Eucalyptus trees Essay Example For Students

Eucalyptus trees Essay The eucalypt is one of the tallest trees in the world. There are more then 600 species of eucalypts in Australia. Blackbutt, jarrah, karri, stringybark, ironbark are common names of eucalypts that grow in various parts of Australia. More than ninety per cent of Australias trees are eucalypts. WHAT IS THE EUCALYPT LIKEEucalypts can be identified by their pixie cap flowers. They are hardwoods and there timber is used to make frames and fences. Eucalypts are tough and their leathery leaves turn on edge to escape the extreme heat of the summer sun. They tower more then 80 meters in height. The eucalypt has a greenish coloured leaf. WHERE IS IT FOUNDEucalypts are found from the dry coast of Western Australia to the forests of New South Wales. Mountain ash from the Dandenong ranges in Victoria and karri from southwestern Western Australia grow to over 80 metres in height. Around Sydney Harbour, blackbutts once grew as big as a large lounge room Eucalypts seem to be able to grow anywhere. They are found springing out of large cracks in rocks, growing at the edge of sandy dunes in the full force of sea gales, and bent and twisted at the edge of the snow line in the Alps. They are also found in other parts of the world from Ethiopia to Ecuador, from California to Israel. Where eucalypts grow is determined by many environmental factors such as soil type, amount of water, wind direction, the direction the tree is facing and whether there is frost. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EUCALYPTEucalypt oil is used for cough and colds. The oil is either rubbed on the chest or sniffed up in steam. It is also used in cleansers where strong smells need to be covered up. The taste and smell of eucalypts can be found in sweets. Insects are prevented from chewing the leaves because of the strong smell of the leaves. It is the number of species of eucalypts and their ability to adapt to the Australian climate that make them so valuable.

Corporate Social Responsibility Managing Sustainability Risks

Question: Discuss about the Corporate Social Responsibility for Managing Sustainability Risks. Answer: Introduction CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility refers to the self regulation of the corporations, which is integrated in its business model. The CSR policies act as a self regulatory mechanism for the businesses to monitor its activities so as to ensure the compliance of the law, in the spirit as well as the letter. In the given segments, a discussion has been made regarding the CSR of PricewaterhouseCoopers (also known as PwC) in Australia, in the area of ecological sustainability. On the basis of this discussion, the sustainability plan of PwC has been analyzed. Lastly, a study has been carried to examine the possible advantages and difficulties in the integration of this sustainability plan with the strategies of PwC. CSR Factors and PwC PwC is one of the big four organizations in the world and are providing professional services across the globe. As a result, it has to fulfill the responsibilities in a prudent manner. The global strategy of PwC commits to doing to right thing by acting in a responsible way, regarding the matters which are vital to the business of the firm as well as to the society. The firm also aims to be a catalyst for changes by use of the available skill set, the people and the relationships to work in a way which creates a lasting impact and promotes change among the other companies. Economic Factors For the growth of any nation, the growth of its economy is a necessity. By helping entrepreneurs, PwC is able to contribute towards the growth of Australia, as well as those countries in which it operates. The people of PwC have used their knowledge to help the social entrepreneurs in maximizing their value by improving their business skills. Such social enterprises have the social and environmental purpose at its heart, while doing a business of delivering goods and services. The more the number of such entrepreneurs, the better are the chances of sustainable growth. Besides the CSR activities, PwC generates a variety of benefits to the society by the services which they provide to its clients. Such services are based on ethics and transparency in the context of business and contribute to the economic development. Some of the examples in this regard include the work done in disaster recovery, international development, fraud prevention, human rights and the management of international aid funds. Ethical Factors PwC has been supporting the education, not only in Australia, but in countries like US, Japan and Egypt. By supporting education, PwC has taken steps on the ethical grounds to promote sustainability, as education provides the basis for ethics in any person. The reputation of PwC is relied on the fact that the firm upholds the highest standards of professionalism and ethics in serving its clients as well as in the dealings of the firm. In this regard, a Code of Conduct has been chalked out which includes the values of teamwork, leadership and excellence. These behavioral values of professionalism, respect for each other, good citizenship, integrity, and ethical decision making have also been implanted in the business of the firm (PwC, 2016). PwC has a very strong CSR philosophy. This results not only in profitability but also creates opportunities for infusing the integrity and ethics into a business. And it is this infusion of ethics and integrity, which makes PwC, stands out in the crowd and builds its brand as well its core business (Timber, 2010). Discretionary Factors In Australia, there has been constant struggle to overcome the generations of disadvantages to the indigenous communities. Such people in Australia are often excluded with regards to sharing of the economic wealth of the country. In this regard, PwC, along with a group of indigenous consultants from the country, have created PwCs Indigenous Consulting (PIC). PIC is a member firm in the global network of PwC. The focus of this firm is to attain cultural integrity in the projects, programmes and policies made across the nation for indigenous people. The founding principles of PIC include majority ownership, delivery and management, of and by, the indigenous people (PwC, 2014). PwC has also been working with the UN to reduce the risks of disaster. Despite the high warnings, the businesses indulge in high hazard areas which have a negated impact on the environment and results in disasters. PwC has created an initiative with the UN known as the RISE initiative to bring the stakeholders together by forming a single alliance for taking the necessary leadership in the management of risks of disasters (PwC, 2016). Analysis of the Sustainability Plan of PwC Sustainability has been increasingly being integrated in the various levels of strategic planning in the organizations. The management has to balance the regulations and protect the brand, as well as, has to ensure the stability of supply chains. It also has to seek the opportunities to enhance the performance and use the sustainability agenda for the strategic advantage. By development and integration of a sustainability vision in the long term strategic plans, a lasting value is created which also builds trust of the public. PwC not only creates its own sustainability strategies but also the sustainability strategies for the other organizations (PwC, 2016). For Example, PwC had created a sustainability strategy for Luxenbourg based on the challenges of this company which resulted in benefits for Luxenbourg (PwC, 2016). PwC is constantly working on creating such value for the business and communities which respects the environment and also understand and reduces the impact of its activities around the world. The firm creates the value for its clients by its sustainability and climate change practices. The sustainability practices of PwC provides guidance in the areas such as biodiversity; certified emissions reductions; sustainable financing; transfer pricing and footprint; carry structuring and management structure; clean development mechanism; carbon technology funds; carbon offset schemes and carbon trading; CDM; and investment funds related to sustainability (PwC, 2016). The sustainable practices of the firm have increased its revenues even during the difficult years of the firm which boosted its consultancy business, as well as created a number of new jobs. The firms sustainability staff in the Europe has hired the top airlines to act as EU emissions trading scheme (ETS) which verifies as well as audits as per the new laws, which require the aircraft operators to independently submit the verified emissions. PwC also audits the UKs companies which have publically assured their CSR data. PwC has also secured various contracts relating to the ethical supply chain sourcing, carbon related assurance and verification, forestry financing and policy support to the various forums. PwC has been highly concentrating on creating sustainability as the guiding principle, both externally as well as internally. This replicates the certainty of the management that climate change and sustainability are the crucial policy and business agenda of the coming time (Environment Analyst, 2010). PwC has its operations around the globe, and hence, they have created a global Corporate Responsibility Statement. PwC considers itself as the part of the solution to the business challenges by doing the correct things and by being the catalyst for change. The focus of PwC is on doing business responsibly with diversity, inclusion, societal participation and ecological protection. Australian Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility (ACCSR) has recognized PwC Australia in its top 100 list of CSR organizations. This ranking is calculated on the basis of the CSR management capabilities of any organization and proves that inventive CSR actives help the organizations in accessing new markets (PwC, 2014). PwC considers CSR as one of the influential ways of building society and solving problems. This has been done by the firm by setting clear and unambiguous CSR standards. Though they still have not been able to achieve its goals, but its CSR activities have been focused