On Comics and Role Models

On Comics and Role Models Towards the end of any semester, emails start flooding into our inboxes advertising last-minute events, study breaks (the best of which have puppies), and classes that will be offered next term. It becomes second-nature to skim through these emails, glancing at the subject lines, letting them digitally rot away until you forget about their existence or they are no longer relevant. Last spring, one such email caught my eye with a snazzy graphic. 21W.758, normally a genre fiction class with a variable focus, would become a comic script workshop for this semester, and I jumped at the chance of signing up (as did Chel R. ‘15, who wrote a post about the class earlier this semester with a very similar introduction). Our professor for the semester was Marjorie Liu, a New York Times bestselling novelist who also writes comics for Marvel. She helped us dive right into reading and writing comic scripts from day one of the class. We began the semester by learning some basics: how to format comic scripts, what information to include and focus on, and how to write for a comic artist in addition to your future audience. As time progressed, our writing assignments grew in length (from a 1-page comic to a 20-page full issue with a summary of the rest of our anticipated plot), but so did the size of the stories we were yearning to tell. Each week, we focused on new aspects of storytelling: strong characterization, sources of tension and conflict, the balance between words and pictures, worldbuilding, and pacing. And each week, we read and discussed a new webcomic or graphic novel to see all the different ways writers and artists are pushing the boundaries of comics as a medium and creating compelling stori es. There were nine of us in the workshop, and, even though I can’t speak for anyone but myself, it felt like we all experienced incredible growth over the course of the semester. Everyone’s characters became more interesting, our stories had greater depth and better pacing, and we were paying more attention to small yet vital details like the realism of dialogue and the right amount of visual information to include in individual panels. Our class wrote comic scripts on topics from lady superhero duos to Hawaiian mythology to being backstage during a show to sci-fi adventures to a boy whose drawings came to life. To give you an idea of the things I wrote, here are loose descriptions of the prompts and the titles of my stories: 9/10 â€" Includes words (1pg) â€" Wondering 9/17 â€" Focus on character and conflict (5pg) â€" Shipwrecked 9/24 â€" Superhero origin story (5pg) â€" Afraid of the Dark 10/05 â€" Female protagonist, focus on world (10pg) â€" Guardians 10/22 â€" Marvel fanfic or myth adaptation (15pg) â€" Gambling Man 11/12 â€" Historical (15pg) â€" La Maupin 12/09 â€" First issue/chapter of comic series (20pg) â€" Augmented Reality I’m really tempted to go back, revise, and maybe attempt at writing and drawing a couple of these ideas. That might happen as a side project during the infinite/amorphous time void that is IAP. Although I had plenty of wonderful humanities teachers throughout high school, this was the first time I’ve been in a rigorous writing workshop with hard deadlines and brutal (and therefore oh-so-helpful) critiquing sessions. After taking this class, I just feel so inspired to tell stories and practice writing and drawing more in my free time. I can’t thank Marjorie enough for how kindly she guided us through learning an entirely new medium, and how much of a role model she’s become to me as a female novelist and comic book writer who started out thinking she was going to do something totally different with her life. It gives me hope that I might find a similarly convoluted path to happiness and (dare I even hope) success someday in doing something that I love. So, of course, I ended the semester by meeting up with Marjorie over hot chocolate to interview her about her life and her thoughts about teaching at MIT. How would you describe yourself/what do you do? I would describe myself as a former attorney who managed to break free of the legal profession and start writing for a living, and Ive been really lucky to be able to follow my passion and write novels and comic books. Ive been able to explore writing video games and movies, and who knows what will be next? Right now, I really just love the fact that I can tell stories in so many different mediums. How did you find MIT and what compelled you to teach the comics class here? And what was your favorite part about teaching? I love MIT! Years and years and years ago, I applied to MIT for undergrad because I was so impressed with the school and the campus. Even though I wasnt a science person, I loved what I read about their humanities program. So I actually wanted to come to MIT â€" and, of course, that didnt happen. But years later, when I was asked whether or not Id be interested in teaching a course on comic books, I jumped at the chance! This is my passion, and the idea of sharing that passion and teaching others how to write comics, especially the undergrads at MIT, was really exciting to me. I didnt know that I would love teaching comics as much as I did. I write comics, but I dont actually think about what I do; I just sort of make it happen when it comes to putting out a comic book. But to break it down into all the different parts, articulate what those parts mean and how they fit together, was energizing. I felt like I was seeing my work â€" everyones work â€" in a whole different way. We definitely learned a lot, but did you learn anything from teaching us? You guys were incredible. Really smart, really intuitive, and you all had so many fun ideas. You were pushing at the boundaries of what comics can do. All of you were fearless, you just threw yourselves into it and that was really exciting for me to see. On a day-to-day level I do this work, Im watching other comic book writers do this work, and its not that we take for granted what we do, but its part of our profession. To see all these really young, super creative voices pushing against the medium was invigorating, because it was also a reminder that theres