Les Miserables Essays (639 words) - Les Misrables,

Les Miserables Les Miserables known in English as "The Terrible" is a musical portrayal of the French Revolution. It is a musical tragedy, which served as a major powerhouse competitor for Andrew Lloyd Weber musicals in the early eighties and nineties. When first debuting on Broadway in 1987 it traveled a long hard road to compete with musicals of the decade. However, in time many well-known performers were proud to associate themselves with this wonderful work of art. The musical play begins with its lead character named Jean Valjean. Jean Valjean was released on parole after 19 years on the chain gang. In this initial scene the audience can almost immediately feel the tonality of the play with the constant reference to the number 24601. 24601 were the prison number that became Jean Valjean's identity for 19 years. The dark and dreary ambiance set the tone for the first song of the libretto, "Look Down. The lyrics to look down coincide with the chain gang, overseen by brutal wanders, working in the hot sun. It is this series of songs in Act one that take the audience through many turns of feelings and emotions. These emotional songs are used to portray poor men and women working in low class factories, women selling their bodies and more importantly a class of people struggling to scrape by. The most vivid songs used to identify the various themes of poverty and prostitution are Lovely Ladies, A Heart Full of Love, and Master of The House. Moreover, it is a song titled Do You Hear the People Sing? That prepares the audience for the ending of Act one. Most if not all of Act one uses song, tonality, character, pitch and tone to depict the various themes of the play while the story is beginning to unravel. Throughout the second and final act the musical content within the play acts as a story of it's own through theme and variation. Each separate song represents a feeling and or mood and is enhanced as it is varied throughout the act. Like the first act, the songs are used to portray poverty, suffering, hardships, and even death. However, unlike the first act, there is also a theme of love and happiness. Closure is brought about with a sense of warmth and this is often heard through the display of the tempo. When the times were tough the tempo decreased and was often slow and morbid like. When happy times were brought about, the tempo increased to a song and dance farewell. The final song of the musical really brings the whole story together. The loose ends are tied and the audience's hearts are left captivated and moved. This musical would not be complete without the dramatization of the performers. It is each individual performer that brings song into the story. Each of the eight main characters represents, in a sense, their own theme and motivation towards the story. Without these characters the notes and chords wouldn't bring about any music. It would merely be song without feelings or words. Each of them sings to sing to us in their own different way and exemplify their role within the story. Together these two important ideas make this play an excellent musical. My personal reaction to this musical was surprisingly a good one. When my girlfriend first told me that we were going to see a Broadway play I wasn't initially excited. However, after just about 30 minutes into the opening act I was beginning to recognize and comprehend musical terms that we had discussed in class. I then decided to be open minded and take notice of not only musical but also theatrical happenings of the story. It was amazing to be able to hear the tempo change, the timbre (tone color), and also identify the theme and variation. It was often difficult to understand the opera like approach to the play but all you needed was a good ear and total concentration. I found that I actually enjoyed Les Miserables and I wouldn't be too quick to say no to another one.

