes in the structure of the brain, mostly affecting the areas responsible for emotion and memory (Thompson et al). Besides the nervous system, the drug can also have detrimental implications on the basic metabolisms of the body. It increases the heart rate, elevates blood pressure, increases the rate of respiration and a lso causes hyperthermia. Long term can use can cause extreme weight loss, insomnia and severe dental problems. The drug is also known to possess aphrodisiac qualities, and thus, it leads to impulsive sexual behavior. The hazardous drug can be snorted, swallowed, inhaled, dissolved in water, injected, but the most common method of administration is oral intake. Fatal diseases like Hepatitis B and C, and HIV/AIDS can also be transmitted through the use of infected needles and syringes, commonly used to inject the drug. Similar to many other abused drugs, methamphetamine users get an adrenaline rush coupled with an extreme sense of pleasure. It stimulates the senses, increases concentration and also leads to sexually charged behavior. According to the National Institute On Drug Abuse, methamphetamine abuse continues to be a massive problem in the United States of America, and is reportedly spreading to Mexico and also to the Midwest. According to a survey conducted by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), approximately 10.4 million people over the age of 12 have tried methamphetamine at least once. Use of methamphetamine in abusive quantities is known to cause depression and mental anxiety. A recent study conducted by The Methamphetamine Treatment Project evaluated the psychological condition within a group of 1016 people, all methamphetamine users. A staggering 60% of the women and 50% of the men exhibited strong symptoms of depression. Close to 28% women and 13% men attempted or persistently thought about suicide. Their mental conditions had deteriorated to such extremes that 26& had to be admitted in the psychiatry wing while 32% were administered medications. (Zweben et al.) Biologically, depression is defined as a psychological disorder, which is characterized by persistent sadness, withdrawal from daily and social activities, and inability to feel pleased and happy. It is normal for every

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Essay Example for Free

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros Essay The book The House on Mango Street written by Sandra Cisneros is merely a collection of different (and in some ways similar) traits, experiences, cultures, traditions, values and points of views of the girls and boys living at Mango Street. From these collections collating in 44 inter-related chapters create a single topic of how the main character in the story Esperanza Cordero evolves, empowers herself, dreams and struggles to have a life she is aspiring of someday while still focusing herself to remain her feet standing on the ground.   The story also tackles some human rights issues although it is laid not in a tragic or overly dramatic situation since lightness and simple poetic style of narrating events and describing characters through short outline and vignettes are the manner the author has used.   Hence, the book is intentionally written for young mind readers for them to know and understand serious issues in a light touch. As a young preadolescent girl, Esperanza Cordero manages to identify herself in each of the character lives in her neighborhood although not exactly in the same manner.   She successful shows through her descriptions of the place and people in her life the not-so-good and not-so-bad experiences of the dual citizenship inhabitant in the city like the Latin – Americans.   She is most likely referring to females.   These females are what she actually provides us to be able to identify her as herself, or someone she wishes she could be or someone she hates exactly being a member of minority gender living in a minority community, in each of the characters given. Esperanza Cordero belongs to a family of six composed of a mother, a father, two brothers named Kiki and Carlos, and with only one sister Nenny.   Like many other kids, she has inner hopes and aspirations.   One of them is having a house she owns someday, and described as a white big one with lots of free space and bathrooms, perhaps due to her own experiences of living in a house of only one bedroom and bathroom.   After some changing of locations, her family decided to acquire a house to call their own to be free from rental obligations and irritating experiences of having landlords and landladies.   The house is situated at Mango Street.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Some of the characters in the story are Cathy described as a typical rich girl who easily gets annoyed with the rudeness of people especially Esperanza’s male neighbors, Sally who at a young age forced to get married just to be free from domestic violence at home, another rich girl Alicia who always gets horrified with rats in their house, Elenita the fortune-teller, the materialistic girl Marin, Ruthie and Rafaela who always keep on telling Esperanza the disadvantages of marrying at a young age, and sisters Lucy and Rachel who are her playmates and companions in biking and in some memorable adventures along with her sister Nenny.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Empowering herself is passively done as it is only a shadow which reflects her girly actions through her noting down of observations and understandings.   It means that the struggle of Esperanza to be free over power and superiority does not mean that she has to gain it over others or at the expense of others.   It only suggests that being true to oneself, as what she does, is enough to make things change for betterment. R E F E R E N C E S Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Random House Inc. 2005

Friday, September 20, 2019

Chronotopic Identity In Invisible Man English Literature Essay

