An Analysis of the Semai People of the Malay Peninsula Research Paper

An Analysis of the Semai People of the Malay Peninsula - Research Paper Example In the case of the Semai too, this is true. Their unique model of a society is based mostly on the needs of their mode of subsistence. The unique manner in which modern society has permeated the society of the Semai having left untouched certain features of their value systems is astonishing. The Semai people have not become a part of the Malay society; there are however, intermarriages that lead to the descendants leaving the community sooner or later. The importance of the Semai for most anthropologists lie in the position that they occupy within the debate as to whether humans are innately violent or not. People on either side of the barrier, especially during the time of the Vietnam War, appropriated the customs and beliefs of the Semai people to argue their beliefs. With an increasing emphasis on Freudian analyses in the twentieth century, the peaceful Semai’s ways began to be scrutinized more closely. The peaceful modes of their living were seen as an instance of repress ion. The violent tendencies that were supposedly repressed over centuries through a cultural system could apparently burst forth any minute according to certain commentators. The instances where they have indulged in violence have been sporadic and exceptional. Even though both sides of the spectrum are not free of tendencies to exoticize the Semai, the fact remains that they are a peace-loving tribe that lives a life that is unique and in many ways, unaffected by the ways of modern societies and economies (Robarchek and Dentan, 1987). Many ways of saying the same story have led, according to certain commentators, to distortions in the way that the Semai have been perceived. This is mostly done for the purposes of the people in power at any given point of time (Rawski and Ngah, 1998). Since the Semai do not enter into the process of representation and its politics, the representations of the west are the ones that dominate. The reason for this peaceful organization of society can be traced to the commitment that the Semai demonstrate towards their mode of subsistence-horticulture. They mostly employ the methods of slash and burn agriculture. This refers to a mode of agriculture where a particular space in the forest is cleared by cutting down the trees in that area. The place is then burnt. This results in the production of a great amount of ash that can assume the function of the fertilizer. Following this preliminary preparation of the field, sowing of the grain is done. Both women and men are a part of the process of cultivation. This also reveals the gender relations in the society of the Semai. Both men and women are considered to be equal in this society and they are both a part of the decision-making processes of the society. Since women are a part of the process of the production of food, they are also entitled to a say in other matters as much as men are. Women also perform domestic chores such as cooking and fetching water. The important thing to not e in this regard is that women are not forced to do these activities and they can also be done by the men of the society. No work is considered to be the exclusive field of members of a particular sex. This is a refreshing change from patriarchal societies that exist in most parts of the world. Food is also acquired through the process of hunting, trapping and fishing, with most of these activities

Geology of Puerto Rico Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Geology of Puerto Rico - Research Paper Example These rocks are overlain by younger  Oligocene  rocks to recent  carbonates. There are also othersedimentary rocks that are part and parcel of the geology of Puerto Rico. Typically, the Northern Oligocene to the rather recent carbonates is composed of Most of the caverns  and  karst  topography. The geology of Puerto Rico has made it very mountainous from the way the island was formed. There are also seventeen lakes in the island which are all manmade and fifty rivers (Otis, 2005). The island’s formation, topography, hydrography and climate make up Puerto Rico’s current geologic composition harmoniously; showcasing the natural beauty of the island. This paper seeks to analyze the geology of Puerto Rico from concepts of its formation, topography, hydrography and climate. Puerto Rico is strategically placed between the  Caribbean  and  North American plates, just at the boundary. As a result, there is deformation that is occurring to the island ion the present day due to the interactional stress between these plates. The results of these seismic events include geological hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis and landslides. Looking into the structure of Puerto Rico, the Jurassic rocks are the oldest rocks (Meyerhoff, 1933). These rocks are mainly found at  Sierra Bermeja  in the southwest part of the island and are about 185 million years old. They are believed to have originated from the Pacific Ocean  realm and constitute the bulk of the oceanic crust. In the Jurassic period, the main body mass (the Pangaea super continent) was split into two. This led to the formation of two land masses. On the North was Laurasia and to the south was Gondwana. As a result, the continental climate was transformed from dry to humid due to the presence of more cost lines. This was the first process of the formation of Puerto Rico. The land masses were pushed from the ocean overlying on top of each other thus forming hilly and mountainous landscape. The

