Castel SantAngelo in Rome, Italy

The Knowledge That The Laputians Possess May - 1350 Words

The knowledge that the Laputians possess may also reflect some symbolism towards the saying of ignorance is bliss. If one does not know about something, they tend to not worry about, but the Laputians know so much with their abstract theories of math and science that they â€Å"are under continual disquietudes† (Swift 2577). The knowledge they have also makes it very apparent that they never take the time to enjoy themselves as they fear the end of Earth constantly and â€Å"when they meet an acquaintance in the morning, the first question is about the sun’s health...and what hopes they have to avoid the stroke of the approaching comet† (Swift 2577-78). They worry so much that their conversations are their worries which is very sad. Another sad thing is the men of Laputa do not even spend their time with their wives which makes it all the more easy for affairs to arise. The women of Laputa are free to do as they please, but they are unable to leave the island as â€Å"the people of quality have found by frequent experience, how hard it is to persuade their women to return from below† (Swift 2578). As unfaithful as they are, the women still attempt to leave. It almost seems like the knowledge the Laputians have is so powerful that it was able to make their wives unfaithful. The impracticalness of the Laputians become more evident with Gulliver’s observations and discoveries. Gulliver is given tutors by the Laputian King to teach him their language; however, he finds that the words he

Causes of Ww1 Free Essays

Causes of World War 1 In 1914, a conflict arose in Europe that started what is now called World War 1 (WW1). This war did not just spring up out of nowhere there many causes involved that started this vast conflict. The immediate cause of WW1 was the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand who was killed in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo (Mulligan). We will write a custom essay sample on Causes of Ww1 or any similar topic only for you Order Now The main cause of WW1 is M. A. I. N which represents militarism, alliance systems, imperialism, and nationalism (Danzer 579). And a contributing factor of WW1 is escalating tension in the Balkan region. Because of the assassination, M. A. I. N, and tension in the Balkan Peninsula the conflict known as WW1 began. Often the immediate cause for some event is what happened right before that event occurred in this case the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the immediate cause. In June 1914 the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was visiting the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, when he was shot (Mulligan). The Archduke Franz Ferdinand was killed by a Serbian named Gavrilo Princip who was associated with a group known as the Black Hand, which promoted Serbian nationalism. Right after the assassination Austria-Hungary and Serbia were in a diplomatic crisis with each other. On July 28 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia thinking it would only be a short war (Danzer 580). But they had actually started what is now called the First World War. Although the assassination was the spark that started the war it was not the main reason for the war. The main cause for the start of WW1 was M. A. I. N which stands for militarism, alliance systems, imperialism, and nationalism (Danzer 579). All of these are long term causes eventually led to the start of the war. Militarism played a very important part in starting WW1; almost every country was bulking up their armies. Even Germany found that they were competing with Britain for who had a better navy. Germany didn’t have much of a Navy until Wilhelm II, Germany’s Kaiser, decided to become a major sea power (Danzer 579). Because most powerful countries had their fair share of colonies around the world they felt the need to be able to protect these territories with their armies. Tension rose as nations assembled bigger and bigger armies. Prior to the war many countries had alliance systems with other ountries in case they ever went into a conflict with another nation. These alliances were simple if one country were to go to war their allies would come to reinforce them. So when the War did break out country after country got dragged into a battle they are forced to fight. For many centuries, European nations had been building empires, slowly expanding their political control across the globe. Colonies supply European nations with materials and provide markets for manufactured goods (Danzer 579). This is why Germany, France, and Britain compete for colonies creating tension between them even before the war. Nationalism played an important role for the start of the war because the people of each country felt an intense loyalty to that country. It was because of nationalism that Princip assassinated the Austrian Archduke. These four causes are the main reason why the First World War started in the first place. The contributing factor for the start of WW1 was the rising tension in the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan Peninsula at the time consisted of the countries Greece, Albania, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Montenegro and Turkey (Mulligan). The Balkan Peninsula was also known as â€Å"the powder keg of Europe† because of the building tension which was ready to explode at any moment (Danzer 580). The reason for all the tension in this region is mostly because of the interest from major European powers. The Balkan Peninsula was of major significance to these European powers due to its territorial and economic advantages. Examples of these interests are Russia wanting access to the Mediterranean Sea. Another is that Germany wanted a rail link to the Ottoman Empire, Germany’s Ally, which cut right through the Balkan Peninsula (Danzer 580). Naturally the Balkan people didn’t wish to be ruled by any authority besides themselves so they had dislike towards big European nations (Mulligan). Because of growing nationalism among the Balkan people many countries were striving to be independent. Austria-Hungary, who taken control of Bosnia in 1878, realized this when it seemed Serbia was subverting it’s rule over Bosnia (Danzer 580). With all this tension the â€Å"powder keg† was ready to ignite which is what happened in 1914. WW1 started for three reasons because of the assassination, M. A. I. N, and tension in the Balkan Peninsula. Even if the assassination of the Austrian Archduke did not happen the war may have still began because of M. A. I. N. The tension caused by M. A. I. N would eventually lead to an event similar to the assassination and have an equal effect as well. To avoid repeating this terrible war it is important that WW1 is to be remembered as a valuable piece of history considering history was repeated already when World War 2 started. WW1 was the biggest war that anyone had ever witnessed in that time and it will always be remembered. How to cite Causes of Ww1, Papers

Chris Colfer Essay Example For Students

Chris Colfer Essay Long gone the days where seeing any gay character on television was abnormal and shocking. Today, most shows on TV have one or two characters that are gay. However, they’re just there as an excuse for diversity; only a few number of them actually explore gay relationships or give them equal screen time and emotional depth as their heterosexual counterparts (Deb, 2012). This addition of multiple different depictions of same-sex couples and gay and lesbian people by television is being widely praised by the LBGT community as it makes the idea of homosexuality more common and representative of the actual community (Purcell, 2014). We will write a custom essay on Chris Colfer specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now However, people who go solely off the media’s depiction of gays and lesbians could have a skewed view of what they are actually like. This could be detrimental for youth who are developing their ideas of what homosexuals are actually like as this is their only source of information on it (Purcell, 2014). Whenever a new television show comes around with a gay character, the first question people ask is â€Å"Is he/she playing a realistic depiction or is he/she just another cliche? † But it seems no matter how the character is portrayed or how the character acts, someone will still be unhappy if not angry at the depiction. You will hear and read comments like â€Å"He’s too gay! † or â€Å"They’re trying too hard to make her look lesbian† or â€Å"I’m gay and I’m nothing like them. † This essay will analyze how the television show ‘glee’ mediates queer sexuality through its male gay characters. Background Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television that started airing on the Fox network in the United States in 2009 and is still on air. It has also been on syndication on various channels worldwide and the sixth and final of the show will be airing this fall. Although it isn’t the most groundbreaking or most controversial show when it comes to depicting queer sexuality, I chose to study it as it is more relevant and popular with my generation than shows such as Ellen and Queer as Folk. It is also on network television with a large following, therefore having a broader reach and stronger influence. The show focuses on the lives of a group of friends that take part in their high school glee club, New Directions, as they try to deal with â€Å"relationships, sexuality, social issues, and learning to become an effective team† (Project Casting, 2014). When the series first aired it had only a single leading gay character, however as the show progressed several characters discovered that they also have homosexual feelings and desires; in addition new characters were introduced which were also queer. The show has broken the mold by bringing a broad range of queer characters to the television sets of American audiences, including an effeminate gay man, a jock who is gay buy ashamed, a gay man that comfortable in his sexuality, a girl coming in terms with being a lesbian, and a bisexual. One of the biggest critiques of the media’s portrayal of homosexuals and same sex couples is that they are shown as straight people would want to see them. Gay men are usually seen as overly flamboyant and feminine leading to that stereotype. And women are either seen as manly and butch, or as seen on the show The L Word as what a straight man would want to see (Purcell, 2014). So is the media’s portrayal of gays and lesbians a positive thing? On one hand it brings attention to something that was once a taboo and makes it more commonplace, but on the other it creates stereotypes that teenagers and young adults associate with queer people. Consequently, the show has been both lauded as ‘‘leading TV’s gay teen revolution’’ and criticized for its sometimes ‘‘obvious’’ and ‘‘stereotypical’’ ‘‘neat neutering’’ of gay characters (EW Staff, 2011; Smith, 2010). .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645 , .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645 .postImageUrl , .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645 , .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645:hover , .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645:visited , .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645:active { border:0!important; } .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645:active , .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645 .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u2c532ccbb7343abf216b89413651d645:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The City Of Today EssayEither way, with an abundance of queer sexualities represented, the show deviates from traditional teen television narratives where queer identity is not often considered one of the ‘‘facts of life’’ (Kielwasser and Wolf, 1992). KURT HUMMEL: What got people talking about the show in the first place, other than the music, is the storyline surrounding the openly gay character, Kurt Hummel. Some find his story to be the heart of the show, and in part responsible for the shows great success (O’Callaghan, 2011). The character is played by openly gay actor Chris Colfer, who has won several accolades for this role. A lot of the story lines he has been in come from experiences that happened to him in high school. The actor has stated that he didn’t want Kurt to be â€Å"overly flamboyant because it’s so overdone,† but instead, wanted to portray the character as â€Å"more internal and superior† with a â€Å" ‘I’m better than you’ persona† while â€Å"underneath it all he’s the same anxious and scared teen everyone is/was at some point† in their lives (Fernandez, 2009). However that is not what the audiences saw. Even though he only reveals his sexual identity to his best friend in the third episode, you could already tell that he is ‘queer’ from his first scene in the pilot episode (Pilot (Glee), 2009). You have probably come across characters with similar if not exact characteristic as Kurt, in movies, television shows, and even books. In his first scene, he is wearing visible make up with several layers of branded clothing, which in no way are school attire. What is even more peculiar is that he is able to afford all this clothing, even though he comes from a low-income family. When he speaks he makes references to fashion brands and Broadway shows, which the other characters are not even aware of. He also has a feminine walk and flips his hair every few minutes. In that same episode, Kurt performs the entire â€Å"Mr. Cellophane† number in a high falsetto. His choice of song suggests that he is not seen for who he really is, and his choice to sing in a female range blurs the lines between his gender and sexuality. Even though it’s a cliche, its not an ‘inaccurate portrayal. ’ The show isn’t a documentary, so some characteristics are unrealistic and it does deal with the honest perceptions people have about gay people.