Critical reading assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critical reading assignment - Essay Example The scientist argued that the Jews-Muslim convivencia had contrasting political motives or goals. Some state that Jews and Muslim existed in fully harmony that time. Others state that they were under pressure all the time, and their rights were impaired. For better understanding the Jews position, Cohen in his article used a comparative approach, and in such way explained lots of gaps. Undoubtedly, it was the period of harmony existence of the Jews and the Muslims, but nevertheless there were some restrictions and exceptions. Cohen tries to show how different were life the Jews in Islamic and Christian world. According to the article, Jews had lots of rights in Muslim world, they were well informed and took part in Muslim courts and economic life, and at the same time their position among the Christian were between the horns of dilemma (Cohen 4). According to the archives, it is possible to make a conclusion that the Jews adopted in some way the elements of culture of the Muslims. It to study the culture of Jews carefully, it is possible to find many similarities between their culture and the culture of Muslims. Those who lived in the Christian lands suffered along the whole history. Those who lived in Ashkenazic world suffered much less than historians stated in theirs book. Cohen provides in the article much approval concerning this point. He claimed that they had rights; moreover, they had integrated some Christian motives into Judaism as well. It is essential to pay attention to what attitude Islam and Christianity had to the Judaism. Speaking about religion, Islam treated Judaism much more positively than Christianity. If we read the New Testament we can find that Jews were rejected on theological basis. The Qur’an is not rejecting religious pluralism, but at the same time considers Islam to be the prevailing religion. The difference is that Islam is monotheistic religion, as opposed to the Christianity, with its Trinity. The other significant diffe rence is that Muhammad died naturally in contrast to the Christ, who was crucified. These differences caused quite different attitude to the Jews and their position among the Reconquista Spain and the Ashkenazic lands (Cohen 4). The Jews had a legal status in Muslim world. They had to pay some per year taxes, they had no restrictions on the manifestation of their religion, they only had to wear a special clothes, in order to be recognized among Muslims. They were trusted enough to hold the official positions. There was a period when both the Jews and the Christian can participate in the political life of the Islamic states. They could be translators or diplomats. Cohen in his article pays especial attention to the economic factor. The Muslims and the Christians had absolutely different approach and attitude towards the Jews. The Jews were associated with luxury, they were international traders. But later they Christians developed bad attitude towards them. Quite different attitude c ould be noticed in the Islamic world. They not only served some goods, but also had some functions, wrote letters etc â€Å"For other reasons, too, Jews occupied a more stable and enduring place in the social order of Islam than they did in northern Christian Europe. Islam, like Christendom, is a hierarchical society. Jews occupied a place on the hierarchical ladder-- a lowly place but a place nonetheless. The same was true of Christendom in the early middle

