Museum of Art Essay Example for Free

Museum of Art Essay After visiting the Raleigh Museum of Art, I discovered two paintings that conjured up opposite feelings that I will compare and contrast. The painting I liked most was titled, Jungle Camp, 2000 an Acrylic on canvas 72 x 60 in. (182. 9 x 152. 4 cm), from one of North Carolina’s most respected artists, Maud Gatewood. Her paintings record the varied experiences of a wandering life. Writing on the back of the canvas, the artist notes the origins of this picture: Trapped in the Amazon with a bad leg. Confined to a hut, she made the most of the opportunity. The second painting titled, Venice without water, by North Carolina’s artist Donald Sultan was the painting I truly disliked because of the feelings it provoked. Sultan’s painting from 1990 was an acrylic painting and measured 96 x96 inches in dimension. Sultan used Butyl rubber, acrylic paint, and plaster on vinyl composite tiles, which were mounted on four Masonite panels. Both painting represent landscapes captured by the artists’ eyes or through a photograph. These paintings gave me two strong, but opposite, feelings: joy and sadness. I will describe the differences and contrast these two works of art. The two pieces of art works have several differences in style. First, the shape in the painting, jungle camp, is rectangular; while the second painting is square. The choice and use of color in the two paintings are completely opposite. Since color is most important to me, I chose the jungle camp painting due to the variety of bright colors that pop from canvas. The painting from Mrs. Gatewood is colorful, which gave me a feeling of joy and warmth. However, Sultan decided to use contrast instead of colors in his painting. Thus, Sultan’s painting is filled with different tones of grey, black, or white. Gatewood’s painting represents a jungle’s view from a patio or balcony. I can see tall palm trees all stuck to each other in her painting, which gives the impression of abundance and fertility. She chooses many different variations of green. For example, she utilizes certain hues of light green to create an effect of sun reflection. There are two types of curtains on the patio, hanging on a fine line. The first is really colorful, a mix of tropical color, and the second is like a white veil, which you can see trough it. The mix of materials and colors for the curtains, added to the jungle, procures me a sense of evasion, vacation, and relaxation. I was drawn to the atmosphere of serenity and tropic jumbled together, which is the reason that this painting evoked my interest. However, Sultan’s painting is the exact opposite of abundance and excursion. The whole artwork is quite dark and sad. It’s a representation of the well-known Rialto’s bridge, which is an infrastructure between to planes. The first plane is an illustration of wood’s pillars, which surround the Venetian canals; they are use by the gondoliers to park their â€Å"original dinghy†. The second plane is the bridge; it looks pretty scary and dark with no one crossing it. The final plane, which is the background, consists of some Venetian’s buildings. These buildings form a line that converges towards the bridge; which helps my eyes focus on the main subject the bridge. Sultan’s painting does not reflect the Venice that I saw five years ago. When I think about my trip to Venice, I have an enriched memory filled with bright colors from the Carnival. I remember vivid colors on all the masks, costumes, life, and crawl of people. Sultan’s artwork doesn’t have any of my souvenirs. Instead, the painting is more like a sinister version of the beautiful city, Venice. Although I do not like this particular outlook of Venice, I realized after studying his painting that the artist is expressing his environmental point of view of the city, which I completely agree with. As an admirer of this city, I feel concerned by the environmental issue depicted in the painting. The notion that the excess of tourism could be destructive to a fragile city like Venice is a valid concern. The artist conveys his dismay over â€Å"the deteriorating environment with the unused mooring posts, the dry canal bed of mud-like tar, and the melancholy mood of the painting†. I think that colors or tonalities are the essence of the painting, like the rhythm and tunes are for music. In my view colors are strongly subjective, they can have different psychologist effects and symbolist’s significations, they can differ from a culture to another; associating Black with mourning is normal, in our occidental countries, while in Asia it’s the actual opposite, White. In my case the colors are the main cause, on what I think is pretty or not.

