Is Mores Utopia a Product of Its Time Essay - 2077 Words

Sir Thomas More in 1516 first conceived utopia while he served as an ambassador For England on a party expedition to Flanders. In England his vocation was law and he held the position of Under-Sheriff his knowledge in this area is an obvious influence in Utopian society. Utopia is a chronicle of Mores fictitious meeting with Raphael Hythlodaeus a traveller who has lived in Island, republic society of Utopia for five years. Almost five hundred years after its writing utopia is still the subject of controversy; it has been claimed by certain political and religious followings to be specific to their ideals and beliefs. Notably both communists and Catholics of the last few centuries have reasoned Utopia to be a statement of their beliefs.†¦show more content†¦At the time of Utopias writing Englands Monarchy was in a tenuous situation as Henry VIII was growing frustrated with the lack of male heirs borne to him by Catherine of Aragon. More was a respected and important figure in Henrys court and as such he knew the consequences of defying Henrys will. As a figure of public notoriety and authority he was constantly aware of the corruptible nature of other officials. His morals can be seen as a heavy influence in utopia and he often talks about the nature of Utopians and their lack of pride, vanity and greed. Pride like a hellish serpent gliding through human hearts-or, shall we say, like a sucking fish that clings to the ship of state? It is always dragging us back, and obstructing our progress towards a better way of life . This statement appears from the last pages of Utopia indicating its significance in the way More viewed his society. The Ship of state could be construed as a direct reference to the king and courtiers sucking fish Henry VIII was well known for his obstinate pride and it is likely that More was implying this statement as a whole but influenced by his knowledge of the King and court. The same can be said of the laws and punishments that exist in utopia, as a lawyer More must have brought his own vocational know ledge to the idyllic law and order system ofShow MoreRelatedThe Characteristics Of Thomas Mores Utopia913 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1516, Thomas More published the well-known book titled â€Å"Utopia,† where he defined the word as either â€Å"a good place† or â€Å"no place.† In the novel, More described an ideal communal society that was almost unheard of in his time. His â€Å"Utopia,† whose name was possibly derived from the Greek roots â€Å"ou not† and â€Å"tà ³p(os) a place† (â€Å"Utopia), can ultimately be considered a prototype of a modern welfare state (â€Å"Utopia (book)†). This, combined with a lack of private property and other characteristics,Read MoreThemes Of Utopian Literature2013 Words   |  9 PagesThe 16th century stands for a new time in exploration of all the fundamental beliefs that were at the heart of people’s mind. The Renaissance made the world wonder about new sciences, aesthetics, and relig ious beliefs. In the literature, too, was a heavy discussion about the ideas that the world should push for and the ideas the world should leave behind. Utopian literature stands at the center of that debate, the envisioning of a perfect world in a distant far away country was something that manyRead More The Political Structure of More’s Utopia Essay2634 Words   |  11 PagesOver the past few centuries the word utopia has developed a variety of meanings: a perfect state, paradise, heaven on earth, but the original definition of the word means something quite different. Utopia, coined by Saint Thomas More in his famous work Utopia, written during the English Renaissance, literally means nowhere. It is ironic that a word meaning nowhere has become a catchall phrase for paradise. More’s work is popular because of its wit, its use of metaphor, and its proposals forRead MoreAfter the Black Death in Europe, It Is Time for a New Beginning1197 Words   |  5 PagesLate fif teenth century and early sixteenth century Europe are classified by a time of change and the start to new beginnings. The Black Death left all of Europe in shambles and in a state of extreme disorder. The population decreased dramatically and the economic, social and political state was extremely hindered. Through the reformation and renaissance Europe finally began to somewhat recover from this catastrophe. This time of change became a cultural movement all across Europe that began to reformRead More Society in Utopia by Thomas More Essay1581 Words   |  7 PagesSociety in Utopia by Thomas More In his book Utopia, Thomas More examines a society that seems to be the ideal living situation for human beings. The main thesis of Utopia is his solution to many of the problems that are being faced in English society in the early 16th century. In forming his ideas for the country of Utopia, More points out many of the problems that he sees in English society. One of the most striking examples of English social problems that More points out is the punishmentRead MoreEssay on Thomas Mores Utopia and His Context3405 Words   |  14 PagesUtopia is Sir Thomas More’s seminal work, depicting a fictitious island and its religious, social, and political customs. Working as an advisor to King Henry VIII, More was aware of the issues of his time such as ridiculous inflation, corruption, wars for little or no purpose, courtly ostentation, the abuse of power by the absolute monarchs, and the maltreatment of the poor. Consequently, More used Utopia to contrast some unique and refreshing political ideas with the chaotic politics of his ownRead MoreThe Background Of Sir Thomas Mores Utopia2005 Words   |  9 PagesUtopia can easily be called Sir Thomas More’s most prominent and prestigious piece of writing. It tackled c omplex issues of religion, social status, and politics within the made up island of Utopia. To see why Sir Thomas More had such insight into these issues we must first know a bit about his background. Sir Thomas More lived from February 7, 1478 to July 6, 1535. He served as a counselor to Henry VIII and Lord High Chancellor of England during his life. He was notably opposed to reformation, especiallyRead More My Utopian Society Essay905 Words   |  4 Pagesproduced in the cities. Iron is the only resource which must be imported abundantly. All of the resources, except iron, that the nation requires, it produces on its own. The Utopians live a very simple lifestyle. They work, and in their spare time play games, read, and socialize. Other forms of entertainment, such as gambling and hunting are looked down upon. They only eat what is necessary, and their houses are built simply and furnished only with what is necessary. Thus, their consumptionRead MoreCommunism : A Theory Or System Of Social Organization1376 Words   |  6 Pagessocialist who live in different part of Europe. In this time many socialist leaders were influenced by Marxism. This is the begging of the communism. The concept of Marxism is socialism versus nationalism. Nationalism is based on ownership of property; however socialism is control and management of property by society. Marxism is based on socialism which property is controlled by society. Communism’s most important goal is reaching utopia. Utopia is made by Thomas More in 1516. It is a combinationRead MoreHumans Are Naturally Born Imperfect1680 Words   |  7 Pages Humans are naturally born imperfect. I believe we are all created as sinners, and we must make our way to achieve the idea of a perfect human being, whether it take our whole life time, or not. Throughout our life it is within ourselves, to use our free will to make morally good choices in order for us to be considered as perfect. However, along with our free will to make morally good choices in our life, the laws set by our government, and standards expected of by our community help shape us into

The Tragic Tragedy Of William Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet

A â€Å"tragedy† refers to a piece of literature which constantly proceeds towards a sorrowful ending due to the conflicts among different characters. The death of a hero or heroine is often the tragic ending of a tragedy, as well as other deaths generally caused by the hero or heroine. Tragedy endings often include separation, loss, sadness, and death (McDonald 157). Shakespeare tends to emphasize the importance of each individual’s death in his tragedies. However, these deaths are caused by the people in the play rather than forces of fate (Carlin 151). The actual â€Å"tragic† element in tragedies comes from the characters’ decisions–which are not influenced by fate. Examples of Shakespeare’s tragedies caused by human caprice include The Tragedy†¦show more content†¦It is simply the circumstances and choices of the young lovers, not â€Å"fate,† that determines their destiny. The fundamentally flawed nature of the unconscio us man leads all of mankind to his own destruction, but only at the behest of his own will. In the end, Romeo and Juliet’s fate unfolds due to their indulgence in the tragic nature of humanity (Harbage 30). The â€Å"tragic nature of all people† simply means all human beings manifest disastrous flaws. Since all humans are fundamentally flawed, it would be nearly impossible to single out a single characteristic flaw in either Romeo or Juliet that would eventually lead to such an extreme tragedy as that in the play. Instead, the interactions and the decisions of the various characters with different sets of fatal flaws contribute to the tragic ending in Romeo and Juliet. Self-determined actions, not the actions of fate, control our futures. Romeo and Juliet’s families are often perceived as a part of the â€Å"stars† making Romeo and Juliet â€Å"star-crossed† lovers. The

Sugar cane alley free essay sample

Sugar Cane Alley was filmed during the summer of 1931 in Martinique a time after the abolishment of slavery. This film parallels a time in Southern Rhodesia where there was a compound system that controlled the mining workers just as the overseers in the cane fields controlled the cane workers. Every aspect of daily life is in some way controlled. Sugar Cane Alley is an insightful film that shows how no matter your environment, if you want to succeed you can with a lot of hard work, but there will be hurdles to jump on the way. In Southern Rhodesia there was a system called the compound system. In this compound system the goal was for total control, but they figured that was to far, so they attempted to control every aspect of the migrants that were rounded up by the RNLB. Unlike Sugar Cane Alley, the compound system was made of a three-tier system where there was the local population, migrants, and the forced laborers. We will write a custom essay sample on Sugar cane alley or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In Sugar Cane Alley people are not forced to work, they work to live, and its just two rows of shacks full of people who can leave go as they please. But in Southern Rhodesia they wanted to lengthen the labor cycle and prevent mobility so they don’t move north for higher wages so they create laws within the system. As Van Onselen writes, the stores available were partially or fully company owned where making a tab was a trap and food rations were so low that they had to supplement by going to the high priced company store. He goes on further to say that because everything was so far away, the company succeeded in the miners leaning on the company store, but some would walk as far as twelve miles to another store for lower priced food. This is how Sugar Cane Alley and the compound system in Southern Rhodesia compare. Both have stores that their overseers partially or fully own where prices are too high so tabs and credit is invented so that some are forever indebted. In both areas wages are low, work is hard and long, and slavery is overall aspect of it all; they just can’t let it go completely. Jose, the main character, was different from the other children in the alley. He extremely bright, lives with his grandmother, and is the only one who believes education is his ticket out of the cane fields. The summer was a time to relax and have fun for the children while their parents are hard at work in the cane fields. During the day, the kids are left in the shacks where lots of mischief and disorder occurs. One day in certain, the children were running around in fields, watching animals fight, and feeding each other. When it came time to eat, all the children wanted to go into Jose’s shack, the shack his grandmother had told him earlier to keep clean. He fought to keep them out until and overseer came by and they all ran in and closed the door. This exemplifies how even in their own little community, Blacks still live in the shadows and slavery has not faded away, but merely changed its shape and form. As the children begin to share and eat the food they brought together, they demand sugar from Jose. They begin a search of the shack to figure out if Jose’s grandmother has hid it somewhere. During the search, someone knocks over a glass bowl and the atmosphere of the room is dead silence. As the silence continues, Jose and some others begin to hyperventilate because what will he tell his grandmother. One girl tells him what to do so that his grandmother would be angry, but not beat him. The practice of symbolism to defer the problem and getting nervous because one bowl broke, underlines the fact that poverty is at a high in this small area. Every little thing matters and everything makes a difference. After the leisure time of summer, kids are back to school to see which path of life they will take. Depending on final exams, those who excel will go on and further their education in the capital, Fort-de-France. Those who may not have done as well as those others will walk down a path that has been walked before by their parents. They will enter into a life of back breaking and low wages in the cane fields. But M’an Tine, Jose’s grandmother, will not have him working out in the fields. In one scene of the film, the children in one of their mischief moods are running around in the fields and tampering with the animals. While playing around in a hens coop, they find an egg, something they had never seen or eaten before. In order to cook the egg, they needed matches to light a fire, so in went the youngest of the group. There was a store entwined with the shacks that allowed people to put things on a tab or credit just as they did in Rhodesia. But in Rhodesia, the store was ran by a mining overseer where the prices were so high that the miners couldn’t eat respectively. So the youngest went into the store and mischievously put a bottle of rum and matches on her mothers tab. As the children all drink the rum, they all became intoxicated and carefree. As time moved on, the children were so oblivious of anything, they set a section of sugar cane on fire and laughed as if it would end all hurt and pain. To ensure that nothing of this capacity ever occurred again, the overseers condemned the children to the cane fields to work where they could be supervised. Jose was teased for not being able to work and make money like the others, but his grandmother just would not allow it. She made it clear to him and everyone else that he would not be stuck in the cane fields, education was his way out. Another person who influenced Jose’s education was Mr. Mdeouze. He told Jose about the history of Africa and his life in stories that later inspirers Jose write about in school. Mr. Mdeouze served as Jose’s spiritual father or guardian who let him see life and the world through his eyes and his stories. Jose was such a brilliant young man; he not only saw the world through Mr. Mdeouze but also through his strong willed grandmother, both of his teachers, and a friend he met named Leopold. When school began after summer, Jose grandmother didn’t want him to hang around with the kids from the shacks anymore because education is a serious matter and he needs no distractions. In doing so, Jose met a new friend, Leopold who was a mulatto whose father was one of the headmen in charge. Leopold’s father told him not to associate with anyone from Sugar Cane Alley because he believed he was above them. But even his son of his own flesh was not granted to have his last name because he was a mulatto and his family name has been a strong white name that goes back for centuries. Leopold represents how even if you’re born to a white father, your still black, and those things that don’t pertain to those who are full black don’t pertain to you either. No barrier has been broken, just reconstructed. Jose saw the world though him as well as Leopold through Jose because their worlds were so different but similar in the same ways. Slavery and living a compound life go hand in hand. Slavery is said to be over, but whites still want control over blacks. Their intentions is to have total control but that’s an impossible task because there are and always will be different forms of resistance. All of these things mentioned both Sugar Cane Alley and Southern Rhodesia have in common. Jose in the alley was a different case. Through living in poverty and seeing his most inspirational beings go back to Africa, in a sense, he jumped over the hurdles and made education his get away plan. He, nor did his grandmother, let Jose become a product of his environment. They both knew he was significantly brilliant and did not let any circumstance block his pursuit of success