on achieving the set goals. PwC works on reducing its own impact on the environment and advises the climate vulnerable countries in this regard (PwC, 2016). In a recent interview of the Chairman of PwC, Dennis Nally, taken by Petra Justenhoven, the CSR performance of the company was discussed. In this interview, Dennis mentioned the environment as its biggest challenges as the regulations across the world in this mater are very diverse. The chairman also mentioned that the aspiration of the company is to become more technology enabled. PwC considers itself unique because of its special focus on its talent. PwC has also been involved in promoting diversity by taking part in UN initiatives like HeForShe. With this, the issue of gender diversity is addressed in a unique manner (PwC, 2015, 2-5). As per the global annual review, 2015, PwC had harnessed the power of its network to scale responsible business. As per the statistics provided, its largest 21 firms were partially able to align to the global CR strategy in financial year (FY) 2014; and for the FY 2015, it was able to completely align to its CR strategy. PwC was able to assess itself against the leadership ladders in both 2014 and 2015 FY and was also able to develop clear progression plans for both the financial years. For the FY 2014, it was partially able to meet its set targets for improving performance in the matters related to CR in the Global People Survey. But for the FY 2015, it was able to fully meet the set targets (PwC, 2015, 16). PwC has been constantly working on minimizing its environmental impact. Being a professional service, it has a lower environmental footprint and yet, PwC works towards a good environmental stewardship. The PwC firms are working on developing more environment efficient business practices by managing the impact on environment through understanding and mitigating its greatest impacts on environment such as carbon measurement and reporting (PwC, 2016). In this regard, the PwC UK-led global alliance delivered the UK Department for International Development-funded Climate Development Knowledge Network (CDKN). Through CDKN, the PwCs UK climate change and sustainability experts have supported negotiators of the least developed nations to represent their interests in the global climate discussions (CDKN, 2016). The PwC firms are engaged in volunteering activities for the betterment of the environment and to promote the awareness of issues relating to the environment. For instance, over 1000 people from PwC Canada took part in the environmental events in the FY 2015 and this included many of its clients. PwCs largest 21 firms were partially able to implement the local environmental policies and environmental management approaches for the FY 2014 and 2015 (PwC, 2015, 21). Figure 1 shows the community engagement of the PwC. And Figure 2 illustrates the positive social impact of PwCs community activities. The figures of GHG (Greenhouse Gases) emissions otherwise known as CO2e for the FY 2015 showed the direct emissions at 7%, indirect emissions at 29% and air travel at 64%. The Gross GHG emissions for the FY 2015 were 619,521 tCO2e and the Net GHG emissions for the same period were 416,573 tCO2e. The importance of CR is clearly reflected by PwCs commitments (PwC, 2015, 21). And even though PwC has not been able to achieve its goals in FY 2015, it is working on achieving its set goals in this regard. Integration of Sustainability Portfolio In Companys Strategy On the basis of above analysis of PwCs sustainability profile, certain advantages and difficulties have emerged in the integration of this profile into the strategy of the company. A professional service provider does not affect the environment, as it is not involved in production and manufacturing activities which results in pollution. This is PwCs biggest advantage in integration of the sustainability profile, which focuses on environment. Further, by taking steps towards the betterment of environment, PwC earns customers loyalty and ends up in creation of brand name. As mentioned above, this proves fruitful for the company. But in this advantage lies the difficulties. As PwC does not have enough areas to safeguard the environment, it creates higher goals, which are not easily achievable, as was seen in the FY 2014 as well as FY 2015. Further, companies in the present time have to face the regulatory changes, the costs of insurances and claims, bureaucracy, health of its employees, dependence on third parties, consumer pressure and variation in leaderships and behaviours (PwC, 2016). These provide both the advantages and difficulties to PwC. For instance, a favourable change in the regulatory policy in Australia helps the firm, but a negated change, on the other hand, creates a huge challenge for the firm. Like any other organization, PwC also faces some concerns when it comes to the risks associated with sustainability. Even though the firm currently has a strong environmental policy, it faces issues like climate changes, natural disasters, water security, and loss of biodiversity (Case, 2012). These issues can emerge at any time and provide difficulties in the proper implementation of PwCs sustainability profile. Further, the goals of environmental protection remain unattained, which showcases the company in negated light. And as a result, the integration of sustainability portfolio in the PwCs strategies proves difficult. As PwC operates globally, integrating the environmental and sustainability policies across its entire firm creates a huge problem. Each nation has its set of norms regarding environment and so, each of the PwC firm has to formulate different policies and at the time, these policies have to match up with the global policy of PwC. This becomes cumbersome for PwC and is often regarded as the reason why PwC fails to achieve its environmental standards. PwC was the first professional services firm which became carbon neutral in 2008. PwC has continued its commitment by implementing the NCOS (National Carbon Offset Standard) carbon neutral program. By implementing such policies, not only it earns better customers, but also creates a positive impact on the government. By integrating such sustainability profiles in its policies, PwC creates a remarkable advantage for itself. Having such high standards for sustainability, PwC performs surpassingly well in the main assurance activities of GHG inventories, sustainability reporting and risk analysis. This improves the credibility of sustainability reporting as well as provides the stakeholders a greater confidence. With the increase in the weight of sustainability risks, the assurance of being a leading brand also rises. As per a study of 2013, the growth in the carbon regulation and the increase in the realization regarding sustainability being a source of advantage drove the investors to invest in the sustainable firms and this provided a huge advantage for PwC, as it is constantly engaged in sustainable activities (Walker, 2011). So, the sustainability development goals have turned into a reporting advantage for PwC. Conclusion From the above analysis, it can be concluded that PwC has gained more advantages than difficulties by following proper standards of sustainability. Not only PwC has been successful in creating a brand name, but has also been able to attract and retain more customers, clients and employees. It has integrated its aims, strategies, and objectives in its work towards the betterment of the environment along with the various other CSR activities. Lastly, it can be right deducted that the present sustainability plan of PwC is impactful and is bearing more and more fruits for PwC. References Case, P. (2012) Managing Sustainability risks and opportunities in the financial services sector. [Online] PwC. Available from: https://www.pwc.com/jg/en/publications/ned-sustainability-presentation-may-2012.pdf [Accessed on 17/09/16] CDKN. (2016) About. [Online] CDKN. Available from: https://cdkn.org/about/?loclang=en_gb [Accessed on 17/09/16] Environment Analyst. (2010) PwC sustainability team grows. [Online] Environment Analyst. Available from: https://environment-analyst.com/27625/pwc-sustainability-team-grows [Accessed on 17/09/16] PwC. (2014) Anticipating problems, finding solutions: Global Annual Review 2014. [Online] PwC. Available from: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/global-annual-review/assets/pwc-global-annual-review-2014.pdf [Accessed on 17/09/16] PwC. (2014) PwC Awards 2014. [Online] PwC. Available from: https://www.pwc.com.au/awards/2014.html [Accessed on 17/09/16] PwC. (2015) Global Annual Review 2015. [Online] PwC, p 16. Available from: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/about/global-annual-review-2015/corporate-responsibility.html [Accessed on 17/09/16] PwC. (2015) Global Annual Review 2015. [Online] PwC, p 21. Available from: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/about/global-annual-review-2015/corporate-responsibility.html [Accessed on 17/09/16] PwC. (2015) Global Annual Review 2015. [Online] PwC, pp 2-4. Available from: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/about/global-annual-review-2015/corporate-responsibility.html [Accessed on 17/09/16] PwC. (2016) Corporate responsibility. [Online] PwC. Available from: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/about/global-annual-review-2015/corporate-responsibility.html [Accessed on 17/09/16] PwC. (2016) Environment Sustainability. [Online] PwC. Available from: https://www.pwc.com.au/corporate-responsibility/environment.html [Accessed on 17/09/16] PwC. (2016) Environmental stewardship. [Online] PwC. Available from: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/about/corporate-responsibility/environment.html [Accessed on 17/09/16] PwC. (2016) Health and safety. [Online] PwC. Available from: https://www.pwc.com.au/risk-controls/health-safety.html [Accessed on 17/09/16] PwC. (2016) Luxembourg: Transportation logistics. [Online] PwC. Available from: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/services/sustainability/publications/casestudy/strategic-sustainability.html [Accessed on 17/09/16] PwC. (2016) PwC Code of Conduct. [Online] PwC. Available from: https://www.pwc.com.au/about-us/code-of-conduct.html [Accessed on 17/09/16] PwC. (2016) Strategic sustainability. [Online] PwC. Available from: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/services/sustainability/responsible-corporate-strategy.html [Accessed on 17/09/16] PwC. (2016) Sustainability and climate change. [Online] PwC. Available from: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/services/sustainability.html [Accessed on 17/09/16] PwC. (2016) The Rise Initiative: Disaster Risk-Sensitive Investments. [Online] PwC. Available from: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/services/advisory/consulting/risk/resilience/publications/rise.html [Accessed on 17/09/16] Timbers, A. (2010) How PwC Turns CSR Into Revenue. [Online] Triple Pundit. Available from: https://www.triplepundit.com/2010/12/pwc-turns-csr-revenu/ [Accessed on 17/09/16] Walker, L. (2011) Big Four Audit Firms Lead Sustainability Assurance Services. [Online] Environmental Leader. Available from: https://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/22/big-four-audit-firms-lead-sustainability-assurance-services/ [Accessed on 17/09/16]