Effects of the Environment on Organisms Primary Productivity

Effects of the Environment on Organisms Primary Productivity In this lab, samples of pond water were taken and measured using the Wrinkler and the Light and Dark bottle method in order to study the effects of the environment on primary productivity in organisms. The central purpose was to determine the effect of temperature on the amount of dissolved oxygen and photosyntehitic activity on primary productivity. The results from part A indicate that as temperature increases the amount of oxygen present decreases and the results from part B indicate that as the amount of photosynthetic activity increases the amount of oxygen present growths. For most organisms Oxygen is vital for cellular respiration. There is an abundance of oxygen in the atmosphere (about 200 milliliters of processes). Dissolved Oxygen is oxygen that is dissolved in water. In the aquatic environment there are only five to ten milliliters of DO in a liter of water. Dissolved Oxygen is required by all aquatic organisms. As water travels past an aquatic organisms gills (or other breathing apparatus), microscopic bubbles of oxygen gas in the water, called  (DO), are moved from the water to their blood.  At  low dissolved oxygen levels called hypoxia animal growth or reproduction can be damaged while the complete lack of oxygen called anoxia will kill animals. Also most algae, macrophytes, and any chemical reactions important for lakes require oxygen to survive. The Wrinkler method is used in this lab to measure the amount dissolved oxygen. The procedure includes the addition of alkaline iodine and magnanous sulfate to a water sample. From that manganous hydroxide is produced and upon acidification is changed to a manganese compound by oxygen in the sample. Immediately, the compound reacts with the iodine to release iodine which changes the water color to yellow. The amount of free iodine is equal to the amount of oxygen in the sample. The amount of iodine is measured by titration with sodium thiosulfate until the sample loses the yellowish color. The methods precision rate is 0.1 to 0.6%. The general question for part A of the lab involves the effect of temperature on dissolved oxygen . The hypothesis predicts that the relationship between temperature and dissolved oxygen will be an inverse relationship. So as the temperature increases the amount of dissolved oxygen will decrease. Five major gases that all have biological and physiochemical similar but differ in behavior and origin are dissolved in aquatic environments. The most important are nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. Oxygen takes up about 21% of the atmosphere and nitrogen 78%. Water vapor takes up to 3% in volume. Most gases follow Henrys law that states that at constant temperature the amount of gas absorbed by a given volume of liquid is proportional to the pressure in atmosphere that the gas exerts. An exception is Carbon dioxide which may combine with numerous cations while entering natural waters to become more abundant than what the principle of Henrys law dictates. It can be found in both combined and free states. The amount of atmospheric component can be found dissolved in an aquatic environment can be predicted with the following formula: C= K*P where C equals the concentration of the gas that is absorbed, K equals the solubility factor, and P equals the partial pressure of the gas. Temperature is one factor that can influence the amount of oxygen dissolved in water. Waters capability to hold oxygen lowers as water becomes warmer. Warmer water becomes saturated more easily with oxygen. This effect of temperature on DO results in a seasonal wavering of DO in a body of water. Wind also mixes oxygen into the water as it blows across the surface. Oxygen decrease can be so severe enough on windy nights to kill fish. Another factor that affects dissolved oxygen is photosynthetic activity. Aquatic plants are capable of producing more oxygen in bright light. So during night when photosynthesis cannot balance the loss of oxygen through decomposition and respiration, the amount of DO could gradually decrease. Also the amount of DO could differentiate with the lake depth. More oxygen is produced near the top of the lake which is most exposed so that photosynthetic activity can occur from the sunlight. Oxygen consumption is also great along the bottom of a lake, where sunke n  organic  matter accumulates and decomposes. The amount of DO is lowest before dawn when photosynthesis continues. In addition, Microbial processes consume oxygen as organic material decays. Waterfalls, rapids, and wave action all aerate water and increase oxygen concentration. Salinity is the content of dissolved salts in water. As temperature and salinity increase the solubility of oxygen in water decreases. Partial pressure of oxygen in the air above water also influences the amount of DO in water. At higher elevations, less oxygen is present because the air is less dense. Because the air is less dense, it contains less oxygen. Seasonal changes can affect the DO concentrations. Warmer temperatures during summer speed up the rates of photosynthesis and decomposition. When growing season comes to an end and all of the plants die, their decomposition results in heavy oxygen consumption. Also seasonal events, such as changes in lake water levels, volume of  inflows  and   outflows, and presence of ice cover, also cause natural variation in the amount of DO. The general question for part B of the lab is the effect of photosynthetic activity on primary productivity. The hypothesis states that as the amount of light increases the more oxygen will be consumed, showing a direct relationship between photosynthetic activity and primary productivity. Primary productivity is the rate at which plants and other photosynthetic organisms produce organic compounds in the ecosystem. Only organisms that have photosynthetic pigments can use sunlight to produce