Chronotopic Identity In Invisible Man English Literature Essay Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man is a novel of deliverance from darkness to light, a resequencer of cognitive awareness and differential patterns of conformity. It rejects imitation, deeming it as nothing more than a form of limitation, a burden hampering the doctrine of artistic creation. The novel appeals to the indirect participation of its readers in determining the mechanisms which constitute a collective conscience, a moral voice which communicates for us and through us. The author commits to his duality as a mainstream educated, patriotic American insider and his often frustrating position as a repressed minority, a victim persecution, the racial outsider. His status has the potential to propagate a significant amount of perceptual liberation as he is granted insight, unrestricted access into both fundamental facets of the American cultural construct. Ellison is an outspoken denouncer of extremism in all of its forms and manners of content, placing great emphasis on accurate depictions and justifiable service control, banishing impulses or other manifestations of emotion which tend to either embellish or diminish the narrative. The novel functions by utilizing a strong internal voice attempting to claim the spoils of jazz and random materialization of captured imagination. Generating the narrative voice is not however an entirely independent endeavor as Ellison must preoccupy himself with exhibitions of intent that mark familiarity in terms of style, character development and literary form. He manages to capture random synchronicities in the fabric of language and tame them under the banner of intention and literary design. Language is thus able to ascend to a tier where it is no longer restricted to simply expressing ideas; it begins to generate independent thought, become the forger of identity as an instrument of both creation and deception. From this standpoint, one is almost obligated to view Ellisons writing as an act of patriotism and national pride. But he is by no means a celebrator of the founding fathers or other such bribers of destiny. He bows to the common man, the carrier of tradition and the giver of love and enlightening humanity. Powerful men are perceived as the enemies of equality and freedom inside the American experiment. This pseudo-communist view and manner of interpreting deeds, individuals and events will trigger an internal conflict inside the mind of Ellison himself who viewed communism as a corrupt and bankrupt ideology and treated it as such, indirectly of course through his portrayal of the Brotherhood in Invisible Man. The perception of Afro-Americans is modulated to encompass not only their immediate predicaments, but also the trigger-elements of their past that had obstructed their development as a group and as individuals. Slavery is the key element inside a shameful national battlefield whose remnants still included segregation, unwarranted racial presuppositions and a lack of equal opportunity and respect. Yet Ellison does not let rage or Black Nationalism get the better of him. His solution for mending the hearts and minds of all parties involved is based on love, tolerance, affirmative action, exploring the elements that unite us rather than embracing those which have the capacity to tear our shared humanity asunder. Ellison is one of Americas gatekeepers of moral history. His influence on the Afro-American novel and the American novel as a whole may have hastened the emergence of the Civil Rights Movement. He carried inside his writing the intellectual turmoil of his generation and set the standard for a new moral and artistic comprehension of 1960s America. His objective was not to portray a coherent image of individual identity, or of black identity but the identity of the American rainbow, the melting pot of intimidating complexity. His verbal flow and communicative fortitude served as a release valve for the creative energies of his countrymen. The great American writer acknowledged Faulkner, Melville or Hawthorne but above all he paid homage to the almost sacred pieces of paper (the Constitution and the Bill of Rights) which had dictated the moral imperatives shaping the beautiful destiny of his beloved America. His patriotism was not uncommon for an individual living in 1940s and 50s Ameri ca; what was oddly inspiring however was the fact that he managed to unreservedly love a country that had at times rejected and humiliated him because of the color of his skin. Invisible Man is a novel of trust and belief in the ideals for which America stands. Had it not been for Ellisons patriotism and trust in Americas pledge of liberty and justice for all his novel would never have been written; because despite his faà §ade of irony and pessimism Ralph Waldo Ellison is a true believer that change will come, that he himself can make a difference through his work and generous humanity. The novelists responsibility and debt to society cannot be overlooked or ignored towards the realm of perdition. Both form and content must coexist and serve the authors creative infrastructure, a convergence hub where literature and democracy become intertwined creating not only mentally endowed characters but also intelligent, opinionated citizens/readers who have the courage and mental clarity t o change society for the better. Imagination does not run its course individually and independently. In Invisible Man for example it responds to the needs and compensative prerequisites of American life. This complex and immensely creative subroutine of the human mind governs the flux of the yet undiscovered or under-discovered recoils of fate, regulates preoccupations of solitude fills in the blanks of our existence as all true creation begins with imagination and if we seek to better ourselves we must first envisage it with our minds inner eye. The protagonist in Invisible Man is meant to become the perfect American citizen but he is still in beta testing. A more congealed version is set to surface after the author has fully experimented with his test dummy and exhausted all potential behavioral