Ancient Art Essay Example for Free

Ancient Art Essay 1. Between 35,000 bce to 12, 000 bce, people back then used to live a simple life that survive by means hunting. This period was called the Paleolithic era which means â€Å"old stone age. † The name was derived from the stone tools which were the main devices that were utilized by the early inhabitants to perform their daily activities for subsistence. It was also during this early period that man started to create artworks on the surface walls of caves. This later on became know as â€Å"paleolithic art† or â€Å"cave paintings† (Hoover). Most of the cave drawings or painting used animals as the subject matter. The reason behind this is that the animals were perceived as â€Å"either those needed for food and that the paintings were some type of ritual related to the hunt, or that the animals were sacred and were given god-like qualities. † More so, these visual artworks were considered as â€Å"calendars or almanacs, ‘coming of age’ ceremonies, records of tribal migrations and mystic paintings during a shamanistic trance. † Some of the examples of these paleolithic cave paintings are the following: Cow and a horse from Lascaux cave in France, â€Å"Big Cats† from Chauvet cave in France and the Horse at Lascaux cave in France. The animal theme was prevalent in these three paintings. More so, the colors used were mostly concentrated on earth tones such as red, brown, yellow and black. At that time, the resources of man were limited so the color scheme was monochromatic but with just a little touch of bold colors. For the outlines and silhouette of the animals, it was rigid and not proportional which was caused by the uneven stone surfaces. Also, it lacked depth making it appear two-dimensional. However, cave artists have mastered color blending that added some drama to the overall look of the painting. In Ancient Egypt, the royals were treated with utmost respect during their lifetime as well as in their after life. In order for them to be immortalized, sculptures were made in their honor. Also, it is to assure that the elites and royalist’s identity will be for eternity. The sculpture of King Menkaure and his Queen Khamerernebty is a clear example of this ancient practice. The statue of the two royal figures measures 4 feet 6. 5 inches in length and it is located within the pyramid of Menkaure which is the â€Å"smallest of the Great Pyramids. † The sculpture is primarily composed of a common material found in ancient Egypt, which is slate. The statue’s perfect body proportions and regal body gestures displayed Menkaure and Khamerernebty’s royalty. Back then, it was part of tradition that artists should represent their kings and queens in an ideal manner. Their flaws or physical defects should not be highlighted so that the public would forever remember them in a good light. Moreover, the formality of their position wherein the arm of Khamerernebty was wrapped around the torso of Menkaure and both their legs were straight and placed close together was intentional to ensure that the statue would last a lifetime. â€Å"By making the figures very compact and solid without any arms or legs projecting out, the sculpture has very few breakable parts. † Also, the headdress worn by the king as well as the â€Å"queen’s long hair† served as a support to the neck which is considered to be the most delicate part of the statue. More so, the perfect posture and affectionate gesture of the king and queen demonstrated that they were related through marriage. This strategic positioning of the figures was meant to look like that they are associated with each other. The artists wanted the viewers to immediately determine that King Menkaure and his Queen Khamerernebty are husband and wife and that they will forever remain that for the â€Å"rest of time† (Art History Adventure). Works Cited Hoover, Marleen. â€Å"Art of Paleolithic and Neolithic Eras. † 15 August 2006. San Antonio College Visual Arts and Technology Department. 17 November 2008 http://www. accd. edu/sac/vat/arthistory/arts1303/PALNEO. htm. â€Å"Menkaure and Khamerernebty, Gizeh, Egypt, 2490-2472 BCE, slate. † n. d. Art History Adventure. 17 November 2008 http://terpconnect. umd. edu/~mcech/m_k. html.

