Two Traditional Chinese History Literature review

Two Traditional Chinese History - Literature review Example As the top-most military commander of the army, he used the military to flaunt his power and force his policies across society. The end result was diminished power of the local governments and a strengthened centralized authority. As soon as the dynasty came to power, semi-autonomous kings at the local level threatened the authority of the central government under the emperor (Shu-hui 121). But in response, the emperor and the central authorities substantially weakened the influence of the regional administrators by directing the imperial court to implement reforms. Such actions were in response to serious challenges to the central authority by regionally-instigated movements such as the Rebellion of the Seven States. The emperor was the chief appointing officer; all government employees with at least 600 heaps of grain in pay were appointed by him with the assistance of the advisors, who assessed the qualification of each candidate (Shu-hui 122). The empress dowager served as the emperors real or figurative mother and was practically more influential than the holder of the throne. By virtue of her ability to override the emperor’s decisions, power was technically held by the two at the expense of regional administrations. The emperor could occasionally delegate his executive powers to a member of the central government, especially when some criminals needed to be executed extra-judicially but the emperor was ill-prepared to carry the baggage. According to Shu-hui, Han managed to centralize power for exercising by the top-most members of the bureaucracy, who were charged with executing out advisory opinion, censorial duties, policymaking, and judicial functions in administering the kingdom (152).  Ã‚  

Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground - Exposing the Unseen Depths

Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground - Exposing the Unseen Depths of the Human Mind The lights are on but nobody’s home. My elevator doesn’t go to the top. I’m not playing with a full deck. I’ve lost my marbles. †¦.cause I am cra-a-zy! Just like yooou! -Barenaked Ladies Crazy. That is how Dostoevsky’s man from the underground is referred to as he writes his notes-- his paradox on life. Is he crazy? Are his ramblings only the cries of a madman? Many would like to think so and our narrator would probably agree that they are only normal in thinking that. They are "decent" people. And yet, maybe there is a bit of truth in these notes. Perhaps we are all crazy. No? Ok, we are all decent people who function effectively in society. But what if there were hidden secrets behind the surface of this decency? â€Å"Dostoevsky uses his narrator to reveal those unseen depths of the human mind. His "craziness" is merely an amplification of what all people have inside of them. This man from the underground attempts to break these chains, but he too is human, and can never completely escape. He tries to uncover our eyes to a cycle to which humans are forever subject†( Morson 482 ). Knowing of their contempt for him, our narrator follows his old schoolmates to a brothel wanting to prove that he is unconquerable. He follows to undermine the superiority that he knows they feel over him. It is from this spiteful drive that the man from the underground finds his way to Liza, his closest experience to genuine happiness. Instead of being faced with another round of proving himself, he finds that they had all "gone their separate ways". It is her face that catches his attention when she comes in the room: "There was something simple and kind in... ... This deceptiveness festers until one can no longer be distinguished from any other. He conforms to the "generalhumanness." He becomes a slave to society and loses the courage to break the chains that keep him from being vulnerable. This cycle makes him normal. He is what is expected. Works Cited Coetzee, J. M. â€Å"Confession and Double Thoughts: Tolstoy, Rousseau, Dostoevsky.† Comparative Literature, Vol. 37, No. 3. (Summer, 1985):193-232. Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Three Short Novels: Notes from the Underground. Garden City, NY: Anchor Books, 1960. Matlaw, Ralph. â€Å"Structure and Integration in Notes from the Underground.† PMLA 73.1 (March 1958): 101-109. Morson, Gary Saul. â€Å"Paradoxical Dostoevsky.† The Slavic and East European Journal 43.3 (Autumn 1999): 471-494. Paris, Bernard. â€Å"Notes from Underground: A Horneyan Analysis.† PMLA 88.3 (May 1973): 511-522.