all this raw talent out there. And maybe you guys wont end up writing comics â€" but maybe you will, and that would be such a boon to the industry. When did you figure out you could be a professional fan/author for a living? How does it feel? It feels really weird, because I always loved to read. I had all my favorite authors; I was a huge fangirl of everyone from Ursula K. LeGuin to Steven King… you name it. When I got older it was my dream to write novels, but I wasnt sure Id be able to. So to write books, to actually tell my stories and see them go into print, is sort of mind blowing. Its also surreal and very humbling. The same thing happened with comics. I didnt start reading them until I was eighteen, and I never actually thought it would be possible to write them. But, once I started, it was also humbling and deeply, deeply exciting. It allowed me to use a different part of my voice that I hadnt before, and I realized there were all these other stories cooped up inside me â€" stories that would never work as novels, because they were meant to be graphic novels, comics. But Im definitely still a fan; I still get nervous around other writers, whether or not theyre writing novels or comic books. I get sweaty! [My response: Dont we all.] Do you have any role models or heroes? Who are they and why? I have so many… oh gosh. The thing is, every time I read a good book, that person is my hero because its not easy. Writing a good book, writing a good comic, writing a good graphic novel none of that is easy. And so, when I read something thats fun and exciting and moving, Im like, that person is my new hero. As another writer, its really beautiful seeing a story where all the pieces just fit. What is something you always want to remember or keep telling yourself over the course of your jobs/life? Stay true to my voice and follow my imagination. Follow my freak, as we say, no matter how strange the idea is or how unlikely it might seem. Over the years, Ive had a lot of people tell me oh, you shouldnt write stories that are set in other countries because no one will read them or you shouldnt write stories with heroes of color because no one will read them, or you shouldnt do this, you shouldnt do that. And I ignored them all. What is it, the Joseph Campbell saying? Society is like a dragon, with scales that say either Thou Shalt or Thou Shalt not; and you always need to slay the dragon. Because if you are compelled to tell a story, no matter how strange it is, no matter how bizarre, no matter how many people say, you know, thats just weird, if youve got it in you, just follow that impulse. And follow it as far as itll go. At a certain point, youll know, as a creator, whether or not youve pushed it to the limit or whether or not its crap. But you actually have to go there and explore it before you actually say no to it.   For sentimental value, here are a couple photos of all 10 of us on the last day of classes! The selfie is definitely my favorite.

The Criminal Environment Changes After The Terrorist...

Abstract As the criminal environment changes after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 the U.S. government had to adapt to those changes. And one of the recommended changes was for law enforcement agencies to adapt intelligence-led policing (ILP) to their policing framework. The implementation of will require organizational restructuring and the development of new policies to incorporate the ILP model. Therefore, the success of this implementation depends on everyone in the organization from top to bottom. Everyone has to know their new roles and responsibilities and be able to accomplish them. In this paper, the focus will be on three stakeholders: the manager, intelligence analyst, and the patrol officer. Their roles will be†¦show more content†¦And the suggested approach to achieve that is for law enforcement agencies to adopt the Intelligence-led policing framework. ILP definition Ratcliffe defined ILP as a â€Å"business model and managerial philosophy where data analysis and crime intelligence are pivotal to an objective, decision†making framework that facilitates crime and problem reduction, disruption and prevention through both strategic management and effective enforcement strategies that target prolific and serious offenders.† ILP emphasizes the importance of intelligence and intelligence analysis and their role in influencing decision-makers to make effective strategic, operational, and tactical decisions regarding the agency’s priorities. Each agency is in a different criminal environment, has its own priorities, different sizes, and different resource availability. And that’s why ILP is a great business model, because it can be implemented in varying methods depending on these differences. But, regardless of the different implementations certain elements are required for the implementation to be successful. [Ø §Ã˜ ±Ã˜ ¨Ã˜ · Ø ¨Ã™Å Ã™â€  Ø §Ã™â€žÃ˜ ³Ã™Æ'Ø ³Ã˜ ³Ã™ Ã™â€ž Ø §Ã™â€¦Ã˜ ¨Ã™â€žÃ™â€¦Ã™â€ Ã˜ ªÃ™Å Ã˜ ´Ã™â€  Ùˆ Ø §Ã™â€ž 3-I model] 3-i model Models are used to conceptualize the analysis process and fit it into the wider conceptual framework of policing. Ratcliffe’s 3-i model lists three important components (interpret, influence, impact) that represent a true implementation of ILP. And for these

Essay On Chris Mccandless - 969 Words