Times Have Changed Essays - Educational Psychology, Adolescence

Times Have Changed Times have changed dramatically in the past thirty years. The style of living, the sizes of families, and education have all changed dramatically. During the fifties, sixties, and most of the early seventies teenagers were thinking about going off to war or starting a family. Very few teenagers coming out of high school were thinking about college. Slowly as times started to change, more and more people were going off to college. Today at the end of the nineties, very few people do not go off to college. Instead of high school students thinking about starting families or going off to war, they have a bigger decision to make. What college to attend. This decision will affect one's entire life; how they live, where they work, what size family they are going to have, and sometimes whom they will marry. Today, choosing a college is almost one of the biggest decisions one would have to make. The answer to this question will affect them for life. Finding a good job in the workforce is getting more difficult as time goes on. Employers are looking for individuals who are smart and can add something to the company; the competition is fierce. They are no longer accepting teenagers right out of High School. They are looking for people in their mid- twenties with a four-year degree, sometimes even a graduate level degree. Many hypothesize that this is because companies are paying their employees more. Another hypothesis is that they are trying to move forward. These companies are trying to expand on what they already have. There is a race to become the biggest and the best. Therefore, they are looking to college students who are specialized and know about the field. They are willing to pay college graduates a lot of money because they have faith that they will earn it back. During the fifties, sixties, and early seventies companies were happy to be getting anyone. With the wars going on and the protests for peace, most fresh workers were occupied. These companies were willing to pay and train anyone that might have been interested. Their selection was not as great as it is now. The selection of workers today is enormous. Therefore, college students today have to work harder to appear better than the next person. They need to sell themselves on paper. It is hard to do this without a good college name on one's resume. One should keep in mind all that has changed in thirty years. Imagine what can change in four years. The difficulty of getting a job could increase. With that, the amount of people applying for the same job, with the same qualifications can also increase in difficulty. The power of a good education should not be underestimated; in many cases, it means a good future.

Lynda Smith “Disconnected” Rhetorical Summary Essay Essay Example

Lynda Smith â€Å"Disconnected† Rhetorical Summary Essay Essay Example Lynda Smith â€Å"Disconnected† Rhetorical Summary Essay Paper Lynda Smith â€Å"Disconnected† Rhetorical Summary Essay Paper In her essay. â€Å"Disconnected† . Lynda Smith apprehends that today’s technological forward motions are taking over our basic human interactions. She explains that we are being brainwashed into believing that cell phone. computing machines and other technological appliances help us to remain connected swimmingly and outright. Although the world is by utilizing these appliances we are non sing face to face communications. alternatively we are dividing from each other. Lynda Smith tries to link with readers emotions by indicating out misdirecting cell phone bearer commercials and mottos. Smith besides uses farther facts to back up her claims. that these companies have lied to us and succeeded by supplying false information by repeat. Which causal has the client believe these companies are trusty and client friendly. Even more she uses CIA’s informations base information to demo the figure of cell phone and cyberspace users to reason her theory on commercials act uponing our picks to buy these services. Furthermore. Smith connects with people who have been affected by advertisement and cell phone carries tremendous figure of cell phone users. Smith’s illustration portrays a work forces who was lead to believe. he would salvage clip by having a cell phone. while the truth is there is no salvaging clip. Large corporations are merely out to falsify our sense of clip so that we truly stop up with less. while still purchasing their merchandises. and leaping on the bandwagon. Smith ends her statements by saying we all have single pick to make up ones mind how we communicate with our close one time. Will it be by fast forwarding engineering. or face to confront interaction. either manner we need to maintain updated with engineering in order advancement forwards but we can non depend on it.