Abortion Should Be Illegal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Abortion Should Be Illegal - Essay Example A woman's body is her personal sanctum. Once that sanctum is violated by a brutal act of sexual intercourse, the woman should have every right to â€Å"deal† with any problems arising from that encounter. Let's call it what it is, women should have the right to an abortion when she is raped. The modern day woman also fights for her right to control her body, rather than having a cultist sect or government control what she can and cannot do with her body. There are even a greater number of reasons that a sector of women in today's society support a woman's right to have legalized abortion. It is disturbing how all of the attention when it comes to abortion is cast solely upon the rights of women and what they believe to be their rights to their body. But what about the unborn child? The unborn child also has rights of his own. The minute he is conceived, the woman's body becomes his inner sanctum as much as his mother's. Why would a woman, even if she is impregnated by abusive sexual behavior, be willing to kill an innocent child who has yet to see the good that this world has to offer, even though his entry into it would be under less that acceptable circumstances? A child has the right to life and no woman, no mother to an unborn child, has the right to dictate who will and who won't be able to live the life that the universe has offered him. It is therefore my stand that this paper shall present evidence to prove the reasons as to why abortion should remain an illegal and criminal act. Let me start off this paper by immediately presenting the counter argument to my stance. Although there are a number of highly valid reasons to consider leaving the act of abortion an illegal activity, there are still a number of people who would rather have abortion declared legal. One of the reasons that a person would support abortion has to do with the existence of back-alley abortion clinics that do the procedures in a less than sanitized environment. Due to the lac k of government supervision, the woman puts her own health and life at risk when she goes to one of these clinics to have the fetus taken out. Government regulation would make the practice of abortion regulated and force the abortion doctors to adhere to a higher standard of practice than they currently have. As such the cost of abortions could also be lowered or, even better, the procedure might even be covered by health insurance under specific situations. If the unborn child is to enter this world under less than acceptable circumstances, as in the case of rape or incest, or any scenario wherein the child would be forced to live a life shunned by his mother and her family, then it would be in the best interest of that child to not be born at all. The abortion supporters say that babies born under violent sex circumstances do not feel the love of a parent growing up and therefore becomes a part of the criminal problem of our society. Rather than creating new state wards or problem s for the state, it would be in the child's best interest to never make an entry into our world. The aforementioned arguments are some of the most common that ends up being used by pro-abortionists. However, the most compelling argument that they use asks people to become de-sensitized to the act of abortion and consider the fetus nothing more than a lump of flesh or blood, a cyst if you will, in the body of a woman since there is no heartbeat in the fetus due to an undeveloped heart for a number of weeks. Thus having an abortion within that time frame does not make it murder since there is no heartbeat existing that would change the classification of the child from fetus to unborn child (â€Å"Should Abortion Be Banned (Except in Special Circumstances