simulations generated by his mental resourcefulness. The final version of the character should be very astute in reflecting not just destiny or possibility but also Americas variations and complexity, referring here of cou rse to its cultural heritage, racial, gender and class interactions. Invisible Man must not be approached solely based on its intrinsic value. Like any work of art its dedicated objective is to move, transport or transform even abstract concepts such as democracy or perceptions of freedom. Ellison was well aware of this reality and also mentally converged on the topic of control by the artist versus the readership over the resulting cultural product: the work of art begins to pulsate with those meanings, emotions, ideas brought to it by its audience, and over which the artist has but limited control (Ellison qtd. in Callahan 1995:94). After setting in motion multiple perspectives dealing with creation as an act of control, he attempts a power play through which the author must fully detach himself from his work, set all personal subjectivity aside and become his own personal appraisal specialist by taking on the role of the reader who must objectively assess a work in progress. This creative method is deeply rooted in imagination, and the ability to i mmerse oneself inside a fundamentally different role caresses the realm of empathic intelligence, setting about to comprehend the hidden truths behind socially assigned roles and adaptive, intellectual democracy. The rampant success of Invisible Man ignited a vast whirlwind of undignified criticism and unwarranted, feeble justifications. The fact that the book was well ahead of its time concerning matters of race, gender or social affiliation caught the attention of many critics of that time who were unfortunately locked inside a limited mindset, unable to comprehend a visionary such as Ralph Ellison. They interpreted the defiance of norms, categories and labeling as nothing less than literary, social and cultural heresy. The random, free-flowing, fluid literary style Ellison had perfected from his adaptations of jazz was also deemed precarious, seen as lacking in consistency and proper planning. The writer justly and calmly defended his novel, explaining, justifying and clarifying all issues related to his novel regardless of time constraints or argumentative relevance. His eloquence and patience as well as his ability to enhance predictions partaking in an astonishing pre-revelation of the American collective eventually earned him the praise, respect and recognition he most undoubtedly deserves. The novel comes as a response to a creative higher calling, a repayment of spiritual debt, a brave statement of honor and dignity. Ellisons working notes and letters have rendered clarification relevant to the conceptual and structural apparatus behind Invisible Man. The first part of the Working Notes analyses not only the causes of invisibility but also its subsequent manifestations and the impact it has on all parties involved. He uncovers two main sources of invisibility which are strongly rooted in the American cultural paradigm. The first generative element of invisibility is human nature itself. Man is instinctually pre-programed or pre-conditioned to interpret all physical, mental or spiritual differences as signs of inferiority and potential threats. This unfortunate reality enforces unnecessary clustering and segregation, separation and even conflict. Invisibility is not only a prerogative of race, gender or religious orientation. Individuals have often found themselves in a state of conflict or just ignorance because of trivial differentiations such as being from another city, speaking with a slightly different accent or supporting a different sports team. The conclusion is that no matter how small or big the differences, people are more than willing to surrender their personal identity to that of their respective arbitrary collective. They incapacitate themselves from seeing members of the rival faction as fellow, kindred beings and embrace a path of antagonism and dismal competition. The second factor of invisibility would be what Ellison identified in his notes as the great formlessness of Negro life. Cultural values here are highly volatile and exposed to a continuous stream of transformation and evolution. Afro-Americans are also subjected to often debilitating and diverse hardships from which only powerful individuals emerge with their personality, identity and sanity intact. Therefore it is difficult to create a stable, visible version of oneself inside a shifting and diverse ethnic universe whose objective is to heap disorientation rather than provide a marginally functi onal moral compass. The issue of compromise has largely gone unseen in the novel. On the surface it is a concept or deliberate lack of action which leads to a passive resolution of conflicts. Taking a more in-depth look however reveals that compromise merely postpones a brutal reaction or conflict. This method leads to the accumulation of tension, an overwhelming increase in the parameters of rage and self-loathing. Compromise draws its energy not from wisdom but from weakness because the truly powerful do not compromise they just make merciful enlightened concessions from time to time. The unnamed hero in Invisible Man joins the Brotherhood and later serves its nefarious plans not out conviction but out of necessity. This ruthless left wing organization which is nothing more than a literary expression of the real life Communist Party uses the main character as he allows himself to be manipulated. He catches rare glimpses of what goes on behind the curtain but he refuses to see and acknowledge the truth . And herein lurks his predicament: the truth cannot and will not set him free, not the weakened version of himself anyway. The truth always reaches everyone no matter how strong or elaborate the deception might be, yet it is always meant for those who have the power to accept it. Weakness and compromise can also lead to the dissolution of family values. The