USS Mississippi (BB-41) in World War II

USS Mississippi (BB-41) in World War II Entering service in 1917, USS Mississippi (BB-41) was the second ship of the New Mexico-class. After seeing brief service in World War I, the battleship later spent the majority of its career in the Pacific. During World War II, Mississippi took part in the US Navys island-hopping campaign across the Pacific and repeatedly clashed with Japanese forces.   Retained for several years after the war, the battleship found a second life as a test platform the the US Navys early missile systems. A New Approach After designing and building  five classes of dreadnought battleships (South Carolina-, Delaware-, Florida-, Wyoming-, and New York-classes), the US Navy decided that future designs should make use of a set of standardized tactical and operational characteristics. This would permit these ships to operate together in combat and would simplify logistics. Dubbed the Standard-type, the next five classes were powered by  oil-fired boilers instead of coal, eliminated amidships turrets, and possessed an â€Å"all or nothing† armor scheme. Among these changes, the shift to oil was made with the goal of increasing the vessel’s range as the US Navy felt that this would be critical in any future naval conflict with Japan. As a result, Standard-type ships were capable of cruising 8,000 nautical miles at an economical speed. The new all or nothing armor scheme called for key  areas of the vessel, such as magazines and engineering, to be heavily armored while less important spaces were left unprotected. Also, Standard-type battleships were to be capable of a  minimum top speed of 21 knots and have a tactical turn radius of 700 yards.   Design The characteristics of the Standard-type were first used in the  Nevada-  and  Pennsylvania-classes. As a follow-on to the latter, the  New Mexico-class at first was envisioned as the US Navys first class to mount 16 guns. A new weapon, the 16/45 caliber gun had been successfully tested in 1914. Heavier than the 14 guns used on previous classes, employment of the 16 gun would require a vessel with a larger displacement. This would significantly increase construction costs. Due to extended debates  over designs and anticipated rising costs, Secretary of the Navy  Josephus Daniels decided to forgo using the new guns and instructed that the new type replicate the  Pennsylvania-class with only minor changes. As a result, the three vessels  of the  New Mexico-class, USS  New Mexico  (BB-40), USS  Mississippi  (BB-41), and USS  Idaho  (BB-42), each carried a main armament of twelve 14 guns placed in four triple turrets. These were supported by a secondary battery of fourteen 5 guns which were mounted in enclosed casemates in the vessels superstructure. Additional armament came in the form of four 3 guns and two Mark 8 21 torpedo tubes. While  New Mexico  received an experimental turbo-electric transmission as part of its power plant,  the other two vessels used more traditional geared turbines.      Ã‚   Construction      Assigned to Newport News Shipbuilding, construction of Mississippi commenced  on April 5,  1915. Work moved forward over the next twenty-one months  and on January 25, 1917, the new battleship entered  the water with Camelle McBeath, daughter of the Chairman of the Mississippi State Highway Commission, serving as sponsor.   As work continued, the United States became embroiled in World War I. Finished late that year, Mississippi  entered commission on December 18, 1917, with Captain Joseph L. Jayne  in command. USS Mississippi  (BB-41) Overview Nation:  United StatesType:  BattleshipShipyard:  Newport News ShipbuildingLaid Down:  April 5, 1915Launched:  January 25, 1917Commissioned:  December 18, 1917Fate:  Sold for scrap Specifications (as built) Displacement:  32,000 tonsLength:  624  ft.Beam:  97.4 ft.Draft:  30 ft.Propulsion:  Geared  turbines turning 4 propellersSpeed:  21  knotsComplement:  1,081  men Armament 12  Ãƒâ€" 14 in. gun (4  Ãƒâ€" 3)14 Ãâ€" 5 in. guns2 Ãâ€" 21 in. torpedo tubes World War I Early Service Finishing its shakedown cruise,  Mississippi  conducted exercises along the Virginia coast in early 1918. It then shifted south to Cuban waters for further training. Steaming back to Hampton Roads in April, the battleship was retained on the East Coast during the final months of World War I. With the end of the conflict, it moved through winter exercises in the Caribbean before receiving orders to join the Pacific Fleet at San Pedro, CA. Departing in July 1919,  Mississippi  spent the next four years operating along the West Coast.   In 1923, it took part in a demonstration during which it sank USS Iowa  (BB-4).   The following year, tragedy struck  Mississippi  when on June 12 an explosion occurred in Turret Number 2 which killed 48 of the battleships crew.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Interwar Years Repaired,  Mississippi  sailed with several American battleships in April for war games off Hawaii followed by a goodwill cruise to New Zealand and Australia. Ordered east in 1931, the battleship entered the Norfolk Navy Yard on March 30 for an extensive modernization. This saw alterations to the battleships superstructure and  changes to the secondary armament. Completed in mid-1933,  Mississippi resumed active duty and began training exercises. In October 1934, it returned to San Pedro and rejoined the Pacific Fleet. Mississippi  continued to serve in the Pacific until mid-1941.    Directed to sail for Norfolk,  Mississippi  arrived there on June 16 and prepared for service with the Neutrality Patrol. Operating in the North Atlantic, the battleship also escorted American convoys to Iceland.   Safely reaching Iceland in late September,  Mississippi  stayed in the vicinity for most of the fall. There when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7 and the United States entered World War II, it promptly departed for the West Coast and reached San Francisco on January 22, 1942. Tasked with training and protecting convoys, the battleship also had its anti-aircraft defenses enhanced. To the Pacific Employed in this duty for the early part of 1942,  Mississippi  then escorted convoys to Fiji in December and operated in the southwest Pacific.   Returning to  Pearl Harbor  in March 1943, the battleship commenced training for operations in the Aleutian Islands. Steaming north in May,  Mississippi  participated in the bombardment of Kiska on July 22 and aided in compelling the Japanese to evacuate. With the successful conclusion of the campaign, it underwent a brief overhaul at San Francisco before joining forces bound for the Gilbert Islands. Supporting American troops during the Battle of Makin on November 20, Mississippi  sustained a turret explosion which killed 43. Island Hopping Undergoing repairs,  Mississippi  returned to action in January 1944 when it provided fire support for the invasion of Kwajalein. A month later, it bombarded Taroa and Wotje before striking Kavieng, New Ireland on March 15. Ordered to Puget Sound that summer,  Mississippi  had its 5 battery expanded. Sailing for the Palaus, it aided in the Battle of Peleliu  in September. After replenishing at Manus, Mississippi  moved to the Philippines where it bombarded Leyte on October 19. Five nights later, it took part in the victory over the Japanese at the Battle of Surigao Strait. In the fighting, it joined five Pearl Harbor veterans in sinking two enemy battleships as well as a heavy cruiser. During the action,  Mississippi  fired the final salvos by a battleship against other heavy warships. Philippines Okinawa Continuing to support operations in the Philippines through late fall,  Mississippi  then moved to take part in the landings at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon. Steaming into the gulf on January 6, 1945, it pounded Japanese shore positions prior to the Allied landings. Remaining offshore, it sustained a kamikaze hit near the waterline but continued to strike targets until February 10. Ordered back to Pearl Harbor for repairs, Mississippi remained out of action until May. Arriving off Okinawa on May 6, it commenced firing on Japanese positions including Shuri Castle. Continuing to support Allied forces ashore, Mississippi took another kamikaze hit on June 5. This struck the ships starboard side, but did not force it to retire. The battleship stayed off Okinawa bombarding targets until June 16. With the end of the war in August, Mississippi steamed north to Japan and was present in Tokyo Bay on September 2 when the Japanese surrendered aboard USS Missouri (BB-63).    Later Career                           Departing for the United States on September 6, Mississippi ultimately arrived at Norfolk on November 27. Once there, it underwent conversion into an auxiliary ship with the designation AG-128.   Operating from Norfolk, the old battleship conducted gunnery tests and served as a test platform for new missile systems. It remained active in this role until 1956. On September 17, Mississippi was decommissioned at Norfolk. When plans to convert the battleship into a museum fell through, the US Navy elected to sell it for scrap to Bethlehem Steel on November 28.

Based on clinical practice scenario (wound care), discuss the extent Literature review

Based on clinical practice scenario (wound care), discuss the extent to which evidence based practice was utilised, including re - Literature review Example These processes encompass the concept of wound care. Wound care is a crucial part of the medical practice. It prevents infection and blood loss, as well as further complications for the patient. There are various techniques which health professionals can apply in order to manage wounds. Such management strategies are supported by various studies and evidence in actual practice. This study shall consider literature and supporting researches in wound care, with particular attention given to patient preference and evidence-based practice. With the variety of applications which can be used for skin care, there is a need to consider the best type of care according to patient response and outcomes. Wound care All injuries trigger a series of events which are involved in healing, characterized by the arrival of platelets and inflammatory cells at the site of injury (Diegelmann and Evans, 2004). These cells also give off signals on the influx of connective tissue cells and on the increase of new blood. Chemical signals for these are the cytokines or growth factors. The fibroblasts are the connective tissues which mark collagen deposition essential for tissue injury (Diegelmann and Evans, 2004). In response to injury, platelets come into contact with exposed collagen. With platelet aggregation, clotting elements are released causing the formation of a fibrin clot at the injured area. The fibrin clot is considered the provisional matrix upon which healing is built on. Platelets facilitate clotting which helps control bleeding and loss of fluids and electrolytes. As well as releasing the cytokines, which initiate healing, these platelets also release the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and transform growth factor-beta (TGF-B). Through the PDGF, chemotaxis of neutrophils, macrophages, smooth muscle cells, and fibroblasts is initiated (Diegelmann and Evans, 2004). These platelets also trigger the mitogenesis of the fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells. The TGF-B also t riggers the healing cascade by drawing in the macrophages and prompting them to release more cytokines (including the fibroblast growth factor-FGF, PDGF, TNFa and the IL-1) (Diegelmann and Evans, 2004). The TGF-B supports the chemotaxis of the fibroblast and the smooth muscle cells; it also regulates collagen and collagenase expression (Diegelmann and Evans, 2004). The overall result of these signals is a strong response of the matrix which then supports the release of cells which help ensure rapid formation of new connective tissue at the injured area during the proliferative stage of healing which follows the inflammatory phase (Diegelmann and Evans, 2004). Within 24 hours of the injury neutrophils are the common markers in the injury site. This neutrophil removes foreign material and bacteria in the wound site. Bacteria send of chemical signals which attract neutrophils, ingesting these through phagocytosis. These neutrophils will fill themselves with bacteria and make up the lau dable pus in the injury site (Diegelmann and Evans, 2004). The mast cell is a market cell crucial to wound healing. These cells give off granules made up of enzymes, histamine, and numerous other active amines; they are also responsible for the signs of inflammation seen around the wound. The active amines in the mast cells trigger nearby vessels to become leaky; this causes the easy passage of mononuclear cells in the injured area (Diegelmann and Evans, 2004). Fluids also gather at the wound site and with this, signs of

Apple Stock Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Apple Stock - Research Paper Example According to the study the industry in which Apple operates in can be characterized into external features using Michael Porter’s five forces framework. The industry has barriers to entry due to the significant capital requirements needed to enter. The degree of competition that the industry faces also limits entry of newcomers and the brand identity that each player in the industry creates bars new entrants since they would struggle for any significant market share due to their lack of any brand identity.From this paper it is clear that  there is the constant threat of substitutes that the company faces due to the higher prices that the company imposes on its products as compared to its competitors. Generally, Apple products are highly priced than other similar products in the market, therefore there is that threat that consumers might opt to go for a lower priced commodity from Apple’s rivals. The threat of substitutes is also created due to the nature of the compan y business which is a closed ecosystem and is therefore difficult to switch to any other form of business. There is also the supplier power that Apple as a corporation holds. The company always creates quality products making the company have the power to bargain for a higher price for their products in relation to their competitors.  Apple Inc. is one of the most valuable companies in the world and much of its success is attributed to the sustainable competitive advantage it has created over the years.

