The Opium Wars essays

The Opium Wars essays The Opium Wars were really not about Opium. Instead, they were a result of Western (especially British) desires to further their economic interests in China. In addition to rigid restrictions under the Canton System of trade, the British suffered from a negative trade deficit with China. Therefore, I feel that Opium was only a symptom of a much larger problem, that problem being that the Westerners wanted a virtually unrestricted trading environment that served their interests. The Chinese had little use for Western goods for as they saw it, China was the Middle Kingdom, the center of everything civilized. The opposite was true of Westerners. Westerners, especially the British, loved tea. In addition to tea, they also purchased large quantities of silk and rhubarb (Hsu, 150) along with beautiful Chinese porcelain. This deficit was reduced once the sale of the Indian Patna and Malwa Opium commenced around 1820. Even though opium trade was forbidden by imperial decree, the Opium trade continued and flourished, especially along Chinas South Coast. Addiction was so bad by the 1830s that most men under 40 had smoked Opium at one time in their lives. The number of people addicted during that decade is estimated to be around 12 million. In order to compensate for the trade deficit, the Chinese exported silver, which began to drain the treasury. In the words of one government official "If we continue to allow this trade to flourish, in a few dozen years, we will find ourselves not only with no soldiers to resist the enemy, but also with no money to equip the army ( Chesneaus Jean, 55). Even though Opium is a drug and it is bad, I believe that the Chinese would have had a fit over any product that was draining their economy and benefiting the barbarians. If Opium was so evil and bad, why were there so many people in government and military ranks addicted to it ...

Modernist artist Man Ray and the Dada movement Research Paper

Modernist artist Man Ray and the Dada movement - Research Paper Example Man Ray and Dada Movement Biography Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky), born in August 27, 1890 was of an immigrant Russian-Jewish family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents were Melach Radnitzky and Manya Radnitzky. In 1897, Melach and his family moved to Brooklyn, New York. As he familiarized with Brooklyn, Emmanuel developed greater curiosity towards his surroundings. His interest widened to include ballistics, male and female anatomy, as well as mathematics (Baldwin 34).2 At the age of seven, Man Ray received first, as a birthday gift, a box of crayons from one of his cousins. He from then spent much of his time creating and drawing colorful pictures. At his early age of 14, Emmanuel Radniztky's high school equipped him with free hand and mechanical drawing. He gained much perspective of art and impressive fame through his studies and devotion to drawing. In his second year, his classmates frequently taunted him because of his name. This led to his adoption of the pseudonym Man Ray (Baldwin 48).2 Man Ray and the formal world of art The movement by Man Ray led to his joining Marcel Duchamp’s revolt towards aesthetic tradition. ... Independent men living beyond nationalism and war lived for other ideals. In his multiplicity nature, Man Ray needed escape from the insularity caused by his ethnicity. His emergence responded to the anti-individual and the collective experience of the First World War. Dada allowed Man Ray practice his art in enhancing acceptance and independence of his framework. Dada failed in sustaining itself within New York. Man Ray wrote a letter to the Dadaist Tristan Tzara before entry into Paris. This nihilist Tristan Tzara was of an avant-garde Romanian performance artist, journalist, playwright, film director, art critic and poet (Dachy & Michael 14).4 His heated personality, as well as the uncompromising activism, caused many conflicts in the Dada movement, in France 3and Romania. Despite of him not leaving Dada, Tristan Tzara took up Surrealism eventually (Masters 14).5 He developed his painting career as an apprentice in an engraving studio after completing his studies. He also served a s an illustrator and a draftsman in an advertising agency. Man Ray started taking drawing classes in Manhattan’s Ferrer Modern School where he learnt the world of photography and Alfred Stieglitz. The artist's creation by Pablo Picasso and Paul Cezanne tremendously inspired him. Dada and Surrealism encouraged Ray’s artistic work. Artistic ideas motivated him more than the artistic work itself. Despite his abstract paintings, Man Ray disregarded traditional superiority on photography. He used photography in documenting sculptures with no independent life and capturing activities by the avant-garde friends (Bardis 215).6 In 1915, his first solo exhibition happened at the Daniel Gallery.