Paradise Lost Essay Example

Paradise Lost Essay Satan as the Hero of Paradise Lost Satan Arousing the Rebel Angels, William Blake (1808) Leontien Kouwenhoven 1260707 Supervisor: Dr. J. R. Veenstra Second Reader: Prof. Dr. A. A. MacDonald 06-03-2009 Doctoraalscriptie Engelse Taal- en Cultuur Faculteit der Letteren Rijksuniversiteit Groningen Wordcount: 17. 325 Table of Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. Background 5 3. Satan 13 4. Hell 21 5. Sin 30 6. Conclusion 39 7. Works Cited 43 1. Introduction Can the devil be an epic hero? This seems to be the case in John Milton’s Paradise Lost, the great epic from the English Renaissance. Milton’s Satan is brave, resourceful and powerful and an excellent leader as well. When reading the work, after a few pages, the reader may indeed get the impression that Satan is an epic hero. However, this idea does not last for long; when one reaches Book III, the favourable image of Satan as a heroic freedom fighter deteriorates and in the end he is transformed into a beast. Milton’s description of Satan stands in a long tradition of representations of the devil in European literature. One of the greatest earlier works that gives us an image of the devil is Dante’s La Divina Commedia, also a work of epic proportion. We will write a custom essay sample on Paradise Lost specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Paradise Lost specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Paradise Lost specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Dante’s Commedia will be used in this essay as a contrast to Milton’s epic: Dante’s Devil seems to be the complete opposite of Milton’s Satan. He is motionless, frozen in ice and represents a passive evil. This essay will try to answer the question whether or not the devil can be an epic hero. And if not, whether or not he can be another kind of hero? The descriptions of the devil in Dante and Milton are strongly influenced by their respective world views. Milton’s Renaissance perspective is different form Dante’s medieval outlook. Satan’s heroic status owes a lot to the Renaissance world view. With the books and articles written on Paradise Lost and La Divina Commedia, one could fill a library. However, some articles and books have been very useful in writing this essay. To give some examples, John Steadman has written many articles on John Milton and Paradise Lost, of which â€Å"The Idea of Satan as the Hero of Paradise Lost† and â€Å"Milton and St. Basil: The Genesis of Sin and Death† and â€Å"Milton and Mazzoni: the Genre of the Divina Commedia† have been particularly relevant. A book which gives an excellent insight in the medieval world view is C. S. Lewis’ The Discarded Image, which is very suitable in obtaining background information on both La Divina Commedia and Paradise Lost. Another work which provides relevant information on the history of the devil is Jeffrey Burton Russel’s Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages, which gives an elaborate analysis of the position of the devil in society and literature. Singleton’s translation of Dante’s La Divina Commedia is used throughout this paper1. The translation is very good, but more importantly, Singleton added extensive notes and commentaries in separate volumes. In finding out what kind of hero Satan might be, Peter Thorslev’s The Byronic Hero has been most helpful. 1 Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy: Inferno 1. Trans. Charles S. Singleton. New Jersey: Princeton: University Press, 1970. English translations of Italian quotes from La Divina Commedia have been taken from Singleton’s translation. The second chapter of this essay will provide background information on John Milton and his Paradise Lost and Dante and his La Divina Commedia. Both works can be regarded as epics and this chapter will give information on epics in general, the epic in the Renaissance and on the epic hero. Also, this chapter will discuss the epic conventions which can be found in both La Divina Commedia and Paradise Lost. Furthermore, some attention will be given to the authors themselves and their works. If Paradise Lost is an epic, then the work should contain an epic hero. The most likely character to be the hero would be Satan. This third chapter will analyse whether or not Satan can be the epic hero of Milton’s work. Romantic critics such as William Blake and Lord Byron argue that Satan is indeed the hero of the work, especially when taking into consideration books I and II of Paradise Lost. There were also critics, nowadays referred to as Anti-Satanists, who disagree with this. They generally find Satan’s speeches pompous and ridiculous and his behaviour despicable. Furthermore, these critics also take into consideration what happens to Satan after books I and II, in which Satan’s ethical and moral decline becomes apparent: as the story advances he experiences a strong regression and all his seemingly heroic traits are reduced to nothing. In establishing the heroic status of Satan, three separate elements will be analysed. The first one is Satan’s actions; the second is his appearance, and, thirdly, Satan’s character will be given attention. In Paradise Lost, Satan has a complex character, worthy of a hero. One thing that these three elements have in common is that in the beginning of Paradise Lost, they are described as being heroic: Satan’s courageous actions, his splendid exterior and brave character. However, as the story progresses, Satan loses his heroic qualities. He tricks Adam and Eve into their Fall, a non-heroic action. Furthermore, he realises that Hell is inside him and is part of his being, which shows a digression of his character. And finally, he turns into a snake, losing his former angelic appearance. Contrastingly, Dante’s Satan has no heroic qualities at all. He is an ugly brute, not able to move. He is a passive devil, as opposed to the active and well-established Satan in Paradise Lost. Dante’s Lucifer does not need many qualities attributed to him, heroic or otherwise. His role in the plot of La Divina Commedia is very limited: he is nothing more than a mere negation of God. The fourth chapter deals with Hell, since the greater part of Satan’s heroic behaviour in Paradise Lost takes place in Hell. It is not unusual for an epic hero to be placed in Hell or the underworld: the Aeneid and the Odyssey are famous works that refer to the underworld as well. However, these classical epics are not set entirely in Hades: only part of the tale is about the journey of the hero into the Underworld. Contrastingly, Satan travels out of Hell and returns to it during the poem and it forms the basis of the journey, as opposed to Aeneas and Odysseus, who have Earth as their basis. Milton’s Hell lacks order, which provides Satan with the freedom to manifest himself as leader and organiser. Hell in Paradise Lost gives Satan the opportunity to be a hero: the chains on the fiery lake are too weak to hold him and he can travel straight out of Hell without many obstacles. This lack of order in Hell stands in shrill contrast to the order of Heaven: Satan and the fallen angels have disrupted that natural order, so that now they are forced to dwell in a place where nature seems to make no sense and is chaotic. Contrastingly, the location of the devil in Dante’s Hell is very precise: he is located in the deepest pit. He is frozen in ice and not able to move. Whereas Milton’s Hell facilitates Satan’s active movement, Dante’s Hell does not provide this opportunity. The universe of Milton is very loosely structured: Heaven is above and Hell below, separated by Chaos, with Earth hanging down from Heaven by a golden chain. Later on in the poem, a bridge is created by Satan which links Earth to Hell. But when it comes to describing where precisely Hell is located and what it looks like, Milton explains this in a manner which does not reveal much about distances and dimensions. Hell is described as a â€Å"bottomless perdition† (I. 47)2 or the â€Å"vast and boundless Deep† (I. 47). Hell seems to have no borders, it is infinitely large. Yet it does have walls and gates: â€Å"Our prison strong, this huge convex of Fire, / Outrageous to devour, immures us round / Ninefold, and gates of burning Adamant / Barr’d over us prohibit all egress† (II. 434-437). This forms a contrast to Dante’s Hell , which is very ordered and consists of nine concentric circles. In every circle of Hell, Dante meets the souls that are allocated to their respective circle to undergo their eternal punishment. The fifth chapter of this essay will investigate the role of sin in Paradise Lost and La Divina Commedia. In Paradise Lost, Satan’s heroic deeds are actually rooted in sin and the sins that Satan commits make him lose his heroic status. Although Satan’s deeds may be labelled heroic when looking at books I and II, his motives are impure. The most important of these underlying motives are the sins of pride, envy and wrath. It was the sin of pride that led Satan into rebelling against God, thus causing the war in Heaven: Pride forms the beginning of Satan’s ‘heroic’ adventure. However, envy also plays a large role: Satan is envious of Christ as well as Adam and Eve. Quotations of Paradise Lost have been taken from: Milton, John. Paradise Lost. Ed. Christopher Ricks. 