Defining the Humaniities Paper Essay

Humanities consist of humans and their ways of life starting from prehistoric to current cultural events. When one learns from past generations or civilizations one is better able to make wise decisions for the future. According to Georgia Humanities Council (2009-2013), â€Å"The humanities are stories passed from generation to generation to transmit culture. These stories are also known as our history, literature, laws, ethics, religion, philosophy, anthropology etc† (Why the Humanities Matter). This paper will be a discussion of humanities and give an insight of what humanities means as it is defined by various sources. I have chosen a cultural event from my life in which I will elaborate on to inform the reader of its importance in my own life and the culture around me. I will also show how this expression of culture and its relevant to what I know about the humanities, art, style, genius, and culture of the time period it represents. Last to be discussed is how the chosen expression of culture compares with other forms from the same time period. Humanities Defined  According to Humanities Council of Washington D. C. (n. d. ), † The Humanities are the disciplines that help us understand and define cultures, and human experience, including history, anthropology, literature, art history, ethics, philosophy and jurisprudence † (Humanities Council of Washington, D. C. – Functional Humanities). Humanities can help promote a culture or civilization’s heritage and history as well as its literature. Humanities also serve a vital role in community issues and help to promote one’s understanding of human values, traditions, issues faced by society. The term humanities according to The Congressional Act establishing the National Endowment for the Humanities includes the study as well as one’s interpretation of modern and classical languages, literature, linguistics, history, archeology, philosophy, ethics, religions, and the history, and theory of the arts (Humanities Council of Washington D. C. , n. d. ). Humanities cover a wide array of areas and time frames. Cajun Music I chose Cajun music because I have a rich cultural tie to Cajun music growing up around this musical type. I find Cajun music has a little bit of several types of music played because of its rhythms and lyrics. The first Cajun records came out in 1928, but it was not until the 1960s that the genre became well known beyond Louisiana (National Geographic Society, 1996-2012). Cajuns are known for their love of dancing, including two-stepping, and waltzing. Cajun songs with its deep emotion and rhythms that make an individual want to get up and dance goes hand-in-hand to tailor to these cultural inclinations. According to National Geographic Society (1996-2012), † Many of the songs have their origins in old Acadian and French songs, but Creole, Celtic, African, Anglo-Saxon and Amerindian influences were also picked up along the way † (Cajun Music). Many Cajun songs have lyrics in French-Acadian and include a fiddle and accordion, which gives the music its unique sound. My experiences with Cajun music stems from listening to my grandfather play the fiddle and sing in French. I was not always aware of what was said but by traditions and my culture I have learned to embrace the music and rich cultural beliefs my ancestors have laid out for me to learn from. How Cajun music tailors to my knowledge of humanities, art, style, genius, and culture of the time period it represents. When I evaluate what humanities means, I can better understand how Cajun music fits in because this type of music, which was once more localized to it its origins in Louisiana but now has a mass appeal and has become popular throughout North America and abroad. Humanities are about the arts and one’s culture. The style of modern day Cajun music displays its sounds anywhere from gospel, jazz, to rock-in-roll. Where it was once more primitive style of music and sung acapella, nowadays includes instruments, and a mixture between French and English wording. The genius of Cajun music originates from Cajun’s telling their story and intergrading their culture into the music. The cultural time period Cajun music represents would coincide with the movement from more classical music to rhythm and blues, rock-and roll, country, bluegrass, gospel, and jazz. Cajun music is a music transcending time and has evolved like all the previously mentioned styles of music. How Cajun music compares with other forms of culture from the same  time period. The evolution of Cajun music compares well to other styles of music but lack the use of technology instrumentally mostly. This type of music displays historic and modern day Cajun cultural beliefs and makes an individual want to dance. As in any art one’s location has much to do with it cultural styles. Conclusion Humanities are instrumental in understanding a civilization’s culture and learning from history to help an individual make wise decision for the future. Cajun music is the cultural even I chose because I have lived it all of my life, and it is part of my culture. References Georgia Humanities Council. (2009-2013). Georgia Humanities Council. Retrieved from http://www. georgiahumanities. org/about-us Humanities Council of Washington D. C.. (n. d. ). Defining the Humanities. Retrieved from http://www. wdchumanities. org/docs/defininghumanities. pdf National Geographic Society. (1996-2012). Nat Geo Music. Retrieved from http://worldmusic. nationalgeographic. com/view/page. basic/genre/content. genre/cajun_700.

Gay Marriage A Negative Effect On Society And How The...

Carlos Ulloa Political Science 3346 Professor Chounlamountry November 29 2015 Gay Marriage My topic is about gay marriage and how is really has a negative effect on society and how the government deals with it. As society and our government goes through changes people of certain groups don’t really let us move on and develop as a nation of diversity. These people have a name and they belong to the cultural lag group which doesn’t let us move forward because for there way of thinking By having the cultural lag we as society are never going to move forward to new ideas. Society is run by many things and the top for me is race, gender, religion and class status. Government plays a big as well because with it we will never have certain rights or have changes. The reason for this cultural lag is due to religion. They may be all morally good and have good values but they even corrupt our society today. Many religions don’t accept the fact of gay people in this world it’s a sin. 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