In the novel Into the Wild, author Jon Krakauer writes,â€Å"They will think they have bought my respect† (21). In this quote by the protagonist in the novel, Chris McCandless explains that his parents tried to buy his respect and honor with gifts, however they did not understand Chris’s loathe for material goods. His parents did not understand that respect is earned, not bought, and they did not earn his respect. His poor relationship with his parents and his history with rebellion are some of the main causes for why he disappeared from his family, this also explains his narcissism as he only ever had to care for himself. In Into the Wild, Chris Mccandless believes that an individual’s purpose is to be unique and to avoid being conformed by†¦show more content†¦This powerful writing by McCandless shows that this entire journey has been leading to this moment and he must kill the being within him, which Alex does not approve of. The being within him repr esents conforming and civilization, which McCandless despises and views as false. These selected writings were based on the fact of non-conformity and the power within that trait. The power that non-conformity holds includes the knowledge to have your own thoughts instead of complying with social norms. Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American writer in the mid-19th century who wrote a vast amount of essays, including Self-Reliance. â€Å"Envy is ignorance; imitation is suicide†, Ralph Waldo Emerson writes in his self-reflective short story, Self-Reliance. This statement is contemplating that being envious is completely ignorant because whoever is envious does not have respect for the items they own. Emerson also exclaims that imitation is suicide. This powerful language does a wonderful job of stating that if one imitates or conforms to something or someone, then they are destroying the uniqueness about themselves. 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Theme of Sexuality in Andre Brink ‘s Other Lives Free Essays

string(68) " the more you are fighting the battle and winning as Nicol puts it\." Brink’s Other Lives: A Rewriting of history through eroticism The dissident writer’s preeminent role, as Brink sees it, is to â€Å"explore and expose the roots of the human condition as it is lived in South Africa: (.. ) With the fundamentals of human experience and relationships†(Mapmakers 152). We will write a custom essay sample on Theme of Sexuality in Andre Brink ‘s Other Lives or any similar topic only for you Order Now That is to say, he aims, through narrating and referring to kinships, mainly sensual ones, at unveiling the racial practices of the past apartheid system which is, according to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary and thesaurus, defined as â€Å"a former policy of segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-European groups in the Republic of So. Africa† in doing so, he makes use of erotic scenes between black and white people of both sexes. This essay tackles Brink’s choice to make use of erotic fiction as an inventive way of writing history. Also, it deals with sexuality, in this particular novel, which stands as an epitome for racial, colonial and political relationships between black and white people, as well as the numerous interpretations of the coitus either through symbolism or feminism or psychoanalysis. According to Brink â€Å"the author’s reinvention of history would involve a choice between two kinds of concepts, two ends on a sliding scale: namely, history as fact and history as fiction. He opts for fiction in this novel to rewrite the history of South Africa: â€Å"In forthcoming novels I shall be trying to get more and more of an imaginative grasp on reality, to invent history†, so that he lays naked the remainders of the post-apartheid system in an innovative style, skillfully inserting here and there several incidents, including sexual relations, that may be real or even personal, encompassing and resuming the aftermaths of the colonial experience. Brink’s answer to the inevitable qu estion:† Why re-sort to fiction? Why reduce history to storytelling? † is summarized in Russell Hoban’s famous dictum:† We make fiction because we ARE fiction. â€Å"Brink elaborated on this idea explaining that â€Å"Whether one composes a c. v. for a job application, or reviews a day or week or year or a life traversed, or relates a crucial experience to someone else, or writes a letter, or describes an event-however one sets about it, it is inevitably turned into narrative. † The will to power, to dominate the other race and prove oneself to be superior has its links with sensuality and chauvinism. At first reading, some sexual acts in the novel seem to be scenes of pure passion, but then, they turn out to be mere longing for annihilation. For instance, In the second part Mirror, when Steve, a black man, is provoked by the utterances of the seductive young white woman named Silke telling him â€Å"your skin, I like very much how it feel, how it look† he becomes infuriated since he considers her words as a racial Remarque that echoes past memories of racial insults that he heard earlier in the novel such as â€Å"jou ma se swart poes† (=your mother’s black cunt) and â€Å"these kaffirs think they own the bloody place†. Consequently his reaction may be depicted as an attempt to free the rein of his wrath and avenge himself on the white race embodied in Silke, by conducting violent sexual intercourse saying that â€Å"for the first time I become aware of what is happening inside me. Not passion, not lust, not ecstasy, but rage . A terrible and destructive rage. † Moreover, racism is deeply rooted in social institutions such as marriage. As A. J. Hassall argues:† In Brink’s South Africa blacks and whites are seen as natural equals separated only by the uncompromising racism of the whites. In all his books Brink explores sexual relationships between blacks and whites and he portrays them as natural sexual partners who might be natural political and social partners if only the Afrikaner establishment would allow it. † This is perfectly illustrated in the example of the love relationship between a white man and a black woman in the first part The Blue Door, David Le Roux and Embeth, which is, even after the apartheid regime, still considered as a taboo kinship, completely rejected by David’s family; â€Å"why should we allow our lives to be dictated by the unreasonable reasonableness of my family? If we love each other.. † as David puts it. Added to its consideration as a racist attitude, Steve’s degradation of the white woman Silke may be read, as an act of political defiance, nevertheless, it fits only too well into the traditional master narrative of colonialism (â€Å"Natives have a rape-utation,† says Modisane, 1986), as well as the master narrative of sexism: the male who, in order to justify his aggression against and his â€Å"possession† of the female, blames her for provoking the attack, and for â€Å"deserving what she gets† ecause of her innate libidinal provocation. This is best illustrated in Steve’s