Stranger on a Train - Alfred Hitchcock Essay Example for Free

Stranger on a Train Alfred Hitchcock Essay The very first scene when Bruno meets Guy, Bruno is depicted as a baddy by having shadows of blinds cast across his face. These symbolised the bars of a prison. There also is a close up shot of his shoes, which shows them as being very expensive and posh. In Medcafe, when Guy meets his wife Miriam to have the meeting with the counsellor, it is based in a very sinister environment in a music shop. This is when Miriam cheats on Guy and says that she is going to stay married to him. When Bruno visits Guy on the evening of the murder outside Guys house, they both end up standing and talking to each other behind a barred gate from the cameras point of view. It is at this point when Guy calls Bruno crazy. Bruno begins to invade Guys life after murdering Miriam, as he wants Guy to kill his father. Bruno has a close up shot done of his hands when his mother is acting as though she is his servant and this shows that Bruno has no respect for his mother, but more than his father. This is shown when Bruno says that his mothers painting looks just like his father. Brunos mothers painting is very strange and sinister, and could symbolise that Brunos mother has a twisted mind too. While Bruno is at his house we also see him dressed in an expensive silk dressing gown, which symbolises his wealth. He also has a personalised tie and very smart suit, which he says he doesnt like but his mother bought for him so he wears it to impress her. Bruno always wears a hat but Guy never does. This is because the hat causes a shadow to be cast across his face, which shades his eyes. Bruno first meets Guys family and friends at a tennis match and he pretends he is Guys friend and his admirer. Anne Morton then begins to wonder about him as he keeps staring at Barbara and her glasses. Guy gets a package delivered to him, which contains a gun and a plan of Brunos house to show where Brunos Fathers bedroom is. Guy next sees Bruno at a party where all his friends and family and acquaintances are. Here Bruno starts a conversation with a lady about how to murder someone without other people hearing or seeing. He then says he will show her how to, and when he goes to demonstrate it he sees Barbara, who looks like Miriam and falls into a trance. Anne Morton worked out that it was Bruno who murdered Miriam and wanted to go to the police but Guy explained that he couldnt tell the police because Bruno would say that they had planned it together. Anne Morton then went to Brunos house to try and explain to Brunos mother that she had a lunatic for a son but Brunos mother would not hear a bad word against him. So Guy phoned Bruno to tell him that he would kill his father and agreed on the date as that night. When Guy arrived at Brunos House he followed the instructions to get to Brunos fathers room and once there he woke up Brunos father. Brunos father, it turned out, was not at home that night but instead, Guy found Bruno lying there and had an argument; Bruno said he would get Guy caught somehow. Guy explained this to Anne Morton and they remembered that Bruno had Guys lighter. Anne and Guy came up with a plan to give the police the slip and get to the fairground before Bruno and stop him framing Guy. The plan would only work really well they decided, if Guy won the first three sets of the tennis competition, but the plan went wrong as Guy was beginning to get tired. He finally won the tennis match and got away temporarily from the police but not successfully. The police caught up with Guy and tried to take him back to jail but Guy and Bruno started to have a fight on the merry-go-round at the fairground. Here Bruno wants revenge so much because Guy has not killed his father you can see it in his eyes and the way he acts, he is so eager to get back at Guy. The man in charge of the boating lake pointed out the man who he had seen follow Miriam onto the boating lake and the police assumed it was Guy but when the got hold of Guy the man corrected them and said it was Bruno not Guy. Even when Bruno was lying dying on the destroyed merry-go-round he was still trying to get Guy into trouble and it was only when he finally died that the police believed Guy and found Guys lighter in Brunos hand.

Armand Fernandez :: Armand Fernandez Artists Painters Essays

Armand Fernandez Born as Armand Fernandez in 1928 at Nice, the son of an antique dealer. His first lessons in painting were given him by his father. He took his Baccalaurà ©at in philosophy and mathematics in 1946 and began to study painting at the École Nationale d'Art Dà ©coratif, Nice. In 1947 he met Yves Klein and Claude Pascal in Paris and accompanied them on a hitch-hiking tour of Europe. Completing his studies in Nice in 1949, he enrolled as a student at the École du Louvre, where he concentrated on the study of archaeology and oriental art. His pictures at this time were influenced by Surrealism. In 1951 he became a teacher at the Bushido Kai Judo School. He completed his military service as a medical orderly in the Indo-Chinese War. He did abstract paintings in 1953. He took part in actions with Yves Klein, with whom he had been discussing subjects such as Zen Buddhism and astrology since 1947. He married Eliane Radigue. He was impressed by a Kurt Schwitters exhibition in Paris in 1954 which inspired him to begin his work with stamp imprints, the Cachets. He earned his living during this period through occasional jobs, selling furniture and harpoon fishing. He had his first one-man exhibitions in London and Paris in 1956. In 1957 he travelled in Persia, Turkey and Afghanistan. In 1958 he dropped the "d" in his name, inspired by a printer's error. He started his monotypes using objects, his Allures. In 1959 he did his first Accumulations and Poubelles. The Accumulations were assemblages of everyday objects and similar consumer articles displayed in boxes. The Poubelles were similar, but used collections of rubbish. In 1960 he became a founding member of the Nouveaux Rà ©alistes. Through this group he made contact with members of the Zero group. H e showed in New York and Milan in 1961 and made his sliced and smashed objects (Couples, Colà ¨res). In 1962 he showed in various European cities and also in Los Angeles, where he was assisted by Edward Kienholz. He started his so-called Combustions, or burned objects, in 1963. He also took up part-time residence in New York. In 1964 he had his first museum retrospectives at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, and at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam. Polyester now became his most important material. In 1965 and 1966 he was given large retrospective exhibitions in Krefeld, Lausanne, Paris, Venice and Brussels.

The Result of Sin Essay -- Literary Analysis, The Scarlet Letter.