1968. London: Penguin Group, 1989. Dante uses the order of the seven deadly sins of pride, envy, lust, gluttony, greed, sloth and wrath to structure his Inferno. He keeps a strict order in his Hell, this is because sin disrupts the divine order and those who have sinned have caused chaos in this order. Dante distributes the punishment for the seven deadly sins very neatly over concentric circles, with a systematic increase in wickedness. The souls of the damned are subjected to this order and are allocated according to their sins. Contrastingly, Milton does not follow this medieval list of seven sins. A very relevant reference to sins is the allegory of Satan, Sin and Death as an incestuous family. Satan has a daughter called Sin and together they have a son: Death. Sin is Satan’s first child, and she is brought into the world thanks to Satan’s disobedience to God. The fact that Satan and his daughter Sin have a child called Death, makes death the inevitable consequence of sin. Although Milton perhaps did not intentionally incorporate the seven deadly sins in his work and although pride, envy and wrath are the most important sins of the work, the other four sins of lust, gluttony, greed and sloth can also be found in the poem and will also receive attention in this chapter. Additionally, some attention will be given to another well-known account of sin and Hell from the Romantic period, namely William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. The analyses made in the chapters mentioned above will make it possible to answer the question whether or not Satan can be an epic hero. And if he is not an epic hero, can he be regarded as another kind of hero? It is interesting that throughout the centuries, many scholars have shared the opinion that Satan is indeed the hero of the work, while others have strongly opposed this view. This concluding chapter will investigate further how these two opposing views came into existence and will try to give an answer to the question. 2. Background This chapter will provide background information on John Milton’s Paradise Lost (1667) and Dante Alighieri’s La Divina Commedia (1321). Both works are epics and are widely considered to be masterpieces that are still read today. This chapter will give some general information on epics, as well as the epic in the Renaissance period and why La Divina Commedia and Paradise Lost can be considered as epics. Furthermore, attention will be given to the epic hero. However, first of all we must focus on the authors themselves and their works. It seems likely that Milton when writing his Paradise Lost, was inspired not only by Dante’s vision of Hell, but also by Classical literature. Milton had an exceptionally great knowledge of La Divina Commedia. David Masson states in his Life of Milton, that Milton ‘must have known this great poem better than any other Englishman alive’ and remarks that Milton read the Commedia ‘attentively and reverently. ’ Milton studied the Italian language and during his Cambridge years he widely read in Dante, Petrarch, and other Italian poets. In a letter to Benedett o Buonmattei, the leading Dante-expert of the day, he writes of the depth of his study of Italian literature, especially the works of Petrarch and Dante. Milton even provides an English poetic translation of a few lines from the Inferno in his work Of Reformation. This information and the many similarities between the two works may indicate that Milton was inspired to use the genre of the epic for his work, as applied by Dante and by classical authors before him. Dante finished his Commedia in 1321 and he is considered to be one of the greatest poets of all times. His La Divina Commedia can be regarded as one of the works of art that initiate the beginning of the Renaissance in Italy. 5 The story tells of the character Dante, who travels through the afterlife. The work consists of three different parts, containing Dante’s journey through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. The work had quite an impact and it had a wide range of audiences: students read it in grammar school and the work was discussed in the marketplace and even in church. One of the main reasons for this impact is probably the fact that is was written in the vernacular as opposed to many works written in Latin. 6 It was 3 Butler, George F. Giants and Fallen Angels in Dante and Milton: The Commedia and the Gigantomachy in Paradise Lost. Modern Philology. 95. 3 (1998): p. 352. 4 Butler, George F. The Fall of Tydeus and the Failure of Satan: Statius Thebaid, Dantes Commedia, and Miltons Paradise Lost. Comparative Literature Studies. 3. 1-2 (2006): p. 143. 5 Lewis, R. W. B. Dante: a Life. London: Phoenix, 2002: p. 15. 6 Parker, Deborah. Commentary and Ideology: Dante in the Renaissance. Durham: Duke University Press, 1993: pp. 28-31. Boccacio who added the word Divina to the title of the work, stressing the divine meaning it contains. In literature, an epic is a grand narrative poem in maje stic style about the exploits and adventures of a superhuman hero engaged in a quest or some serious endeavour. The hero is distinguished above all others by his strength and courage. The subject-matter of epic includes myth, legend, history, and folk tale. Battles and perilous journeys play a large part, as do gods, the supernatural, and magic; scenes are often set in the Underworld or in Heaven. Certain formal features are conspicuous: the narrator vouches for the truth of his story; there are invocations, elaborate greetings, long speeches, detailed similes, digressions, and the frequent repetition of elements typical of an epic. 7 There is a standard distinction between traditional and literary epics. Traditional epics are works such as the Iliad and the Odyssey, while literary epics were composed in deliberate imitation of the traditional form. Literary epics do not necessarily have to contain all of the epic conventions as the ones mentioned above, as long as it manifests the epic spirit and grandeur in the scale, the scope and the human importance of their subjects. 8 So, works do not have to comply to all the epic conventions in order to be called an epic. It is not difficult to apply the label of an epic to Paradise Lost, since it contains many epic conventions. La Divina Commedia may not contain an epic hero or lengthy descriptions of battles, but it does contain many epic features, such as the epic spirit and grandeur of the scale of the narrative. Furthermore, the subject of the redemption of the human soul is certainly of profound human interest. The Renaissance period shows the revival of art and literature under the influence of classical models, and many literary epics were written in this period, of which La Divina Commedia and Paradise Lost are certainly the most impressive ones. Milton’s Paradise Lost is generally looked upon as the main work of the English Renaissance. The Renaissance is believed to have originated in Florence in the fourteenth century, where there was a revival of interest in classical antiquity. Important figures of that era were Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio, but also painters like Giotto. The period from the end of the fifteenth century has become known as the High Renaissance, when several Italian cities began to rival Florence’s leading position. Renaissance thinking spread from the early 7 â€Å"epic†, in: The Concise Oxford Companion to Classical Literature, ed. M. C. Howatson and Ian Chilvers, (Oxford University Press, 1996). Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. See: www. oxfordreference. com, (16 January 2009). 8 Abrams, M. H. Glossary of Literary Terms. 1971. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999: pp. 77-78. sixteenth century onwards. 9 This influence and revival of classical culture, art and literature is represented in both Paradise Lost and La Divina Commedia, notably in the framework of the setting of the underworld, which is a common literary motif of classical epic literature. Other famous literary examples with the same motif are Hercules’ journey into the underworld to capture Cerberus, Orpheus’ descent into Hades to retrieve his wife, after she had died because of a snake-bite, or Virgil’s Aeneid, in which Aeneas travels into the underworld to meet his father. Inspired by stories such as these, Dante and later Milton wrote their epic poems. Milton had the intention of writing an epic poem on an exalted subject decades before he started writing Paradise Lost in 1658. In his At a vacation Exercise in the College (1628), he already mentioned that he wanted to devote himself to â€Å"singing in the manner of Homer† and he envisioned writing a poem concerning â€Å"wars and heaven under Jupiter†. Notes and drafts from around 1640 contain four drafts of projections of the Fall of man, one of them called Paradise Lost and another Adam unparadiz’d. Milton spent almost twenty years writing controversial prose and political pamphlets and he was a strong supporter of liberty of conscience, human choice and free will, themes also recurring in Paradise Lost. 10 The story itself tells of the fall from heaven of Satan and the other angels who rebelled against God. Milton’s work shows many influences of the Classics and can be classified as an epic. The epic poem Paradise Lost was originally published in ten books, but from 1674 onwards the work consisted of twelve books after the Virgilian model, by splitting books seven and ten. Paradise Lost is the poem Milton is still famous for today. 11 Paradise Lost is seen by many scholars to be one of the most sublime products of the Renaissance and especially as the great epic of that age. 12 Two very important epic conventions which can be found in both the works of Milton and Dante, are the recapitulation of the past and prophecy of the future. 13 In Paradise Lost, the recapitulation of the past takes place in book V where Raphael tells Adam the story of the war in heaven and the Fall of Satan and the other angels. The epic convention of the prophecy can be found in books 11 and 12, where Michael reveals to Adam the future of his descendants. He tells Adam about the Flood: 9 â€Å"Renaissance†, in: The Oxford Reference Online. A Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, ed. Elizabeth Knowles, ( Oxford University Press, 2006). Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. See: www. oxfordreference. com, (16 January 2009). 10 Loewenstijn, David. Milton, Paradise Lost. A Student Guide. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004: pp. 10-14. 11 The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 7th ed. Vol 1. Ed. M. H. Abrams. New York: W. W. Norton Company, 2000: p. 1816. 12 Loewenstijn, David. Milton, Paradise Lost. A Student Guide. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004: p. 16. 13 Bush, Douglas. â€Å"Virgil and Milton†. The Classical Journal. 17. 5 (1952): p. 180. †¦Till God at last Wearied with their iniquities, withdraw His presence from among them, and avert His holy eyes (XII. 106-109) Michael also talks about the journey of the Hebrews: Till by two brethren (those two brethren call Moses and Aaron) sent God to claim His people from enthrallment, they return With glory and spoil back to their promis’d Land (XII. 169-172) These Biblical events that Milton mentions here, have not yet happened, but cast a look into the future. There are many other epic conventions to be found in Paradise Lost. To begin with, the work has a beginning in medias res; the work begins when Satan and the other angels that rebelled against God have already fallen: â€Å" the Poem hastes into the midst of things, presenting Satan with his Angels now fallen into Hell† (I. Argument). Secondly, Milton uses the classical notion of the invocation of the Muse: â€Å"Sing Heaven’ly Muse† (I. 6). Another important epic convention is the elaborate descriptions of battles. We find this in Paradise Lost when Michael tells Adam the story of the War in Heaven: â€Å" when all the Plain / Cover’d with thick embattled Squadrons bright, / Chariots and flaming Arms, and fiery steeds / Reflecting blaze on blaze† (VI. 15-18). Milton has also incorporated epic catalogues, an example of which can be found in Book I, where there is a lengthy description of the angels that fell together with Satan into Hell: â€Å"First Moloch † (I. 392). Furthermore, the notion of supernatural intervention occurs when Christ offers to sacrifice himself for mankind. Paradise Lost contains many epic similes, for example: Angel forms, who lay intranc’t Thick as Autumnal Leaves that strow the Brooks In Vallombrosa, where th’Etrurian shades High overarch’t embow’r; or scatter’d sedge Afloat, when with fierce Winds Orion arm’d Hath vext the Red-Sea Coats, whose waves o’erthrew Busiris and his Memphian Chivalry, While with perfidious hatred they pursu’d The Sojourners of Goshen, who beheld From the safe shore their floating Carcasses And broken Chariot Wheels (I. 301-311) The last significant epic convention to be found in Paradise Lost is the descent into the underworld. Like in Milton’s Paradise Lost, there are many examples of epic conventions to be found in Dante’s La Divina Commedia. The most obvious one is the epic convention of the descent into the underworld: just as in the Aeneid, Dante’s hell consists of circles separated by geographical boundaries. 14 However, there are many more epic conventions Dante makes use of. One of them is the beginning in medias res: â€Å"Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita / mi ritrovai per una selva oscura† [Midway in the journey of our life I found myself in a dark wood] (Inferno I. -2). Dante also invokes the muse, as is often done in classical epics: â€Å"O Muse, o alto ingegno, or m’aiutate; / O mente che scrivesti cio ch’io vidi, / Qui si parra la tua nobilitate† [O Muses, O high genius, help me now! O memory that wrote down what I saw, here shall your worthiness appear! ] (Inferno II. 7-9). Furthermore, the work contains three events which can be classified as supernatural interventions. The first one is the moment when Dante encounters three animals on his way: a she-wolf, a leopardess and a lion, hich form an allegory of the temptations of Sin. The second intervention is when Dante meets Virgil, who is to be his guide: â€Å"Mentre ch’i’ rovinava in basso loco, / dinanzi a li occhi mi si fu offerto / Chi per lungo silenzio parea fioco† [While I was ruining down to the depth there appeared before me one who seemed faint through long silence] (Inferno I. 61-63). However, the most important intervention is that of Beatrice: â€Å"Io son Beatrice, che ti faccio andare; / vegno del loco ove tornar disio; / amor mosse che mi fa parlare. † [I am Beatrice who sent you. I come from a place to which I long to return. Love moved me and makes me speak. ] (Inferno II. 70-72). Beatrice is sent to help Dante when he strays from the right path in his life and she wants him to learn the knowledge he needs in order to redeem himself. Beatrice tells Dante that when she was still alive, she was his inspiration and this inspiration kept him on the straight and narrow path of a good Christian life: Quando di carne a spirto era salita E bellezza e virtu cresciuta mera, Fu io a lui men cara e men gradita; 14 Feldherr, Andrew. Putting Dido on the Map: Genre and Geography in Vergil’sUnderworld†. Arethusa. 32. 1 (1999): p. 90. E volse i passi suoi per via non vera, Imagini di ben seguendo false, Che nulla promession rendono intera. [When from the flesh I ascend And beauty and virtue in me increased I was to him less dear and delightful; And into ways untrue he turned his steps, Pursuing false images of good That never any promises fulfil] (Purgatory XXX. 127-132) Beatrice’s death signified the moment that Dante’s life started to go downhill and now she is chosen to turn his life in the right direction once gain, as she had done in life. He was tempted by sin and Beatrice offers Dante a chance to purify and save his soul. Dante’s work contains many elaborate epic similes, an example of which can be found in the description of some damned souls: â€Å"Come le rane innanzi al la nimica / Biscia per l’acqua si dileguan tutte, / Fin ch’a la terra ciascuna s’abbiaca† [As the frogs before their enemy the snakes all vanish through the water, till each cocks itself on the bottom] (Inferno IX. 76-78). Dante also makes use of the epic notion of catalogues. Especially in Canto IV, when Dante and Virgil are in Limbo, we see many of these epic lists: â€Å"Quelli e Omero, poeta sovrano; / L’altro e Orazio satiro che vene; / Ovido e ‘l terzo, e l’ultimo Lucano† [He is Homer, sovereign poet; next is Horace, satirist; Ovid comes third, and Lucan last. ] (Inferno IV. 88-90). All the characters named in this and the other catalogues, are names from the classical period, and hence proper to the epic genre. As well as Milton, Dante’s work casts a look into the future, which is an important epic convention. We find this in Dante’s conversation with Caccio, a Florentine punished in the Inferno. Caccio tells Dante about the future of Florence and the victory of Dante’s adversaries. Dante is able to make these kinds of references to the future, since the story is set in late March of the year 1300, but actually written between 1308 and 1321. Caccio tells Dante: â€Å"Dopo lunga tencione / Verranno al sangue, e la parte selvaggia / Caccera l’altra con molta offesine† [After long contention they will come to blood, and the rustic party will drive out the other with much offence] (Inferno VI. 64-66). He refers here to the May day festivities of 1300, where there was bloodshed between two Guelph factions, the Bianchi and the Neri. In June 1301, the Bianchi gained political control of Florence and banished the Neri from the city. 15 Caccio tells Dante more about this particular situation: â€Å"Poi appresso convien che questa caggia / infra tre soli, e che l’altra sormonti / Con la forza di tal che teste piaggia. † [Then, through the power of one who presently is temporizing, that party is destined to fall within three years, and the other to prevail] (VI. 67-69). Caccio here refers to the fact that the exiled Neri turned to Pope Boniface VIII for help and they managed to regain control of Florence and passed severe sentences against over six hundred Bianchi. Caccio predicts these events to happen within three years. 16 By deliberately setting the story in the past, Dante is able to incorporate such prophesies into the story. It is striking that Dante chooses Virgil, one of the most famous classical authors, to be his guide. Virgil has written a work containing a journey into the underworld as well. In his Aeneid, Virgil tells the story of Aeneas descending into the underworld. The fact that Virgil has already written about such a journey and therefore knows the way makes him the perfect guide. Another possible reason for choosing Virgil is the great admiration that the author Dante has for the poet, which he refers to when they first meet in Canto I: â€Å"Tu se’ lo mio maestro e il mio autore: / Tu se’ solo colui da cui io tolsi / Lo bello stile che m’ha fatto onore. † [You are my master and my author. You alone are he from whom I took the fair style that has done me honor. ] (Inferno I. 85-87). It is clear that La Divina Commedia belongs to the epic genre. However, the one thing that the work is missing, is an epic hero. Dante might be considered to be its hero, but he does not display much heroic behaviour. His main task in the work seems to be describing what he sees as an observer: to keep a traveller’s journal as it were. In the sixteenth century, this lack of a hero caused scepticism in regarding the work as an epic. Others hailed Dante as the best heroic poet, even surpassing Homer. However, as we have seen in this chapter, there are so many ways in which La Divina Commedia can be described as an epic, that scholars nowadays see the work as belonging to this genre. 17 There are two important qualities that enable Milton’s Satan to act as the epic hero of Paradise Lost: freedom and free will. In Milton’s day and age, individualism and liberty became important issues. The notion of freedom and equality often recurs in Paradise Lost, and in most instances this can be linked to Satan. Satan can be described as a free spirit and there seem to be no boundaries to his freedom; even the boundaries of Hell are hardly any 15 Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy: Inferno 2 commentary. Trans. Charles S. Singleton. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1970: pp. 101-102. 16 Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy: Inferno 2 commentary. Trans. Charles S. Singleton. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1970: p. 02. 17 Steadman, John. â€Å"Milton and Mazzoni: the Genre of the Divina Commedia†. The Huntington Library Quarterly. 23. 2 (1960): p. 108. restriction for him. But most of all, it is this notion of a new sort of freedom which enables Satan to become the hero of Paradise Lost: â€Å"Here at least / we shall be free† (I. 258-9). For Satan this means that he i s able to start his rebellion in Heaven and it gives him the opportunity to start his quest to cause the Fall of Adam and Eve. The theme of free will is also important. We see that in Paradise Lost, Adam and Eve are meant to make mainly good choices. Contrastingly, free will makes that Satan is only able to make bad choices. When taking into consideration only books I and II of the work, what we see is a rebel who fought for freedom: for himself and his peers. However, as the story continues, this heroic status of Satan becomes less likely. This chapter has shown that both La Divina Commedia and Paradise Lost can be regarded as belonging to the epic genre. Since Milton chose the epic as the structure to tell the tale of the War in Heaven and the Fall of Adam and Eve, one can validly bestow the title of ‘hero’ on Milton’s Satan. 8 However, this view is certainly not shared by all critics: Satan is by no means universally regarded as the hero of Paradise Lost. There is no easy answer to the question as to whether or not Satan deserves that title. 18 Steadman, John. â€Å"The Idea of Satan as the Hero of ‘Paradise Lost’. † Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. 120. 4 (1976): p. 22 5. 3. Satan Both La Divina Commedia and Paradise Lost are widel

Preparing For Your AP English Sample Essay

Preparing For Your AP English Sample EssayIf you're taking the AP English test, you'll have to prepare for your Pa School sample essay. Most high schools don't require that you write a comprehensive essay, but many do expect you to get a full account of yourself and tell a story from start to finish. Let's go over the requirements for a high school essay.First, you will need to choose a particular topic that you feel is relevant to your education. While this may sound easy, it's actually harder than it sounds. If you don't know the subject matter, how do you even begin? The best way to choose a topic is to look at what has been mentioned in recent school-related news or books, as well as browse on-line discussion boards.Part of the difficulty lies in the fact that no two students are alike. Some are better writers than others, and some will be more satisfied with a carefully worded essay that others will have a hard time writing. No one's perfect, and neither are the people who make essays for high school students.The second step is to research the different formats for sample essays. You'll find them in all kinds of media - print, online, and even on the internet. The formats vary, but they are all designed to encourage you to include the best information possible. Many include a theme, or theme letter, and this will give you an idea of how much you can expect to write.Most of the time, the writer will be asked to write a brief, five-page letter that includes a story that's given specific instructions on how to write. Then, the teacher will critique your work. This will help you determine what parts of your work need improvement. As you finish, you should have a rough draft that you can revise from time to time.Your first draft of a high school essay should be fairly straightforward. Many writers try to be too long, with too many ideas. Also, they may end up being too technical. Both of these problems will show up in your final draft.Some writers have trouble coming up with the proper structure, which is important because of how difficult it is to tell whether one should use an outline or not. You should begin with a general premise, but a list of instructions about what you're going to say is a good way to get the ball rolling. You'll also want to think about what details you need to add.To prepare for your Pa School sample essay, you should begin by writing a series of short paragraphs that involve your personal experience in the most detailed way possible. Another idea is to use examples from a range of subjects, such as history, literature, or sports. The idea is to bring your experience to life, so any examples need to be as close to reality as possible.

The Concept of Design Icons

The Concept of Design Icons Abstract The concept of design has evolved along the same lines as human civilization. Perhaps this is the paramount aspect that has contributed to the evolution of design both as utilitarian and functional concept. Equally, the very dynamics of design is thus correlated to environment this is testified by the diverse artistic designs that have been created imitating biological concepts.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Concept of Design Icons specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Hence, the emergence of modernism makes the concept of design more simplified and more functional. By attempting to examine the evolution of designs it becomes apparent that design icons are a product of human creation. The plethora of designs as well as architectural values is thus produced. The ancient artifacts demonstrate that styles, designs as well as decorative motifs forms a crucial part of design evolution. Design icons Design icons are in essence representation of style, fashion or objects, imperative not only for aesthetic objectives but as a component of visual identity. This includes utilitarian objectives as well for they act as shorthand tool of sending the meaning or identity to the users. The manner the design icons have evolved captures countless analogies concerning the evolution of diverse organisms as well as human generation of artifacts, in particular buildings. The way designs have over the time developed provides a priceless insight into the evolution of design icons. These developments are profoundly apparent in diverse social aspects especially in architectural including design concepts. Exploring the dynamics of human production in regard to artifacts it would be essential to argue that design icons have evolved from a biological perspective (Wohl 1999). From the ancients times designers have demonstrated that they looked for inspiration from natural features. This has resulted in the creatio n of design icons generated as replica of diverse natural forms either be it a plant or an animal. This illustrates why the pre-modernist designers sought to create features that were almost analogous with the aspects of growth as well as evolution of diverse designs. In essence, the design icons have evolved from the biological perspective. However, in scope of presentation the common approach relied on static emphasis on finished icons which illuminated the completed designs. Therefore, with the years diverse methods were developed in order to establish refined design icons.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Though, there were diverse approaches of enhancing the scope of design icons, their evolution touches on such aspects as religious figures, nature and ethnic aspects (Kumar, et al 2004). The diverse designs witnessed all over the world testify to this. Therefore, fr om religious perspective to ethnic approach design icons evolved gradually presenting insight into the community’s innate relationship with the nature. Despite the existing theoretical frameworks existing today, the cultural and technological aspects have continued to impact on designs. Therefore, the manner designs have continued to change can be attributed to historical evolution of designs. While in academic disciplines the evolution of designs is correlated to economic and technological history. Hence, the scope of architecture provides a profound explanation concerning the evolution of design icons. Exploring the typical aspects apparent in the existing assumptions on design the essential elements pertaining to design evolution lays its significance to the society. As is today the design icons have evolved due to the innate aspects of social changes in taste, focus as well as ethnic and environmental influences. Consider that such aspects as cultural influences which inc lude economic and ethnic influences have played a considerable role in reshaping the design models. From environmental perspective researchers have established design icons to be key features that have contributed to the growth of architecture. Therefore, the manner the aspects of design icons have developed illuminates the development of diverse artifacts that defines our tastes and social preferences in both clothing and architecture. It is thus imperative to argue that the current theoretical premises in regard to development of designs are rooted in the ancient aspects of design. Hence, from the scope of aesthetic, moral and cultural context the evolution of design added value to the society. Eventually, such aspects go beyond scientific research in understanding how the ancient designers embraced and propagated designs. Hence, the growth of architectural design has witnessed the development and evolution of design concepts. By evaluating the fundamental questions regarding desi gn concepts we find that the evolution of design icons was fundamental to the growth of diverse design concepts. Though it has taken a considerable period to establish the genesis of design icons but exploring the modern aspects of designs we find the analogy steps back during the ancient period.