Sunday, March 8, 2020

The Human Body in the Art World Essay Example

The Human Body in the Art World Essay Example The Human Body in the Art World Paper The Human Body in the Art World Paper There is no debate that today’s civilization is obsessed with the human body. Plastic surgery exists to perfect the flaws people find with their bodies. Make-up exists to disguise imperfections and beautify. Exercise has become less about health and more and more about improving physical appearance. So it is safe to say that nowadays society focuses on beauty and obtaining the ideal, perfect silhouette, but people have focused on the body to the point of obsession almost since the beginning of time. This is known today because the human body has been a major theme in artwork for hundreds upon thousands of centuries. Throughout time, different cultures have portrayed the human body in a myriad of fashions through the use of art. Certain body parts may be emphasized or concealed, some artworks show bodies in a more idealistic or surrealistic manner, as opposed to a realistic manner, and vice versa. Although there are countless works of art that focus on the human body, there are five in particular that show how various cultures of varying time periods, portray the human body: the Venus of Willendorf, the Woman from Syros, Menkaure and Khamerernebty, the Snake Goddess, and Weary Herakles. The first work of art that focuses on the human body is from the Paleolithic Age, dates from 28,000 to 25,000 BCE, and is known as the Venus of Willendorf. It was given this name after its discovery in Willendorf, Austria. Made of limestone and at a mere four and a half inches high, the Venus of Willendorf was thought to have been a talisman. A talisman is a small figure believed to have magic powers and to transfer its magic to those who possess it. Although small in stature, this work of art showcases exaggerated body parts of a nude woman. The breasts and stomach with arms perched atop are round and pronounced, and the pubic area is clearly defined. The ball-like shapes of the body are due in part to the sculptor’s response to the natural shape of the limestone that was chosen for carving, but mainly because these anatomical exaggerations suggest that the Venus of Willendorf served as a fertility image. This is suggested of the tiny figurine because the body parts that are exaggerated are typical Paleolithic representations f women, whose child-bearing capabilities ensured the survival of the species. It is rather obvious that, due to its disproportionate shape, the sculptor of the Venus of Willendorf was not concerned with realism or naturalism. This female figurine is an idealization in the eyes of people from the Old Stone Age; they saw the ideal woman as a fertile woman and the anatomical exaggerations represent the features a fertile woman should have. The lack of facial features and the simple representa tion of hair show that the face was not an important part of the body. It also emphasizes and reinforces the fact that people from the Paleolithic Era were concerned with the fertility of a woman and saw beauty in signs of fertility, not in their faces or hairstyles. Such a stress of particular features shows that the human body is a main theme in the Venus of Willendorf. This theme is not only apparent in the tiny Willendorf figure, however. A second work of art that represents the human figure is the Woman from Syros. Its name originates from its discovery sometime between 2,500 and 2,300 BCE in Syros, Greece, now modern day Crete. Though larger in size than the Venus of Willendorf, the Woman from Syros stands only at one foot, six inches and is made of marble. It is assumed that it was meant to lay flat on a surface because it is only half an inch thick. It is also a figure of a nude woman, but the Woman from Syros is in no way round in shape like the Venus of Willendorf. The sculptor of the Woman from Syros rendered the body schematically in a series of triangles. Its body tapers from top to bottom; from an exceptionally board shoulder line to tiny feet. The breasts and pubic are clearly defined, the former with protruding triangles and the latter being etched in. There are no facial features save for the nose, created by making another geometric shaped protrusion. The Woman from Syros’ arms are folded across its abdomen. Its stomach is slightly swollen, suggesting pregnancy. This is a sign that this figure was also a fertility image. Like the Venus of Willendorf, the Woman from Syros’ focus is strictly on the body, specifically the human body. The parts of the body that define a female, such as the breasts and pubic area are clearly emphasized on the figurine, though not in a realistic or natural manner. The highly geometric pattern of the Woman from Syros shows the simplicity and cleanness of Cycladic art, but more importantly show how the theme of the human body remained prevalent in artwork as time progressed. The next work of art, Menkaure and Khamerernebty, are shares the theme of the human body. Made of greywacke and dating between 2,490 and 2,472 BCE, Menkaure and Khamerernebty is larger than either of the two former works of art, standing at four feet, six and a half inches tall. From Gizeh, Egypt, during the Fourth Dynasty, this double portrait of Menkaure and his wife displays the conventional postures used for statues designated as substitute homes for the Egyptian ka, known as