words to Silke â€Å"if this is what you’re after, this is what you’re going to get. Fucking little white bitch. † Speaking of colonialism, Mellor suggests that men are attempting to penetrate mysterious foreign regions where they do not rightfully belong. Nina’s hair color turning into black, and the repetitive use of the words â€Å"dark† and â€Å"black† in the final paragraph depicting Derek â€Å"press[ing] [his] face into the fragrant and fatal darkness between her legs† calls to mind the notion of the exotic land reduced to the symbol of the female pubic hair which testifies for the mysterious south African jungles which should be discovered by white colonizer Derek. Feminists object to the depiction of women, in any respect, as a degraded sex, Objectified and reduced to serve the basic function of shoring up a man’s ego. This machismo attitude is evident in Derek’s utterances:†Come what may, Nina Rousseau, you’re going to end up in my bed. † Symbolically speaking, it is widely known that white women represent power, so the more that you have of them the more you absorb that power into yourself. They also, of course, represent repression, so the more that you defile them the more you are fighting the battle and winning as Nicol puts it. You read "Theme of Sexuality in Andre Brink ‘s Other Lives" in category "Essay examples" This idea brings to mind Steve’s state of mind when copulating Silke, putting it into words: â€Å"now it is turning into pain, she becomes terrified †¦ while I feel myself growing in strength and rage. † This is further illustrated in Modisane’s words:† Through sex, I proved myself to myself. I am a man†¦ When the trance of sex had passed and the pleasure exhausted itself out of my system there remained only the anger and the violence to repeat and indulge myself into a more lasting satisfaction†¦ Furthermore, the stereotypes of the â€Å"chaste white woman† and the â€Å"potent black man† who acts violently, with or without a reason, are challenged by Brink. The recurrent image of the black male is that of a virile man including the assertion of one of the crudest myths of sexist racism, the size of the black penis and his manhood to which it is alluded in Steve’s discourse: †bloody black stud (=virile)†. Th is racial cliche is set off in contrast with that of the white woman’s spiritual superiority and â€Å"absolute pureness† as Steve puts it. The terms in which the white woman is broadly described are based on an archetypal image borrowed from Camoens: â€Å"the symbol of purity and light, saintly flesh, raped, violated by the brutal force of a dark continent†. In order to criticize this cliche, Andre draws an image of the impure Silke who surrenders herself to Steve pleading him to â€Å"fuck [her]†. Psychologically speaking, Lacan perceives the other as the creative force in shaping the consciousness of the â€Å"I†. When joined at the hip with Sarah, David ponders â€Å"you are my wife, but who are you? Who am I? † He feels compelled to know her in order to know himself and apprehend his existence, in other words, as feminists assert, sexuality is the keystone of identity. To elaborate on this idea, â€Å"Man’s desire,† according to Lacan (1977), â€Å"finds its meaning in the desire of the other, not so much because the other holds the key to the object desired, as because the first object of desire is to be recognized by the other. Steve is inventing himself through the Other, Silke, who is, herself, a projection of his consciousness: his own identity, the raison d’etre of his actions and of his life, depends on the girl’s approval and affirmation. Accordingly, he desires her so he can be recognized by her, and since â€Å"she is looking at [him]. She is seeing [him]. As [he is] now. As [he is]. But there is no shock or disapproval in her face†, meani ng that she does acknowledge him, he realizes his true identity. Contrary to Silke’s sexual attraction to Steve, he notices his cat’s repulsion. The widely known meaning of the hissing or scratching cat in dreams, is that this person â€Å"feels rejected by women or that his current relationships with women are strained or that he feels the women in his life are unappeasable, not to be trusted, overbearing, or just downright mean in which case the dream may mean it is time to reassess his relationships. †Ã‚  This is exactly the case with Steve and the female cat Sebastian which â€Å"draws her slender back into an arc and hisses at [him]. This may be explained by the fact that, when metamorphosed into a black man, Steve falls a prey to self-depreciation and speculates his wife Carla’s rejection of his new â€Å"black† self. So, when he realizes the impossibility of achieving any human or even nonhuman connectedness, he chooses to seek release through the powerful emotion created by the suffering of Silke, an emo tion which simultaneously produces his sexual arousal. This can be proved psychoanalytically in Bersani’s work analyzing Freud’s â€Å"Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality† in which he dentifies a counter argument running through Freud’s essays that â€Å"sexuality [is] not†¦originally an exchange of intensities between individuals, but rather a condition of broken negotiations with the world, a condition in which others merely set off the self shattering mechanisms of sadomasochistic jouissance† Regarding Derek’s unsatisfied and unstoppable longing for the sadistic Nina, The last erotic scene of the novel, when he gets stuck between her thighs, seems to be quite predictable, inasmuch, death will be the consummation of his passion. Bersani explicates Freud’s theory of the death drive by arguing that â€Å"if sexuality is constituted as masochism, the immobilization of fantasmic structures can only have a violent denouement†¦ masochism is both relieved and fulfilled by death†. Isidore Diala refers to Andre Brink’s viewpoint about the writer’s role in the post-apartheid South Africa, saying that:† The dissident writer must awaken the Afrikaner to a sense of his potential for greatness and struggle aiming at liberating the blacks from oppression by whites, but also a struggle for the liberation of the Afrikaner from the ideology in which he has come to negate his