Wayne Dylan Essay

Wayne Dylan Essay Wayne Dylan Essay Lil Wayne Folk Artist According to Josh Tyrangiel, a writer for Time Magazine, â€Å" Lil Wayne has a smoke-scarred rasp that makes him sound like Redd Foxx covering Bob Dylan.† I completely agree with Josh in comparing lil wayne with the iconic figure Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan is a common favorite. No one looks askance or questions me when I name Dylan as one of my two favorite musical artists. However, when i mention lil wayne to my friends, I often find myself facing a mouth agape, a scowl, or an expression disbelief: â€Å"thats a joke, right?† Even those who accept my declaration of favor for Lil wayne often come back with, â€Å"Dylan and Lil Wayne? Thats an odd combination†. But it is not odd; not at all. First of all, they’re both superb lyricists, each with his own distinctive style. Secondly, both Lil Wayne and Bob Dylan are frequently charged with being opaque, non sequiturian, disingenuous, abstruse, silly, banal, indulgent and nonsensical. Both are accused of stealing lines, not just because people seek to tear down those at the top, but also because both are engaged in the folk tradition. Finally, they both have similar flows. Musically speaking, both Dylan and Lil Wayne use existing songs as scaffoldings on which to construct their own. Dylan draws from country, blues, bluegrass, folk, and early rock music, sometimes taking melody, harmony, rhythm and even many of the lyrics from an existing song and putting his own spin on it, inserting his own lines. According to ContactMusic.com, â€Å"Lil Wayne uses Karma Ann Swanepoel’s folk track once on his hit song I Feel Like Dying†. Wayne raps atop existing tracks from other artists and also samples from older pop and rock songs, especially on his mixtape. This is a clear extension of the folk tradition, modernized. Adding to being their own distinctive style, they both are charged with being opaque. According to Derek Askey, a writer for phoenixnewtimes, â€Å" Self Portrait is still a bad album.† Curiously, roughly ten years into each of their careers, both Dylan and Wayne released albums that were viewed as career self-sabatoge but that ended up putting hardly a dent in their careers: Dylan’s was called Self Portrait, viewed as rambling and lacking cohesion; Wayne’s Rebirth, viewed as a sophomoric attempt at Rock. According to Chris Deline, a writer for CultureBully, â€Å" The Price is Wrong, a song from Rebirth, has overly aggressive power chords used in the track translate as so completely empty that they’d hardly cut it with the worst bands existing in radio stations.† They have also shown appreciation for nursery rhymes, with Dylan releasing a whole album, Red Sky, that riffs on the structural forms of nursery rhymes; Lil wayne draws on the same struc tural forms and also alludes to existing nursery rhymes (Jack and Jill, for example, in â€Å"Cashed Out,† which also references other children’s characters like, again, Gremlins, Tom and Jerry, Mickey Mouse, Barney and Baby Bop). Lil Waynes song â€Å"Started† begins each verse with the same line, maintains a consistent (although not unbroken) rhyme scheme throughout, essentially consisting of groupings of four lines, like many nursery rhymes, with alternating or coupled rhymes at the end of lines. Besides being accused of sounding opaque, both lil wayne and bob dylan are accused of stealing lines. According to Andy Greene, a writer for Rolling Stone Magazine, â€Å" Dylan’s been lifting lines from other artists for his entire career- for one, huge chunks of his 1985 disc Empire Burlesque were based on Humphrey Bogart movies.† While Dylan pulls lines from antebellum era poets, Japanese novelists, early blues songs and the folk cannon, Wayne pulls lines from Sam Cooke, Paul Simon, Michael Jackson, Nirvana, Green Day, 2Pac, B.I.G., Eminem, Jay Z, as well as movies, television shows, ad campaigns, and even the ancient Greek historian Thucydides ( â€Å"the strong do what they will; the weak do what they must, or, as Wayne put it in â€Å"A Milli†. â€Å" I do what I