uscheptes. The figures are still connected to the stone they were made from, classifying this artwork as a high-relief sculpture. Menkaure’s pose is rigidly frontal with the arms hanging straight down and close to his well-built body. His hands are clenched into fist with the thumbs facing forward. His left leg is slightly ahead of the right, but there is no shift in the angle of the hips to correspond to the uneven distribution of weight. This is ironic because the position of his legs is a pose that humans naturally gave, but the disregard of weight shift in the sculpture is highly unnatural. Menkaure’s wife, assumed to Khamerernebty, stands in a similar position to her husband. Her right arm encircles his waist while her left hand rests on his right arm above the elbow. This frozen stereotypical gesture indicates their marital status. Both of the figures have stoic, frozen faces that are looking straight ahead. The artist’s intent was not to accurately portray living figures, but to illustrate the timeless nature of the stone statue. These figures are far from an accurate depiction of Menkaure and his wife. They were created to fit the idealization of the human body according to Egyptian standards. The human body is a major theme in Menkaure and Khamerernebty because the figures focus on the ideal bodies desired by the Egyptians. It also shows that as time progressed, the importance of fertility decreased while the importance of portraying the ideal body type increased all the while keeping the human body the main focus. The Snake Goddess is a Minoan work of art whose theme is also the human body. It was created around 1,600 BCE in Knossos, Greece, now modern day Crete. Made of faience, as low-fired opaque glasslike silicate, the figure is one foot, one and a half inches high. It has been argued that the Snake Goddess represents a priestess, but it is more likely that it is a bare-breasted goddess. She holds a snake in each hand and has a feline on her head, both signifying her power over the animal kingdom. The frontality of the figure is reminiscent of Egyptian and Near Eastern statuary. However, the costume, with its open bodice and flounced skirt, is characteristic of Minoan culture. The prominently exposed breasts suggest that the Snake Goddess stands in a long line of prehistoric fertility images usually considered divinity. During this time period, the Minoans were a maternal society. Women’s breasts were exposed because they were a symbol of beauty and power. The statue’s waist is so small because Minoan women’s waists were small. This was because when they were young Minoan females, they had a metal ring soldered around their waists to make sure that they stayed small and grew to have an hourglass figure; this was the ideal body shape for Minoan women. If the statuette does indeed represent a goddess, then it is an example of how humans fashion their gods in their own image. The human body is a major theme in the Snake Goddess because it is a representation of the Minoan ideal of the female body. Although Minoan women were essentially forced into having the body shape that the Snake Goddess has, the statuette is still not a realistic representation of the human body because it is show how Minoan women should look. The final work of art that focuses on the human body is not of a woman, but rather a man and is known as Weary Herakles. The original Weary Herakles was created by the sculptor Lysippos of Sikyon around 320 BCE and was made of bronze. Unfortunately, the original copy of the sculpture was lost, but a Roman copy was made. This copy is made of marble and stands at a colossal ten feet, five inches high. The sculpture is a portrayal of Herakles after he obtained the golden apple of the Hesperides. He is sculpted with exaggerated muscular development and is shown leaning on his club for support. His face shows signs of pain and weariness. This is ironic because the mythological strongman looks so muscular and powerful with his large size and his defined and toned body that it is surprising that such a man could be tired and weak. This artwork is different from the four others in that save for its size, it is very realistic looking; so much to the point where the viewer can almost see Herakles breathing heavily. Weary Herakles also looks realistic because he is not stiff like the other works of art; he is standing in a natural, human position and is made even more human by the fact that his body language and facial expression radiates signs of fatigue. Although the sculpture is very realistic, his figure is still sculpted to match the Greek’s idea of what the ideal body type is like. Weary Herakles is an eloquent testimony to the Late Classical sculptor’s interest in humanizing the great gods and heroes of the Greeks. This entire sculpture is a focus on the human form from its facial expressions and arm gestures to its anatomical accuracy and contrapposto position. The human body has been a focus, nay an obsession of homosapiens since the dawn of time. From Prehistoric times up to today, the human form has been a major theme of countless amounts of artwork. Whether portrayed in a realistic or unnatural manner, different cultures have explored the human body in a vast amount of ways through the use of art. It is only certain that as societies become more and more infatuated with the human form, it will remain a prevalent theme and dominate the world of art.