better self. † Main References: -â€Å"Reinventing a Continent (Revisiting History in the Literature of the New South Africa: A Personal Testimony)† By Andre Brink 2-â€Å"Constructing Connectedness: Gender, Sexuality and Race in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein† by Jessica Hale 3-â€Å"CONCEPTUALIZING SEXUALITY: FROM KINSEY TO QUEER AND BEYOND† 4-â€Å"An Ornithology of Sexual Politics: Lewis Nkosi’s Mating Birds† by Andre Brink 5-â€Å"Andre Brink and Malraux† by Isidore Diala -â€Å"PORNOGRAPHY ( VS) EROTIC FICTION (aka Why I Continue To Do What I Do)† By Jess C Scott, 9 Mar 2011 ——————————————– [ 1 ]. In her article â€Å"PORNOGRAPHY VS. EROTIC FICTION†, Jess C Scott gives a definition of erotic literature saying that: † it comprises fictional and factual stories and accounts of human sexual relationships which have the power to or are intended to arouse the reader sexually. The emphasis of each is quite different. Porn’s main purpose is to make money via adult entertainment; erotic literature tells a story. Stories that are realistic. Stories that make one think. Stories that â€Å"dive into the depths of navigating gender, sexuality, and the lines of desire† (blurb from my  first erotic anthology,  4:Play). She illustrates her viewpoint by referring to Nabokov in the same Article explaining that â€Å"Mr. Vladimir Nabokov said so succinctly in  an essay on  Lolita, â€Å". . . Lolita has no moral in tow. For me, a work of fiction exists only insofar as it affords me what I shall call aesthetic bliss. . . â€Å"He also writes that â€Å"in pornographic novels, action has to be limited to the copulation of cliches. Style, structure, imagery should never distract the reader from his tepid lust. The novel must consist of an alternation of sexual scenes. † Ultimately, She draws this conclusion: Lolita  is more than a pornographic novel. Erotic literature is more than pornographic writing. † How to cite Theme of Sexuality in Andre Brink ‘s Other Lives, Essay examples

Survivals of sumerian types of architecture Essay Example For Students

Survivals of sumerian types of architecture Essay I.v connection with an archaeological survey in southern Babylonia made in January, February and March, 1926, for the American School of Oriental Research in Baghddd, the writer, while on leave of absence from Goucher College, had the privilege of studying types of ancient architecture laid bare by recent excavations. The struc tural remains at Tell cl-Obcid and Ur came under special observation and proved of the highest interest as examples of art in building among the Sumerians. During the same survey strongholds erected by Arabs and used by them at the present time were noted in various sections of the explored area. On account of certain similarities be tween the motifs of these edifices and the designs revealed on the walls of uncovered ruins, a basis of comparison exists which indicates a survival of some of the architectural forms of antiquit}. If one starts from Ur in the southern part of   as Mesopotamia is now called, and proceeds northwest for about four miles, the sligh tly-elevated ddbris of Tell el-Obeid, small in extent, will be reached. Dr. II. R. Hall, of the British Museum, began the ex cavation of Tell el-Obeid in 1919 and made a number of important discoveries.1 The complete investigation of the archaeological material in this mound was accomplished by Mr. C. Leonard Woolley for the British Museum and the Museum of the University of Pennsylvania in a campaign which began the latter part of 1923. The main result was the disclosure of the platform of a temple built by A-an-ni-pad-da, king of Ur, son of Mes-an-ni-pad-da, king of Ur. We will write a custom essay on Survivals of sumerian types of architecture specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now This origin of the temple is known from an inscribed marble tablet which was found in its proximity.1 Mr. Woolley indicates the possibility that these ruins of a structure erected in the fourth millennium B.C. represent the oldest properly identified work of any royal builder. The main part of the solid platform consists of â€Å"brick-earth and mud brick.† Around almost the whole of the platform up to a height of a little more than five feet is a burnt-brick containing-wall. Except in its lower courses this wall is charac- terized by what Mr. Woolley calls â€Å"a series of shallow buttresses and recesses.†4 Figure 1 shows the style of decoration just described at   a point where a partially-preserved stairway protrudes.1 Such an architectural feature must have given a distinctively paneled ap pearance to the facades of the temple platform. The ziggurat at Ur was primarily a Sumerian temple tower of great nobility and simplicity in design. Its ruins were uncovered by Mr. Woolley during the season of excavation when Tell el-Obeid was investigated.2 Tho modern artist’s attempt at a restored pic ture based upon archaeological data gives one a glimpse of the prob able original glory of this ancient shrine. Even the part of it which has escaped the ravages of time, i.e., the lower stage with its three huge stairways , is ‘ the most inspiring of the ancient monu ments of ‘Irq.†4 Fortunately the remnant which has lasted to the present day goes back to Ur-Engur, a Sumerian king of the Third Dynasty of Ur, who reigned about the middle of the third millennium B.C.4 The four surfaces of this gigantic base, forming a rectangle 130 feet by 195 foot, are not perpendicular. There is a decided slant or slope, and the buttress or panel design of Tell el-Obeid is more skil fully executed ,6 indicating a definite advance in building art.   