Comparison Of Buddhism And Taoism Essay -- essays research papers

Taoism and Buddhism were born in the same century. Siddhartha reached enlightenment in approximately 535 B.C. and Lao Tzu’s teachings were recorded around 500 B.C. There are many similarities in the basics of these two religions. Some of the similarities can be seen clearly when examining the three meaning of Tao. The first definition of Tao is "the way of ultimate reality." This means that Tao cannot be percieved, defined, talked about, or thought of. It is too big a concept for humans to comprehend. As in the first line of the Tao Te Ching (the Taoist text meaning The Way and Its Power): "The Tao that can be spoken is not the true Tao." This is very similar to the Buddhist idea of Nirvana or Enlightenment. Nirvana cannot be understood by one who has not attained it. Even when one has reached Nirvana, he cannot describe it to others, but only help others to reach it as well. In its second sense, Tao means "the way of the universe." Tao is something that goes through all beings, all of the earth. It is everywhere, all the time. It is something that flows through everything. This flowing idea links with the idea in Buddhism that Nirvana can be reached by anyone, as long as one is devoted enough and has lost all attachments.Thirdly, one life must be a certain way to work with the Tao: Tao also refers to "the way of human life" as it "meshes" with the universal Tao in its second sense. This fundamental idea of Taoism has m...

Dangers of a Totalitarian Society Exposed in Brave New World :: Brave New World

Dangers of a Totalitarian Society Exposed in Brave New World On a superficial level Brave New World is the portrait of a perfect society. The citizens of this Utopia live in a society that is free of depression and most of the social-economic problems that trouble the world today. All aspects of life are controlled for the people of this society: population numbers, social class, and intellectual ability. History is controlled and rewritten to suit the needs of the state. All this is done in the name of social stability. When one looks beneath the surface of this "perfect' society it becomes evident that it is nothing of the sort. Eugenics, social conditioning, and anti-depressant drugs have solved many of the problems faced by many modern societies; poverty, class tensions and overpopulation; but at the costs of individuality and with that their humanity. The citizens of "brave new world" are engineered to suite the needs of the state. Individual expression is impossible because everyone is conditioned to think alike. Brave New World is a book about a future that seems more viable and less brave with each passing day as our values become more materialistic and as our faith in God dwindles slowly to be replaced by technology. Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World to increase our awareness of this frightening future we seem to be progressing towards so we can prevent it from happening. In the futuristic society of the novel, God has been replaced by science and technology as a source substance and meaning in life. As a consequence the words "Christ" and "God" are replaced with "Ford." This is done because Huxley believed that the shift in emphasis from God to technology occurred, to a large extent, with Henry Ford's introduction of the Model-T.1 Instead of using the Christian calendar this date is used as the opening date of a new era; the date is After Ford (A.F.) 632. This shift in importance is symbolized by substituting the Christian Cross with the Ford T.2 The motto of the new World State that now controls the world is "Community, Stability, Identity." This motto emphasizes the importance of the society over the individual. Community emphasizes the importance of the individual as a contributor to society.