Final Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Final - Term Paper Example However, majority people assume that a single male who is the main source of income, earn more than enough to support himself and his family. There was not at all a mutual agreement on in what ways a living wage can be define, however, there were number of administrative bodies and governments who take initiative in taking up the mission of developing multifaceted formulas (David, pp. 6-11) In modern times, this phrase living wage has reoccurred in United States of America. In the period of early 90s, focus was given more on jobs with low wage. Protesters in Baltimore, Maryland suppress their government to look for a policy tool so that their problems can have proper solution. The city then passed an ordinance known as living wage ordinance according to which any firm which hires workers must pay their employees or workers a good living wage. The idea was spread quickly in every part of the country. Today, after approximately seventeen years later, in 140 cities, multiple countries a nd countless universities this living wage ordinance is implemented. ... After some calculations, it is anticipated that more or less one-fifth of the entire population of the world are suffering from lack of adequate shelter, on the other hand, approximately a million or more people, mostly children, die every day due to lack of proper housing majority of which are targeted in developing world. There were many scholars who argue that it is quite complicated to make standardized criteria for sufficient housing in this entire world but there are some general norms which are: authorized security of residence, availability of infrastructure and services, accessibility, habitability, affordability, cultural and location adequacy. The rapid expansion and development in many cities go along with speedy increase in the total number of urban residents who reside in overcrowded and sub-standard conditions. The statistics of developing countries illustrate that town inhabitants represent approximately an average of twenty five to sixty percent of the population in urban areas. The current situation shows that the estimated percentage of urban population who lives in intense poverty is more than fifty percent; however, this may rise to almost seventy nine percent in most of the cities. More than one billion of urban dwellers are included in urban poor, whereas low income groups consist of approximately half of the existing urban population (Moser & Satterthwaite, 1985). Over the past three eras, there were many programs of official housing started in developing countries were unsuccessful in order to reach significant segments of the group, particularly households which are below twenty to thirty percent of the entire population. The

Study of motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Study of motivation - Essay Example Achievement motivated people are mainly impressed by the opportunity to reach their goals. A sense of accomplishment satisfies them and they are pleased by their goals completion. Authority motivated people like being controlled and they feel safe in their subjective positions. Affiliation motivated group of people are fond of being involved in interaction with other people. This group of people performs perfectly in a team environment. Thus, McClelland approach to motivation can be justified, because he underlines the importance of group cooperation and subjection of an individual to the social factors and not only individual concerns. Cognitive approach and relation of motivation to human conscience is one of the popular interpretations of the nature of motivation. On the basis of a substantial body of experimental evidence the extrinsic motivation (contingent rewards) can be opposed to intrinsic motivation (when the individual wants to perform the task for himself. Cognitive Evaluation Theory (CET) describes underlying intrinsic motivation as the option for competence and self-determination. Rewards are external factors which influence motivation (Motivation Today). On the one hand, we can claim that an individual is motivated if he obtains something from the environment and in such a way he defines his further motivated behavior. On the other hand, an individual can rely more on his inner triggers of motivation and remain indifferent to external rewards. It depends on a human nature and his goal-orientation. Goal setting theory is based on the following principle: one can work hard to reach ones goal and it is necessary to define clear goals otherwise general and vague goals would be misleading. People should have a good stimulus. Employees motivation if based on this goal can lead to positive results. In case they can complete their works effectively

Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet Essay Example for Free

Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet Essay Being a virgin viewer of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet, I found myself dissatisfied as I began to see the famous balcony scene reveal itself on the courtyard floor. â€Å"Where is the barrier, the ‘stony limits’ that separates the lovers from each other?† I inquired. How could the most renowned scene of William Shakespeare’s most popular play be missing? I continued to watch in astonishment as the daring scene developed into a masterpiece. Baz Luhrmann and Franco Zeffirelli both achieved unique interpretations of William Shakespeare’s script which accomplish the chief goal of displaying the extremely passionate love between Romeo and Juliet. The movies were made twenty-nine years apart and had many specific and not so obvious differences between them including the setting, script, and camera work that are significant to accomplishing the two director’s diverse objectives for the films. The most noticeable difference found between the balcony scenes of the two movies is the different settings. There actually is a balcony in Luhrmann’s version, but it is much smaller and is only used for a brief instant in the scene. Romeo climbs to the top of the balcony in both versions, but in Luhrmann’s film, to his surprise, he finds an ugly nurse instead of the attractive Juliet. This comedic moment is essential for distracting the audience from their predictions. The Capulet mansions are both astounding and enormous but bestow different emotions. The mansion in Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet is very castle-like with towering stone walls surrounded by trees, and a large balcony. This plain and simple appearance is important because the focus of the scene is on the two young lovers and the stony limits that separate them. Luhrmann’s film has a very luxurious and romantic looking set that captures the viewers’ attention from the start. The scene is more colorful with white sparkling lights, statues, ivy, and most importantly, a brightly lit up blue swimming pool. The water provides a perfect medium for Romeo and Juliet as they confess their love for each other. The water does not on ly serve symbolic importance but provides a modern obstacle between Romeo and Juliet that can be compared to the balcony. Although the viscous water acts as a barrier, the pool scene involves much more contact between the lovers than Zefferelli’s balcony scene. Light piano music fills the air instead of the louder rock music that is found throughout the film. In both versions, Juliet is clothed in all white, portraying her innocence. Zefferelli’s set resembles the setting William Shakespeare describes in his script, while Luhrmann modernizes the setting and translates script to appeal to today’s generations. Shakespeare wrote his plays in a Victorian language that is not especially familiar to most people today. Zefferelli was quite aware of this, but made very few adjustments to the script. His play targets people who already know the story of Romeo and Juliet. Zefferelli takes advantage of the opportunities film offers by using technology to create realism, background music, props, and backgrounds to aid in the comprehension of the balcony scene of this romantic tragedy. On the other hand, Baz Luhrmann cuts the original script from 190 lines to 100 lines. He also adds occasional words to enable a smooth flowing dialogue. He maintains Shakespeare’s Victorian language because of the ingenious poetry and rhythm it has that flows like music to one’s ears. Luhrmann eliminates a lot of the difficult and time-consuming language as well as lines that do not pertain to his modernized setting. For example, lines 70-182 of Act III, Scene II are eliminated, in which Juliet calls Romeo back then forgets why she did so. Luhrmann’s adjustments to the script allow for a more easy translation of Shakespeare’s language. In addition to the changes in the script, the scene can be comprehended strictly by viewing the moving picture due to the careful selection of costumes, the use of body language, the romantic setting, and the camera technique. The camera work during the balcony scene of both films is very strategically planed to give the viewers a much more personal experience than that of the stage. Zeffirelli’s scene makes use of the long balcony as the camera pans along it continuously, not allowing the eyes to rest. This keeps the viewers involved in the film while close ups are used to show the passionate emotions of the lovers. In Baz Luhrmann’s version of the scene, the camera is not as active as one might imagine. The scene begins with long shots and as it develops, the camera moves in to extreme close-ups to show every detail of the lovers’ expressions. The camera gives the viewers an intimate relationship as it moves slowly and more closely to the actors in contrast to the chaotic camera movement in other scenes. The quantity of editing used in Baz Luhrmann’s scene is significantly reduced when compared to the editing in other parts of his film. The editing pace goes from every couple seconds per shot to about twenty seconds per shot. The length of shots in Zeffirelli’s scene is even longer. Also, Zeffirelli’s scene uses slight high-angle shots on Juliet that gives the effect that Juliet is in a more superior position than Romeo. In Luhrmann’s film the lovers remain level with each other throughout most of the scene, giving a sense of equality. Both filming techniques used in the two versions were very effective in creating the close relationship between Romeo and Juliet as they reunite for the second time. The power and passion of love found within the balcony and pool scenes of the different films is one that leaves an everlasting impression in the hearts and minds of the viewers. Although interpreted very differently by two brilliant directors, the scenes both relay Shakespeare’s message. Baz Luhrmann did so in a way that transformed the play from Shakespearian times to the youth of the twentieth century. He used state of the art technology, familiar actors, a modernized setting, and adjustments to the actual script to translate Shakespeare’s play into modern times. On the other hand, Franco Zeffirelli attempted to make his film as much like Shakespeare’s play as possible. He used film to his advantage to provide a closer experience than that of the stage, but few changes to the actual script and setting were made. He wanted to reflect the play to the best of his ability to the screen. Baz Luhrmann’s objective was to bring Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to the homes of people around the world. Both films were successful in achieving their goals, but were very unique because of the differences in the setting, script, and camera work. Works Cited â€Å"Imagery in Luhrmanns Romeo + Juliet.† American Film Institute. 1 Feb. 2005 http://www.fathom.com/course/28701907/session4.html. Marks, Margaret. â€Å"Brand New Old Stuff.† 1 Feb. 2005 . Romeo and Juliet. Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Perf. Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting. Paramount Pictures, 1968. William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Dir. Baz Luhrmann. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Twentieth Century Fox, 1997.