Friday, February 21, 2020

Email Pragmatics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Email Pragmatics - Essay Example This essay stresses that language is a very unique phenomenon that comes with several types and rules. Different people speak different languages and even within the same sect of people using a particular language, there are several rules that govern language usage. Because of this, language creates a learning process for itself, which cannot be overlooked or under estimated if a person wants to make effect and judicious use of language. One other interesting feature about language is that the learning of language is almost perpetual, being studied at all levels of education, and ever changing in form and principles. One of the levels of studying and applying language is the focus of the current essay, which is the subject of pragmatic conventions. This paper declares that pragmatics has been identified to be an important area or level of language that emphasizes on the use of language in a social context. Even though most social interactions take place in a more physical form, involving utterances and speeches, it cannot be denied that there have been avenues by which social interactions and social networking have existed through written platforms. Some of these include the use of letter writing, social media networking and emails. Pragmatics as a social context of language therefore highlights both utterance and text meaning to language. The exchange of messages between people has been a common practice for ages.

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Criminal Evidence Law - Evidential and Legal Burden Essay

Criminal Evidence Law - Evidential and Legal Burden - Essay Example In this case, the prosecution has a duty to link the facts surrounding the two parties’ visit to the deceased’s house and to his eventual murder. The facts should prove on the balance of probabilities that actions of the accused may have caused the death. A fact-finder working with the prosecution would be tasked to collect the facts and link them to the crime. A jury would then have the final say on whether or not the murder case should proceed. The evidential burden in this case, which the jury will be tasked to determine is as follows: a) the accused visited Denzil’s house over an unsettled debt; b) William allegedly remained outside, possibly to scare people away within his imitation of a gun while Altin went in; c) Altin immediately attacked the victim; d) the victim died of the injuries sustained in the attack. In this case, there is no gap in the facts, which could have been prompted by a fall, for instance, on his way to the hospital1. Apart from the evidential burden, Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), providing for the right to the fair trial requires the prosecution to prove beyond the balance of probabilities that the actions of the two parties accused of Denzil’s murder have a legal basis. In this case, the prosecutor must prove that the alleged actions of Altin had a substantial cause on the Denzil’s death, but does not necessarily need to be the only or largely the cause of the death. This implies the two could be charged with the murder of Denzil if the prosecution established that his injury by the accused substantially contributed to his death whether or not he had underlying health conditions. A judge would be tasked to determine whether the legal burden can sustain trial. Altin would find it hard to prove that he was acting in self-defence because he intentionally went to Denzil’s place. In addition, the immediacy of the attack lends credence to a pre-planned murder whose time had come.  

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Domestic Violence Case Study Analysis Social Work Essay