Black Culture Essay

During the Harlem Renaissance, writers, especially black ones, portrayed the black culture and style in their writing. They used black assumptions, generalizations and stereotypes to show, what they thought was, the black culture. Not all of this was far from the truth. Three writers, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, and Sterling Brown are examples of writers that emulated black culture in their works. Langston Hughes works, â€Å"†The Negro Speaks of Rivers,† â€Å"Mother to Son,† â€Å"When Sue Wears Red, † â€Å"The Weary Blues,† I, Too,† and â€Å"Harlem† are examples of the portrayal of black culture through writing. In â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers,† Hughes focuses on important accomplishments and places where Negroes were heavily populated. â€Å"I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young. / I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep. /I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it. / I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln/ went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy/ bosom turn all golden in the sunset† (Hughes 1291). In â€Å"Mother to Son,† he describes advice of a mother given to her son. She tells him how her life was no â€Å"crystal stair† and how she had to struggle to get where she is and that she is still struggling to get even further. She describes her trials and tribulations as â€Å"tacks/†¦and splinters/ and boards torn up/ and places with no carpet on the floor–/ bare. † (Hughes 1292). She tells her son never to give up on his dreams and to keep climbing that â€Å"crystal stair. † This is because the mother knows how hard it is to get ahead in the world when you’re black and that everything that blacks have they have worked hard to get. â€Å"When Sue Wears Red† describes the beauty of the black woman. He compares Susanna’s face o â€Å"an ancient cameo/ turned brown by the ages. † He also compares to â€Å"a queens form some time-dead Egyptian night† (Hughes 1293). â€Å"The Weary Blues† portrays the musical side of the black culture, describing a man playing â€Å"that sad raggy tune like a musical fool† and singing in â€Å"a deep song voice with a melancholy tone† The music that â€Å"comes from a black man’s soul† (Hughes 1294). â€Å"I, Too† show the degrading manner in which black people were treated. The black house workers were treated as if they were inferior or not fit to be around white people. This is shown when the worker tells us, â€Å"they send me to eat in the kitchen/ when company comes. † Due to the high hopes and determination of black people, this does not discourage the speaker. He knows that, one day, he’ll â€Å"be at the table/ when company comes. / Nobody’ll dare/ say to me/ ‘eat in the kitchen’/†¦they’ll see how beautiful I am/ and be ashamed† (Hughes 1295). He believes that one day black people will be accepted and will be able to â€Å"eat† with the whites. This attitude is what kept blacks striving to succeed. â€Å"Harlem† questions what may happen if black people put off their dreams and progression. This delay may be willing or by force but either way the dreams may â€Å"dry up/ like a raisin in the sun† or stink like rotten meat† or even worse â€Å"explode† (Hughes 1309). Stopping black people from fulfilling their dreams would at worst cause a rebellion. This rebellion may not be nonviolent. Sterling Brown uses poems such as â€Å" Odyssey of Big Boy,† â€Å"Southern Road,† â€Å"Slim Greer,† and â€Å"Ma Rainey† to describe black culture in his eyes. Brown wrote mostly of the working class black population. He wrote his poems as though it were a work song that they used to keep time. Thus, you see a lot of repetition in his works. This is seen in both â€Å"Odyssey of Big Boy† and â€Å"Southern Road. † In â€Å"Odyssey of Big Boy,† Brown gives sight to some of the folklore heroes of the black culture, such as â€Å"Casey Jones† and â€Å"Stagolee† (Brown 1248). This not only shows the heroes represented in black culture but also their use of stories past down through the generations to keep the culture alive. He goes on to describe the manual labor that black people have done over the ages. This includes how they â€Å"skinned as a boy in Kentucky hills/druv steel there as a man/†¦striped tobacco in Virginia fiel’s/†¦mined de coal in West Virginia† etc (Brown 1249). These are prime examples of the jobs that the lack culture held whether it is when they were slaves or after they were freed. It was characteristic of them to hold jobs that involved a great deal of manual labor. â€Å"Southern Road† depicts some of the struggles that a typical black man may have dealt with during those times. He speaks about working in a chain gang, a father dying, going to jail and white men degrading the black man. â€Å"Slim Greer† is about a black man that passed as white. He met a white woman who â€Å"thought he as from Spain/ or else from France† (Brown 1256). It was not until he played â€Å"some mo’nful blues† that they found out that he was indeed black (Brown 1257). This depicts the musicality of the black culture. Music was one of the many ways they used to express themselves, so, for the most part, they had a great talent in it. â€Å"Ma Rainey† is also a poem about the musicality of the black culture. Whenever Ma Rainey came to town â€Å"folks from anyplace/ miles aroun’/†¦flocks to hear/ Ma do her stuff† (Brown 1258). Black people enjoyed gathering around to listen to music. This was probably because not only was it entertaining but it also told a story. Zora Neale Hurston depicts black culture through her works entitled â€Å"Sweat,† â€Å"How IT Feels To Be Colored Me,† and â€Å"Their Eyes Were Watching God. † Hurston wrote a great deal about the togetherness in the black community. Many of her stories, including these three works, took place in an exclusively black town and included at least one seen where the entire community sat outside together talking, usually gossiping, and watching passersby. In â€Å"Sweat† they gossip about Delia Jones, mainly they talk about how her husband, Sykes, beats and abuses her and how he is having an affair with a woman named Bertha. They badmouth Sykes, saying how horrible and stupid he is for cheating on a god woman like Delia, especially with such a fat woman. This also shows how it was common in the black culture, especially in the south, for men to like thicker women. â€Å"Their Eyes Were Watching God† also has a few scenes in which we see the black community together. In the beginning, Janie is seen by the whole community walking back in overalls. They immediately begin to talk about her. They make assumptions, such as Tea Cake stole all of her money and abandoned her. They talk about how silly she was for taking off with a younger man in the first place and whatever happened to her probably serves her right. In conclusion, the black culture is evident in many works by various black writers. They show the good and the bad, the truth and its exaggerations. Reading works written in the time gives us a good look into what the black society was actually like back then.