Chinese Artifacts Essay Example for Free

Chinese Artifacts Essay The artist of this calligraphy scroll, Zhao Mengfu, was highly praised by the Yuan emperor Renzong as unrivaled traditional Chinese polymath (for a lack of a better word). It is said that the emperor admired him for possessing the following seven outstanding qualities: wide learning, Song royal ancestry, elegant and charismatic appearance, pure character and righteous conduct, literary accomplishment, mastery of calligraphy and painting skills, and profound knowledge of Buddhist and Daoist teachings. As an leading and influential calligraphy during his era, Zhao was able to successfully advocate and promote many of the views that he had on Chinese calligraphy. Zhao supported a return to the ancient models, which integrated the Jin (265 – 420AD) and Tang (618 – 906AD) dynasty styles to synthesize a new norm for standard and cursive scripts. In later eras, many printed texts were modeled after the standard script that he helped create. Furthermore, the cursive style script, depicted in this scroll titled Four Anecdotes from the Life of Wang Xizhi, became the foundations of the informal calligraphic styles of those how succeeded him. One of the four anecdotes from the â€Å"Life of Wang Xizhi† tells the story of a time when Xizhi, a ‘calligraphic’ sage, was extremely fond of the [graceful appearance of] geese. In Shanyin there was a Daoist monk who had raised a flock of more than ten fine geese. One morning Wang decided to take a small boat and go there. He was delighted with the geese and wanted to buy them, but the monk refused to sell. Wang tried in vain to persuade him. Finally, the monk told Wang that he loved Daoist philosophy and had always wanted a transcription of Laozis Daodejing with its commentary by Heshanggong. He had already prepared the silk, but no one was qualified to write it. He asked if Wang would condescend to transcribe two chapters each from the Dao and De sections, for which he would give Wang the whole flock. Wang stayed for half a day to write out the chapters, then he caged the geese and returned home. (Citation) In many ways, this story possesses many aspects of traditional Daoist philosophies. Firstly, the events and interactions between the Monk and Xizhi is highly reflective of the ‘interdependence’ between beings. Furthermore, the fact that the Monk refuse to trade his geese through monetary means underlines Daoist de-emphasis of material objects, especially something as superficial as money. Rather, the Monk was willing to give up his geese for an implementation Xizhi’s skill and mastery of calligraphy. In a way, this reveals belief that an individual should play the role of what he or she was ‘meant’. In other words, the Monk’s offer of his geese for calligraphy mirrors some sort of a natural guidance for Xizhi to walk in accordance to the Way. In summary, the story told through the calligraphy of this scroll is highly relavent to the Daoist themes that were studied throughout the course. Object : Buddhist stele, Tang dynasty (618–906), ca. 700 Origins: China Material: Black limestone Size: H. 64 1/2 in. (163. 7 cm) This relic originates from the temple in the Xinxiang County in the central Chinese province of Henan. A stele is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected for funerals or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated with the names and titles of the deceased or living — inscribed, carved in relief or painted onto the slab. In this case, the Buddhist stele is made of black limestone and is curved to give the outline of the figure of Guanyin. In this stele, we see many of the symbolism commonly studied in the Chinese Buddhism. Firstly, the graceful of stance the pair of bodhisattvas implicates a noble yet welcoming gesture which is reflective of the characters theor sage-hood. Secondly, judging by the small objects inscribed on the crown – a figure of the Buddha – they represent Guanyin (Avalokiteshvara), one of the principal bodhisattvas associated with the Pure Land cult. Despite the damages accumulated over time, the gentle S-shape swing of the bodhisattvas bodies gives an essence of individuality to each of the figures. The Western Pure Land sect, derived from the teachings of the Buddha Amitabha, was the sect that attracted the largest number of followers. As we have discussed in class, this was most likely due to the motivation that salvation awaits each and every devotee in a paradise situated in the western realm of Buddhist cosmology. The ability of Buddhism to discuss subjects like the afterlife was one of the largest sources of its popularity. This black limestone stele is one of the best examples of Buddhist devotional art in the Tang period of Chinese history. Object: Central watchtower, architectural model, Eastern Han dynasty (25–220), 1st–early 3rd century Origin: China Material: Earthenware with green lead glaze Size: H. 41 in. (104. 1 cm) The Han dynasty (206 B. C. –220 A. D. ) is deemed to be one of the most important and inflectional dynasties in pre-modern China due to it lasting effects in imperial structure and formation of a national consciousness. Chinese people, until today, still refer to themselves as ‘Han Chinese†. Furthermore, the architecture styles that were established during the Han period layed the ground works for the architecture of the eras to follow. Han architecture was a grand improvement to the architecture of those that precede them; it includes vast palatial complexes, towered gateways, and city walls were built as symbols of power and prestige as well as for defense. This model art piece embodies many of the essential features of Han architecture: the overhanging tiles supported by the roof, the four sided style infrastructure and the stacking effect. In many ways, this specific model, less a few details, is reminiscent of the temple building the class visited for the lecture on Buddhism. In relation to our studies, a great variety of these architectural models were used in the decoration of the tomb in the Han era to show the status of the person being buried. Object: Spouted ritual wine vessel (guang), Shang dynasty, early Anyang period (ca. 1300–1050 b. c. ), 13th century b. c. Origin: Possibly Anyang, Henan Province, China Material: Bronze Size: W. 13 in. (33 cm) This artifact, a bronze casted vessel, dates back to the late Shang era (ca. 1300–1050 B. C. ). The shape of the wine vessel is said to be loosely based on a figure of a bird; this is identifiable through the hooked beak feature and glaring eyes effect from the face on view. As we have studied, the Shang people had many beliefs about the spiritual world. This vessel is believed to have been used to pour wine and other beverages in ceremonies involving Shang ruler and their ancestors and supernatural forces. Other feature on the vessel includes coiled serpents emerging from the wings, roaring tiger-dragons prowling along the sides, horned bird that serves as a handle. This existence an artifact of this age gives us insights into the superior technology of casting in ancient China. The complicated multilayered designs are unparalleled by other cultures of the time. It is believed that the technique used for this the bronze casting is through a ceramic mold and the usage of an interior clay core. Motel bronze is then poured into filled the empty space between the intricate design and the core. Once the clay core was emptied out, the result is the astonishing bronzed vessel with complex designed as described. Again, such artifacts can be used to validate the hypotheses and speculations about the technologies and lifestyle during an ancient civilization like the Shang.