new organic compounds from inorganic substances. The basic equation of photosynthesis is: 6Co2+6H20à  C6H12O6+6O. This equation says that green plants consume carbon for carbohydrate production from the carbon dioxide in H20 or in air. A measure of oxygen production over time gives a method of finding the amount of carbon that has been bound in organic compounds over a period of time. For each millimeter of oxygen produced about .535 milligrams of carbon has been integrated. Primary productivity can be measured by the rate of sugar formation, the rate of oxygen production, and the amount of carbon dioxide used. Measuring dissolved oxygen can gauge primary productivity in an aquatic ecosystem because oxygen is one of the most easily measured products of both respiration and photosyn thesis. The method of measuring the rate of oxygen production is used in this lab. The light and dark bottle method is one method of measuring the rate of oxygen production. With this method, the DO concentrations of samples of lake, ocean, samples of laboratory algal cultures, or river water are measured and compared before and after incubation bottles in light and darkness. In the lab the light and dark bottle method is used to measure the amount of oxygen in The amount of oxygen that the organisms in the bottles are consuming is indicated by the difference between the measurement of DO in the initial and dark bottles. The biological processes of photosynthesis and respiration are occurring in the bottles exposed to light so the change over time in DO concentration from the initial concentration measures net productivity. Net productivity is the organic material that remains after photosynthetic organisms in an ecosystem have used some of these compounds for their cellular energy needs (cellular respiration). Gross productivity is the entire photosynthetic produc tion of organic compounds in an ecosystem. It is the difference over time between amount of DO in the light bottle and the dark bottle. Materials Pond water 2 Bulbs: Sylvania Gro-Lux F40/GRO/AQ/WS/RP 40W A8/8a Tank Masking tape Carolina Lab 12: Dissolved Oxygen and Aquatic Primary Productivity kit 8-station 74663DA Aluminum Foil Aquaculture aquarium pump MK1504 Thermometer Rubber bands Tank 2 dirt stones Methods Begin part A of the lab by filling three of the bottles with samples of water in the three different temperatures given. With the procedure given, determine the DO of each sample and record the values. Record the values with the class data and then enter the class means in the table. Graph both the lab group data and class data as a scatter plot and draw the line of best fit. Begin part B of the lab, on the first day get seven BOD (water sampling) bottles. Fill all the bottles with the algal or lake water sample given. The water samples in this experiment are from the Green Hope High School wetland. The alga was kept under light for 24 hours a day until January 3rd. The solution then was strained until microscopic colonies of algae were existent. On January 18th, the tank was drained and 20 liters of H2O was used to dilute the solution. For one week, 6 tubes of algal growth were administered to the solution Take caution not to leave air bubbles at the top of the bottles. Label the cap of each bottle with measuring tape. Mark the labels as follows: I ( for initial, D (for dark), 100%, 65%, 25%, 10%, and 2%. Determine the DO for the Initial bottle now. Record this value. Record the class Initial bottle mean. The Initial amount of DO is the DO that the water has to begin with. With aluminum foil, cover the Dark bottle so that no light can enter. No photosynt hesis can occur in this bottle therefore the process of respiration by all of the organisms present will be the only thing that changes the DO. Plastic window screens will stimulate the attenuation of natural light that occurs because of the depth in a body of water. Wrap screen layers around the bottles in the following patterns: 100% light- no screens. Wrap; 65% light- 1 screen layer; % 25 light- 3 screen layers; 10% light- 5 screen layers; and 2 % light- 8 screen layers Make sure to cover the bottoms of the bottles to keep light from entering there. Use clothespins or rubber bands to keep the screens in place. Put the bottles on their sides under the bank of lights. Make sure to turn the bottles so that the labels are facing down to keep from preventing light from getting to the contents. Leave the bottles overnight under constant illumination. On day two of part B, determine the DO in all the bottles that were under the lights. Record the DO of the Dark bottle. Calculate the respiration rate using the formula in the table. Record the other bottles in another table. Complete the calculations to determine the gross and net productivity in each bottle. Follow the Wrinkler method. Fill the water sampling bottle. Add eight drops of Manganous Sulfate Solution. Add eight drops of Alkaline Potassium Iodine Azide. Cap and mix the bottle. Allow the precipitate to settle. Use the 1.0 g spoon to add Sulfuric Acid Powder or 8 drops of Sulfuric Acid. Cap and mix until reagent and precipitate dissolve. Fill the test tube to the 20 mL line. Fill the titrator with Sodium Thiosulfate. Titrate until the sample color is pale yellow. Make sure to not disturb the titrator. Add 8 drops of starch indicator. Continue titration until blue color disappears and the solution is colorless. Read result in ppm Dissolved Oxygen. (College Board, 2001) Equations and Calculations L= Initial Bottle, L= Light Bottle, D= Dark Bottle L-I= Net Productivity I-D= Respiration L-D= Gross Productivity Average= Sum of the values from each group/# of groups Results This table showed the group and class average for par A of the lab. The class average is calculated from table 2. The data shows the dissolved oxygen concentration at the cold, room, and warm temperature. The graph shows class data from table 2. The line of best fit shows the decreasing overall trend