Free Essays on The Summary

According to a college freshman student, it is believed that Aristotle’s was known as one of the first ancient Greeks scholars, in the world, to have been a psychologist. In fact, Aristotle’s treatise on rhetoric has been called the â€Å"world’s first discussion of psychology.† â€Å"The psychological aspect of his treatise comprises about twenty of the several hundred pages Aristotle devoted to his discussion of the â€Å"available means of persuasion, one way of defining the term rhetoric † (Tefertiller 67). Nevertheless, psychology depicts one of the oldest living contents on what Aristotle called an â€Å"invention†Ã¢â‚¬â€œmeaning the right things to tell to a group. Aristotle used psychology to help people be able to understand how to speak to large groups so they can be ready for any upcoming speeches. Present is something that Aristotle wrote about peoples minds who are at ease. â€Å"It is clear also that people are calm wh en their state of mind is the opposite of being angry: for example, in play, in laughter, at a feast, in prosperity, in success, in fulfillment, generally in the absence of pain and in pleasure that does not come from insulting anybody and in reasonable expectation of the future. Supplementary, [they are calm if] their anger has cooled with time and is not in its first stage; for time makes anger cease† (Barley 45). A lot of professors have committed their existence to exploring Aristotle’s writings, mainly his discourse on language. People say that it is to be believed one of the most talented works on persuasion, especially from the early times. If it wouldn’t have been for this discourse on language as a necessary need for political and social betterment, we may have not achieved its apex for thousands of years to come. â€Å"Clearly, Aristotle’s work on the art of persuasion was a powerful force of social, indeed, even individual improvement,† said Loel Robertson. Now if you ever hea... Free Essays on The Summary Free Essays on The Summary According to a college freshman student, it is believed that Aristotle’s was known as one of the first ancient Greeks scholars, in the world, to have been a psychologist. In fact, Aristotle’s treatise on rhetoric has been called the â€Å"world’s first discussion of psychology.† â€Å"The psychological aspect of his treatise comprises about twenty of the several hundred pages Aristotle devoted to his discussion of the â€Å"available means of persuasion, one way of defining the term rhetoric † (Tefertiller 67). Nevertheless, psychology depicts one of the oldest living contents on what Aristotle called an â€Å"invention†Ã¢â‚¬â€œmeaning the right things to tell to a group. Aristotle used psychology to help people be able to understand how to speak to large groups so they can be ready for any upcoming speeches. Present is something that Aristotle wrote about peoples minds who are at ease. â€Å"It is clear also that people are calm wh en their state of mind is the opposite of being angry: for example, in play, in laughter, at a feast, in prosperity, in success, in fulfillment, generally in the absence of pain and in pleasure that does not come from insulting anybody and in reasonable expectation of the future. Supplementary, [they are calm if] their anger has cooled with time and is not in its first stage; for time makes anger cease† (Barley 45). A lot of professors have committed their existence to exploring Aristotle’s writings, mainly his discourse on language. People say that it is to be believed one of the most talented works on persuasion, especially from the early times. If it wouldn’t have been for this discourse on language as a necessary need for political and social betterment, we may have not achieved its apex for thousands of years to come. â€Å"Clearly, Aristotle’s work on the art of persuasion was a powerful force of social, indeed, even individual improvement,† said Loel Robertson. Now if you ever hea...

products of immigration essays

products of immigration essays A new venture to an unknown place evokes numerous emotions. When leaving ones country in hopes of a better economic and social condition, there exists an aura of excitement as well as hesitation of leaving the familiar. In the case of immigrating to the acclaimed melting pot of North America, the U.S., a notion of the other is developed. Many immigrants attempt to stick to their own ethnicity upon coming to the U.S. as opposed to immediately assimilating. Thus, immigrants are more likely to try to find those of their own ethnic background due to the comfort with the familiar and an uncertainty which breeds the notion of the other. A vivid example of sticking to the familiar occurs locally in the community of Glendale, California. The ethic subject group at hand is the Armenians. Armenians who immigrate to Glendale create a micro community in the midst of a macro society. Many Armenians who have just immigrated tend to interact mostly with other Armenians. For instance, one rarely sees Armenians mixing with different ethnic groups. The familiarity with the language and culture gives birth to bond within people of ones own culture as opposed to an intercultural connection. Moreover, the fact that Armenia is a country with a very minor percentile of foreigners intensifies the need for Armenians to be around other Armenians exemplifying the union amongst this culture. Thus, the sociological conception that familiarity is preferred over the new and other is made real in the case of immigration. The example of Armenians is not to pin point Armenians as an exclusivist people, yet it is to note a similar behavioral pattern of magnetization toward the familiar within different immigrant groups. One can agree that immigration to the U.S. can lead to a converse effect, creating the individual to immerse his/her self completely into the American culture. The example of ...