Participative Management Essays -- essays research papers fc

Participative management is a new approach in the work force today. Job enrichment, quality circles, and self-managing work teams are just some of the approaches. Companies share a common goal of increasing employee involvement. They want to raise the quality, performance, and productivity of their workers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The questions that follow will be answered in this paper. What is participative management? What are the advantages of participative management? How does it raise quality, productivity, and performance? How can it be successfully started, implemented, and sustained? What are the results of experiments done in the work force? Participative management is a process by which a company attempts to increase the potential of its employees by involving them in decisions affecting their work lives. A distinguishing characteristic of the process is that its goals are not simply acquired, they focus on the improvement of productivity and efficiency, but they are also fulfilling and self-enhancing in themselves. The key goals of employee involvement programs is to enhance the quality of the employees’ working life, management must be responsive to the requests of the employees. The best way to ascertain those requests is to ask employees.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If workers can be motivated and given the opportunity to participate in the search for improved methods of job performance, and if this motivation and participation can be maintained over time, job performance should improve. Productivity is higher in companies with an organized program of worker participation. Employee participation can and does raise productivity. The most appropriate form will vary from company to company but participation works only when both parties want it to work. The solution to America’s pathetic productivity growth isn’t necessarily more capital spending (Lewis & Renn, 1992). People tend to accomplish what they decide they want to accomplish. Ideas, changes, suggestions and recommendations that are generated by the people who implement them stand a much greater chance of being successfully implemented. In theory, people who have a hand in making a decision are better motivated to execute it. Participation can improve the quality of decision making. Participative management appears to offer tremendous advantages... ...rcles, gainsharing, and self-managing teams because they are trying to change the entire organization, not just a few plants or a few practices (Lawler, 1986). The work place of the future will require greater emphasis on such key human resource factors as participative management, training programs, and teamwork. Employee involvement and participative initiatives are likely to expand considerably over the next several years in United States businesses. If they are to remain competitive in the marketplace and survive with the intense overseas challenges awaiting them, worker involvement and these initiatives must be present. Bibliography Lawler III, E. (1986). High-Involvement Management. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers. Lewis, J. & Renn, L. (1992). How To Start A Participative Management Program: Ten Easy Steps. Interlochen: Lewis & Renn Associates, Inc. Schuller, T. (1985). Democracy at Work. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Sirianni, C. (1987). Worker Participation and the Politics of Reform. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Warner, M. (1984). Organizations and Experiments: Designing New Ways of Managing Work. New York: John Wiley & Sons.