Sin is the â€Å"wrongful conduct of a moral code selected by either society or the transgressor.† Sin is one of the main themes in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. The Puritan society that Hester Prynne resides in does not accept people who deny to follow the moral code of the town. Throughout the novel three main characters are involved with the act of sin, Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth. Adultery by definition is voluntary having sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than his or her lawful spouse. It is part of the ten commandments and a law that the Puritan village frowns upon. During the Puritan time period, crimes for adultery ended in execution. However Hester is only forced into wearing the scarlet letter due to the unknown information of who her husband and her lover were. Through adultery Hester Prynne and her daughter are forced to reside to the outskirts of town and be neglected by the rest of society. Hester is forced to wear the scarlet letter embroidered to her chest. This is to symbolize the adultery she has committed. "It [has] the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity and enclosing her in a sphere by herself " (Hawthorne 49). This spell, the scarlet letter is "so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom" (Hawthorne 49). The scarlet letter is what separates Hester from the rest of society because it symbolizes her sin. To make up for her sin Hester â€Å"bestowed all her superfluous means in charity, on wretches less miserable than herself†. (Hawthorne 76) However, although Hester tries her best to contribute to the less fortunate than even herself citizens continue to â€Å"[insult] the hand that [feeds] them†... ...t that out of the three characters Roger Chillingworth has the darkest conscience. This is apparent considering he feels no remorse or guilt from the people he is hurting. It is obvious that Roger does not think of the impact of his actions and does things for self gratification. There are many moral lessons demonstrated in the novel The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne is able to get the point across that it is better to confess your sins rather than hide them. It may ruin ones reputation, or destroy a career, but it is better for yourself than to live in guilt forever. This is proven significantly through Hester Prynne at the end of the novel. Hester is able to overcome her sin and learn from her mistakes. She is discovered to be a woman who helps others and eventually regains the respect of the town. She is eventually is finally accepted by herself, society, and God.