Underlying Tensions within the Big Heat :: essays research papers fc

â€Å"A tension between placid surface and hidden corruption structures The Big Heat, and the drama deals with a struggle between those forces which try to keep the lid on and those which want to force the hidden violence out into the open† (Tom Gunning). Discuss this claim in relation to the film.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Somebody’s going to pay†¦ because he forgot to kill me, this was the tagline featured on the poster for Fritz Lang’s dark film noir classic The Big Heat which establishes the films undercurrents of violence and revenge. The plot places the films lone uncompromising homicide detective Dave Bannion, played by Glen Ford, in direct opposition to a society corrupt at almost every level, ranging from the mob to the police department itself. The films themes of corruption, violence, vengeance and individual struggle are seamlessly expressed through Lang’s use of economical storytelling, expressionistic lighting, unrelenting performances, costumes and use of set and dà ©cor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Big Heat takes its place amongst a plethora of contemporary films dealing in similar concepts of widespread social corruption, focusing especially on the prevalence of organized crime in America, from the smallest of towns to the greatest metropolis’s. Notable films include The Enforcer from 1951, Robert Wise’s The Captive City (1952), Phil Karlson’s Kansas City Confidential and The Phenix City (1952 and 1955 respectively), Jospeh Lewis’ The Big Combo (1955) and Samuel Fuller’s Underworld U.S.A. of 1961. The Big Heat from 1953 emerges as the darkest of these films. The historical context the film was produced in is hinted at within the film itself when crime boss Lagana alludes to actual life Mobster Lucky Luciano, fearing his clash with Bannion might lead him toward â€Å"the same ditch with the Lucky Luciano’s†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In discussing surfaces in The Big Heat it is important to emphasize the films literal fascination with surfaces, human faces, lighting, locations, etc. Perhaps the scene that the film is best known for is where gangster moll Debby Marsh, played by Gloria Graham, has a pot of boiling hot coffee splashed across her face by the sadistic thug Vince Stone, played by Lee Marvin. The result is that Debby’s face is terribly disfigured, a literal destruction of a surface. However, the act actually transforms Debby from a simple bimbo into the film’s heroine. Her previous character relied on good looks to charm her way into money, her main occupation being shopping. These good looks were merely a surface and deceiving, her inside actually vacant and manipulative.

A Teenager Today Essay

Advantages you might have with being a teenager is that you get your freedom. When you turn sixteen you get your drivers license which could always mean one thing, MORE FREEDOM! What I like about being a teen is the fact that you start high school and you may be the top dog according to elementary school and middle school kids. When becoming a freshman an already being in high school is that there are many clubs, groups, and sports that the regular and physically fit, student body can be apart of. When in high school you could do dance, cheerleading, baseball, ect., clubs, and maybe even JROTC which involves being physically fit to partake in this course. Also the four academic courses that you get a another chance at becoming a better student in knowledge as well as the fine arts credits that you can choose from in the registration form for high school that you get when becoming a freshman. The disadvantages of becoming a teen is the puberty stage of life. Hitting puberty means your body is changing to make you a better looking and acting teen. the other disadvantages that teens may come in contact with is the wrong group that may lead you into doing things that aren’t right. With being in the wrong group can lead to unwanted casualties that are easier to take on when you are a full adult. Being a teen sometimes leads to peer pressure when you are in a bad situation that can be avoided. Some disadvantages to becoming a teen may be driving without the right precautions in mind. Advice to other teens about becoming a teen are that you find the right group or clique to be with for your teenage years. You need to be careful with what you do because if you have parents that are over protective or just really care about your safety, make sure you don’t do anything that might get you into trouble. You need to make sure that if you are being pressured with anything just walk away or tell an adult about what is going on.Don’t go to parties and drink so much that you end up drinking and driving. If you are driving under the influence make sure that you call your parents to come get you even though you might be scared of the outcome. You also need to keep in mind that you may be pressured into trying things that are illegal, so make sure that you also say no to drugs. Things you should say no to drugs, drinking, drinking and driving, sex, pregnancy, and any other unwanted casualties that teens are not ready to handle, even though you think you might be able to , say no!’

Characterization of Grandma Essay

In the story â€Å"A Visit to Grandmother† by William Melvin Kelley, the grandma was given many characterizations based on her appearance, words, actions, and by what people say about her. All the characterization of Grandma told the readers a lot about her and made it easy for the reader to understand the story from grandma’s perspective. First off, in the story the author describes Grandma as a lucky and unique person by providing the reader with some text evidence. The author states saying that grandma has all her teeth which is unbelievable. This makes grandma unique because most people around her age have lost many of their teeth. This is one of grandma’s characterizations based on her appearance. Also, in the story Grandma told her daughter Mai, not to make the food because she does not like relying on other people, in other words she is self reliant. She does not like other people to do jobs for her just because she’s old. She might be old but she still believes that she is capable of doing things she used to do when she was younger. This is characterization of grandma based on her own words. Lastly, the reader could refer to Grandma as an unjust person based on what other people say about her. An evidence for this characterization is when one of her son said that she never treated him the same way she treated her younger son because the younger son was lighter skinned and good looking then the older son. Charles, grandma’s oldest son refers to her as an unfair person, but this was something she was never aware of because he never told her how he felt, at the end she learned something. In conclusion, grandma had many different characters some bad and some good but, after all no one is perfect. Throughout the story not only did the reader get to know Grandma, but Grandma herself got to know what kind of person she is based on her many different characters.