in dissolved oxygen. As shown by the line as the temperature increase, the amount of DO decreases. This shows the group for part B of the lab. The DO, gross, and net productivity are shown. The gross productivity was found by calculating the DO of the light bottle minus the DO of the dork bottle. So the Gross Productivity of 0 screens and 100% light is 20.0-0.0 which equals 20.00. The Net productivity was found by calculating the light bottle minus the initial bottle. So the net productivity of 0 screens and 100% light is 20.00-8.2 which equals 11.8. The gross and net productivity must be calculated per day so the gross and net productivity calculated form the data had to be divided by two. The table shows the DO concentration of the class. The average DO is calculated by adding all eight of the groups DO and then dividing by eight. Class Gross Productivity Similar to the net productivity, the gross productivity was calculated for two days and needs to be for one day. Each gross productivity of each group was divided into two, and then the average of the eight groups gave the class average of gross productivity for each bottle. Graph 2 The graph shows that as the number of screens increased the DO decreased. Next, the net productivity was calculated from the DO values from chart 5. Because the DO was accumulated over a period of two days the net productivity must also be divided by two. Graph 3 The graph shows that the more screens there were the less DO was present. The screens obstructed light so the more screens there were the more light that was obstructed. The respiration rate was calculated by calculating The DO of the Initial bottle minus the DO of the Dark bottle. So the respiration rate for the group data was the original value of Initial dissolved oxygen divided by 2 minus the DO of the Dark bottle, so 8.2/2 is equal to 4.1-0.0 which is equal to 4.1. The results were accurate because the average was derived from four different groups for part A and eight different groups for part B, performing the same experiments. There was expression for variability because the temperature among the groups were not exactly the same and the sources of error may have led to unwanted variability. Conclusion The results from part A support the hypothesis predicting that the relationship between temperature and dissolved oxygen would be an inverse relationship. Graph 1 shows that as the temperature increases the amount of DO decreases. The results from part B prove the hypothesis which states that there is a direct relationship between the amount of light an organism receives and the amount dissolved oxygen present. Graphs 2 shows that the more screens there were to obstruct light, the less the net productivity of DO there was. The net productivity shows the change over time in DO concentration from the initial. The results proved to be accurate and effectively showed the effects of temperature and light on dissolved oxygen. An error that occurred in the lab was that the bulbs were placed parallel to the tray which caused the light intensity to be varied affecting the amount of DO. Also the bottles may have been shaken while being filled allowing additional oxygen to enter. A third error could have been that the Winkler test may not have been performed quickly enough which maybe have allowed the temperature to be changed in the warm and cold bottles. This maybe have affected the amount of DO present. Also the dark bottle may not have been covered completely allowing light to be absorbed. This would also have affected the amount of DO. The cap may not have been screwed on all the way allowing oxygen to leak, affecting the DO. One improvement could be to place the bottles parallel to the tray so that each bottle receives the same amount of light. Another improvement could be to allow the DO to only accumulate for one day rather than for two. One possible extension is to measure the amount of DO produced at various depths in a lake. Another extension is to measure the affect in dissolved oxygen production if algae is supplied with nitrates and/or phosphates. Work Cited Biology lab manual for students,  2001,  New York: College Board Campbell, N.A., Reece, J. B., Mitchell, L.G. (1999).  Biology (5th ed.). Menlo Park:  Benjamin/Cummings. Dissolved Oxygen. (2007, December 7).  Retrieved from Water on the Web website:  http://www.waterontheweb.org/under/waterquality/oxygen.htm Dissolved Oxygen Water Quality Test Kit. (n.d).  Retrieved from LaMOTTE COMPANY website:  http://www.lamotte.com/pages/common/pdf/instruct/7414.pdf The Flow of Energy: Primary Production to Higher Trophic Levels. (2008, October 31).  Retrieved from University of Michigan website:  http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/kling/energyflow/energyflow.html

Falls Of Miltons Eve And Doctor Faustus Religion Essay

Falls Of Miltons Eve And Doctor Faustus Religion Essay In this essay I am going to be comparing the falls of Eve in John Miltons Paradise Lost, first published in 1667 and Doctor Faustus in Christopher Marlowes The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, first published in 1604 The notion of the Fall of man originates in the Bible where it is recorded in the book of Genesis. It has been interpreted both literally, as a description of historical events and symbolically as a spiritual truth. The Fall refers to the transition of the first created humans, Adam and Eve from their original state of perfection, to a state of guilt and disobedience to God. The notion of Adam and Eves perfection comes from Genesis 1:31 where we are told that God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. This notion was also reinforced by St. Augustine, who believed that Mans nature indeed, was created at first faultless and without any sin. In Genesis 2:16-17, God forbids Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil: And the Lord  God commanded the man, You may freely eat of every tree of the garden;  