The ultimate comparison which this article seeks to set forth is between the ziggurat at Ur and modern Arab strongholds which exhibit sloping and paneled sides. However, intervening periods in the history of Mesopotamian architecture should be noted. At Ur the excavators uncovered a ‘‘Hall of Justice,† which belongs to the midd le of the second millennium h.c. According to available pictorial representations its vertical sides were constructed with a pronounced use of recesses.1 Towards the middle of the first millennium B.C. Neo-Babylonian kings used broad shallow recesses on buildings with perpendicular walls. An example of this is the east front of the southern citadel at Babylon erected by Nebuchad rezzar II. Final, the temple of Ninmah at Babylon, Epatu tila,4 the temple of Ninib at Babylon, Frida,5 the temple of Nabil at Borsippa, the Anu-Adad temple at Ashur, built by Shalmaneser II, and the gates of the so-called observatory of Sargon’s palace at Khorsabdd7 exhibit the same method of breaking the monotony of exterior walls. During the Parthian period, ranging from the third century B.C.to the third century a.d., a similar architectural decoration was used,   as is indicated by remains at Warka, Nippur3 and Hatra.4 Following in chronological order stands Ctesiphon,5 a magnificent Sassanian structure built alout a century later than Hatra. The facade of its great wall is covered by what Miss Gertrude L. Bell in 19(h) aptly described as â€Å"a shallow decoration of niches and engaged columns which is the final word in the Asiatic treatment of wall spaces, the end of the long history of artistic endeavour which began with the Babylonians and was quickened into fresh vigour by t he Greeks.†6 Coming down to Mohammedan times, the outstanding   example is Ukhaidir, where niches similar to those at Ctesiphon survive. There arc no inscriptions at Ukhaidir contemporaneous with the origin of the building, and hence it is difficult to date tho ruin, but Miss Bell marshals considerable proof to show that it belongs to the eighth century a.d. and that it sprang from either late Um mayad or early Abbasid art.2 A well-known structure of the Abbasid period, which lasted until the thirteenth century a.d., is the castle of El-Ashiq at Samar ra. This building is decorated with rectangular recessed panels containing smaller arched niches. Since there is evidence that the method of wall decoration under consideration had continuous sequence in Mesopotamia from   Sumerian to Abbilsid times, one should not be surprised to find signs of its survival in existing Arab architecture in southern ‘Irq. This persistence of a motif of the builder’s art does not, stand by itself, but is paralleled by the preservation of other forms of Sumero-Baby- lonian culture, described by the writer in another publicati on.4 An examination of the accompanying pictures reveals the remarkable similarity between the decorative principle of the ziggurat. at Ur and that used in modern Arab buildings. Figure 4 shows an Arab stronghold of burnt bricks in a town along the Shatt elHai, which flows through the center of southern Babylonia. The lower part, of the gently sloping structure has beautifully executed recesses, while   the upper part presents a staged effect, with openings for repelling attack by firearms. Figure 5 shows a building of ordinary clay walls constructed along similar architectural linos. It is located to the southeast of the lower part of the Shatt el-Hai. The statement should be made that these buildings are unique in the towns where they exist. The rest of the habitations are ordinary reed or clay huts. When it Is remembered that tho ziggurat at Ur was un covered as recently as the 1923-24 campaign of excavation, the significance of these Arab buildings with sloping sides and recessed panels can be understood. The perfection of artistic design ex hibited by them cannot have been a sudden acquirement on the part   of modern Arab architects. The art must have continued in some form or other from the Abbsid period to the present day. Thus a particular type of ornamentation on facades, gradually linking itself with other artistic forms, can be traced in the architec tural remains of the Tigris-Euphrates valley from the fourth millen nium B.C. to the first millennium a.d., well into the Mohammedan era, with evidence of its use in present Arab structures in southern ‘Iraq. Its purpose is accomplished by what writers describe as ‘ shallow buttresses,† â€Å"rectangular niches,† â€Å"horizontal zones,† or â€Å"recessed panels.† This simple symmetri cal scheme for breaking up the exterior surfaces of buildings is carried out on sloping as well as vertical walls. There need lie no question as to the ultimate purpose of this mural unevenness in the finely designed perpendicular structures of the Babylonians anti Assyrians and their imitators, the Parthians, Sassanians and Mohammedans. For instance, the Assyrian archi   tect, in order to produce a contrast of light and shadow, divided the surface of a wall â€Å"into alternate compartments, the one salient, the next set back, and upon these compartments he ploughed the long lines of his decoration.†1 Hence we may conclude that the appar ent buttress of a paneled surface â€Å"had no object except to relieve the monotony of the structure.†2 One can hardly doubt that such a purpose was responsible for the decoration on the brick-work around the Sumerian temple platform at Tell el-Obeid, as the recesses are shallow in comparison with the thickness of the wall. With re gard to the furrowed, sloping sides of ziggurats a different suggestion has been made. Handcock states that â€Å"the so-called ‘buttresses’ of the stage towers of Babylonia and Assyria are in the majority of cases water-conduits for draining the upper platforms.† Concerning the ziggurat at El-HibbaHilprccht writes, â€Å"Water was carried off by a canal of baked bricks, which at the same time served as a buttress for the lower story.† It is practically impossible to regard the recessed panels of the ziggurat at Ur as water-conduits, since there is sufficient evidence to indicate that the tops of the panels were closed, as those shown in Figure . On the other hand, the solidity of the basal section of the ziggurat seems to preclude the view that the slight projections of the sloping wall were designed simply to give added rigidity. The appeal which is made to the eye suggests that decorative purpose was present in the mind of the Sumerian architect. In the modern Arab survivals of this type of wall structure, depicted in Figures   and , the artistic motif is en tirely in the ascendancy, as is proven by the fact that the panels recede from the general surface of the walls, and hence cannot add to the durability of the buildings.