protagonists sexual indiscretions with a married woman are overlooked by her husband in the interest of politics. The fact that there is no vindication for this dastardly act confirms that our character is indeed for all intents and purposes invisible and also that modern day society is severely dehumanizing as under the false and frail mask of a pseudo-enlightenment a man is forced to himself find, accept and provide justification for adultery and sentimental betrayal. Devising his female characters spawned a great deal of compromise for Ellison himself. Most women in the novel are depicted as prostitutes or secret agents of deception and misrepresentation. Mary Rambo is the only positive female character in the novel, a nurturer, a benefactor for the protagonist, a mother figure. Despite all her qualities however she can never be a true partner for the invisible man as she utterly lacks eroticism or passion. She cant complete him; she can only tend to a limited amount of wounds. From Ellisons Working Notes we are made aware of what could have been the unnamed characters significant other. Sadly enough she never made the roster. Louise was envisaged as seductive, charming the flagship of American ideals of freedom, democracy and fertility. Her relative perfection sort of defeats the purpose of the whole novel. The main character must be assaulted, tested and prodded from all directions. His hardships are transformative, motivating, the defining ini tiators of his true identity. Give him love and redemption and you might end up with a Garfield-type character, too lazy and unwilling to seek transformative confrontation. So sadly enough we ended up with good old Sybil, Ellisons little compromise, who happens to have a bad case of jungle fever and whom the main character regards as nothing more than an obstacle and possibly a source of non-essential information. The end of the novel commandeers a corpus of interactive integrity where Ellison appeals to both novice and specialized readers. He reveals the representative voice of his narrative, a raft of hope carrying with it the encoded pride of our shared humanity: Being invisible and without substance, a disembodied voice as it were, what else could I do? What else but try to tell you what was really happening when your eyes were looking through? And it is this which frightens me: Who knows but that, on the lower frequencies, I speak for you? (Ellison, 1995:581) 1.3. Ralph Ellison: Between Addiction and Tradition Ralph Ellison underscores the linkages and connections between Afro-American Culture and mainstream American culture, based on a hope of potential synergy, choosing to disregard arbitrary bonds of restrictive servitude. The limitations to his method are very few as he manages to create new worth through the exploration of the infinite possibilities conferred by folk tradition, jazz or the tales of old. He promotes his narrative as a stable and truthful presence in the discontinuous, swiftly changing and diverse American culture. His body of work expresses a blues-like absurdity in accepting a personal desire to defy limitations, seeking not simply a portrayal of tradition, but a translation, a decryption of its wider, more precise meanings. Ellisons blues attest to the agony of life and the distinct possibility of overcoming all adversity through sheer wealth of spirit and desire to carry on by using pain as a catalyst rather than succumb to its destructive charms. Several essays in Shadow and Act call attention to the purpose of folklore and its inner workings, as they strive to preserve the repeated situations that had once formulated the existence of a well-defined group of individuals, capturing the beauty of thoughts and emotions. The wisdom and spiritual wealth of a group, its symbols, icons and heraldic legacy and ultimately its desire to live long and prosper, generated according to Ellison, an essential truth which captured the spirit of all blacks. Folk symbols can utterly annihilate time through their simplicity, and an entire culture can revolve around a raw image, a universal rhythm. When addressing the black experience Ellison is a firm believer that folklore confirms the Negros willingness to trust his own experience, his own sensibilities rather than to permit their oppressors and masters to decide these fundamental things for them. Folklore therefore becomes not only a source of cohesive identity but a resource for freedom as w ell. Black American folklore functions as an integral part of American and Western culture. Ellison recognizes the merits of a black tradition in confronting new American and global issues, by extracting from life new and profound definitions of joy. Black culture makes wide use of characters who represent folk cultural archetypes functioning inside a wider context of strategic symbology, representing various forms of art, music, religion or folk poetry. In Invisible Man the characters provide contrast and conflict with the lost nature of the invisible narrator who hovers above the storyline observing and sometimes triggering events which consolidate the narrative drive. The slave woman appearing in the prologue is meant to confirm centuries of victimization and hardships, and announce a propulsion towards embracing and understanding freedom. The grandfather who appears several times throughout the novel is a toxic character. He embodies the ambiguity of the past, a monument of bitterness and spiritual limitation which can have potentially crippling and debilitating consequences. The old mans gregarious survival strategy of allowing the so called self-destructive nature of the white man to run its course confirms a false and contagious grasp of what is real and functional. His yessing strategy worthy of the great Napoleon himself has nearly fatal repercussions for his grandson who adopts the strategy of his elder not out of belief but out of confusion and desperation. From a cultural point of view Invisible Man only has two characters who encompass both folk and contemporary black tradition: Trueblood and