Stefan’s Diaries: The Craving Chapter 9

Fifteen minutes later I stood next to my brother at the outskirts of the dance, waiting for the music to stop. Everyone twirled around, their skirts swishing in perfect synchronicity to the music, all of them oblivious to the fact that two dangerous murderers stood among them. â€Å"Follow my lead,† Damon said out the side of his mouth. â€Å"Go to hell,† I said out the corner of mine, smiling at Margaret as she passed. â€Å"Been there. Not to my liking,† he answered, taking two glasses of champagne off a tray and handing one to me. â€Å"There you are,† Bridget squealed, running up to me. She bounced up and down with excitement, causing all of the flounces on her dress to rise and fall like a giant stinging jellyfish. She grabbed my arm. â€Å"What were you talking about all this time? Me?† I turned and looked at her. She was beautiful and completely off-putting – self-centered, immature, always vying for attention. But Bridget Sutherland didn't deserve to die. I had been responsible for enough deaths in my short time as a vampire. I could never put to right the wrongs I'd committed in those early days, but saving this family from Damon's vengeance was my responsibility. I would not have their blood on my conscience. â€Å"Yes. Yes I was,† I answered, and then I drained my drink and motioned for the waiter to bring me another. â€Å"Attention please,† Damon called out, tapping on his glass with a silver spoon. The master of the dance, Reginald Chester, squinted at Damon curiously. The orchestra, looking confused, put down their instruments. Mrs. Chester first seemed put out that someone else was taking charge of the dance – but when she saw who it was, she began to beam like Damon was her own son. The murmuring crowd turned to us: young, old, with feathers, with gems, in wide lace shawls and massive silk dresses, like a flock of tropical birds at a zoo awaiting the keeper who would scatter grain for their supper. They whispered to one another and nodded, trying to claim connection to him: â€Å"I had dinner with him last week.† â€Å"He was having drinks with the Knoxes, that's where I met him.† â€Å"I recommended my best tailor to him.† It was difficult to tell if the crowd had been charmed by Damon's natural charisma, or if there was powerful compelling at work. But I wondered again how a vampire as young as Damon could command such Power. â€Å"My new friend and I have an announcement to make,† Damon called out, assuming his fake Italian accent once more. Lydia quietly slipped to the front of the crowd, coming to stand near Damon. â€Å"Many of you know the story of the night Miss Sutherland and I first met†¦ I, a stranger to your shores, and she, a beautiful damsel in distress†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The crowd smiled adoringly. Hilda and one of her girlfriends exchanged envious looks. â€Å"And in a shocking coincidence, my friend here, Stefan Salvatore, rescued her sister, the equally beautiful and charming Bridget Sutherland, just last night. I can't speak for him,† he said, drawing close to Lydia, his glass still raised, his attention still on the crowd, â€Å"but for me, it was love at first sight. I've already spoken to her father, and so before anyone else can grab her away from me, I, Count Damon DeSangue, beg Lydia for the honor of her hand in marriage, though I have nothing to offer her beyond my good name and lifelong devotion.† He got down on one knee and whispered, â€Å"Lydia?† Lydia's face flushed prettily. She was taken off guard. Though she was not the sort of girl who really looked forward to being asked to wed in front of a large crowd, she beamed. â€Å"Of course, Damon, with all my heart!† she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. The Sutherland family stood together at the front of the crowd. The look on Margaret's face wasn't so much a scowl as disgusted shock and sheer confusion. I knew how she felt, but wondered at her response. Wasn't she under Damon's compulsion to accept him – and me – completely? Bridget's reaction was equally human, and far more horrible. Her eyes burned with pure, searing jealousy. Maybe there was a tiny bit of relief that her older sister was getting married, which meant that now in turn she could. But it was obvious that the youngest Sutherland had been dreaming her whole life of exactly how her perfect suitor would propose, and that it involved being done in public, in front of all her friends and an admiring audience. The admiring crowd clapped and then Damon's eyes flicked back toward me. Just once. Like he had the power to compel me. And in a manner of speaking, he did. I knew exactly what he wanted me to do. I drained my second champagne before stepping forward, turning toward Bridget. Here I went again. It seemed only yesterday that I was in Mystic Falls, yearning to go to school in Charlottesville, waiting out the war in the lazy, endless summer, and being forced to court Rosalyn. Each time I called upon her it was with a leaden ball in my stomach, and each visit was an exercise in frustration and despair. I never wanted to marry her – our parents wished us to marry. My father expected us to marry. And so I was forced into an engagement I didn't want, anticipating a marriage I didn't desire. Once again I was being being forced into a marriage. But perhaps this was all part of the punishment I deserved. And if it meant saving lives†¦ â€Å"Bridget.† I turned to her, bent at my waist and holding my drink out, toasting her. I was the very form of romantic etiquette, exuding Southern charm the like of which these Yankees rarely saw. â€Å"From the very moment I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Saw your near-lifeless body covered in blood in Central Park and almost finished you off. â€Å"†¦ had the fortune to come to you in the hour of your direst need, I just knew you had to be mine. And thanks to the generosity of your parents, I already feel like family. Bridget, will you make this the happiest night of my life?† With a porcine squeal Bridget threw her arms around me – after first carefully handing her glass of punch to Hilda. â€Å"Good show,† Bram clapped, his cheeks flushing even redder. â€Å"I knew you were a decent chap! I could tell right away!† The crowd exploded with cheers and thunderous applause; buckets of champagne were ordered all around. Winfield Sutherland looked so puffed up with pride and joy I feared he would explode. Mrs. Sutherland looked quietly pleased now that the last of her daughters were matched. Only Margaret shook her head angrily before freezing her face into a good show of sisterly pride. The leader of the dance had a Nebuchadnezzar of champagne brought forth, a giant glass bottle that held the equivalent of twenty bottles' worth of champagne. In an elegant display of sabrage, he took a sword from his butler and dramatically sliced along the bottle, causing the neck to fly off in a beautiful explosion of sparkling golden liquid. â€Å"Let's have the weddings this weekend!† Damon cried out, as if caught up in the general excitement. â€Å"We've waited our whole lives to find these ladies – why wait now?† Yes, why wait? I thought. Let Damon's games begin.