Contemporary Art Answer Essays - Post-Impressionism, Free Essays

Contemporary Art Answer Essays - Post-Impressionism, Free Essays Contemporary art is art produced after 1946 up until this present day. It seems to overlap modern art as modern art did not necessarily diminish until later on. For example, Jeff Koons would be considered a contemporary artist because he has been producing art after 1946, in our lifetime. Of course, with every time period, new art ideas will almost always receive backlash from the media and may be considered shocking. For example, in 2015 when Sacramento was set to erectan $8 million public sculpture (Coloring Book) by HYPERLINK "artnet.com/artists/jeff-koons/" \t "_blank" Jeff Koonsoutside its new basketball arena, not everyone was a fan of the plan. It was intended to capture a child's ecstatic enjoyment of the world, but other artists and critics had mentioned that it does not feel inspired by the movement that created the arena and it does not represent our city or where it's going. Many do not seem to see the enjoyment he is portraying in his work, much like his Balloon Dog.Not only do we see this backlash in this period of contemporary art, but also in previous periods of art, such as post impressionism (modern art). Paul Gauguins Self Portrait with Halo and Snake (1889) caused quite a stir due to Gauguin representing himself as a saint, or saint-like, by including a halo above his head. Of course throughout the decades art has constantly been changing due to the technological advances and the changes that have been made in society as well; art is always responding to real things. Paul Gauguins Self-portrait with Halo and Snake was influenced by HYPERLINK "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukiyo-e" \o "Ukiyo-e" Japanese wood-block printsand HYPERLINK "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloisonnism" \o "Cloisonnism" cloisonnism, completed several years after he had visited Tahiti. HYPERLINK "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Portrait_with_Halo_and_Snake" \l "cite_note-conisbee-14" In the painting, Gauguin wears the saffron colored robe of a Buddhist monk, perhaps influenced by Van Gogh's earlierSelf-Portrait Dedicated to Paul Gauguin (1888). During that time period, art was heavily influenced by Japanese prints and the impression other artists had left behind in their paintings to inspire other artists in the future. In this current period of contemporary art, Jeff Koons art is inspired by popular culture subjects and reproductions of banal objects; Balloon dog made from stainless steel with a transparent colour coating. His piece that was supposedly meant to be displayed outside the basketball arena was influenced by the enjoyment a child possesses in such simple things in life, much like his other art pieces such as his giant balloon figures. As mentioned before, both artists have received backlash and controversy for their artwork and it is safe to say that almost every artist should expect some sort of a backlash for their art in any time period or context. Art is never perfect and never will be perfect; others may see your artwork diffe rently than you do and interpret its meaning differently than intended. Therefore, although some viewers may be able to have a certain likeness to an artists artwork, the piece will never gain full acceptance of its entire audience. Some art can be appreciated in hindsight as a comment of that time period. Paul Gauguins self-portrait may have created backlash in his time period, but as we intellectually study its meaning and the influence of the piece, we can determine the intentions he or other artists had during that time period. Many people often find Jeff Koons art quite odd, such as his sculpture Coloring Book and Balloon Dog, but in the next time period of art, they may look back and study its meaning and intentions, predicting the motives he and possibly other artists had during that time period. Jeff Koons is a great example of a contemporary artist who intends to show the simplest pleasures in life through his artwork, allowing anyone to understand its simplicity and enjoy every moment of it. Jeff Koons Balloon Dog Paul Gauguin Self Portrait with Halo and Snake

The Best AP Chemistry Notes to Study With

The Best AP Chemistry Notes to Study With SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips It can be difficult to keep your notes organized throughout the school year, especially in a class that covers so much content. This article will give you links to notes on every topic included in the AP Chemistry curriculum. If you're missing some of your notes, or if you just want a more structured overview of what you need to know for the exam, you've come to the right place! I'll also give you some study tips so that you can use both these notes and the notes you took throughout the year to your best advantage. How to Use These AP Chemistry Notes The notes in this article can be used to study smaller portions of the curriculum or to review for the final AP Chemistry exam.There are six "Big Ideas" (main themes) that organize all the concepts in the course, so I’ve categorized these notes according to that framework.Topics should be listed in roughly the same order as you learned them in class. These notes will provide a ton of background information, but keep in mind that AP Chemistry is less about memorization of facts and more about the ability to apply your knowledge to a variety of experimental scenarios.Reading notes can only get you so far.Practice problems are essential(a point that I will emphasize again later in this article). Take a diagnostic test before you dive into these notes if you plan on using them to review for the full AP test. Based on your results,you can see which areas need the most improvement, and then you can focus on the notes that are most relevant. AP Chemistry Notes These notes come from two different sources, ScienceGeek (which is a site that has a lot of helpful practice exercises as well) and CourseNotes.I wanted to include both sets of notes in case you find one more helpful than the other. CourseNotes is primarily definition-basedwhileScienceGeek is better at actually explaining how to solve different types of problems related to each topic. I've also included a link to a document created by a high school AP Chemistry teacher that goes through all of the concepts in one place. Big Idea 1: The chemical elements are fundamental building materials of matter, and all matter can be understood in terms of arrangement of atoms. These atoms retain their identities in chemical reactions. ScienceGeek: Chemical Foundations Timeline of milestones in the history of chemistry Atomic structure and periodicity Mass spectrometry Spectroscopy Coulomb’s law Atoms, molecules, and ions Naming compounds CourseNotes: Units of measurement Classification of matter Significant figures Atomic theory Inside the atom Terminology