but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.' This is essentially the beginning of the series of events that lead to the Fall, because it is shortly after this that Eve is deceived by the serpent into eating from that tree, and shares it with Adam. We are told that the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made (Gen 3:1) and later, in the book of Revelations, we are led to believe that the serpent was in fact Satan in disguise: The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan. (Rev 12:9) Adam and Eve are consequently banished from the Garden of Eden by God and as punishment for their sin, sent to live on Earth. They are also banned from eating from the Tree of Life again, which is how Christians believe death entered the world. This is known as the Fall of Man. The Biblical story of Adam and Eve forms the basis for Miltons Paradise Lost, and he too seems to adopt the Augustinian view that Adam and Eve are two perfect and fully developed humans. This is shown when: Adam soon repealed The doubts that in his heart arose: and now Led on, yet sinless Unlike the Biblical Adam and Eve however, Milton gives us the impression that Eve is inferior to Adam since Adam was created to mirror Gods divine authority and Eve was created merely to satisfy Adams desire for a companion. Throughout the poem we realise that Eve never experiences God directly; Adam experiences God and Eve experiences Adam, who appears to act as an intermediary between her and God: For contemplation hee and valour formd,   For softness shee and sweet attractive Grace,   Hee for God only, shee for God in him. It is this sense of divine hierarchy that seems to make Eve more susceptible to Satans temptation, because during the series of events which contribute towards the eventual Fall, Satan plays on Eves desire for autonomy and a connection to the universe outside of Adams shadow. The sequence of event leading to Eves fall begins when she is asleep one night and Satan attempts to plant his tempting thoughts in her mind. Satans effect is reflected in her dream when an angel tempts her to eat from the Tree of Knowledge: Taste this, and be henceforth among the Gods   Thy self a Goddess, not to Earth confind. This plays on Eves desire to achieve a direct relationship with God. The second significant factor is her determination to spend time alone on the fateful day; she wakes up in an independent mood and insists that her and Adam attend to the garden separately, despite Adams attempts at dissuading her. It is at this point, when she is pleased with herself for achieving some autonomy that she comes across the serpent. In order to be successful in leading Eve astray, the serpent attempts to eliminate her fear of disobeying God. He begins by making her doubt the existence of death and evil: Those rigid threats of Death; ye shall not Die:   How should ye? by the Fruit? it gives you Life   To Knowledge? By the Threatner, look on mee,   Mee who have touchd and tasted, yet both live,   And life more perfet have attaind then Fate   Meant mee, by ventring higher then my Lot. The serpent then continues to try and make her doubt God himself by suggesting that God has only forbidden her to eat from the Tree of Knowledge so as to keep her ignorant, rather than becoming powerful and knowledgeable: Of good, how just? of evil, if what is evil   Be real, why not known, since easier shunnd?   God therefore cannot hurt ye, and be just;   Not just, not God; not feard then, nor obeid:   Your feare it self of Death removes the feare.   Why then was this forbid? Why but to awe,   Why but to keep ye low and ignorant,   His worshippers; he knows that in the day   Ye Eate thereof, your Eyes that seem so cleere,   Yet are but dim, shall perfetly be then   Opnd and cleerd, and ye shall be as Gods,   Knowing both Good and Evil as they know. Here Satan is playing on Eves perception of the divine hierarchy and her feelings of inferiority to both Adam and God, by offering her an opportunity to do what she believes will lead to a direct relationship with God. It is at this point that we begin to see Eves final error as intellectual rather than moral. In the moment before she eats from the tree, she pauses and thinks. She still allows her reason to guide her, but Satans deception of her mind misinforms her will. Her reasoning is quite sound, however it is based on the belief that the serpent is telling the truth. This, one of the main premises in her decision, is in fact false. After eating from the tree of knowledge, her nature and attitude towards her relationship towards Adam have been changed by sin. Having imagined an existence outside of Adams perception during her conversation with the serpent, she now finds herself consumed with a selfish desire to share her fate with Adam, because she can no longer conceive of separation from him.

Essays --

Thought to be an oncogene, a gene that has potential in transforming normal cells into tumor cells, p53 was regarded as the most prominent tumor suppressor gene [1]. P53 is a gene which signals apoptosis (programmed cell death) if a cell cannot be repaired due to an extensive amount of damage. As stated in the textbook, p53 regulation occurs by an E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase known as MDM2 [1]. "Controlling the controller" is a statement that describes the molecular interaction where the presence of MDM2 targets the p53 for proteosome via degradation. With three main checkpoints in cell cycle, the literature states p53 functioning from G1 into S phase in a chaotic cell [2]. The normal state of cells is to keep p53 levels low in order to prevent uncontrolled apoptosis and random cell cycle arrest from occurring. In a further note, although p53 promotes apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, cancer may result from p53 unable to recognize the problematic site. In turn, a mutation in p53 may result engaging in new activities. These activities include cellular transformation, tumor metastasis,...