Eminem Biography essays

Eminem Biography essays Marshall Mathers aka Eminem aka Slim Shady causes controversy wherever he goes but that hasn't stopped him becoming one of rap's biggest stars. Call him what you want but he is one of the most successful rappers in todays rap industry. The critics fail to see that he is making these lyrics because he knows that they will talk about him and if people dont know about him they might just buy his CD in curiosity. In this paper I will try the best I can to take you through Eminems life to educate you about why he writes such angry lyrics. Eminem was born as Marshal Bruce Mathers III on October 17, 1972 in Kansas City. Eminem soon moved to Detroit when he was only 12 years old. During his childhood he moved around a lot so, it was very tough for him to make friends. Marshal began rapping in the school lunch room and soon dropped out of school to pursue his rap career. In high school, he battled with other classmates and was soon gained a reputation as a nimble rhymer. In 1997, Marshal he released his first LP called Infinite. "I was getting a lot of feedback saying I sounded like Nas or Jay-Z," Marshal admitted. (ezzzy.com/Eminem/biography.shtml) Later on that year he was in The Source Magazine for Unsigned Hype. Also that year, he won The Wake up Shows Freestyle Performer of the Year and second place Rap Sheet Magazines Freestyle Olympics. A couple years down the line Dr. Dre heard a demo tape of Eminem and loved what he heard. Dr. Dre immediately got in touch with him and signed him to the Aftermath label. His major label debut - 'The Slim Shady LP', co-produced by Dre - was a huge success, by hitting Number 2 on Billboard's album chart on its first week of release. The lyrics provoked more controversy with Eminem being accused of promoting homophobia and encouraging date rape and drug abuse. The track '97 Bonnie & Clyde' also caused outrage...

Free Essays on The Lord Of The Rings

‘The Lord Of The Rings’ series was written by J.R.R Tolkien and has been around for many generations. Despite being around for so long it is still a favourite amongst the majority of the community constantly being inside the top three best all time books. The movie for this series has been filmed and completed but it will not be released until December and that is only the first part, ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’, with the next two parts to be released at yearly intervals. This book has two titles. The main one, which is the title of the series, is ‘The Lord Of The Rings’. This is very significant to the story because Sauron, who is the main enemy, is the ‘Lord Of The Rings’. This is due to the fact that he has the power to control the nine magic rings but only if he has possession of the One Ring. The other title of the book is ‘The Fellowship Of The Ring’. This is the title for only this book in the trilogy with the other two being ‘The Two Towers’ and ‘The Return Of The King’. This first part of the story is titles ‘The Fellowship Of The Ring’ because during the story a ‘fellowship’, which is a selected group of nine, is formed to set out to destroy the Ruling Ring. This book is definitely a fantasy story although it is very believable. It contains ‘hobbits’, elves, dwarves, wizards, men (although they are not fictional) orcs and many other fictional characters. All these are in someway all connected whether they are friends or foes. Throughout the book all these races are depicted with such close detail they almost pop out of the book in front of you whilst reading. The book is also set in a different world called Middle-earth and a fantasy time that has gone through several eras including such times as the ‘Dark Age’ when evil ruled, although this time doesn’t occur in this book there are several references to it. If this story was set in the earth that we know it woul... Free Essays on The Lord Of The Rings Free Essays on The Lord Of The Rings ‘The Lord Of The Rings’ series was written by J.R.R Tolkien and has been around for many generations. Despite being around for so long it is still a favourite amongst the majority of the community constantly being inside the top three best all time books. The movie for this series has been filmed and completed but it will not be released until December and that is only the first part, ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’, with the next two parts to be released at yearly intervals. This book has two titles. The main one, which is the title of the series, is ‘The Lord Of The Rings’. This is very significant to the story because Sauron, who is the main enemy, is the ‘Lord Of The Rings’. This is due to the fact that he has the power to control the nine magic rings but only if he has possession of the One Ring. The other title of the book is ‘The Fellowship Of The Ring’. This is the title for only this book in the trilogy with the other two being ‘The Two Towers’ and ‘The Return Of The King’. This first part of the story is titles ‘The Fellowship Of The Ring’ because during the story a ‘fellowship’, which is a selected group of nine, is formed to set out to destroy the Ruling Ring. This book is definitely a fantasy story although it is very believable. It contains ‘hobbits’, elves, dwarves, wizards, men (although they are not fictional) orcs and many other fictional characters. All these are in someway all connected whether they are friends or foes. Throughout the book all these races are depicted with such close detail they almost pop out of the book in front of you whilst reading. The book is also set in a different world called Middle-earth and a fantasy time that has gone through several eras including such times as the ‘Dark Age’ when evil ruled, although this time doesn’t occur in this book there are several references to it. If this story was set in the earth that we know it woul...