Outline and Annotated bibliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Outline and Annotated bibliography - Essay Example (Lovejoy, 2009). Ardipithecus Ramidus had its pelvic region and feet well developed to maintain an upright posture and walk, but with its big toes, and strong hips and thighs, it could easily climb trees and move around like an ape (Lovejoy, 2009). The major aspect to note about this supposed ancestor of humans is that it cannot be considered at all as the â€Å"transitional (link) between African apes and humans† (Gibbons, 2009, p.37). Ardipithecus Ramidus could easily move around on trees but it did not have many abilities that chimpanzees have, like, â€Å"suspension, vertical climbing, or knuckle-walking† (White et al., 2009, p.64). Hence, White et al. (2009) has supported the theory of hominin-ness of Ardipithecus Ramidus and concluded that â€Å"both hominids and extant African apes are each highly specialized, but through very different evolutionary pathways† (p.64). But there have been many contenders to this theory like Harrison (2010) who believed that the â€Å"earliest undoubted hominin† (p.532) is Australopithecus anamensis that trod this earth 4.2 million years back. In view of these contradictory conclusions made by scientists regarding the relationships between Ardipithecus Ramidus, modern humans and chimpanzees, this study proposes to compare the sexual behaviors of Ardipithecus Ramidus, Australopithecus, modern humans and chimpanzees, in order to decide upon the hominin-ness of Ardipithecus Ramidus and it is hypothesized that such a comparison would lead to the conclusion that are earliest known hominids so far. Methodology This study proposes to use qualitative research method by which the data collected from secondary sources on the sexual behaviors of Ardipithecus Ramidus, Australopithecus, modern humans and chimpanzees, will be compiled and compared. For this, two features related to sexual expression, namely, aggressiveness and sexual dimorphism will be studied in each of the above mentioned four categories- Ar dipithecus Ramidus, Australopithecus, modern humans and chimpanzees. Data Collection and Analysis Information on the sexual behavior of Ardipithecus Ramidus, Australopithecus, modern humans and chimpanzees in connection with aggressiveness and sexual dimorphism will be collected from sources like books, and journal articles published within a period of 20 years. At least 30 secondary sources will be identified and used for this purpose. Data analysis will be carried out using coding of data compiled under each of the four categories. Results The results would indicate that in matters of aggressiveness and sexual dimorphism, Ardipithecus Ramidus is closer to humans than chimpanzees. Discussion The link between the common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees on one side and Ardipithecus Ramidus on the other, remains to be proven yet. In many areas, there is a huge leap between the features of an Ardipithecus Ramidus and an Australopithecus. It is by finding these missing links, the theo ry of hominin-ness of Ardipithecus Ramidus could be further substantiated beyond doubt. Conclusion Given the reduced aggressiveness and reduced sexual dimorphism found in Ardipithecus Ramidus, it can be argued that humans have a less competitive and more democratic primitive past. Further

Which reflections of Islam are in the tale of Maruf the Cobbler Essay - 2

Which reflections of Islam are in the tale of Maruf the Cobbler - Essay Example Maruf is a virtuous man. He tries to keep the peace and fulfill his responsibilities to his wife according to the requirements of the Islamic law. He does this even when his wife is senseless and cruel (Holy Quran 30:21). Moreover, when Maruf hands over alms to the poor, he goes to the mosque at the hour of prayer. It reflects Islamic beliefs since it is the Muslims who go to pray in a mosque (Kritzeck 307). Third, when a person is offended by another, he/she takes the dispute to the Kazi or the high court according to the Muslim culture. This happens in the story when Maruf’s wife goes to accuse her husband falsely to the Kazi after a domestic dispute over the cake with bee honey (Kritzeck 300). Fourth, the story refers to Allah as their Supreme Being and creator of heaven and earth. This reflects Islamic belief since it is the Muslims who call their God Allah (Kritzeck 300). Fifth, in the marriage ceremony between Maruf and the king’s daughter, the king calls the sheik Al-Islam to write the marriage certificate. It is according to the Muslim culture whenever there is a marriage between two people (Kritzeck 311). Sixth, when the king heard about the richness of Maruf, he gets greedy and decides to give his daughter in marriage to Maruf. He does this with the aim of bringing the wealth of Maruf into his family. It is according to the Muslim culture when he a man marries the king’s daughter, all that he owns becomes part of the king’s family wealth (Kritzeck 308). Seventh, according to the Islamic culture, a woman once given into marriage to a man, she is supposed to stand by him whether he was in the wrong or the right. It is considered her duty to her h usband. We see this happening when the princess sides with Maruf even after he reveals the shameful secret to her (Kritzeck 314). Eighth, Muslims believe in a jinni, a powerful spirit being. When Maruf escapes from the palace, he meets a farmer tilling his farm. On the man’s land, Maruf