for compounds and overall chemical nomenclature Electronic structure of atoms Wave nature of light Line spectra and the Bohr model Wave behavior of matter and quantum mechanics Orbitals and electron configuration Periodic properties of elements Effective nuclear charge and atomic size Ionization energy and electron affinities Metals, nonmetals, and metalloids Big Idea 2: Chemical and physical properties of materials can be explained by the structure and arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules and the forces between them. ScienceGeek: Chemical bonding Covalent bonding and its relationship to orbitals Liquids and solids Gases (and gas law practice problems) CourseNotes: Chemical bonding Ionic and covalent bonding Electronegativity and dipole moments Lewis structures and VSEPR Bond enthalpy Valence bond theory Molecular orbital theory Gases Gas laws Ideal gas law and partial pressures Kinetic molecular theory and gases Intermolecular forces/phase changes Types of intermolecular forces Phase changes and diagrams Liquids and solids Big Idea 3: Changes in matter involve the rearrangement and/or reorganization of atoms and/or the transfer of electrons. ScienceGeek: Stoichiometry Types of chemical reactions and solution chemistry Half-cell reactions Redox reactions and practice problems CourseNotes: Stoichiometry Chemical reactions and formula weights Moles and empirical formulas Balanced equations and limiting reactants Solution chemistry Aqueous solutions and precipitation reactions Redox reactions Solution concentration and stoichiometry Electrochemistry Oxidation-reduction Voltaic cells Batteries and corrosion Big Idea 4: Rates of chemical reactions are determined by details of the molecular collisions. ScienceGeek: Chemical kinetics Rate laws CourseNotes: Chemical kinetics Rate law and reaction order Half-life and the collision model Catalysts and activation energy Big Idea 5: The laws of thermodynamics describe the essential role of energy and explain and predict the direction of changes in matter. ScienceGeek: Chemical equilibrium Equilibrium constants Thermochemistry Spontaneity, entropy, and free energy All about the nucleus CourseNotes: Thermochemistry Energy and thermodynamics Enthalpy Calorimetry Le Chautelier’s principle Chemical thermodynamics Spontaneous reactions and entropy Gibb’s Free Energy Nuclear chemistry Radioactivity and stability Nuclear transmutation and decay Nuclear fission Big Idea 6: Any bond or intermolecular attraction that can be formed can be broken. These two processes are in a dynamic competition, sensitive to initial conditions and external perturbations. Science Geek: Properties of solutions Solubility and complex ion equilibria Overall chemistry of acids and bases Acid-base equilibria CourseNotes: Properties of solutions Solution formation Concentration Colligative properties Properties of equilibrium Acid-base equilibria Acids (types, properties) Bases (types, properties) Acid-base relationships and salts Buffers and titrations Common ion effect Buffers Titrations Solubility equilibria Overall Review Document This document was created by an AP Chemistry teacher. It'ssort of like a (long) crib sheet with all the concepts and formulas you need to know in one place! If you want a quick holistic review without going through every individual notes page listed above, you can take a look at this document to remind yourself of the most important concepts for each unit. Ah, the bliss of knowledge. Also, this guy should probably get to the ER immediately. This is what happens when you cram, everyone. Study Strategies for AP Chemistry Notes If you want to use these notes to your full advantage, you shouldn’t just read them all and consider yourself prepared.For chemistry, you need to dig deeper to understand the material fully.Here are some tips to keep in mind: Tip #1: Start at the Beginning If you’re studying for chemistry, you should work your way through concepts in the order of when they show up in the curriculum.You need to master the basics first, or more advanced problems will look like complete gibberish to you.If there are any topics in Big Idea 1 that you don’t feel comfortable with, start your studying with those.Everything else in the course builds on the concepts you learned in the first couple of months! Tip #2: Always Follow Up With Practice Problems Every time you read a set of notes, do a few practice problems to make sure you’ve absorbed the information.Reading through these notes is a waste of time if they don’t provide you with the background information and skills you need to solve relevant problems.If you find that you’re having trouble with practice problems after you read through notes, this should be a red flag that you need to modify your study strategy. Tip #3: Supplement With Other Resources Don’t forget about the notes you took in class, handouts your teacher gave to you, and any other resources you’ve accumulated throughout the year.It’s worthwhile to shop around and see whether certain explanations of concepts resonate more than others.You might decide that videos explaining concepts are more useful to you than notes, or you may choose tobuy a review book that provides more guidance in planning out your studying. Tip #4: Don’t Cram! It’s unwise to cram for AP Chemistry.You need to do plenty of practice problems to feel comfortable with the material, and, if you cram, you won’t be able to spend enough time on this.Don’t pull out your notes the day before the exam and expect to learn everything in one marathon study session.You won’t retain the information, and you’ll be exhausted for the test. Cramming is a lot like trying to hold a huge volume of water back with a really flimsy dam. It's not gonna work out well. Conclusion The notes in this article should help you review all the essential concepts you need to know for the AP Chemistry exam. Make sure you supplement your review with practice tests so you can assess your progress and see where your main strengths and weaknesses lie. Also, keep in mind the tips I went through in the last section: Start at the beginning of the course Follow up your studying with practice problems Supplement these notes with other resources Avoid cramming Keep this article on hand so that you can refer to the notes whenever you want to review specific concepts and/or start your end-of-year cumulative review! What's Next? Do you need notes for additional AP classes besides Chemistry? Check out our articles with notes for AP Psychology, AP Biology, and AP US History. Notes are all well and good, but when do you actually need to start using them to review for the test? Find out how early you should start studying for AP exams if you're aiming for a great score. Have you planned out your schedule for the rest of your time in high school yet? If not, this guide will help you decide which AP classes to take in the future! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: