History of the Ming Dynasty

History of the Ming Dynasty The Ming Dynasty was one of great importance in Chinese history, and from its humble beginnings in 1368 came the most impressive architectural achievement in China – The Forbidden City. This city, built by three master architects chosen by Emperor YongLe, became the center of all diplomatic activity for the emperor and those closely associated with him. Over a thousand great buildings were created for the Forbidden City, all to be used by the emperor and his servants. Palaces for domestic life, several more palaces for the empress and her servants, religious buildings, buildings used for political work, and lavish gardens all filled the grounds of the new capital. However, what was most interesting about Emperor YongLes Forbidden City was not that of all the buildings themselves, but the premises upon which they were built, premises of religion and symbolism that remain important to Chinese society to this day. Following the demise of the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty emerged and Emperor Qianlongs six extravagant art collections emerged along with it. These six art collections, some bearing Western influenced, included an assorted amount of ceramics, paintings, sculpture, bronze ware, jade and other minor arts, and all were enmeshed with the art previously brought in to the Forbidden City by Emperor YongLe. The stylistic architectural decisions instituted by Emperor YongLe while building the Forbidden City, along with Emperor Qianlongs six art collections, reflect the importance of religion, symbolism, and art in Chinese culture, and remain to be important aspects of China in present times. The grandson of a peasant who was one â€Å"of only three peasants ever to become an emperor of China,† Emperor YongLe was the third emperor in the Ming Dynasty. YongLe â€Å"fought alongside his father in the Yunnan campaign to clear the country of the last bastion of Mongolian resistance,† and despite being considered as exemplary, he was overlooked as emperor. Instead, the elder emperor, having bypassed his son, chose to make his grandson the emperor. This did not sit well with Emperor YongLe who later usurped his nephew and changed his reign name to that which he is remembered by, YongLe, or â€Å"Perpetually Happy.† YongLe ruled from 1403 to 1424 and tended to be remembered as one of the emperors who had done the most for China, most notably, moving the capital of China from Nanjing to Beijing in the North. It was here that YongLe was approached by one of his spiritual advisors, who told the emperor of a vision he had of a great Imperial city. It was under this particular advisement that the Emperor decided to build this Forbidden City, the center of all life for the emperors, not only during YongLes reign, but for the reigns of emperors during other dynasties as well. In the introduction of the book The Palace Museum: Peking, author Wan-go Wen asserts that â€Å"for every supreme ruler of China, his capital was the center of the earth – not merely the seat of government but a solemn symbol of imperial power and authority and of the ideal polity,† and the Forbidden City was an ideal example of this center of the earth for Emperor YongLe. This imperial palace, was actually named â€Å"the Purple Forbidden City,† and was named as such â€Å"after the Purple Luminous Constellation with Polaris, the North Star, in its center – a heavenly equivalent of the earthly residence of the supreme ruler.† Author Yu Zhuyon claimed that â€Å"fixed in time and space, [the Pole Star] was to be found at the apex of the vault of heaven and the gods of all the other stars revolved around it in homage,† and as the emperor was the leader of all of his people, the idea of Polaris coincided with the idea of the Forbidden City. This religious idea, and comparison of the Emperor to the deity in his â€Å"apex of his vault of heaven,† showed not only how important the Emperor was to his people, but also how the Emperor himself was revered as a god-like incarnation on Earth. Before the Forbidden City was even built, Emperor YongLe put much thought and effort into its construction, bringing in three master architects who were to adhere to the strictest set of religious rules, such as the idea of yin and yang, in the construction and building of the Forbidden City. There were three important aspects in the planning of the City itself, and all three were noted by Yu Zhuyon. The first of these three points was the fact that there was no natural water supply to the Forbidden City itself, so â€Å"water was channeled into it from the Great Liquid Pool at the northwest corner† and this channeling aided in bringing water into the Inner Court. The second of these three points stemmed from the Emperors desire to have a long walkway in his City, much like the wide walkway used at the palaces of the Northern Song dynasty. With careful research and precision, these builders applied the â€Å"Song Layout,† from the aforementioned Northern Song dynasty, which allowed for â€Å"the grandeur of the wide avenue,† which was what the Emperor desired. Finally, Yu Zhuyon explains the third point that was important in the pre-construction of the Forbidden City, that being the creation of a moat behind the Forbidden City in the style that â€Å"corresponded to the arrangement at the Ming palace in Nanjing,† which was built specifically to make the city more secure for the empress, as well as the emperors concubines. It was at this point that construction of the Forbidden City could begin and all the planning could evolve from mere plans to reality. When it finally came time to build the thousand buildings that make up the Forbidden City, three things were done to prepare for it: the collection of timber, the production and transportation of bricks and tiles, and the transportation of large quarrying stones. The work that went into gathering all these items was done by a large amount of people, and many of these people who built the Forbidden City put themselves in grave danger to acquire these supplies. To secure the use of this timber â€Å"involved first rolling [logs] into the dry mountain gullies. They were lashed together to form rafts and left to await the torrents which plunged down the mountainside during the rainy season†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and then, when this timber finally made arrived at its destination, it was put in massive storerooms until it was to be used. The production and transportation of the surface bricks for the walls of the city were not the mud bricks that were commonly used, because these bricks, over time, suffered from a great deal of wear. Instead, the Forbidden City was built with clay bricks which were made first by mixing water and clay together, and then put in the sun to dry. These were not the most important aspects of the building materials in the city – those were the roof tiles that were symbolically representative of the Five elements and the â€Å"golden brick† floor tiles from Suzho. These â€Å"golden bricks† were â€Å"the finest floor tiles, smooth and dense,† and called â€Å"golden bricks† because they sounded like metal when they were hit. Finally came the moving of the heavy quarrying stone, which involved the creation of a slippery slope that builders could push said quarrying stone along. These stones held particular importance in the creation of the Forbidden City, because these specific stones relied on the ideas of space and distance which, when paired with the ideas of yin and yang and the Five elements, reflected many of the major aspects of Chinese cultural beliefs. The idea of space and distance, when applied to the architecture of the Forbidden City correlated with the ideas of â€Å"cosmic environment for the imperial family,† which intertwined itself with the idea of the Emperor being a deity. The theory of the five Elements and the omnipotent idea of yin and yang were also important in the architecture of the Forbidden City as both were pivotal parts of Chinese history. The idea of yin and yang emerged during the Han dynasty in 207 B.C. and has remained a part of the Chinese lifestyle. Under the idea of yin came the ideas of â€Å"maleness, the sun, creation, light, heat, Heaven, dominance, and so on,† while the opposite fell under the ideas of yang. According to Washington State University professor Richard Hooker, all aspects of life could be explained by these two opposite ideas of yin and yang, and these two ideas were applied to the building of the YongLes city. Where even numbers take precedence in the Inner Court (such as the six Western palaces for the empress, and the emperors concubines), odd numbers are dominant in the Outer Court or â€Å"the system of the three halls and five gates.† Following the use of yin and yang in the architecture of the Forbidden City was the use of the Five elements, which were fire, water, metal/gold, wood, and Earth, and each person and creation carried some combination of these elements around in them. These elements all were represented by different colors, and these colors were used in the architecture of the city itself, such as green tiles that represented â€Å"the tenderness of spring and corresponds to the east† being used to tile the Hall that was used for study. The carefully thought out application of yin and yang, as well as the citys Five elements of water, fire, metal/gold, wood, and Earth, reflected the symbolism of these two ideas that, as mentioned previously, still play large roles in the lives of Chinese citizens. To enter the Forbidden City, one must first remove their shoes, and leave their horses and carts outside the palace doors. Inside, the city contains over a thousand buildings, each of these buildings being significant in their own way. There is not a building in the entire compound that is out of place, they all mean something, and have symbolic representations that were well planned out ahead of time. One of the most important of these buildings is the Gate of Great Harmony (also known as the Gate of Supreme Harmony), known as the greatest gate in the entire Forbidden City. The Gate of Great Harmony is the pathway that one must take to reach the Three Great Audience Halls, which are three large buildings that â€Å"occupy the main space of the Forbidden City, covering an expanse of 85,000 sq. m.† This Gate of Great Harmony, described by Weng as â€Å"elegant and expansive,† was oftentimes used by the emperor himself when he spoke to the people in the Forbidden City. To create this gate, â€Å"a new architectural element is now introduced to define the inner style: marble terraces, with intricately carved railings,† which, prior to this time, had never been used. After some time had passed, however, the emperor ceased to use this gate at all. Despite this fact, this particular gate played a role in the symbolism of Heaven on Earth because the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which was built to recreate the aforementioned Heaven on Earth, was accessed through this gate. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest courtyard in the Forbidden City and carries both religious and symbolic importance. Zhuyon wrote that â€Å"this courtyard truly gives rise to the feeling that Heaven is high and earth is broad,† and it was true, as this expansive garden is home to some of the most elaborate pieces of sculpture in the entire Forbidden City. This Hall of Supreme Harmony is also one of religious importance, as it is a Taoist temple that, although not used by YongLe, was in fact used by those who followed after him. The Hall also manages to show symbolic importance because it reflects YongLes application of yin and yang in the Imperial Garden. Just as important, if not more important, than the Outer Court, was the Inner Court, or the domestic area where the emperor and those closely associated to him lived and carried out their daily lives. Though the idea of space and distance was highly regarded and used in the Outer Court with great diligence, it was much harder for the Inner Court to be so spacious. Instead, these palaces and other buildings were built closely together. The Inner Court was the yang to the Outer Courts yin, and everything related to the Inner Court corresponded evenly, such as the Six Western and Six Eastern Palaces that were constructed to house all of the Emperors concubines. The two key features of the Inner Court were not these Six Western and Six Eastern Palaces, but instead remained to be the Palace of Heavenly Purity and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, the two palaces which were not only home to the Emperor and the Empress, but also the palaces where the Emperor conducted business with his advisors, and where the Emperor â€Å"the emperor lay in state immediately following his death.† Over time, both of these Palaces would undergo incredible amounts of architectural renovation, specifically under the reign of Emperor Qianlong. Emperor Qianlongs renovation to YongLes vision was not his only contribution to the Forbidden City. Instead, his six extravagant art collections were in fact, his greatest contribution to the city itself. These six collections included beautiful pieces of ceramics, paintings and calligraphy, sculpture, bronze ware, jade, and so-called â€Å"minor arts† that remain on display in the Palace Museum in modern times. Though much of the architecture in the Forbidden City reflects the architectural decisions made by YongLe, the art is all reminiscent of Emperor Qianlong and his time in the Palace. Of all the art collections in his possession, it was noted that the collection of paintings and calligraphy were what Emperor Qianlong had the most of. In fact, Qianlong â€Å"practiced [painting and calligraphy] personally and thus saw from the viewpoint of an artist as well as a connoisseur.† Despite seeing from the viewpoint of an artist as well as a connoisseur, Qianlong was not very good at either painting or calligraphy, but that did not deter him from practicing or collecting, and Qianlong actually went so far as to use the example of fourth century artists handwriting to better his own calligraphy. Chinese calligraphy was a great art, with broad, sweeping strokes and vivid colors which were reminiscent of great paintings. These paintings have always been incredibly important in Chinese culture, and the paintings in the Forbidden City were no exception to this. The first Chinese paintings were simple black ink brush strokes on parchment paper, but â€Å"the efforts of later artists in their search for the expression of spirit or essence of all animate and inanimate objects extended from figure painting to landscape and bird and flower paintings†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and this expression of spirit was what Chinese artists became most known for. Zhu Jiajin claimed that â€Å"porcelain is one of Chinas great inventions, achieved through an amalgamation of the two disciplines of science and art,† and this is true. Chinas most important family of art is still to this day ceramics, or â€Å"china.† Though Emperor Qianlongs vast art collection contained pieces of china, some of these were beautiful vases and plates from the Ming Dynasty. Some artisans made vases out of vibrant colors such as blue, red, and black, while others made sculptures out of â€Å"pure white clay called kaolin.† Kaolin was not the only kind of clay that was available, and as time proceeded, many different types of ceramics also originated, and â€Å"under glaze decoration, a technique invented at the Changsha kilns† was used. In this form of decoration, the craftsman would decorate his vase or sculpture with a color, and then they would glaze the art and put it in the kiln. All these styles of ceramic artistry paved the way for other craftsmen in this same style. Sculptures were another form of art that made their way to the Forbidden City, and, as mentioned earlier, some of the most beautiful of these sculptures can be seen in the courtyard of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. â€Å"Stone, bone, horn, ivory, jade, shells, bamboo, and wood† were the chosen mediums that sculptors used to carve important figures of people and animals. One of the greatest discoveries of sculptures associated with the Forbidden City was the tomb of the first Qin Emperor. In this particular tomb was a monumental find that no one had known about, and this was a collection of life-sized clay soldiers and horses that were standing guard over the tomb of this great Emperor. It was said that, though the life-sized sculptures were made of clay, they were buried â€Å"with real chariots and weapons of that time, numbering more than seven thousand – an army sufficient to guard the supreme ruler in his afterlife.† There has been no greater or monumental find of such size and artistry found since this time, with the excavation of this tomb taking many painstaking years. Prior to the use of bronze in the creation of beautiful pieces of art, bronze was used by the Chinese for tools. As time progressed, artists began to craft three beautiful types of vessels that served three specific purposes – vessels for foods, wine vessels, and water vessels. These bronze vessels were used by Chinese nobility and reflected the styles of the times. Some of these sacrificial vessels contained images of people, but in later dynasties, the vessels stopped containing representations of people and turned more towards representations of animals. Artists began to inscribe poignant Chinese characters into their bronze vessels, these â€Å"master craftsmen of over 3,000 years ago were skilled in the art of the making of moulds and casting the finished article and were able to produce superb works which were well balanced with a sense of visual rhythm and strength†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and it was these craftsmen and Qianlongs interest in them that made these bronze vessels exceptional. In all of China, jade is viewed as something that is highly treasure, even above such fine metals as gold. â€Å"Jade is a material of supreme merit, possessing beauty, character, and mystery,† and has been used to make beautiful sculptures, vases, and tools. Chinese poets wrote beautiful poetry about jade, and artisans spent extended amounts of time coming up with innovative ways to cut and style the stone into gorgeous figurines. One of the most exquisite pieces of art from this time period is a sculpture that weighs close to 2000 pounds. This sculpture, called The Nine Elders of Huichang, was carved out of a boulder and has been on display in the Forbidden City for many years. Not only did artists carve sculptures out of jade, they also carved their prose into the sculptures that they created. Qianlong was so much an advocate of jade that he had a workshop built and had artisans come in to make figurines, boxes, and ornaments for him. It was due to Qianlongs immense favoritism of jade that this period of time is viewed as â€Å"the single most eventful era in the history of jade carving,† and there are some accounts that assert that, as a novice artist, Qianlong himself might have attempted to carve jade as well. The last collection of art to remain as an important part of the Forbidden City is that which scholars call â€Å"minor art.† These arts included handicraft arts, lacquer wares, cloisonnà © art, glass blowing, bamboo carving and work done with copper and enamel. One of the most famous of these minor arts artists emerged from the Imperial Palaces artistry workshop. This craftsman, Wu Zhifan, was a prolific bamboo carver who was known to carve â€Å"pagodas, dragon boats and the intricate reticulated balls carved from a single piece of ivory, one inside another and all movable,† and still other craftsmen were handpicked by the emperor himself to come and carve sculptures and other pieces of art for him out of ivory and bamboo. Lacquer ware artists poured lacquer, put it in the sun and then in a damp area, and were able to mold lacquer ware boxes and cups out of it. Another form of art, glass blowing, is one with origins that are unknown to scholars. The artists would blow the glass into vases and then use a glaze to give the glass its â€Å"hardness, brilliance, and colorfulness, which approximate the magical attributes of precious and semiprecious stones.† All of these forms of art were incredibly time consuming, but the finished products were always intricate and beautiful. In China, the Ming and Qing Dynasties remain as two of the most important dynasties in Chinese cultural history. From its humble beginnings in 1368, the Ming Dynasty helped to shape Chinese history forever with the help of its third emperor, the Emperor YongLe. Over a thousand great buildings were created to fulfill Emperor YongLes great vision of a home for the gods on Earth, a Forbidden City that appeared to one of YongLes tutors in an extraordinary vision. This beautiful city that grew in the new capital of Beijing became the center for all activity in China. The most important part of this Imperial City lay in its careful planning and architectural execution. The ideas of symmetry, religion, and symbolism all played a large role in China and all of these ideas were applied to the layout of the city. The premises upon which the city was built remain as some of Chinas most important. Following the demise of the Ming Dynasty, many others followed, but none as important to the Ming Dynasty as the Qing Dynasty, because with the Qing Dynasty came a flourishing art workshop that provided the Palace with an assortment of beautiful art collections. Ceramics, paintings and calligraphy, bronze ware, jade, and other minor arts, were diligently created and enmeshed in the art that was the architecture of the Forbidden City. Emperor YongLes carefully created architectural decisions, paired with Emperor Qianlongs exquisite art collections, were important in reflecting the incorporation of religion, symbolism, and art, in Chinese culture in prior times, and remain as important aspects of China in the present.

grant hill :: essays research papers

Grant Hill Everybody in Detroit called him â€Å"The Man† because he always was a leader and the to-go person in any tough moment of the game. Some people called him â€Å"The Gentleman† because he was a genuinely nice person with respect for the game and for others. Joe Dumars, a member of the legendary 1989-1990 Detroit Pistons team, once declared â€Å"He is the best player I’ve seen coming into the league for years†. Road to history was wide open for Grant, but luck had some other plans for his career. This is the story of Grant Hill, a story about having faith, patience and love for the game of basketball. Grant Henry Hill was born on October 5th, 1972 in Dallas, Texas but he grew up in Reston, Virginia. His father, Calvin Hill was a running back for the Dallas Cowboys. Even though his family was wealthy, he didn’t the other kids to know about it. He was really proud of his father being a famous professional athlete, but he was also embarrassed about it. When he was in eighth grade, his father gave a speech all the students, but he didn’t go. He faked illness and hid in the nurse’s office, saying that he didn’t want to seem to be better than everybody else. That is how humble he was.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Grant first started playing soccer, but by twelve, he had grown to six feet. That is when he started playing basketball. He became really good and he led his high-school team to two state championships. He then earned an athletic scholarship to play for the well-known Duke University. He led Duke to back-to-back championships and he had his â€Å"number 33† jersey retired. After he graduated, he entered the 1994 NBA Draft picks. He was picked by the Detroit Pistons as the 3rd overall draft pick.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Everybody had high expectations about him, they were seeing in him a new leader, a new beginning for the Pistons. He didn’t prove anybody wrong. He started at the 1995 all-star game after becoming the first rookie ever to lead all players in fan voting. Along with Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks, were co-voted as the Rookie Players of the Year. In the next four seasons, he started in all all-star games and averaged 23.2 Points Per Game, 7.6 Rebounds Per Game and 6.7 Assist Per Game.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first shadows in his career appear in 2000.

Last Day of the Last Furlough Essay

Lessons learned from Isolation in A Complicated Kindness and The Catcher in the Rye Love, sex and drugs; the few things that affect teenagers as they transition to adults. When becoming an adult there is a realization that one can no longer depend on their parents and there are overwhelming responsibilities such as going to school and getting the job. Teenagers are notorious for believing that it is themselves versus the world. The stress of becoming an adult is overpowering, and people cope differently with the change. Some teenagers rebel against their family and friends. This causes them to grow distant from the people they are close with. As a result some teenagers gradually isolate themselves, they confine in their isolation as it is their comfort zone. People can also isolate themselves because they cannot relate to others; this causes them to be excluded. In the novel A Complicated Kindness, the main character Nomi Nickel feels isolated as she does not agree with her community’s rules. To cope with her isolation she decides to rebel against her humble upbringings. Similarly, the character Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye faces isolation, to cope he begins to fail most of his classes. Although Nomi Nickel from Miriam Toews’ A Complicated Kindness, and Holden Caulfield from J.D Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye rebel to compensate for their isolation , both ultimately realize valuable lessons. Nomi Nickel realizes that she is accepts her Mennonite community, whereas Holden Caulfield realizes that people have to change in order to develop character. The characters Nomi Nickel and Holden Caulfield lose loved ones; in order to cope with their grief they seclude themselves from their surroundings. Nomi is abandoned by her sister Tash Nickel and her mother Trudie Nickel. Trudie and Tash were excommunicated from the town, it causes their departure from East Village. Trudie and Tash were considered defiant to the conservative Mennonite community. The feeling of exclusion caused emotional distress on Trudie and Tash, they did not have any option but to leave. Margaret Boe Birns argues â€Å"By excluding those who come into conflict with the community, shunning can destroy the relationship between neighbours and, as in the case of the Nickel family, cruelly divide family members.† This is true in Nomi’s case because the dividing has separated her family, the family members are in a predicament on whether to choose each other or their religion. The church’s shunning is highly responsible for separating her family as some of her family members were no longer welcomed in the community. Since Nomi lost her mother and sister she is isolated. She furthers this isolation by not having a relationship with her father, Ray Nickel. Nomi has waited three years for her family to rejoin, â€Å"If we could get out of this town things might be better but we aren’t we are waiting for Trudie and Tash to come back† (Toews 4). Nomi is disheartened that her family is broken up, but she remains in the town in case her mother and sister come back. Although things may be better elsewhere Nomi and Ray stay in the town in hopes that their family will no longer divided. Ultimately, until a possible reunion Nomi goes against her community’s rules and teachings as it is the driving force of her family splitting. She isolates herself from the community as she feels loyal to her mother and sister when doing so. Similarly, Holden suffers the loss of his brother Allie who died of cancer this causes Holden to alienate himself. Holden is isolated because the only person he can relate to is his brother who is dead. Holden’s last remark â€Å"Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody† (Salinger 214), shows that Holden does not want the chance of losing a loved one again. As Holden transitions to an adult he feels that he is abandoning his brother, because Allie died young. Holden acts in an immature way by trying to stay a child, he isolates himself from his age group because he believes that he is better than his peers. Moreover, Holden is completely alone as he is sent to boarding school on his own. Lisa Privitera writes about Holden â€Å"he tells the world that he made connections and feels the intensity of the emotions these connections bring up for him and that blissful ignorance might have been the better choice†. It is apparent that Holden does not want to get hurt by forming new friendships. Although he may not get hurt the small chance of him being mistreated completely turns him off from forming new relationships. Allie’s death has lead Holden to believe that Holden will lose anyone that was once close to him. Holden is successful in isolating himself because he cannot open himself to others. In both novels the situations are parallel as the characters lose loved ones. In both novels the main characters are resentful towards the community in which they live in. This compels them to go against the norms and to further their isolation. Nomi lives in a strict Mennonite community that is secluded from the rest of the world, and the community disapproves of secular ways. The community has ridiculous rules which are difficult to comply with when living in a western society. This makes it difficult for Nomi to obey the rules, as a result she does not follow the town’s teachings. When Mr. Quiring asked Nomi what she was doing with her life she responded, â€Å"I ended up saying stupid stuff like I just want to be myself, I just want to do things without wondering if there a sin or not. I want to be free† (Toews 48). It is evident that Nomi wants to enjoy herself. Her Mennonite religion has prevented Nomi from being free, as everyone is in a constant struggle to determine if their actions are religiously correct. Nomi, ultimately goes against her community and engages in outrageous behaviours such as doing drugs, partying and having sex with her boyfriend. Margaret Boe Birns states about Nomi, â€Å"She struggles against all things Mennonite. She makes a major departure from the ways of her community when she acquires birth control pills in preparation for her first sexual experience with her boyfriend Travis†. When Nomi engages in sex, she goes against the Mennonite teachings this is scandalous as her uncle â€Å"The Mouth† is the leader of the church. Nomi goes to the extent of burning a sign put up by The Mouth. This ultimately causes Nomi’s excommunication. Nomi rebels against her towns rules and isolates herself, to prove that she is better than what her town have people made to be. Moreover, Holden faces similar challenges to Nomi, as he is resentful towards his school’s community and feels that everyone is phony as he does not fit anywhere. This drives Holden to go to New York before he is to return home from his private school. Like Nomi, Holden partakes in risquà © behaviour. As Holden attempts to relate to someone he ends up associating with the wrong crowd. In one instance Holden calls for a prostitute to come to his room. Instead of engaging in sex, Holden opts for a conversation it is obvious that Holden is in need of a companion. He is unable to create successful relationships because he believes he cannot relate to anyone. Lingdi Chen writes, â€Å"Alienation is both the source of Holden’s strength and the source of his problem†¦his loneliness propels him into his date with Sally Hayes, but his need for isolation causes him to insult her and drive her away.† Holden does not realize that because he isolates himself from his surroundings it gets him into trouble, he begins to drink underage as an attempt to meet new people. Holden is bitter because he cannot relate to anyone and to compensate he acts morally wrong. When Holden is walking alone at night he thinks to himself, â€Å"New York`s terrible when somebody laughs on the street very late at night. You can hear it for miles. It makes you feel so lonesome and depressed. I kept wishing I could go home and shoot the bull with for a while with old people† (Salinger 113). This quote shows in its entirety how lonely Holden is, he lies to himself that New York is quite, as it is known as the city that never sleeps. He does this to make himself feel better that he has no one. In both books the characters end up isolating themselves as they do not agree with the circumstances they are in. Although the Nomi and Holden are at a constant struggle with their isolation, it has made them realize valuable lessons about themselves. Nomi comes to realization that she accepts her Mennonite community. When The Mouth informs Ray that his daughter has been excommunicated he says â€Å"It has been determined, said the mouth. What has? Asked my dad. Nomi’s excommunication, said the mouth†¦ Based on what criteria†¦ lack of attendance†¦ setting fires† (Toews 235). Ray is obviously disheartened that Nomi got excommunicated, but surprisingly Nomi does not leave East Village. Although she has been longing to move out, once she gets the opportunity she does not. Her constant need to be isolated from her town makes her appreciative of her town, but when she is given the opportunity to leave she realizes that she accepts her roots. After Nomi has sex with her boyfriend Travis he abandons her, Nomi’s father Ray also leaves her as he cannot bear to ignore his daughter who is excommunicated. Even though Nomi losses people who are remotely valuable in her life, she decides to stay in East Village. Since, Nomi is isolated she is able to look at the children, notice the beauty in the simple things and she has a reason to stay. Margaret Boe Birns writes â€Å"†¦Nomi hopes her family will one day reunite on earth. There is also a tactic hope that somehow her Mennonite community will find a way to look on the Nickel family with sympathy and understanding†. It is clearly apparent that because Nomi was isolated she is able to be more hopeful of her surroundings. She is no longer resentful of her community, as she believes that one day the Mennonites will approve of her family. This hope provides comfort to Nomi, as she remains alone in the East Village. Like Nomi, Holden learns an important lesson. Holden discovers that maturing is part of life, and he is unable to stop people from growing up. Lingdi Chen argues â€Å"Holden tells the symbolic meaning of the museum’s displays: they appeal to him because they are frozen and unchanging. He also mentions that he is troubled by the fact that he has changed every time when he returns to them†. Holden believes that humans should also mimic the museum displays, and to be true to oneself, one must never change. Holden’s way of thinking enables himself from making friends, as he does not want a relationship with someone who changes. Holden fails to realize that people are always changing as they need to mature and develop character. He would rather save children and prevent them from entering the adult world, so they can maintain their innocence. It is until Holden is with his sister Phoebe, that he makes a realization about human nature. Holden thinks to himself after seeing Phoebe on a carousel trying to catch a ring, â€Å"The things with kids is, if they want to grab the gold ring you have to let them do it and not say anything† (Salinger 221). When Holden allows Phoebe to grab the ring he realizes that people have to learn lessons for themselves, and he cannot protect people from making mistakes, he realizes that these lessons make people grow. Even though there is a possibility that Phoebe may fall catching the ring it allows her to learn and make better judgements. Holden firmly believed that people are phony for changing themselves, but that is because he did not consider that people have to mature. Since Holden was isolated and confined in his sister for comfort, he realized that he cannot prevent people from growing up and people need new journeys. Both, Nomi and Holden learned and grew for the better from their isolation. Nomi Nickel has grown appreciative of her Mennonite community, and Holden has realized that to grow people have to change and make mistakes. They both make these realizations as a result of their isolation. Although, people may need their personal space to think, completely isolating oneself may not be a clever idea. Isolation can cause for problems such as depression, it is better to be open minded to others and the surroundings as new valuable lessons can be learned. Works Cited Birns, Margaret Boe. â€Å"A Complicated Kindness.† Advanced Placement Source. EBSCO, 2007. Web. 31 May 2013. Lingdi Chen. â€Å"An Analysis of the Adolescent Problems in The Catcher in the Rye.† Asian Social Science. N.p., May 2009. Web. 31 May 2013. Privitera, Lisa. â€Å"Holden’s Irony in Salinger’s THE CATCHER IN THE RYE.† Academic Search Alumni Edition. EBSCO, 2008. Web. 31 May 2013. Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print. Toews, Miriam. A Complicated Kindness: A Novel. New York: Counterpoint, 2004. Print.

TOK - Does all knowledge require some kind of rational basis

The knowledge issue presented in this question promotes the examination of the relationship between knowledge and reason. The question being explored is if reason is the only basis upon which knowledge can be constructed. The term knowledge is broad, but under the perimeters of the knowledge issue, it means to have certainty on a certain topic. This knowledge refers to the creation of certainty about an ambiguous situation. It can be the product of critical thinking about any of the â€Å"ways of knowing,† or it can be certainty about personal situations. Knowledge is not truth but certainty. Certainty is a personal position and this is one of the major perimeters of the knowledge issue. Rational basis (i.e. reason) is a way of knowing†¦show more content†¦According to the definition of a rational basis, â€Å"a way of knowing in which one compiles historical information about similar situations in the past, and extrapolates to find certainty,† their kno wledge of religion is rational. They are using previous knowledge and extrapolating to validate the existence of a god or spiritual power. Belief is a strong way of knowing and religion is an exemplification of it. In contradiction to the counter-claim, religious beliefs are often accepted and then validated, meaning that they were believed before reasoned, and the knowledge was created by belief and only strengthened by the reason generated by these personal experiences. Religion is an example of how knowledge doesn’t have to have a rational basis, but how often can knowledge be created based on belief? Is religion the only example of knowledge based on belief? Religion is one of the only publicly accepted beliefs that creates knowledge without the influence of reason, however a personal belief can create knowledge. Personal beliefs are less common. This is because knowledge-based beliefs don’t make sense. They aren’t based on anything but inner-confiden ce. When millions of people share the belief, it is easy to follow, but people often won’t allow their beliefs to thrive. These beliefs often have to do with personal potential, or a situation with the odds stacked against it. Not only doShow MoreRelatedComparative Study of Quality of Work Life Management in Tcs Ibm: a Case Study Analysis14194 Words   |  57 Pageswork more efficiently. ‘Quality Work Life’ emphasizes on how an employee and employer should keep a proper balance between their work and family. It emphasizes how people can keep balance by making their work timings flexible. QWL basically is all about employee involvement, which consists of methods to motivate employees to participate in decision making. This helps in building good relationships. The project gives emphasis on use of quality circles by companies like TCS amp; IBM, which