Woody Holton Theory Analysis

Woody Holton Theory Analysis Woody Holton is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Richmond in Virginia and is a member of the Richmond Research Institute. He has published three award-winning books: Abigail Adams (2009), a Bancroft Prize winner, Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution (2007), a finalist for the National Book Award; and Forced Founders: Indians, Debtors, Slaves and the Making of the American Revolution in Virginia (1999) winner of the Organization of American Historians Merle Curti award for social history. In 2006, the OAH named Holton one of its Distinguished Lecturers.[1] In his book, Unruly Americans, Holton endeavors to revive Beards arguments in An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution that our Constitution was created to protect the interests of a small group of wealthy farmers and creditors over those of small farmers and debtors. However, Holton shifts the focus from the wealthy few to the ordinary people who opposed the concept of a strong centralized government. Holton sides with Beard that the principal purpose of our Founding Fathers was not to safeguard civil liberties but to protect their own financial interests. (xi) The author contends that the arguments and efforts of ordinary farmers who maintained that the post-Revolutionary recession could have been ended without making the United States a less democratic country that resulted from the Constitution. (17) We are indebted to these farmers for insisting the Bill of Rights be added to the Constitution. Holton argues that these amendments directly contradict the Framers antidemocratic intent. (277) He goes on to state that besides initiating the Bill of Rights, the tax rebels with no rebellions, there would have been less tax and debt relief legislation, and without relief, there would have been much less need for a powerful new national government. (277) According to the author, few supporters of tax relief wanted to repudiate debts, but in at least nine states they suggested to discriminate, treating the original recipients of bonds differently from those who had purchased them on the open market. (55) The rigorous tax and debt collection had prevented Americans from realizing their full potential as laborers. (101) Holton shows that tax burdens for ordinary Americans were three or four times higher than colonial levels which made them question whether they had been better off under British rule. (29) The author relies on newspapers, pamphlets, and political tracts to prove his thesis. He depicts the conflict between the debtors struggling to regain their economic footing after the Revolutionary War while Congress encourages the state governments to increasingly impose new taxes upon them. Holton describes the contributions of previously unknown individuals such as Herman Husband, a North Carolina farmer, and William Mathews, a Massachusetts tavern keeper. He also mentions Adonijah Mathews who owned a tavern in Virginia. Their inclusion allows him to go beyond the leading Anti-Federalists. (274) Meanwhile, states struggled to compensate the bondholders who loaned them money, Congress battled to pay off the commutation certificates of former officers in the war, and debtors and creditors clashed over whether paper money should be used to satisfy outstanding taxes and debts. Holton argues that because state governments failed to maintain order and fulfil their obligations, reformers decided to meld those thirteen sovereignties together and launch and empire of their own. (3) He states, the democrats unconsciously initiated a powerful reactionary movement as bondholders and creditors attempted to put the democratic genie back into the bottle. (5) According to Holton, James Madison and others accused that state representatives had shown excessive indulgence to debtors and taxpayers. They had refused to force farmers to pay what they owed. (8) The argument from the debtor side was that thousands of other Americans contended that the remedy for the recession was not to press harder on taxpayers and debtors, but to ease up on them. (100) Holton contends that the Framers of our Constitution saw disproportionate democracy as the root of tax leniency which obstructed bondholders and thwarted investment. Holton argues that the need to reign in the states weighed far more heavily upon the convention than the motive that has received the most attention from later generations of Americans, strengthening the Confederation. (182) While this reviewer appreciates Holtons arguments on behalf of the ordinary Americans, this book is very repetitive. Some points such as the perspective of farmers on democratic government and the influence of bondholders on the creation of the Constitution are stated multiple times. His mention his intent is to focus on individuals such as Adonijah Mathews, yet he tends to go off on a rant about our Founders such as James Madison. Mathews and Husband received but a few pages of reference in the index, but Madison has eighty-three pages listed under his name. This seems to flip Holtons assertions that his book is about ordinary Americans rather than about the Founding Fathers. Holton also impedes his own arguments when he states that although bond speculators were among the Constitutions most enthusiastic supportersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it is also clear that thousands of Americansà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦supported federal taxation not because they owned bonds-many did not-but for other, more public-spirited reasons. (215) Holton further contends that Some of the most avid supporters of the Constitution were not creditors but debtors. (230) Therefore, his own arguments contradict Holtons conclusions that the adoption of the Constitution was largely the result of class conflict in the fledgling nation between the haves and the have-nots. [1] Simon and Schuster, Woody Holton http://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Woody-Holton/44139211

Developmental Psychology and Young Children

Tawny Lace Please answer all the questions below using your preferred method from voice recording, written assignments or via oral questions with Kerry Banitas. Please reflect on own experience to support your knowledge. . For your information – all guidance notes are at the end of the questions. 1. 1. Explain the pattern of development in the first three years of life and the skills typically acquired at each stage.. | 1. 2. Explain: ? how development and learning are interconnected, ? how and why variations occur in rate and sequence of development and learning ; ? hat learning may take place in different ways; ? the importance of play. | 1. 3. Explain the potential effects on development, of preconceptual, pre-birth and birth experiences. | 1. 4. Explain the impact of current research into the development and learning of babies and young children.. | 3. 1. Explain the benefits of the key worker/person system in early years settings. | 3. 2. Explain how babies and young chil dren learn and develop best from a basis of loving, secure relationships with carers and with key persons in work settings. | 3. 3.Analyse the possible effects of poor quality attachments on the development of babies and children. | 4. 3. Explain how babies express their emotions, preferences and needs and demonstrate responsive care in own practice. | 4. 4. Explain why it is important to manage transitions for babies and young children. | 4. 5. Explain when and why babies and young children require periods of quiet to rest and sleep. | 5. 1. Explain the primary importance of carers in the lives of babies and young children. | 5. 3. Evaluate ways of working in partnership with carers. Guidance notes – Pre-conceptual, pre-birth and birth experiences ondevelopment e. g. 😕 smoking ? alcohol ? maternal ill health ? poor maternal diet ? substance abuse? assisted birth ? birth trauma. Environment e. g. : ? well equipped, clean and safe with age appropriate equipment and mat erials ? provides appropriate challenge ? offer appropriate levels of sensory stimulation? provide quiet calming spaces for babies and young children ? planned and organised around individual needs of babies and young children.Possible effects of poor quality attachments: ? effects on social and emotional development and emotional security ? effects on ability to settle, take risks and makethe most of learning opportunities ? possible effects on short and long term mentalhealth ? effects on relationships with parents and professional carers. Responsive care: ? where carer responding sensitively, consistently and promptly? responses sensitive to individual needs and preferences ? consistency of response? responding promptly| Similar article: How Different Types of Transitions Can Affect Children

Fire and Its Social and Economical Problem

Fire has been called the foundation of human civilization. Fire provides warmth and heat, protecting us from the ravages of the elements . Fire gives us light to see in the dark and to signal other people who may be looking for us. Its light also tends to keep predatory animals away. Fire enables cooking, which improves the taste of many foods and helps eliminate harmful bacteria. In extreme situations, fire can be used as a weapon, brandished against wild animals or others who intend us harm. Fire plays an important role in various aspects of the Hindu Tradition. It is both the creator and destroyed of life. Uncontrolled and misuse of fire can cause tremendous adverse impacts on the environment and the human society. Forest fire is a major cause of degradation of India’s forests. Some common causes of fire in the houses are kitchen stoves, electric blankets, faulty wiring, clothes dryers, lighting, LPG, candles, crackers, flammable liquids etc. The potential for fire is present in any workplace. But, if you’re aware of the causes and conditions, if you’re prepared, and if you think before you act, the risk of a workplace fire and its damaging effects – on you, your co-workers or your company – can be minimized. Fire extinguishers are a critical component of saving property and lives in the case of a fire emergency. Ensure that fire protection equipment (i. e. , sprinklers, smoke/heat detectors, alarms, fire hoses, fire extinguishers, and fire blankets) are maintained, available for use, and not impaired or concealed. Make sure fire extinguishers correspond to the potential risk. Know where they’re located and how to use them. Good housekeeping practices and fire fighting training are the crucial to fire prevention. Ultimately it is the extra economic burden on the society.