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Concept of Design Icons specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Under the scope of empirical analysis as well as theoretical investigations the scope of design icons is shown to have been rooted in the ancient traditions. These traditions rotated around the scope of architecture, cultural identity as well as religious context. Therefore, designs or design icons being objects of human creation illustrated the manner the design evolution withstood the times and established itself as core aspect of human civilization. From the scope of utilitarianism we find that designs have continued to grow with time attaining more profound meaning, more so, becoming visual aspects of identity. Hence, as archeologists have established it is through designs that diverse social artifacts are identified. Design icons can be said to have evolved due to diverse social or cultural assimilation with the nature resulting in the scope of human imitating the diverse forms of design presented by the environment. Therefore, from a biological standpoint the creation of artifacts and the presentation of architectural designs explain the innate evolution of designs. Through architecture one can easily identify a particular mood concerning a specific historical period. Through the integration of architecture with the development of design we are in a position to understand the way designs evolved. This is due to the fact that from social to ethnic viewpoint architectures are more involving in regard to designs presentations. The manner the design icons have continued to develop equally relates to diverse geometrical concepts within the ancient and existing geometrical designs. Therefore the critical assessment of design evolutions shows that it is from the growth of cultures that designs flourished. As a 17th century, for instance, the impacts of designs were being experienced and executed in diverse architectural tastes all over the world. Therefore, looking the development of designs from the social context, biological considerations must be also be given a greater consideration. This is due to the fact that design icons reflected the manner designs were presented and employed to communicate. Hence the dynamics of design wholeness, integration, coherence, and correlation became the epitome of design development (Goldthwaite 2000). More so, with the time they evolved to be the principal tools of expressing the mood and the relationship relating to design icons with the environment.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As pundits and philosophers of ancient Greece established natural features provides the unique models of harmonious balance as well as proportion in regard to development of designs. Therefore, this testifies to the fact that all aspects of design evolution touches on the beauty offered by the intricate environment. Hence, the design icons were established on the same platform of providing aesthetic beauty and identity. Therefore, the production of designs demonstrates that the work of art cannot be separated from the concepts of aesthetics which governs the production of designs. This demonstrates the growth and evolution of design or design icons rests on the fact that works of art as well as living organisms are in essence schemate,unique in their own way, which man as well as the nature profoundly generates by qualifying diverse elements. Hence, this observation applies to the evolution of design which acquires definite shape, structures with the development of separate identiti es with established structural symmetry (Wilk 2006). Therefore, the above observation illustrate that the evolution of design icons was fuelled by the aspects of visual appearance as well as functional concepts. And both elements have evolved to be the base on which design wholeness is created becoming the source of the beauty as is seen in the production of design icons. Basically, this approach is well illustrated by the manner American architects have been doing in the course of 19th century. In their works it is evident that the evolution of design icons is as complex as is its organic and functional forms. Therefore, concerning the elements of designs, it’s apposite to argue that design icons evolved from static balance which is a product of generating something from the available materials. And this eventually established the profound context of designs. Modernist examples The dynamics of modernism reflects the modern aspect which strongly deviates from the traditional liberalism. Looking at the scope and the development of designs it would be instrumental to equally examine the aspects of modernism. The objective of such an approach is to understand the ancient and the modern flight of designs. This can be related to the fact that unlike in the previous periods modernism aspects came to establish design icons which have elements of simplification as their core foundation. This is well illustrated in the architectural designs which have moved away from designs which were popular during the classicism, gothic and romanticism period. It should be noted that some of the predominant designs iconic in nature were preceded by non-technological designs. However, today, the modernist designs are almost everywhere this can be testified by such iconic designs as the Salk institute complex which was designed by Louis Kahn (Thuku 2000). The manner this piece is done reflects the broad aspects which have evolved over the time. Hence, design icons have remained etched on the concepts of retaining the historicism while embracing the concepts of modernism. Therefore, the modernist example illustrates that simplicity and functional are the core elements of modern design icons. However, one of the key elements shared by the ancient aspects of design with the modernism scopes concerns the fact that both accepts that form and function are tied together. However, examining the instrumental dynamics of modernism simplicity as well as the clarity of form is given a greater weight. And this facilitates the elimination of unnecessary details. Exploring the concepts of designs leading to the modernism approaches it would be essential to realize that the old designs correlates in one way or the other with the modernist approaches. This is well reinforced by the manner the modernists create their designs though simple but employing the same principals as was employed during the gothic or romanticism period. For instance, the crystal palace though ancie nt overshadows the modern concepts of modernism theories. Therefore, the evolution of designs has taken a considerable duration to be where it is today. Despite the seamless changes the profound and iconic changes are all linked to functionality. Though the scope of modernism in evolution of designs can be defined as a revolt against the traditionalism realms of reality, the ancient approaches are equally incorporated into the modern designs. Hence what compels the modern design to be iconic is the manner they have been produced using the incorporation, as well as recapitulation of previous aspects of design into the emerging new world (Findlen 1998). The design discourse that has come to shape their iconic status regards the social changes which have been as a result of political and economic changes. Also it ought to be noted that despite the emergence of computer aided designs the old concepts as well as the modernist concepts are all linked. Take for instance, the emblematic des ign of world trade centre have a central design concept that can be said to be guided by the gothic or classism concepts. Therefore, in regard to the manner designs have evolved the diverse discourses can be allied to architects as well as design theorists interests. Looking at the aspects of applied arts concerning the past both the old and modern aspects of designs are connected by the desire to maintain design conservatism. The analogy of design history offers considerable insight into the manner diverse instruments influenced the development and evolution of design to the modern functional forms. From utilitarian scope the question of evolution is well explored where desire icons are examined from both functional and decorative perspective. Diverse elements concerning the evolution of design icons as is testified by such architectural pieces as Seagram Building in New York reflects the evolution of design icons. Hence such a design remains as iconic feature due to the manner the architectures as well as the designers modeled it on open-plan perspective. Therefore, it can be assumed that discourse that has come to shape their iconic status is founded on such assumption as artificial evolution which includes aspects of decoration (Childs 2000). That is why diverse architectural and design theorist asserts that designs are shaped by common evolutionary progressions. Therefore, considering the given examples of modernist designs it is imperative to point that they attained their iconic status due to the simple and natural prominence of the designers. In that respect, exploring the dynamics of design we are allowed to understand that the iconic status of these given designs are predominant in nature. These attributes are due to the structural, motif as well as natural forms they tend to embrace. Hence, considering designs do undergo continuous seamless abstractions and formalizations hence their origin is not obvious. Also another considerable feature giving th e mentioned designs regards the concepts tied to structural as well as the material used. Therefore, the decorative attributes offers the design structures artistic attributes. Conclusion The aesthetic beauty of designs plays a considerable role in our lives. However when we look at the concepts of design in regard to modernism we find elements of rejection which tend to sideline the aspects of former designing concepts. Despite that, it would be instrumental to assert that each period provides critical insights into the aesthetics of designing which is a trend that have continued to change (Berman 1988). Therefore, the modernist approach which ahs evolved from such periods as romanticism, classism and gothic is today influenced by technological advancements. Today the aspects of modernism designs take the central role in our social lives which are more and more are linked to diverse natural aspects. Therefore, in regard to such approach we can conclude that both old and new aspects of design have evolved as a consequence of our environment. Thus, though the design icons have evolved but the critical aspect it is equally based on what we see or relate with the natural phenomenon. Annotated bibliographies Berman, Marshall. (1988)The Experience of Modernity. London, Penguin. The aspects