Mary. Jim Trueblood is on a very basic level an expectant father, a family man, a maker and supporter of life. Yet he is also a rapist, a pedophile and a performer of adultery and incest. The sins of this father cannot be justified through oniric dementia. His heinous act does not prevent him from finding redemption through music: I looks up and sees the stars and I starts singing. He also reaches a very dangerous Popeye the Sailor type conclusion, an empty statement that allows justification for just about anything I aint nobody but myself. Putting aside the repugnant nature of this character one cant help notice that he is deeply rooted in tradition; his humor, storytelling and manner of speaking exemplify the turmoil of his ethnic, racial and social legacy. Trueblood is also a part of Western tradition. He acknowledges his weakness and the sins of the flesh and in his twisted way he tries to be a family man: Im a man and man dont leave his family. From a psychological standpoint, Truebl ood is part of the Western tradition of incest entering the realm of Freudian psychoanalysis and dream interpretation. Mary Rambo is the only character in Invisible Man whom Ellison depicts in a positive manner. All other women are either prostitutes, crazy, sexually deviant, manipulative or lack a moral compass. Mary however is a kind, nurturing individual with a tremendous potential to eliminate the pain and suffering of those around her. She benefits from a robust humanity deeply anchored in the beauty and common sense of folk wisdom and time honored traditions. This female character manages to perfectly integrate into the crazy life of the metropolis without abandoning her individual complexity. She is never tainted by what festers around her and remains true to her pure and genuine calling. Ellison is able to comprehend both the splendor and the horrific nature of black culture. He uses language for example as a verbal facilitator for the most noble of human thoughts. The rich language of the South, the blooming spoken word of the North, the joyful verbal flow of 50s Harlem are all pitted against the ability of language to manipulate, to control, to create riots and inspire fear. Folk traditions, associated with other mechanisms of human comprehension, invite both the writer and the reader into the intimate life of blacks in America, allowing us to discover and observe them in celebration or tribulation, gripped by bliss alongside family and friends or in their darkest hour of need. Ellison employs cultural tradition without overusing external connections. His dramatic recoil is often based on a system of illusions which in the end exposes the betrayal of blackness while at the same time expounding a traumatic treatment of folk values. Folklore does not exist for its own sake. Its governing principle is to override futility within the confines of strict thematic structuralisation and dramatic undertones. Ellisons conceptual apparatus overpowers outdated representations of the southern folk community deeming them obsolete and leaning towards a more pre-individual approach to the matter at hand. He accomplishes an in-depth look into the mind of the individual or their respective collective. His characters are by no means nonsentimental or monosentimental, exploring previously untapped levels of the Afro-American psyche, reaching a point of cognitive no return. This tinkering about with both collective and individual representations of black society is done with flair and a great deal of humor and irony and herein lies the intrinsic value of Invisible Man. He makes the exploration of personal and group identity appear simple, natural and free flowing. Ellison has a very firm grip on the obvious and strives to implement cultural representations bearing in mind the potential of folklore to bring forth both enlightenment and spiritual unease. His intention is not to call down the proverbial thunder on the established order of perception as he is by no means a revolutionary writer. The milestone he sets out to complete is simply to interconnect Western symbols and mythology with black culture and folk wisdom in the hope of understanding and accepting the rules that govern this particular paradigm. Ellisons connection to the West, the systemic support in Invisible Man, offer an almost mathematical precision between creative consistency and cultural pronouncements. Larry Neal credited Ellison with a broad spectrum of theoretical sense, an intimidating corpus of knowledge regarding the explosive tensions underlying the Black mans presence in the United States. (Neal, 1968:9) Invisible Man resonates as a powerful pledge which is fully committed towards grasping the depths and complicated splendors that forge the definition of blackness. Ellison appears hungry to exploit the functions and dedicated objectives of language. He is not burdened by his cultural responsibility, but rather he views it as a method of release, embracing a higher calling of both a universal writer and a black writer. His hunger for definitions, the study of mannerisms and collective deductions stake their claim on a narrative that is offered with apparent ease and an almost godlike understanding of the black condition. There is music and ease behind his equanimous imagination and desire to embrace the noesis of his forefathers. A clinical presupposition would therefore entail an absolute independence inside the creative laws which define his conceptual apparatus. His examination of blackness though perfectly expounded and formulated is not without precedence. William Faulkner laid t he foundation for Ellison through a manifold of emblematic devices and astonishing accomplishments in capturing the proverbial zeitgeist of the South. Although Faulkner asserts himself as the deepest of the southerners, a larger than life communicator through symbols, Ellisons work should not be misconstrued as imitation or worse, as being written from an anxiety of influence. Ralph Ellison is an adequately developed writer, one profoundly original writer who is able to provide us with fresh new insight into Afro-American culture. His tree of literary knowledge casts a large enough shadow enabling him implement a black focus that gathers success in its encounters with an audience immensely appreciative of his creative undertakings. Ultimately Ralph Ellison produces a genuine and stimulating complexity when it comes to writing based on Afro-American culture and folk traditions. He commandeers cryptic messaging, appearing almost intoxicated with the power of his own written word and duty towards creative instruments of mental debt and depth. Folk tradition for Ellison is not proliferated as an end in itself, the author is severely self-conscious and bewildered by the overwhelming merits of simple traditions that have stood the test of time and enabled their carriers to maintain a coherent sense of identity. True folk forms provide us with a celebration of life, a righteous use of the flexible service instruments which fuel hope in the name of tradition, a proud remembrance of the past that is bound to secure the future. 1.4 Chronotopic Identity in Invisible Man Mikhail Bakhtins systemic apparatus of emblematic devices comprises cognitive depths which function beyond arbitrary boundaries of simple cultural relevance. Therefore applying Bakhtinian mechanisms of comprehension to Ralph Ellisons Invisible Man is a fully warranted undertaking encompassing both structure and a stern analysis of desirable and justified content. Bakhtins conceptual framework can be held accountable for altering cultural realms outside its borders of encounter, supplementing external ideas, improving and completing them. All disseminated elements are interconnected, lacking in explicit manifestation, adhering to implicit introduction and dialogic confrontation. Bakhtin asserts that no work of literature can exist as a separate, independent entity. Any literary text is in a state of flux, maintaining communication with other literary voices or streams. The influence can reside in imitation, modular transformation or adaptation, or even rejection which is nothing more than a reversal of method. A text is always informed by other texts and at the same time it has the duty to inform its readership. The connection between two texts is by no means constrictive or parasitic in nature. Its symbiotic orientation capitalizes on interdisciplinary dialogue and voice structure, honoring social complexity and linguistic wealth: The internal stratification of language is a prerequisite for the novel. The novel orchestrates all its themes, the totality of the world of objects and ideas depicted and expressed in it, by means of the social diversity of speech types and by the differing individual voices that flourish under such conditions. The links and interrelations lead to the novels heteroglossia and dialogization. (Bakhtin, 1981: 263) Identity formation, cultural memory and religion are paramount in the understanding of blacks and whites not as mere individuals but as complex, interconnected cultural entities. Bakhtins approach is atemporal and universal, allowing us to not only see or understand Afro-American culture but also to expand its deeper meanings, adapt and improve our own culture, enable a positive cross-cultural contamination by upgrading our shared humanity and collective heritage. Certain Bakthinian matters of interest such as power and control, materialism, (re)structured social and ethnic relations, dialogism, spatial and temporal paradigms provide the necessary competence to outline patterns of relevant functionality in Invisible Man. Ralph Ellisons displays a considerable amount of dialogic audacity as a method of integrating social strategies in his novel. His principles are governed by mental alacrity and argumentative observations which often foster resentment and playful overtones of deceptive chaos. Ellison and Bakhtin possess a dedicated, shared infrastructure, a common ground where their variations in discourse can become intertwined and intervene in the establishment of philosophical augmentations and consistent power structures. The boundaries between the two become nothing more than non-cohesive, penetrable conventions which allow transcendent voices to define the desires of randomly assigned trust and determination. Envisioning Invisible Man as a Bakhtinian novel one cant help but detect the ubiquitous Carnivalesque elements of perception which generate and govern the social environment. The Carnival entails a state of absolute liberation and subsequently a state of pseudo-anarchy, capricious libertinism and equality. It exists outside political, economic and social restrictions, suspending the status quo, living up to ideals of randomness and improvisation. It is a festival which celebrates the annihilation of individual hierarchies and the dismemberment of forged and unjust equilibriums. There is little room for political ambitions or extravagant portrayal of mediocre deeds. The Carnivaleque is a counter reaction to those abusive systems which strive to acquire our humanity with thirty pieces of our own silver. Another essential Bakhtinian concept that is of great importance to Invisible Man is that of the chronotope. Time-space describes the dual matrix behind the emergence of Ellisons novel, understanding both history and the topos on which it occurs. Ralph Ellison bends time to his liking offering nonlinear and often simultaneous projections engaging the readers attention and selective intelligence, inviting him to experience: [A] slightly different sense of time, youre never quite on the beat. Sometimes youre ahead and sometimes behind. Instead of the swift and imperceptible flowing of time, you are aware of its nodes, those points where time stands still or from which it leaps ahead. And you slip into the breaks and look around. (Ellison, 1995:8) This enigmatic passage distorts the accepted perception of time, offering a multilayered temporal construct which seeks to achieve transference of control while at the same time generating a climate of insecure reclusiveness and