What Is Pre-AP How Are Pre-AP Classes Different

What Is Pre-AP How Are Pre-AP Classes Different SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips What is a pre-AP class? Has your school started to offer pre-AP classes or are you wondering if they should? Have you heard about the College Board’s new official pre-AP classes and aren’t sure what they are? This guide is here to answer all your pre-AP questions. We’ll explain what pre-AP is, how official pre-AP classes differ from unofficial pre-AP classes, important changes coming to pre-AP, and what subjects the official pre-AP classes will cover. What Is Pre-AP? What is a pre-AP class? Pre-AP classes are a fairly new term for classes that are meant to prepare high school students for AP classes (college-level classes taken in high school) as well as college classes themselves.Pre-AP classes are typically taken by high school freshman, but some courses are also meant for sophomores. Can any school decide it wants to have pre-AP and just assign the title to some of its classes? Yes, but not for much longer.The College Board has recently announced that it will launch an official pre-AP program in the fall of 2018 (learn more about the official pre-AP classes in the â€Å"What Official Pre-AP Classes Are Available?† section further down).Beginning in the fall of 2022, all classes that are labelled as â€Å"pre-AP† must be submitted to the College Board and have their curriculum approved in order to be called pre-AP. Official pre-AP classes must also be available to all students in a grade, not just honors or advanced students. Currently, however, there are both official and unofficial pre-AP classes, and although both are meant to prepare students for future college classes, the two types are actually quite different from each other. Unofficial Pre-AP Classes Until 2022, any school can give certain classes the â€Å"pre-AP† title without having to follow the curriculum or rules of official pre-AP classes.Unofficial pre-AP classes are usually similar to honors classes. They are more challenging than regular-level classes and will likely have more homework and more rigorous tests to help you prepare for the advanced level of AP classes.You may need to have certain grades or pass a test to be accepted into an unofficial pre-AP class. Official Pre-AP Classes Official pre-AP classes are those that have had their curriculum approved by the College Board. Beginning in 2022, they will be the only pre-AP classes allowed. The College Board created pre-AP classes as a way to introduce all high school students to the skills and resources they'll be using in college classes. Unlike regular AP classes, which are often only for advanced students, official pre-AP classes must be open access, which means students at all learning levels must be able to take them. Pre-AP classes are meant to be the standard curriculum for a course, not an honors or advanced program.If your school has an official pre-AP course, then all students must be enrolled in it. Schools can’t exclude anyone from a pre-AP class based on his or her grades or aptitude for the subject. It's possible for a school to have an honors pre-AP class, but only if they also have a regular-level pre-AP class in the same subject as well.This could mean that, instead of having regular and honors biology, a school would just have pre-AP biology and honors pre-AP biology. When a class is an official pre-AP class, that doesn't necessarily mean it's an advanced class or more difficult than regular classes. Pre-AP just means the class has more of a focuson preparing you for future college classes. You'll still be studying the same major topics in a pre-AP class that you would in a regular class, but the way the lessons are taught and how you are assessed will be slightly different and more similar to a college class. This may mean you'll analyze more texts similar to those studied in college classes, practice critical thinking skills, and learn specific lessons that are part of the pre-AP program. Since these are skills all students should be learning, pre-AP classes aren't meant for just advanced students. How Does Pre-AP Differ From Regular Advanced Placement? Because the names are so similar, it’s easy to confuse pre-AP and regular AP classes. However, they’re quite different from each other, and the three major differences are discussed below. #1:You Can’t Get College Credit for Pre-AP Classes AP classes are taught at the same level as college classes; therefore, passing one means you can pass its college counterpart. This is why many colleges give college credit for passing AP classes. Pre-AP classes are still taught at the high school level, so although they can be more difficult than regular high school classes, you won’t get college credit for them since they aren’t as difficult as regular college classes. #2: There Is No Final AP Exam to Pass in a Pre-AP Class For most students, the most important part of every AP class they take is the final AP class in the spring. These exams, which are scored from 1 to 5, are important for showing colleges how well you understood the material and possibly getting college credit. Pre-AP classes don’t have final AP exams like that. Just like a regular class you’ll probably end the year with a final exam or project, but there’s no official pre-AP exam you need to take or pass. #3:Pre-AP Classes May or May Not Give Your Transcript a Boost Some students and parents get confused as to how important college think pre-AP classes are. Does a pre-AP class look as good as an AP class on your high school transcript? No, since, as mentioned above, AP classes are significantly more difficult than pre-AP classes. Currently, many colleges will view a pre-AP