of modernity are examined from a critical point of view. The author looks at the development of designs in regard to the evolution of design aesthetics. Therefore, examining the elements of nature as well as the manner designs evolve the author correlates the dynamism of modernism in design to the previous patterns preceding modernity. In his opinion he captures the genesis of designs and how they have evolved. More so he delves into the various aspects related to design models and their significance. Therefore, looking through the historical lens he offers a candid insight into the scope and the nature of incorporated designs aspects which have come to be defined as modernity. C hilds, Peter (2000) Modernism.NY, Routledge. The impacts of modernism on designs cannot be under looked. Perhaps it is from such a stand the author embarked on examining the relationship and effects of modernism on designs. This is demonstrated in the manner he examines the assumptions of design evolution touching on the relationship between modernism as well as gothic periods. Using well researched and articulated observation he offers a candid insight into the genesis of designs both in functionality and utilitarianism context to the realm of modernism. Findlen, Paula. (1998)Possessing the Past: the Material World of the Italian  Renaissance. American History, 103, (1), pp. 83-114. The author has profoundly delved into the significance of material cultures in regard to aspects of design. Using a critical approach to decorative aspects the author explores the dynamics of modernism concepts in regard to the past structural features as etched in design icons. Equally, she touches o n diverse objects that embrace the designing features in our daily engagements. Using a plethora of sources she examines the impact of renaissance mindset on design icons. More so, her approach too touches on the impact of design on humanistic aspects which blends into the natural beauty we cherish. Therefore, the consequential balance touches on the convincing measures that design both in ancient and modern context. Goldthwaite, Richard A. (2000)The Economic and Social World of Italian  Renaissance Maiolica. Renaissance Quarterly, 42 (1), pp. 1-32. The evolution of design can be compactly explored from the stance projected by the author on this article. From the authors perspective the changes in styles defines the designs essence both in and after production. Therefore, the author looks at the core features of luxury market which operates in line with the production of artifacts. In regard to such engagement he highlights the potter’s expertise in styles and designs. Thus in analogy to potters approaches the author explores the historical analysis of design, growth and creation of design icons. Hence, with structural and material consideration he offers profound insight into the significance of design as is opposed to the modernists who had the knack to reject the old design features. Kumar, Sandeep, et al. (2004) Analyzing planning and design  discourses.London,Pion The authors have employed the critical features of design discourses in regard to models. Their argument illuminates the significance of having analytical approach in regard to designs. This they assert in instrumental in developing apposite methods of evaluating the stability of evolving designs. Therefore, according to their analysis design discourses is paramount in identifying diverse discrepancies. Equally, they have noted that designs do evolve within definite platforms which must be established effectively. Looking at the concepts of design from the scope of art, film, style ar chitecture the authors touches on the significance of design and their prominence. Thuku, Daniel. (2000).Designing the world.Capetown, Blackman Book. The author explores the aesthetics of designs, investigating the structural motifs as well as the patterns which define ancient and the modern design models. In essence, the author takes us through the history of design models which have shaped the world. In his approach the author notes designs provides essential concepts which are fundamental ways. Wilk, Christopher. (2006) What was modernism. London, V A Publications. From a profound perspective the author tackles the broad aspects of modernism in the ever changing world of design. By exploring the diverse aspects of design he offers a decisive insight into growth of modernism. This he does by explaining the manner design models have acquired prominence and influenced the society. The author tackles the question of what is modernism by exploring the previous design aspects which wer e popular during the renaissance. Looking at the effect of art he touches on the foundational concepts of art which reflects natural scope of designs. Wohl, Hellmut. (1999) A Reconsideration of Style. Cambridge, Cambridge  University. Through a critical culture analysis the author delves into the world of renaissance art. Using the contextual understanding of cultural context he explores the value as well as the significance of design and style in the Italian art. From his perspective he traces the path designs undertake when evolving. From his stance we get the reflection of such aspects as artificial design evolution, the relationship between romanticism and constructivism in regard to design. More so he touches on concepts of decorative features most commonly evaluated by architectural and design theorists. References List Berman, Marshall. (1988)The Experience of Modernity. London, Penguin. Childs, Peter. (2000) Modernism.NY, Routledge. Findlen, Paula. (1998)Possessing the Pas t: the Material World of the Italian Renaissance. American History, 103, (1), pp. 83-114. Goldthwaite, Richard A. (2000)The Economic and Social World of Italian Renaissance Maiolica. Renaissance Quarterly, 42 (1), pp. 1-32. Kumar, Sandeep, et al. (2004) Analyzing planning and design discourses.London, Pion Thuku, Daniel. (2000).Designing the world.Capetown, Blackman Book. Wilk, Christopher. (2006) What was modernism. London, V A Publications. Wohl, Hellmut. (1999) A Reconsideration of Style. Cambridge, Cambridge University.

Kurdistan Workers Party Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Kurdistan Workers Party Paper - Essay Example Tom). While the network was not officially recognized as a unique entity until 1976, historically, this never stopped their activities any given time, it has held significant influence in the southern Philippines, where it established itself so strongly in the area solidifying its operation for long, therefore is largely a regional entity rather than a global movement. Throughout the 1980s, the SCU network received support from the United States, Pakistan, and other partner countries to support the Scandinavian campaign. From the 1990s through today, the SCU network has supported a variety of Scandinavian regimes and movements in an attempt to expand Protestant fundamentalist principals in the region where its effects still have seen to date. This shaped the entire history of the area. That the Swedish Chefs United is largely a proxy for Swedish interests in the Philippines. This duality of interests is at times confusing and reflects the complexities of the organization and its interests. Furthermore, the SCU network has limited political goals and has subordinated itself to other entities; instead seeking to maintain influence locally while supporting efforts to spread Crusades elsewhere. Their demands never had a powerful impact at any given time due lack of political will and power, therefore being in existence with no clear motive to drive the a gender The Swedish Chefs United, throughout its history, has served to recruit, train and fund militant groups in the region in support of expanding fundamentalist Lutheranrule. In this section I will further examine current US definitions of terrorism and depict that the SCU’s role as a geographically based vehicle for violence is almost indistinguishable from organizations like al Qaeda and the Pampered Chef because of their activities, goals and operations which are not clear but confusing. They

What are the major conventions of Revenge Tragedy Discuss how they are Essay

What are the major conventions of Revenge Tragedy Discuss how they are used, combined or altered in Cyril Tourneur's 'The revenger's tragedy' - Essay Example T.S. Eliot recognized the dominance of the Senecan mood in drama during the era of the revenge tragedy when he suggested, â€Å"No author exercised a wider or deeper influence upon the Elizabethan mind or upon the Elizabethan form of tragedy than did Seneca† (Arkins 2). Any analysis of the revenge play genre centers on two particular plays, which both typify and transcend the revenge play genre Thomas Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy and ur-Hamlet. The blueprint of the revenge tragedy is laid out and executed here to brilliant and devastating effect, an effect which indeed defined the notion of how revenge was to be played out on stage. There is of course significant disagreement to how the concept of revenge was interpreted via Elizabethan mores, whether the multitude of avengers in the various stage dramas put on during the end of the 16th and beginning of the 17th centuries represented immoral exemplars, examples of Anglo-Saxon barbarianism combined with un-Christian Senecan ethic (Broude 39), or perhaps something more noble like retribution in the mode of divine justice. Regardless, the ethical valence in the standard form of the revenge tragedy was generally unambiguous and robustly on the side of revenge and its attendant carnage. As as interesting caveat to this, Shakespeare’s Hamlet often seen as a response to the non-extant ur-Hamlet offers a level of ambiguity that does not so much negate the vengeful mood of the play but nuances it in such a way that makes Hamlet the singularly important and influential play it is today. A purer example of the revenge tragedy is perhaps Cyril Tourneur’s The Revenger’s Tragedy. Though as we will show, while it is most obviously ruled by many of the conventions of the revenge tragedy and is clearly meant to fall within it as an artful example of the genre, it does not adopt all of its conventions carte blanche. In order to make sense of this it will