underprivileged substantiations of unclear history. The chronotopes initial manifestation in Invisible Man is done through the use of the fictional present. We are informed with great equanimity and familiarity that the narrator dwells in a coal cellar which is designed as a cocoon of self-banishment, an in-between world, a self -imposed Purgatory from which he can be emerge a new man, ready to confront his previous oppressors and the flawed systems that had spawned them. Time here contracts fissuring the containment of common meanings, creating a brave new nexus of darkened topography and supporting a cronosphere of intimidating and deliberate variation. The chronotope is the fulfiller of tradition, an astute element/method which defines our sense of community and social history. According to Mikhail Bakhtin, The chronotope is where the knots of narrative are tied and untied []. Time becomes, in effect, palpable and visible; the chronotope makes narrative events concrete, makes them take on flesh, causes blood to flow in their veins []. Thus the chronotope, functioning as the primary means for materializing time in space, emerges as a center for concretizing representation, as a force giving body to the entire novel. All the novels abstract elements philosophical and social generalizations, ideas, analyses of cause and effect gravitate towards the chronotope and through it take on flesh and blood, permitting the imaging power of art to do its work. (Bakhtin, 1981, 250) Time and space are inextricably intertwined with respect to the fundamental acknowledgement of uni

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Ancient Egyptian Greek and Roman Stele Essay -- essays papers

Ancient Egyptian Greek and Roman Stele Just as we use tombstones to mark graves and commemorate our dead, so too did ancient civilizations. One way to do so in the ancient world was through the use of steles. A stele is a stone slab, usually decorated in relief and inscribed, that honored the death of a person. Three of the ancient cultures that had implemented the use of the stele were the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. In comparing an example from each civilization, it is possible to see the evolution of the stele from one period to another and the different influences each civilization had on a single element. The Egyptians had many ways to honor their dead, including the stele. Wealthy Egyptians, especially officials and priest, often had stele placed near their tombs. These steles usually told of the name, position/rank, and the epithets of the deceased along with a funerary prayer. (Gee 224) One such example is the Funerary Stele from Dendereh from the First Intermediate Period (ca. 2150 BCE). (University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology) This stele belongs to a man named Tjaunty, an official during the First Intermediate Period. The stele depicts Tjaunty on the far left of the rectangular slab. The other two-thirds of the stele are reserved for inscriptions of hieroglyphs. The depiction of Tjaunty is characteristic of the Egyptian style. The purpose of the Egyptian style was to represent the human form in the clearest and most complete way. The head is shown in profile but with the eye in a frontal position. The reason for this is that the head is more distinct from the profile position; the eyes, on the other hand, are more representative from the frontal view. The shoulders are presented frontally with the waist, hips, legs, and feet in profile. (Gee 18) In Tjaunty's funerary stele, Tjaunty is presented in this very distinct way. He is also shown with the symbols of his position as an official. This is known because Tjaunty's right hand is holding the same staff as in Hesy-ra's right hand in the Portrait Panel of Hesy-ra. (Janson and Janson 44) As for the inscriptions to the right of Tjaunty, this author is not able to definitively identify the meaning. It is assumed that it tells of Tjaunty's name, rank, and offers a funerary prayer. The Greeks were also another ancient civilization that i... ...d gives only a summed-up version of information about the owner. Granted, it is certain that a more glorified nature would be found in such as that of a pharaoh, but not so in those below the pharaoh. The Egyptian stele seems to represent an attitude of straight-forwardness (in keeping with the clarity and complete representation of the Egyptian style). As for the Greek stele, it is more intimate, a glance into a moment of that person's life (very naturalistic). The Roman stele is, without a doubt, glorifying. The Romans most certainly had an egotistical attitude about them. Why should it surprise anyone to see it within the art that was meant to memorialize them? Comparing these three civilizations has shown that a single element, used in different civilizations, may have the same intended use but the way each civilization goes about using this element can be quite different from one another. Bibliography: Gee, Robert. Egyptian Sculpture. Oxford: Blackwell, 1994. Janson, H.W. and A.F. Janson. History of Art: the Western Tradition. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 2001. Rothermel, Johnathan Albert. The Art of Greece. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Character of Athena in Homers Odyssey :: Homer Odyssey womody