class on a high school transcript the same way they view an honors class. However, once official pre-AP classes become more widespread, colleges will likely stop viewing pre-AP classes as honors or advanced classes since official pre-AP classes are meant to be taught to students of all abilities. An honors pre-AP class will likely be viewed the same as a regular honors class. What Official Pre-AP Classes Are Available? Beginning in fall 2018, five official pre-AP classes will launch in schools. These classes are all official pre-AP classes and will follow curriculum designed by the College Board. The five classes are all meant for 9th graders, but more pre-AP classes, including some for students in other grades, are expecting in coming years. Many of them include more of an emphasis on critical reading and analysis skills than regular classes typically would. Below are the five official pre-AP classes, each with a short description. You can find out more about the pre-AP classes on the College Board’s pre-AP website. Pre-AP Algebra 1: Focuses primarily on linear relationships as well as other building blocks of math. There will be an emphasis on using math skills to solve real-world problems as well as being able to support or refute mathematical arguments. Pre-AP Biology: Gives students a foundation on basic biological concepts, both macro and micro. Students will read higher-level biology texts and learn analytical reading and writing skills useful for upper-level and college science classes. Pre-AP English 1: Teaches students close reading skills, analytical writing, and language skills while reading a variety of complex texts similar to what you'd read in intro-level college English classes. Pre-AP World History and Geography: Focuses on how history and geography are related, the importance of evaluating evidence from historical texts, and how to explain historical relationships. There's an emphasis on identifying and analyzing relationships between historical figures and events, as well as incorporating evidence into written and oral arguments. Pre-AP Visual and Performing Arts: There are four specific courses in this group: pre-AP Dance, pre-AP Music, pre-AP Theater, and pre-AP Visual Arts. Compared to many regular classes, these pre-AP classes focus more on analysis and interpretation of important works, peer-to-peer dialogue, experimentation, and reflective writing to prepare students for college-level classes in these subjects. Conclusion: What Is Pre-AP? Pre-AP classes used to be a title used by schools to designate honors classes or other rigorous classes designed to prepare students for AP classes in future years. Beginning in fall of 2018, the College Board will launch five official pre-AP classes. These classes are open-access, which means students of all abilities must be allowed to take the class. Instead of being honors classes, official pre-AP classes are meant to be the standard class in a school to teach a subject.Unlike regular AP classes, you can’t get college credit for pre-AP classes, and there is no final AP exam to take at the end of the year. What's Next? Want to learn more about Advanced Placement classes?Check out our introductory guide to AP classes and tests to learn everything you need to know! Does your school offer AP and IB? Are you curious about the differences between the two? Take a look at this article to learn whether AP or IB will be a better fit for your needs. If you're taking the SAT or ACT soon, you'll want to be well prepared. Check out our ultimate study guide for the SAT and ultimate study guide for the ACT for everything you need to score high! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Landforms Assignment ( The himalayas) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Landforms ( The himalayas) - Assignment Example Mountain fronts of Himalayas as corollary related to orogen-scale structures. The conspicuous three primary structures of Himalayas ranging from north-south include main boundary thrust (MBT), main central thrust (MCT), and Himalayan frontal thrust (HFT). The major topographic breaks of Himalayas remain in association with the three thrusts. Himalaya’s structure has six primary lithotectonic zones, which occur in parallel belts. The regions include trans-Himalayan batholiths, Tibetan Himalaya, Indus-Tsangpo Suture zone, Lesser Himalaya, Lesser Himalaya, Sub-Himalaya, and Greater Himalaya. The tectonic environments within Himalaya zones also vary. Immense collision of tectonic plates resulted into the formation of island-arc margin in Western Himalayas and Andean-type margin within the central eastern part of Himalayas. Trans-Himalayan zone has a linear plutonic complex structure. Trans Himalaya zone have its surface partly covered by continental molasse sedimentary rocks and forearc rocks. Trans Himalaya assembly of rocks originates from magmatic rocks uplift and their subsequent erosion. Igneous complex of the area consists of granites, gabbros, and diorites. The magmatic rocks originate from partial melting of subducting NeoTethyan slab underneath Asian plate. However, the igneous rocks, on the contrary, represents Andean-type environment. ITZS defines the region of collision between Kohistan-Ladakh arc and Indian plate in Tibetan Lhasa block in the east and Western Himalayas. ITZS also demarcates the area along which subduction process consumed Tethys Ocean. ITZS covers more than 2000 km in length with complete successions of rocks that may consist of diamonds that explain the higher pressures during subduction and rapid extrusion along suture zones. There are also traces of glaucophane schists along the narrow belts along ITSZ in Pakistan. Tethys Ocean also consists of red sandstones and