Richard Nixon :: essays papers

Richard Nixon was the thirty-seventh president of the United States and the only president to have resigned from office. He was on his was to success after receiving his law degree from Duke University Law School in 1937. California Republicans persuaded Nixon in 1946 to be their candidate to challenge Jerry Voorhis, the popular Democratic Congressman, for his seat in the United States House of Representatives. He accuses Voorhis of being â€Å"soft† on Communism. This was damaging to him because the Cold War rivalry between the United States and USSR was just beginning. Voorhis was forced into a defensive position after the two men confronted each other in a series of debates. Nixon’s campaign was an example of the vigorous and aggressive style characteristic of his political career that led him to win the election. Nixon gained valuable experience in international affairs as a new member of the United States Congress. He helped establish a program known as the Marshall Plan, in which the US assisted Europe rebuild itself following the war. He also served on the House Education and Labor Committee to develop the National Labor Relations Act. In 1948, writer and editor Whittaker Chambers accused Alger Hiss, a high State Department official, of being a Communist. Nixon, a member of the Un-American Activities Committee, personally pressed the investigation. Hiss denied further charges that he had turned classified documents over to Chambers to be sent to the USSR. Alger Hiss was later convicted and indicted for perjury after sufficient evidence was discovered. Nixon was reelected to Congress after winning both the Republican and Democratic nominations as a result of gaining a national reputation as a dedicated enemy of Communism. In 1950, Nixon was chosen as candidate for the US Senate from California by the Republicans. Again, he won this election by linking his opponent to being pro-Communist. Nixon was selected to be the running mate of the Republican presidential nomination, General Eisenhower, in 1952. Many of Eisenhower’s advisors wanted Nixon to resign his candidacy shortly after his vice-presidential nomination because of accusations that he misused his senator expenses fund. No evidence was found to prove this, and, in response, Nixon replied on national television with the â€Å"Checkers† speech, which contained sentimental reference to Nixon’s dog, Checkers. The speech was his attempt to prove his innocence. In the following campaign, Nixon once again attacked the Democratic presidential candidate as being soft on Communism.

Importance of Minor Characters in Shakespear Essay

In the main plot of Shakespeare’s famous play Hamlet, Hamlet’s father, the king, is murdered, and as a result, Hamlet swears revenge and ultimately succumbs to madness. Hamlet plays the role of the protagonist, while his uncle, Claudius, serves as the antagonist of the story. Besides the two main characters, there are a number of secondary characters, of unusual importance both to the action and to the themes of the play. Many of the themes of the play, including decay and corruption, revenge, and appearance vs. eality, are outlined through the description and progression of the secondary characters. Shakespeare creates minor characters Ophelia, the ghost and Polonius to play a very crucial role in Hamlet as they shape the thematic elements of the play. The character of Ophelia plays the role of Hamlet’s love interest and is easily manipulated by her family; portraying various themes of the play through her actions and behaviour. At the onset of the play Ophelia appears to have her wits about her, with the ability to be objective and coherent when she recognizes the mad behaviour of Hamlet. In act 3 scene 1 during a contentious conversation between Ophelia and Hamlet, he expresses his disgust with Ophelia and women in general, insisting that â€Å"it hath made me mad†. Ophelia is able to identify the frantic behaviour of Hamlet proclaiming â€Å"oh what a noble mind is here o’erthrown! † Although Ophelia is of sound mind during this portion of the play, she quickly spirals out of control, losing her mind as a result of the murder of her father. Ophelia’s insanity is witnessed during act 4 scene 5 when she proceeds to sing everything she says â€Å"How can you tell the difference between you true lover and some other? Ophelia’s madness is also described by Horatio when he tells the queen â€Å"she is importunate, indeed distract†¦ says she hears there’s tricks I’ th’ world, and hems, and beats her heart, spurns enviously at straws, speaks things in doubt that carry but hald sense†. The tragic downfall of Ophelia depicted in the play illustrates the theme of decay and corruption. The ghost of Hamlets dead father, King Hamlet, drives Hamlets determination to avenge his father, setting the revenge plot into motion, a major theme in the play. Upon Hamlet and the ghost’s first meeting, he informs Hamlet of his father’s horrible murder by Claudius, encouraging him to avenge the king â€Å"revenge his foul and most unnatural murder†. Before even explaining to Hamlet the details of the murder Hamlet insists â€Å"haste me to know’t, that I, with wings as swift as meditation or the thoughts of love, may sweep my revenge†, driving the action of the play forward and initiating the theme. Although Hamlet swears to get revenge quickly his procrastination and uncertainty prevents him from achieving his goal. When Hamlet begins to veer away from his attempt to kill Claudius, obsessing over his mother’s behaviour, the ghost returns to remind him of his true purpose â€Å"do not forget. This visitation is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose†. The ghost is a constant reminder throughout the play of the theme of revenge, encouraging Hamlet to avenge his father. At the beginning of Hamlet, Polonius is introduced as the father of Laertes and Ophelia and is later revealed to illustrate the theme of appearance vs. reality. Polonius’ has the appearance of a well natured wise old man yet in reality he is a poor excuse for a man who’s obsessed with self gain. Polonius enjoys giving advice, including â€Å"this above all: to thine ownself be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man†, insisting that if you are true to yourself, you cannot deceive anyone else. In reality, Polonius is in no position to be preaching about honesty and truthfulness, due to his shady behaviour spying on his children and Hamlet. Polonius presents himself as a very caring father, concerned about his children; however, in an attempt to keep an eye on his son, Laertes, he does not consider the possible repercussions of his plan. Polonius instructs his servant to spread rumors about his son, in the hopes of possibly discovering Laertes’s true behavior, disregarding Reynaldo’s protest that â€Å"that would dishonour him! † Due to his constant use of subterfuge, the character Polonius is one of the play’s best examples of the major theme of appearance vs. reality. It is uncommon in pieces of literature for secondary characters to be of such importance, both to the action and to the themes, as they are in Hamlet. The themes of the play, including decay and corruption, revenge, and appearance vs. reality, are highlighted through the description and progression of the secondary characters. Shakespeare creates minor characters Ophelia, the ghost and Polonius with the intention for them to play a very crucial role in Hamlet; shaping the thematic elements of the play. Secondary characters are often used in a play to supplement the main characters and the story line; however Shakespeare creates them with a much greater importance to reveal the themes of the play.