Pictures :: essays research papers

Pictures The main conflict in the text is about having different religions. It's about how a little girl is having problems about understanding why she can't paint religious persons with dark skin. At school the teacher says that Amina can take the picture to show her mom. Amina doesn't understand why it can't hang on the wall together with the other childrens'. But the teacher gives another excuse and Amina "surrenders", and takes the picture home. But as her mother sees the picture she tears it apart, and tells Amina to never say anything to Amina's father and she tells Amina explicitly not to draw anymore pictures of the Prophet of Nazareth. It is obvious that Amina's mother is scared of how the father will react if he sees that her daughter has painted people from the Bible. Amina and her family are muslims, that's why her mother can't accept the drawing Amina brings home. The reason why she doesn't want the father to know is that he's the dominant one in the family. Maybe the mother is scared that he will punish Amina, or maybe even the mother, for not bringing up her daughter properly. Then Amina's mother teaches her to draw patterns from the Koran. Amina likes to draw the patterns and she is no more confused. Next day at school, they're all going to draw nice Christmas cards. Amina draws the patterns that her mother has just taught her. The teacher tells her to draw people instead, and she throws away the Christmas card with patterns on it. Amina refuses to draw people, and reminds the teacher of what she'd told Amina the other day. The teacher tries to behave nice and convinces Amina that she will put Amina's picture next to the others'. During the two discussions the teacher and Amina are having, the teacher is having a hard time justifying what she is actually doing. She gives no particular reason for telling Amina to take home the picture. Just as well as she gives no explanation for, why Amina can't draw patterns from the Koran. Instead she tries to flatter Amina by telling her that she is good at painting. Even more confused, Amina draws people instead. At school she's told to draw people from the Christian Bible and at home she's told that's wrong. At home her mom tells her to draw patterns from the Muslim Koran, but when she comes to school she is told to draw people, - no wonder she is confused! The ending is from the parents' point of view very contradictive ( I assume that the

Goddesses of the Middle East Essay

The mythical legends surrounding the Goddesses of the Middle East date back to around 2500 B. C and form a part of some of the earliest recorded literature about ancient civilizations. These legends centre around the Divine Entities worshipped and revered in various sub regions in what was once known as the Ancient Near East but today is known as the Middle East. Though the religious beliefs in these regions were distinctive and each Civilization followed their own Gods and Goddesses most of these divine entities reacted to human conditions and were a product of the cultures that created them. As these cultures evolved over time, so did the Gods and Goddesses who protected and created them. Some of the prominent religions and civilizations who’s Divine Entities were revered and worshipped in the region known as the Ancient Near East includes: (Gordon 1965) †¢ Assyro-Babylonian religion followed in most of Mesopotamia include Sumer, Assyria, Akkad †¢ Ancient Egyptian religion followed in Ancient Egypt †¢ Canaanite religion followed in most of the Levant region including Canaan, Ugarit, Ebla, Mitanni †¢ Hittite, and Hurrian Religions originating in Anatolia and followed by the Hittite Empire including Assuwa, Arzawa †¢ Minoan religion followed by the Minoan civilization including Cyprus and Crete among others. The goddess in early classical mythology has traditionally played the role of a creator. She is believed to have existed before everything and has been credited with creating both heaven and earth as well as giving birth to both other gods and subsequently to human beings. In nearly all early civilizations the Goddess symbolized noble and basic concepts such as birth, death, honour, and justice. She was revered for her divine beauty and also for protecting her husband and children. While the male gods were relegated the duties of guarding the underworld, it was the goddesses who were given the responsibilities of providing comfort and standing guard over the dead until they were given a funeral and send to the underworld. Most of the civilizations depicted above sprung up around great rivers in the Middle east including, the Nile, Tigris, Euphrates, and Ganges. The presence of these rivers nourished a rich agricultural landscape and provided sustenance to agricultural gave civilizations which were predominantly matriarchal societies. (Sasson 1995) These civilizations were heavily influenced by both the blessings and ravages of nature. The rivers that they depended upon for sustenance would both give them abundant crops and wreck immense havoc and destruction in the form of devastating floods. People in these civilizations believed that there was a link between their lives and the pattern of birth –maturity death and re-birth that they observed in the plants and animals around them. The religious beliefs of most of these civilizations compelled them to worship or hold sacred what they thought provided them life and sustenance and also protected them from ravages and destruction the importance of goddesses in the myths and religious beliefs of these civilizations reflected this. The myths and legendary tales of powerful beautiful goddesses who had magical powers and controlled the various forces of nature helped t the people of these ancient civilizations understand the mysteries that pervaded their existence, birth, death, seasons, floods, harvests and drought all made so much more sense when they believed that there was a Supreme or Divine Deity who controlled it all and who they could appease through worship and prayer. In most of these matriarchal societies, this supreme deity was the Great Mother Goddess, who personified all the blessings and peculiarities of Mother Earth. Though there are countless Goddesses who were revered and worshiped in the ancient civilizations of the Middle East the most popular and common ones who were personified in the role of being creators, sustainers and the universal source of nourishment include(Christ 1998) Asherah –This is one of the names of the Sacred Goddess worshiped by the ancient Semitic Civilizations. Other names of this Great Goddess include Goddess of the Tree of Life, Goddess of the Grove. Wet-nurse of the gods. among many others This Goddess worshiped widely in Canaanite religion followed in most of the Levant region was symbolized by a multi branched tree and considered the very force of life that could be found in flocks of cattle and among groves of trees. This Goddess was often worshipped before childbirth and at planting time to grant sustenance. In popular mythology Asherah sometimes appears as curly-haired Goddess riding a sacred lion often holding lilies. Ishtar: Another very famous and popular Babylonian Goddess often known as Light of the World. Righteous judge, Forgiver of Sins and the Framer of all decrees are also few of her other roles and names that she was worshipped by. This Great Goddess is often depicted in breast-offering pose and is also known as the Mother of the fruitful breast. Inanna – was a very powerful Sumerian Goddess who was believed to provide earth with its source of life-water. Often called the Source of the Earth’s life blood it was believed by the ancient civilizations that this Goddess filled the wells, rivers and springs of the land with her own blood Isis- a very popular and powerful Goddess worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians Isis is perhaps the most famous of all Ancient Middle Eastern Goddesses. Some sources claim that her name means: â€Å"She of throne,† while other sources imply that her name means: â€Å"She of flesh. † Isis’s was revered for using her powers of magic and healing to help humanity Ashnan – She was the ancient Sumerian Goddess of Grain who controlled agricultural sustenance for the civilizations that worshipped her. Belit-Ilani – Worshipped by the ancient Babylonian this Goddess was often held in esteem as the Mistress of the gods. In popular depictions she is portrayed as a woman bearing baby on her left arm and blessing a child with her left. Anath – Worshipped by Canaanites, Amorites, Syrians, Egyptians, Hebrews and the Phoenicians. This Goddess symbolized the strength of Life and was the Queen of Heaven and also the Mistress of all the Gods. Anatu – She was the Great Mesopotamian Goddess, often considered the Ruler of the Earth and Queen of the Sky. Chaabou – was held in high reverence by the Semitic religion and relegated as Earth Mother responsible for sustenance and nourishment. Achamoth – Worshipped by the Early Gnostic Christians. She was the Mother Goddess, who was responsible for giving birth and was the effective creator of the material universe, Deborah – was the Sacred Goddess worshiped frequently in the Mycenae and Anatolia regions often identified with the Tree of Life. Erua – was the Babylonian Goddess often revered as the Queen of Heaven. She was responsible for controlling the birth of all creatures big and small in her land. Gula – was another popular Babylonian Great Goddess who was also known as the Fate Goddess and the Great Doctor who was believed to cure any kind of sickness or ailment . Lahmu- a famous Goddess in Akkadian mythology, who is considered to be the mother of â€Å"Anshar and Kishar,† who are credited to have fathered the first Gods of that great ancient civilization. Persian mythology which also plays a part of ancient Middle Eastern Mythology also held the Goddess. â€Å"Rudaba† in great esteem. This Goddess gave birth to â€Å"Rostam,† the greatest hero in Persian mythology. † Derceto –was the Babylonian Sea Goddess also known as the Goddess of Justice. Kadi –was a Babylonian Goddess believed to have the body of a Serpent and the head and breasts of a Woman. Mari –was revered as the Mother Sea, who gave birth to the gods, Shebat was worshipped as the Mesopotamian Moon Goddess responsible for bringing night after day. Tirgata – was revered as Fish Goddess of Syria who controlled the sea and all life within it As these Civilization evolved so did the role of their gods and goddesses. By 2400 B. C religious and devotional practices began to change as aggressive tribes with strong beliefs in worshipping a supreme male god began to invade the matriarchal communities whose supreme diets were Goddesses . New myths developed in which these goddesses were made evil, slain or made inferior to the patriarchal god of the conquerors. The goal in creating these myths was to defame and to dethrone the goddess from her traditional role of Creator and sustainers and to give this role to a new generation of patriarchal warrior Gods who ruled the world through valour and heroic endeavour. As a direct consequence the role of the Goddess in the Patriarchal societies underwent a change from being a loving supreme deity to a vengeful, spiteful Entity who had to be either slain or made subordinate to the male gods in order to control her powers. Many Ancient Babylonian and Mesopotamian Goddesses who were once revered as the Source of Life and Sustenance was discredited slain or made subordinate to a new patriarchal male warrior God. (Christ 1998) One example of how ancient myths of Goddesses changed in patriarchal societies is the legend of the Mesopotamian divinity Tiamat. Revered by the ancient Sumero-Babylonian civilization as a Serpent Goddess of the Watery Abyss a Mother, from whose formless body the Universe was born. She was believed to nourish all life and rule the ocean. Tiamat, in her role as Mother Goddess and Mother Earth, reflected the matriarchal civilization that created her. (Christ 1998) In a patriarchal society the role of Tiamat and the legend surrounding her changes drastically. According to these new myths The Goddess once credited with the creation of the Universe is upset when her husband Appu is slain and decides to destroy what she has created. She gives birth to a race of evil monsters to help in her quest. Together the Goddess and her army of monsters wreck chaos and havoc on all around them. There is no one who can stop Tiamat until Marduk accepts the challenge. In violent battle, Marduk manages to wedge open the mouth of the serpent goddess and fill it with winds of a horrible storm. While the serpent goddess is distracted he slains her by cutting her womb. After killing the Goddess the patriarch warrior feels glorified. He then desecrates the womb that previous mythologies and civilizations revered as the Source of All Life. The myth ends by establishing that the supreme deity is now male and that he and his cohorts of warrior Gods will now be responsible for protecting the civilization. In a patriarchal society the role of the God is relegated from giving birth and nurturing traditionally seen as motherly tasks to being the protector traditionally seen as fatherly tasks The roles of the goddesses in these societies were reduced to subservient status In the new patriarchal civilization, the myths regarding the Goddesses were recreated and often retold till they achieved credibility and became part of a new folklore designed to promote the religion of the new civilization. In this fashion countless legendary myths depicting the creative, nurturing and forgiving nature of the female goddesses were desecrated and in their place grew new myths propounding their evil deeds. In many of these myths the goddess is first discredited and then engaged in battle with the patriarch God. At the end the Patriarch God achieves victory over the Goddess and she is either slain or looses her powers. Another myth which was refashioned along these lines was that of Hathor an Ancient Egyptian Goddess. Hathor, in Ancient Egyptian mythology was revered as the goddess responsible for evoking emotions such as joy, love, dance and song. (Christ 1998) She is fabled to have provided her own nurturing milk to the living and also carried the dead to the underworld. But somewhere in mythology the Hathor who is revered for her very instincts of Love and joy is also painted as a demon that wrecks death and destruction on Humanity. Acting on the directives of the sun god, Ra, who was under the impression that some of his subjects were planning to Kill him Hathor was sent on a mission to destroy the plotters Hathor who also manifested herself in the guise of a lioness known as Sekhmet, attacked all the plotters killing them instantly. Ra was forced to intervene to stop the bloodshed by tricking Sekhmet into believing that she had killed a lot of people so by pouring a massive amount of pomegranate coloured liquid over the battlefield . Sekhmet mistook the liquid for blood stopped the slaughter and transformed back into her goddess form of Hathor. It is ironic in the least to observe that in cultures where the feminine spirit has always been seen as nurturing, loving and creative the role of goddesses of mythology is associated with evil deeds. Perhaps these mythologies have been restructured to assimilate in Patriarchal Societies where the god is associated with social order and discipline. But regardless of their role in mythology many famous Goddesses of the Middle East continue to live in popular imaginations even though the religions and cults associated with them have now been banished. Though the Middle East is now home to new religions such as Christianity Judaism and Islam and the age of idol worship and plural Gods is over, these deities have become part of the common folklore. The Worship of these Goddesses may now be defunct but their legend lives on and continues to pervade subsequent cultural practices in these regions. Works Cited Gordon, Cyrus. The Ancient Near East, 3rd Edition, Revised. W. W. Norton and Company, Inc. , New York, 1965. Christ Carol: Rebirth of the Goddess: Finding Meaning in Feminist Spirituality Routledge; 1st edition 1998 James. E. O. The Ancient Gods: The History and Diffusion of Religion in the Ancient Near East and the Eastern Mediterranean, 1960. Sasson Jack: Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1995. Morton Smith, The Common Theology of the Ancient near East, Journal of Biblical Literature 1952.

Individual General Profile City of Kelsey Eth/316

Individual General Profile Angel Pacheco 7/22/12 ETH/316 The City of Kelsey boasts a rich and diverse culture with residents ranging from African American, Caucasian, Asian American, and other ethnicities. The occupations that these residents are associated with range from logistics, information technologies, medical personnel, and blue collar occupations. Interaction within a community as tight knit as the City of Kelsey occurs throughout the region.Shops in the downtown area offer a place for residents to hang out and relieve stress, as well as aid in spurring the regions economy. The Kelsey Library is a great place for residents of all ages to research the internet, as well as read recreationally. Community events in the City of Kelsey include an annual 10K Marathon, various sports tournaments, an annual balloon festival, a monthly farmers market, and an annual St. Patricks Day Parade. These events offer a wide variety of events to enable community interaction.With over 71,000 stu dents in the Kelsey School system, all regional schools are used to educate students in a group setting. This group setting is paramount in interaction between students. With over 4,500 educators, the school system offers a place for staff members to interact as well. With a history embedded in agriculture, combined with an organic way of life, the community believes in being responsible for the community on an individual basis.With the use of public transportation, and alternative means such as bicycles the community is showing how they are giving back. With the community offering many opportunities for activity such as arts and crafts center, aquatic center, Lake Lora, and the city park it is the responsibility of the community to reciprocate this through careful preservation of these resources. The City of Kelsey has a foundation of preservation of natural resources, but with the rise of population in the last few years the efforts must be dramatically increased.Being socially re sponsible would be to recognize this problem and allocate funds to maintain the problem with the Sanitation Department and their digester problem. Many of the problems that arise with their greatest resource water, derived from Lake Lora or regional aquifers, may be caused by leeching from a poorly kept solid waste digester. Allocation of funds for this problem is imperative in determining the ability of reversing the degradation of the water quality available to the City of Kelsey.