Character of Athena in Homer's Odyssey The "gray eyed" Athena is one of the most special characters in The Odyssey. First off, how many gray eyed people do you know? That makes her pretty special right there, adding to the fact that she is an Olympian goddess. As all goddesses are pictured, she has a thin figure (not skinny), great brown curling hair which flows from the head gently down to her slender waist, perfect toned peach (in Greek and Roman myths) skin, and, of course, the big blue shiny eyes which can mesmorize any mortal at first sight. That's one special person. And she doesn't fail to keep those aspects while helping out ol' Odysseus. In addition to her outstanding looks, she has a kind heart. Unlike her brother, Poseidon, she wants Odysseus to get back home to Ithaka. She also wants Telemahkos to meet his father for the first time in decades. She does this very cleverly. To help Telemakhos grow out of his cowardly childhood, she comes to him as a good friend, encouraging the young boy to do what he must and seek out news about his father. But when she leaves, she gives a little hint to him that she's actually a goddess by turning into a bird. I think this was a weakness of Athena. The fact that she constantly showed off to many people that she was indeed a goddess shows that she wants to be praised by all and showing a slight immature and soft side on her part. This can also be interpreted as a good action in some cases. When Telemakhos knows Athena, a goddess, is on his side, this gives him extra confidence. She also shows a caring side when she turns into many different figures to guide Odysseus through his journey. This shows determination on her part, saying that she really wants Odysseus, a brave soldier who fought for good in the Trojan War, to get home to his loving family. The way she changes form to try and trick Odysseus from thinking that he was indeed back home was a test. But he obviously saw through the charade and went to claim his rights back in his palace. This isn't the only way she helps Odysseus and Telemakhos.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

My University Education Essay -- Education School Learning Essays

My University Education Finding a metaphor that accurately describes my university education was a challenging experience for me because it required me to thoroughly reexamine my attitude towards the whole of my educational experiences--both prior to and in college. In the end, what I discovered was the metaphor I feel describes my education at Bemidji State University is one that is universal to my entire education. My education has been a journey that started the minute I was born and will continue throughout my life. Initially, my journey began on one road which stretched before me--along this road were intersections, road signs, accidents, bumps, and mile markers. What I have learned as a student in college, has added many more "miles" to my learning odometer. Mile One O.K., so let's get back to the beginning. As I mentioned before, my education began the minute I was born and peered curiously into the world around me. Each of the elements of the environment in which I lived contributed to my growth and interest in new things. The most important part of this environment was my parents who encouraged me, through example, to value my experiences and to constantly learn from them. As a result of their support, I learned to become an independent and critical thinker. First and foremost, I learned that I could be responsible for my own learning. In essence, it was my choice to learn as much or as little as I wanted from my experiences. Mile Two How did this impact my education? In the realm of elementary and secondary education where learning often meant regurgitating the ideas our teachers "imparted" to us, it meant that I was not merely there to "absorb" what was going on around me. I was an active member of class w... ... Similarly, I have learned the importance of proceeding with caution and obeying the speed limit along the way. I now realize that sometimes I need to slow down to think things through before reacting or overreacting. The people that I have met and learned from on my journey have become the bumps and road signs on my educational highway. The bumps have sometimes hindered my progress, whereas the road signs have sent me moving onward and in the right direction. Mile Four What does all of this mean to me? It means I am adaptable. I am able to go ten miles an hour or eighty miles an hour should the situation arise. I can hit the bumps, adjust the steering, and travel onward with little loss of time. I can choose the uncharted course and find a new road to where I want to go. It means that I am ready for the adventure that lies ahead. The odometer's running...

What If Exams Were Abolished

Exams are tests held for students to show their progress and knowledge in different subjects. These ‘assessments' are kept at regular periods of time every academic year. But should exams be abolished? What are the advantages and disadvantages of exams? This topic is an argumentative one. Let's see what would happen if tests and examinations were abolished by looking at the advantages and the disadvantages. Disadvantages of exams: 1 . ) Students are stressed due to the pressure of exams.They usually get nervous before the exam itself and end up forgetting everything they studied as soon as they look at the paper due to the tension. 2. ) Some students are able to rote-learn the content. This is unfair to other students as this gets the rote-learners good marks but they don't actually understand the concept and those who can't rote-learn aren't able to score satisfactory marks. 3. ) The pressure of exams has the students cramming the notes and staying up all night to study so tha t they complete the portion on time. ) The students are also pressured with the hope of their parent's to get nice marks and they may fall into depression and sometimes they might even commit suicide. These are some of the arguments supporting the disadvantages of exams. Advantages of exams.Students study harder to achieve better marks than their fellow classmates. Exams may pressurize the students but if they do their work properly and on time, they can try harder and work harder to get good marks. 2. If we be honest, the students wouldn't actually study if exams were abolished. They wouldn't be worried about the tests, marks or grades and hence, they wouldn't study. These are some of the arguments supporting the advantages of exams. According to the disadvantages and advantages of examinations mentioned above, respectively, there would be different effects on the students regarding the abolishment of exams. Essay by Florins S. Credit to: Different articles on the internet. What If Exams Were Abolished?