A Comparison and Contrast of Ideas of Beauty

It has often been said that â€Å"beauty is in the eye of the beholder.† This may well be true, but many people, particularly women, have trouble seeing their own beauty, especially when they do not look just like everyone else.The three short stories that were assigned, â€Å"Beauty: When The Other Dancer Is The Self,† by Alice Walker, â€Å"Mirrors,† by Lucy Grealy, and â€Å"The Story of My Body,† by Judith Ortiz Cofer, all share the same premise. In each story, each young woman is faced with trials due to the way they look. The way that they choose to deal with these trials, however, is different for each one.â€Å"Beauty: When The Other Dancer Is The Self† is the story of Alice Walker’s life as a child. She thrived on being considered cute and â€Å"sassy.† At one point in the story, she even mentions that she was fond of staring at people, just so they would notice her and how beautiful she was. Unfortunately, all that changed wh en she was accidently shot in the eye with a BB pellet.She lost sight in that eye, and the eye formed a large white cataract that people would stare at and comment on. Walker refused to look anyone in the eye for years. She became extremely uncomfortable with the idea that she was no longer beautiful in the traditional sense, and her social and scholastic abilities suffered for it. When she was older, she had the chance to have the cataract removed, and nothing but a blue scar remained.This did wonders for her confidence, until she had a child of her own. She worried about what the child might think of her blind eye, but a television show featuring a blue globe gave the child the idea that her mother had a world in her eye. To the child, this was a wonderful thing. Walker, gaining acceptance from her child, was able to finally accept herself.â€Å"Mirrors,† by Lucy Grealy, is the story of the author’s battle with cancer of the jaw and the disfiguration it caused. Greal y was young when she had to have part of her jaw removed, so along with the normal trials of growing up, she was forced to deal with the pain of chemotherapy and the stares and taunts of insensitive children and adults.When the reconstruction of her face failed time after time, she gave up looking into mirrors. In fact, she avoided any shiny surface. She stayed in the library most of the time, reading books about the Holocaust and other dreadful times in history to make her pain seem less significant. When she finally had a chance to have work done on her face overseas, she jumped at the chance.She seemed to think that having a â€Å"perfect† face would solve all of her problems. Instead, the surgeries caused new problems. She had to have work done on the healthy side of her face to make a match, and she ended up looking nothing like what she thought she would. Not being able to reconcile with her new face, she ignored mirrors for a whole year. However, at the end of her stor y, she encountered a man who made her feel good about herself. Finally, she had the acceptance she needed to peak at her reflection in a window.â€Å"The Story of my Body,† by Judith Ortiz Cofer, tells the tale of what is was like for the young Cofer to grow up Puerto Rican. In her own society she was considered light skinned and tall. When she moved to the United States, she was considered dark and short. This instant change in the way people perceived her was very hard for the child to take.She got to the point where she no longer wanted to look at herself. She was an outcast at school, so much so that her parents had to send her to live with her grandparents in order to attend a different school. Unfortunately, things weren’t much better for her there. She was bone-thin at the age where most teenagers start to blossom.She was also considered â€Å"dirty† by white people, and was unable to date the boy she loved because his parents would not allow him to date a â€Å"dark† girl. However, Cofer excelled in school. It was the one thing that she could do right. When her good grades got her into college, she was in a different world where people found her â€Å"exotic† and beautiful. Being accepted came, oddly enough, by being different.These three stories have much in common. For instance, all three women gave up looking at themselves for various amounts of time. Being told that they were â€Å"ugly† and â€Å"dirty† took a toll on each one’s self esteem. Each woman had a physical problem. Walker had a discolored, blind eye, Grealy had a terribly disfigured face, and Cofer, along with being the exact opposite of the standards for beauty, had chicken pox scars all over her face.All of these reasons, although they vary in severity, were more than enough reason to make a young woman want to hang her head. No one ever said that the teenage and young adult years were easy, anyway. Perhaps the most important thi ng that they all had in common was the need for something to better their perceptions of themselves. For Walker, it was her child. Once she had acceptance from her little one, she was free to face the world.For Grealy, it was having lunch with a man who did not seem disgusted or turned off by her deformities. His attitude towards her was enough to make her want to see what he saw in her. For Cofer, it was excelling in school and making it to college. There she found people who didn’t care if she was different, and some that actually seemed to like her better because she was different. She could finally think of herself as pretty again.The stories also have some contrasting themes. The types of suffering experienced by the women were vastly different. Although one can emphasize with Cofer over being picked last in gym and looking different, her suffering was much less than Grealy’s loss of a portion of her face or Walker’s loss of sight. The way that each woman o vercame her difficulties is also different. Cofer used her smarts and her mental ability to rise above those who tortured her. Walker was partially freed by having her cataract removed in order to look more â€Å"normal.†However, Grealy turned her back on her femininity for a while and withdrew into books, not wanting to accept the fact that she lived in the real world. She was perked up by the man mentioned above, but she fell into a sad life of drug addiction and eventual suicide. This is perhaps the largest contrast. While Walker and Cofer found their beauty, Grealy apparently never did.In conclusion, these three stories have a lot to teach us about our reaction to suffering. We should not hide ourselves away from the world because of our problems, but neither should we cause other people to want to hide away because of our stares and comments. Beauty is subjective. Magazines and movies would have us believe that only one kind of beauty is acceptable, but that is not the c ase.People who rise from adversity are often left with beautiful souls, and that is what we should look for in a person. All these women mentioned were beautiful because they persevered, and it is a shame that Grealy could not come to see herself in that light. If nothing else, these stories should show the reader that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder, and we should never do or say anything to steal another person’s beauty from them.