The Relationship Between Religion And Science - 1339 Words

Throughout modern times, philosophers have debated the relationship between religion and science. For example, the question has been raised whether science and religion give the same kind of knowledge, thus competing with one another. The alternate view is that they give different kinds of knowledge, thereby complementing one another. Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was an Italian scientist who addressed this issue. A bit later, the English philosopher David Hume (1711-1776) similarly discussed the kinds of knowledge that can be obtained from religion and science. This paper will consider the views of Galileo and Hume on the subject and will argue that science and religion provide different kinds of knowledge. This does not mean that one side is right and the other side is wrong. Both science and religion are useful to human life. It is logical to conclude that science and religion are concerned with different kinds of knowledge. Science deals with facts that can be observed and measured. It focuses on the aspects of life that are within the grasp of human reason. Religion, by contrast, deals with spiritual matters that cannot be observed with the physical senses. One can have feelings about the existence of God and heaven, but one cannot use scientific methods to prove that these things exist. Whereas science is related to the thought processes of the rational mind, religion is based on faith. By definition, faith is something that cannot be understood rationally. This pointShow MoreRelatedRelationship Between Science And Religion Essay2131 Words   |  9 PagesThe relationship between science and religion as Western categories of thought has long been fraught with tension; academics suggest that the conflict between religion and science arose in the 17th century, as a result of the Galileo Affair, and continued into the 18th century Age of Enlightenment. Others, however, suggest that the dispute between the two systems of belief may even be traced as far back as classical antiquity. Even today, it is clear that tensions endure between academics unableRead MoreThe Relationship Between Religion And Science907 Words   |  4 PagesThe relationship between religion and science is indubitably debated. Barbour describes four ways of viewing this relationship (conflict, independence, dialogue--religion explains what science cannot, and integration--religion and science overlap). Gould presents a case in which religion and science are non-overlap ping magisteria (NOMA), that the two entities teach different things and therefore do not conflict. 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During the twentieth century people began to believe that all human knowledge was scientific knowledge. Research either proved or disproved theories of the earth’s origin. People began to question the supremacy of science on the basis of the very premises that brought it to power,