Domestic Violence Case Study Analysis Social Work Essay Mrs. Chan lives with her husband and two children. The son and the daughter are aged 11 and 8 respectively. The couple has been married for 20 years. Mr. Chan runs a grocery store, and is the breadwinner of the whole family. Mrs. Chan is a housewife and responsible for taking care of the two children and housework. Both are in their mid-forties Summary of the information gathered Presenting problem and the aim of assessment Mrs. Chan came to sought help because of the alienation relationship between her husband and son. Furthermore, the domestic violent also be another issue because Mr. Chan abused the client frequently. The social worker carried out two interviews to gather specific information about the family. The aim was to realize the situation and raise an intervention plan to facilitate positive relationships of all family members. Problem assessment Clients perception of the problems During the several contacts with Mrs. Chan, she conveyed her view on the issues which exists in their family. The client expressed that she has two major concerns. One is she felt helpless when facing the domestic violence. The other is that she worried about her son would be negative influenced by her father and be hurt during family violence. She told the worker that she had been abused by her husband for several months starting from last year and tolerated the unfairness mistreatment for a long time. Sometimes, he even did the violent behavior in front of their children. And her husband ever threatened her with a knife. Mrs. Chan admitted that she felt feared. For her children, she decides to leave their family temporarily. The client mentioned that the reciprocal conversation between her husband and son is seldom. Even when they stay together there is rare communication. She did not know how to improve their relationship and was anxious to seek solutions to remedy this situation. She said to worker she has ever hear her son murmuring that he has hidden some weapons and may use them to attack his father. Besides, her sons performance in school is not as well as before. Therefore, she was solicitous about the conflict between two of them will more and more worsening which will bring about more negative effect on her son. Workers perception of the problems During the interviews with Mrs. Chan, the worker observed that the family functioning is unbalanced because of domestic violence. Domestic violence Family system theory focus on the interaction patterns within a family. It stressed that in each family, there exists a rule to confine each family members behavior. And the boundaries and communication patterns of each members are defined. (McCue, 1995). By adopting the theory, the worker found that Mr. Chan seems to view himself as the dominant role and authority in their family, once some family members do not obey his rules they will achieve punishment. And Mr. Chan use violence as a mean to restore Mrs. Chans position within the family. father-son relationship The worker found that the alienated relationship between the father and son mainly result from domestic violence. In this case, the boys father is the perpetrating party and his mother is a victim. The boy presented resentment and fear to his father, what his behavior, such as indifference and alienation represent his emotion. 3) Family communication As a result of domestic violence, the spousal relationship and parent-children relationship were both damaged. The mere family communication lead to family system lacks basic understanding and support. During the interview, the worker found that the distorted communication pattern and alienated relationships between family members are results of domestic violence. To Mrs. Chans son, his academic performance and mental health were both negative influenced by domestic violence. Agreed view of the client and the worker Mrs. Chan and the worker agreed that the foremost thing is to guarantee the safety of her and her two children. Staying in hostel can provide an opportunity to her calm down and make a decision whether leave or not. Based on the premise, a sound family relationship and a harmonious atmosphere would be constructed in the long run. Priorities of problems domestic violence and spousal relationship relationship between Mr. Chan and his son family communication and relationship among all family members Intervention phase Objectives Short -term: To alleviate the domestic violence in Mrs. Chans family and improve the relationship between the couple. To improve the relationship between Mr. Chan and his son Long-term: 1. To facilitate positive interaction pattern and create harmonious family atmosphere. Strategies and rationales shelter program Shelters have been gradually became a critical strategies for women and children who are preparing to escape violence. The shelter program can help abused women deal with current crisis and prepare to control their lives. ( McCue, 1995). At present, the foremost concern is the safety of Mrs. Chan and her children. Through shelter program, Mrs. Chan can calm down to consider the arrangements afterwards and make a rational decision for their future lives. Cognitive-behavioral approach The worker believes that a cognitive-behavioral approach for Mr. Chan would be effective to solve the whole family problem. The cognitive -behavior model stated that behavior is influenced by cognition: behavior will be modified by cognition. (Bonnet Williams, 2001). By cognitive-behavioral approach, Mr. Chan can indentify the situation which trigger his anger and learn how to control aggressive emotion with adaptive behavior. Mutual communication workshop Family members use verbal and nonverbal channels to convey messages. And the interaction and communication patterns play an important role in family relationship. (Hepworth, R. Rooney, G. Rooney, Strom-Gottfried, Larsen, 2010). For the purpose of improving the family relationship and ameliorating the communication pattern, some relevant activities would be arranged for them. The workshop includes organizing some domestic activities to alleviate the misunderstandings and facilitate reciprocal communication among family members. By this method, the family relationship will be more stable and harmonious. Parental skills training Marital conflict always related with ineffectiveness parenting, and children who suffer parental discord and uncaring parenting are prone to represent internalizing behaviors include anxiety, depression and externalizing behavior include aggressive and disobedience. (Papalia, Olds, Feldman, 2009). Through the training, the parental pattern of the couple can be improved, and their sons emotional and mental issues can be alleviated and be more preoccupation with schooling. Regular meeting with children Since the domestic violence impose a negative influence on the boy, a regular meeting with the child is compulsory. By the regularly meeting, workers can give out specific and pertinent suggestions and projects to help the child rebuild his confidence and expectation to the family, community as well as the society.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Caliban in Shakespeares The Tempest Essay -- essays research papers

The Tempest, considered by many to be Shakespeare’s farewell to the theatre, has of all his plays the most remarkable interpretive richness. The exceptional flexibility of Shakespeare’s stage is given particular prominence in The Tempest due to its originality and analytic potential, in particular in the presentation of one of his most renowned and disputed characters, Caliban. Superficially portrayed in the play as a most detestable monster, Caliban does not evoke much sympathy. However, on further examination Caliban presents himself as an extremely complex character and soon his apparent monstrosity is not so obviously transparent. The diverse range of presentations of him on stage exemplifies Caliban’s multifarious character. Although Caliban attempts to rape Miranda, appearing initially to be nothing more complex than a degenerate beast and so should be presented as such, Caliban is in fact a human being and not a monster, misunderstood only because Prospero, the colonizer, has unjustly depicted him as being merely a primitive native. At the time of The Tempest, settlers began moving out of Britain to colonize America, Africa and parts of Asia. Laying a claim to overseas territory was becoming increasingly important to national identity and power. The voyages of Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama sparked what has come to be known as the age of European Expansion, when England and the rest of Europe began devoting their energies to exploring and developing markets overseas. When The Tempest was written, these immensely important social events were on the top of everyone’s mind, including, presumably, Shakespeare’s. It is for this reason that the play is often considered an allegory of European discovery and i... ...ual intentions behind the creation of the play can never be revealed. However the bulk of the evidence points towards a Caliban who is, despite his possible demonic parentage and unspecified deformity, a human, and it often appears that Shakespeare wished him to be presented as such. This view is not unfounded, as it was known that Shakespeare had read, and indeed quoted from Michel de Montaigne’s ‘Of Cannibals’ where it is argued that the customs of natives were not barbarous or uncivilised, merely different. Post – colonial interpretations of The Tempest appear to view Caliban in a similar light. Caliban’s wonderful grasp and description of his surroundings does not suggest evil, rather his words imply a true innocence. Caliban is not a monster and so should not be presented as such, he is simply bare, unimproved nature, an example of humanity at its rawest form.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

What are Ballads?

Ballads are folk songs that tell a story. In the past when there was no media, Ballad singers would go around houses asking if anything had happened. They then would remember this piece of news and would go around spreading it. Ballads only include the main detail so people listen to them. They were usually about murders, mysteries and disasters. In this essay I will include the language features of Ballads and the storyline. I will also write about which ballads I have read and whether I have enjoyed them or not. Ballads share many different language features. One of the language features used is repetition. Repetition occurs in â€Å"what has happened to Lu-Lu?† â€Å"What has happened to Lu-Lu mother?† this is almost like a chorus. It helps us remember the ballad. Another language feature is regular rhyme scheme. There is a regular rhyme scheme in Frankie and Johnny. â€Å"Love. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦above† This makes the poem more interesting and it also gives the poem a rhythm. Another ballad that uses regular rhyme scheme is the Greshford disaster. â€Å"†¦Paid†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Brigade† This makes the poem have a regular beat also it makes the poem easier to remember. Alliteration is a language feature. Alliteration occurs in Frankie and Johnny. â€Å"Roll†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Roll†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Roll†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.† The ‘R' sound being repeated helps you picture someone being rolled over. In the ballad of Charlotte Dymond there is a lot of Alliteration. â€Å"She†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.She†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.She† This almost makes me feel like someone is whispering because of the sadness of Charlotte's disappearance. In the Greshford Disaster all the stanzas have the same amount of lines this makes the poem more pleasing. In what has happened to Lu-Lu? All the stanzas have the same amount of lines. This made it easier to remember for Ballad Singers .In What has happened to Lu Lu? There are similes this is one â€Å"I heard an engine roar†. This helps you imagine what the sound of the engine is like. In the Greshford Disaster there are also similes â€Å"What packed like snow in a drift† This helps you imagine what the gas in the Dennis looked like, there would be lots of gas in the coal mine and you wouldn't be able to see anything like in a snow drift. Many Ballads are about love but some of them are about other things like mysteries and disasters. Two ballads which are similar are â€Å"The Ballad of Hillsborough: and â€Å"The Greshford Disaster† because they are both about disastrous events and people dieing. However â€Å"What has happened to Lu -Lu† is different because it us about a girl disappearing. From my opinion I think The Greshford Disaster and The Ballad of Hillsborough are more tragic, because in what has happened to Lu -Lu no one actually dies but in the other two ballads there are people dieing. But different people will have a different opinion .Two other ballads which are similar are â€Å"Frankie and Johnny† and â€Å"The ballad of Charlotte Dymond† but in â€Å"The ballad of Charlotte Dymond† her husband Matthew kills here and in â€Å"Frankie and Johnny† Frankie kills her husband Johnny. I think people would still like ballads like this because there are still people going missing, people dieing, and disasters. Also people like listening and reading about other people and things that are happening in the rest of the world. I have read a number of Ballads foe example The ballad of Hillsborough† The Greshford Disaster, What has happened to Lu-Lu and The ballad of Charlotte Dymond. Although my personal favorite is â€Å"Frankie and Johnny. â€Å"The storyline of the ballad is about two people who are madly in love and in the end they betray each other .My favourite part is when Frankie takes the trigger out of her kimona. The poet says â€Å"Frankie threw back her kimona took out a big 44 Root a toot toot three times she shoot.† I thought this was effective because it puts you in suspense of what Frankie is going to do. I would recommend ballads to people who are fond of reading and writing poems because ballads contain the same language features that poems include.