Gender Inequality Essay Example for Free

Gender Inequality Essay It is not up for debate whether women are discriminated against in the workplace it is evident in census data; in 1998 women made 73 cents to the dollar paid to men. Even today, there is still a pay gap that exists between women and men. It is said that the organizations that are pro-equal pay, including some unions, support the idea that the government should set wages for all jobs. To the contrary, the organizations that are proponents of equal pay are not for job wages being set by the government-they wish to have the discrimination taken out of pay scales from within the company. Commonly, this pay gap is attributed to the fact that women in the United States are still expected to attend to familial obligations over work. Data shows that women do attend to family obligations, like having a child, caring for a sick family member, or caring for an elder; but they also do not give up on work. Yes, women often chose lower paying jobs in exchange for flexible hours and do spend a lower number of hours per week long-term at their jobs than their male counterparts. Because women are socialized to be the primary care givers they are kept at these lower paying jobs that are more flexible, the jobs allow them to care for their family yet still retain an income (possibly a second income for the household). Women’s changing roles in society has resulted in this workplace problem. Women are allowed and often encouraged to work but they are not rewarded or compensated at the same level, for their efforts, that men in the work force are. The pay gap would be narrowed if companies were more conducive to family schedules. Men and women would receive equal pay for the same job. Companies would benefit by retaining quality employees. Men and women need to start out making the same amount of money for the same job, companies need to offer women ample maternity leave, families need to be offered childcare (or childcare compensation), there needs to be a flexible work environment, and men should never be discouraged from taking paternity leave. It seems that women workers have reached a plateau in society. In order for women to be respected as men are) in the workplace there needs to be a redistribution of domestic and family work. It’s acceptable now for women to work; but this acceptance into the workforce has not drastically changed what they, women, are expected to perform at home. There is no way for women to move forward to equality in pay if they are not recognized as contributors to their job (i.e. women are still expected to perform outside of work in the family setting as well in a way that men are only expected to perform at work and not at home). As soon as more domestic and family work is allocated to men than women will be able to attain equal pay. Women, with less work at home, will be able to commit to full time jobs, have to leave the workforce less, take less leave, and be able to climb the corporate ladder just as men are today. Since 1942, gender inequality, at least in pay, can be traced. In 1942 the National War Labor Board issued a general order that authorized employers to make voluntary adjustments in salaries or pay in order to demonstrate gender equality (at least in jobs were women and men worked the exact same job and had comparable quality and quantity of work) (CNN). Rates of women in labor unions has been increasing since they have entered the workforce. Even with the increase of women union numbers this inequality of pay still exists. Women are encouraged by unions and other organizations to sue their employer if they are being treated unfairly in the workplace. Women are unlikely to pursue this option against their employers because of limited resources, i.e. money and time. Gender discrimination in the workplace is not only evident in the pay gap but also in sexual harassment and the â€Å"glass ceiling† in organizations. The term glass ceiling began as a reference to discrimination against women in the work force. â€Å"Glass ceiling† encompasses many different kinds of discrimination against women workers including but not limited to: differences in pay for comparable work, sexual harassment in the workplace, and companies that do not have family-friendly policies. The glass ceiling is an unwritten rule in many businesses. The ceiling is an invisible barrier that usually affects minorities and women. This barrier is extremely debilitating for women in their job because it makes them feel inferior and that their bosses do not take them seriously because of their sex. Women feel that their bosses aren’t taking them seriously because the bosses do not view them as potential candidates for the most prestigious positions in the establishment. The glass ceiling is another oppressive means used by corporate America to keep women out of powerful positions and keep them from raking in a lot of money; in terms of their gross income. A study done by the U.S Department of Labor in 1991 reviewed nine Fortune 500 companies and the results confirmed that workers in these companies, minorities and women especially, came into contact with the invisible barrier, â€Å"the glass ceiling†, very early on in their careers. The U.S. Supreme Court has designated two different types of sexual harassment in workplaces: Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 is harassment that directly results in an employment outcome (ex. the harasser would say that if you don’t do X you will lose your job). Sexual harassment of Type 2 is not nearly as direct but creates a hostile work environment for the harassed worker. This hostile in environment can be created by rude gestures, sabotaged work, inappropriate name calling, vulgar jokes, unnecessary touching, comment on the appearance of others (physical attributes), etc. Women are now surpassing men in the amount of education, in years and higher degrees, they have. If the workforce does not allow them to pursue executive career options then they will find themselves unable to fill these positions. Women in 1996 earned 1,255,057 college degrees as compared to men who earned 992,638 degrees (Career Planning). The ever increasing amount of women furthering their education makes them more likely to want to enter the job market. Also, the longer a woman is in school the longer she will be in the workforce, when she enters it, because it is likely that she will delay childbearing. Even though female graduates may be even more qualified for a position than her male counterpart the woman will be much more likely to be recommended for a job as an assistant or secretary job than the man. She will be told that this assistant or secretarial job is her way to get her foot in the door at the company. The employers will act like this is a typical entry-level position when in fact a man in the same situation will immediately begin at a much higher level in the company. Women are over represented in the lower paying jobs in the company- almost all assistants and secretarial positions are filled by women while men crowd the top and fill the most prestigious positions in the company. This concentration of men at the top and women at the bottom is called â€Å"occupational segregation†. I began the Intro to Critical Feminist Studies course with a very clear idea of what feminism is yet I was hesitant to call myself a feminist. A feminist, to me, is someone who advocates for women’s rights and their equality as compared to men. Women and men are equal yet both are very different. A feminist is someone who capitalizes on and embraces the differences between men and women. Anyone can be a feminist but feminism, to me, means only advocating for women’s issues like gender discrimination in the workplace. Through the semester my definition of feminism has not changed drastically; yet I am much more willing to associate myself with this movement/name. My hesitation in calling myself a feminist was based on worries about the social implications of the word â€Å"feminist†. I don’t judge people merely because they attach this label to themselves or associate with other â€Å"feminists† so there must have been some deeper concern about the social implications of being one, a feminist. I don’t think that individuals necessarily associate being a feminist with negative things but that socially, in group situations and in the larger context of society and politics, being labeled as a feminist will limit your options. Specifically, I am concerned with the implications of being a â€Å"feminist† in the workplace. The workplace, to me, is the center of the politically correct and somehow labeling yourself a feminist makes you politically incorrect and socially awkward. Labeling yourself a feminist, ironically, attributes a male characteristic to you, i.e. confidence. Because feminists are labeled with this confidence and that they have such a clear idea of what injustices against women are they are outcasts. This topic, gender discrimination in the workplace, is related to a topic in my previous papers, women and healthcare. The job market is probably the most influential factor in an individual’s ability to obtain health insurance. This job-place discrimination against women indirectly affects the quality of healthcare available to most American women. It’s important to me to have equality in the workplace because I am a women and I don’t deserve to make less money than a male-counterpart just because of my sex. Even if it is the case that women are in and out of the labor force (more than men) because of familial obligations there is no cause for this discrimination in the workplace. Women are in and out of the labor market caring for men, men’s children, and men’s relatives yet women get paid less than men for the same job. There is even more cause for the wage gap to be closed because women’s roles are changing; many women are both mothers an d workers. In the past, maybe it was OK (not just but socially acceptable) for women to make less money than men because men were the providers and the woman’s income was play money. This is no longer the case. Women are now equal providers for their family, possibly the bigger earner, and frequently the sole provider for their household (single moms etc.). A female that just graduated from college with a major in marketing calls an agency to schedule an interview. She gets to the interview on time, well dressed, and ready to be hired. The interview proceeds and the interviewer is impressed with her resume; but is very interested in her typing speed. The interviewer takes the recent grad to another room, a computer lab, where she is sat down and prepared to take a typing test-to determine her words per minute. While typing, she sees an acquaintance of hers from school and he is applying to work for the agency as well. Her male acquaintance is interviewed by the same person yet he is immediately suggested for a position in the company without taking a typing test. The interviewer suggested the taping test for the female grad because having good typing skills would help her get her â€Å"foot in the door†, i.e. she could start out as an assistant or secretary. Even though both prospective employees, the woman and the man, had equit able educations the woman was not encouraged/allowed by the interviewer to enter the ranks of the business as anyone but a secretary (Career Planning). Some examples of gender discrimination in the workplace are: women not being hired for a position (which they are qualified for) because the company’s long-time clients feel more comfortable dealing with men, during company cutbacks men with the same job with less seniority keep their job over a woman who has been working for the company for a long time, and women not being able to attain a promotion even though they qualify for it (the woman has exemplary reviews and has earned many awards in her position (like employee of the year, etc.) the promotion is given to a less qualified male). After the National War Labor Board issued general order sixteen the fight for equal pay continues. President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in 1963. This Act signed by JFK applied to 27.5 million workers (both men and women) and required â€Å"employees doing work requiring equal skill, effort and responsibility- and work performed under similar working conditions-be paid equal wages† (CNN). In subsequent years, following both the general order sixteen and the Equal Pay Act, numerous bills and acts have been passed to guarantee women and men equal pay for the same job; yet the pay gap still exists today. A more recent statistic on the pay difference, from 2000, found that women still make .80 cents to the dollar that’s paid to their male counterparts (GAO). A few women have been compensated for their lost wages. The Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, OFCCP, began reviewing corporate management systems in 1993. The OFCCP began the review process after President Bill Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act. This Act protects workers jobs guaranteeing them at least twelve months of unpaid leave due to the birth of a child or extreme family circumstances (someone is very ill, etc.). These reviews of corporate management systems has been instrumental in paying back wages to women. One of the OFCCP’s reviews included an evaluation of Fairfax Hospital in Virginia. The hospital, as a result of its preliminary review by the OFCCP, agreed to pay over $425,000 in back wages to 52 female workers ; these workers were â€Å"employed in the top six grades of the hospital’s personnel structure† (CNN). Also, after the hospital’s review they gave 44 out of the 52 women pay raises, which gave these individuals more than $178,000 (extra) in total. These raises account for more than $4,000 a year extra income for each woman. Out of all the corporate reviews by OFCCP, the largest settlement was with CoreStates Financial Institution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a result of their review CoreStates paid more than 1.5 million dollars to women and minorities to compensate them for (past) pay discrimination. In addition to paying the 1.5 million dollars to workers CoreStates paid more than â€Å"334,000†, in salary adjustments to 76 women and 66 members of minorities† (CNN). The monetary compensation does not address the root of why women are paid less than men. If companies are willing to settle with the OFCCP and pay lost wages to female workers then they obviously recognize the injustice they are committing in the pay scales. Even with the passage of numerous acts that require employers to give equal pay the gap still continues between women and men’s salaries. From the 1960’s when JFK signed the Equal Pay Act the number of women workers was at an all-time high. From the beginning of the 60’s to the mid 70’s more than half the increase in the amount of workers in the labor force was made up of women. Most of these women were married and delayed having children so they could stay in the labor force longer. Even though women’s primary obligations are to their families they still do remain in the workforce after having children. Families can’t make it without the second income provided by the female. Women are in and out of the labor force but only to recover from childbirth; the number of working moms in 2006 was over 2.6 million. More than 72 percent of mothers in the Unites States, with children under the age of 18, are either employed part or full-time. Women are in hostile environments at home and at work. Women are paid less than men for the same job, are sexually harassed at work, and are cornered into low paying demeaning work. Even though women are expected to be equal providers for their family they are also expected to be the primary caretaker of their family. It is impossible for women to excel in both arenas if they are not granted equality. This equality would include either redistribution of domestic and family work (while women continue to work in the office) or equal respect for â€Å"women’s work† (women staying at home while men work in the office).

Legalizing Marijuana Essay -- Drugs Weed Legal Argumentative Essays

Legalizing Marijuana Drugs are a major influential force in our country today. The problem has gotten so out of hand that many options are being considered to control it or even solve it. Ending the drug war seems to be a bit impossible. The war on drugs seems to be accomplishing a lot but this is not true. Different options need to be considered. Legalization is an option that hasn't gotten a chance but should be given one. Although many people feel that legalizing marijuana would increase the amount of use, marijuana should be legalized because it will reduce the great amounts of money spent on enforcement and it will increase our country’s revenue. There are also many benefits that can be uncovered to help people if legalization of marijuana is given a chance. Legalizing marijuana would increase our economy's revenue. During Prohibition alcohol use was still sold and used, but people were doing it illegally. The 21st amendment repealed prohibition and alcohol taxes were increased. The same thing should happen with drugs. Marijuana should be taxed heavily to increase our revenue. Marijuana and other drugs would be made by the same people who make aspirin so the quality would be assured, containing no poisons or adulterants. Sterile hypodermic needles will be readily available at corner drug stores. These could be taxed heavily because the users will be assured of "clean drugs." Making drugs legal will reduce the great amounts of money spent on enforcement every year. Drug dealers and users are one step ahead on the enforcement process. If one drug lord is caught, another one will show up somewhere else. We cannot win. â€Å"In 1987, 10 billion dollars were spent alone just on enforcing drug laws. Drugs accounted for about 40... ...on on the amount spent on law enforcement efforts to apprehend and prosecute users and sellers of marijuana. The drug enforcement authorities might reduce their budget requests, or, more likely, focus more intensely on hard drugs and violent crimes. The courts would be relieved of hearing some drug cases, as well. The most important gain would be in the quality of government. The sorts of temptations and opportunities that lead to corruption would be significantly minimized. The illogical pattern of law enforcement, which now treats marijuana as more dangerous as alcohol, would end. It would set more achievable goals for law enforcement, and this would lend strength and credibility to the government. In the essay â€Å"drugs,† Vidal states, â€Å"It is possible to stop most drug addiction in the United States within a very short time, Simply make all drugs available.

With Every Drop of Blood: Johnny’s Character Development

They hear a shrill scream and both slam their bodies to the ground. Johnny gets up a minute later, covered In a thick layer of dirt, and realized that Cush Is dead still and oozing with blood. Johnny could leave Cush there to die, but he carries him onto his wagon and insists that he stay keep Cush company while his leg heals- even though Cush suggested that Johnny leave him and head home.The book With Every Drop of Blood, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier, is a story about an unlikely friendship between Cush, n African American union soldier, and Johnny, a southern white boy, set during the civil war. In the beginning of the book, Johnny is an ignorant racist. However, Johnny's friendship with Cush helps him overcome his racist views. Johnny is shocked when he is captured by Cush. He is used to being superior to African Americans, not being commanded and pushed around by one.Everyone back home says It Is beneath the dignity of a white man to have to fight â€Å"darkl es† as equals, and Johnny agrees. He is even questioning whether or not Cush has the rains to know how to shoot a rifle. Johnny thinks to himself, â€Å"Darkles weren't smart enough for much, which Is why they had to have white people over them to tell them how to do things† (p. 77). Being surrounded by racists his whole life has shaped Johnny's opinions about black people, but those opinions change as he gets to know Cush better. Johnny starts to see things from the African American's point of view.He pretends to go to bury EJB, when he was really going to make an escape and go head mom. He gets caught by the Union soldiers and brought back to the camp. There, he gets talking to Cush about his former life as a slave. Cush tells Johnny how his back was whipped raw Just for taking a piece of pork from a pig, right after his father was sold off. Johnny thinks about his home, where people said blacks were lazy, greedy, and too dumb to take care of themselves without a mast er. Johnny thinks, â€Å"l never asked a dark how they felt about being slaves.Was everybody back home wrong? ‘ (p. 42) Now he realizes that everything he was told about slavery could be distorted. Because Cush Is an African American In a union uniform, he gets caught by some Confederates who lock him up in an old tobacco barn in Appoint. Johnny pretends that his family owns Cush, and that they really need the extra help on the farm. The Confederates refuse to release Cush, so Johnny leaves the barn without him and goes to look for Colonel Marshall to see if he'll be any help. Marshall is nowhere to be seen, so Johnny asks a man named Mares Mclean.Mclean tells Johnny that the war has ended. The gunshots stop, and the Confederate soldiers release Cush. Johnny stands by the barn with him and thinks â€Å"It was mighty hard to believe that Cush was lower than me. † Then Johnny offers Cush some company on his way home. Johnny goes from a an Ignorant racist to someone that risks his life to save a black talks to Cush, the more he feels empathy for slaves. Johnny ends up becoming very good friends with Cush, and they both save each other's life. Johnny's friendship with Cush helps him overcome his racist views.

Gamestop Analysis

There are a lot of companies worth investing in around the country and the world. An investor cannot simply put his money into a company without doing some research beforehand. Using ratios, balance sheets, income sheets, and other financial information, a potential investor has a lot of resources to use to ensure a good investment is made. Considering the financials of each company can be reviewed from year to year, a potential investor is able to research trends from year to year of whatever company they might want to invest in.Based on my general knowledge of the gaming industry, I would consider investing in GameStop because gaming seems to be a booming industry. With all of the commercials on television for new releases, new consoles being developed every couple of years, and even competition gaming it seems that this industry is going to continue to climb. Since GameStop specializes in this industry and no other, I would consider it a safe investment even without doing any rese arch on the company. GameStop is a small retailer that specializes in video game hardware and software.The company also runs Kongregate, which is an online browser based game website allowing players to play smaller games. Kongregate makes its money using micro transactions, which are smaller transactions within the games. GameStop sells new and used hardware and software games on console, and also sells new computer based games as well. GameStop has over 6,500 actual locations spread throughout multiple countries along with a website through which more business is conducted. It is a leader in the gaming industry and is ranked 262 on the Fortune 500 list.Its main competitors are retail giants such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy who sell the same blockbuster titles as well. A horizontal analysis of the company shows the following for three years ending January 2011. GameStop Income Statement Year Ending200920102011 Sales100%100%100% Cost of Sales74. 2%73. 2%73. 2% Gross Profit25. 8%26. 8%2 6. 8% Operating Expenses7. 7%7. 4%7. 4% Income before tax7. 2%6. 5%6. 6% Income taxes2. 7%2. 4%2. 3% Net income4. 5%4. 1%4. 3% The horizontal analysis is important when researching any company because it compares the company’s numbers side by side for two or more financial periods.Basically, you can look over multiple years once the analysis is put together and see where the company has improved and declined, and whether or not the profits have gone up or down from year to year. In the example of GameStop, we can see that gross profit increased slightly from 2009 into 2010 and stayed at the same number going into 2011. The horizontal analysis is the quickest way to look at the trends from year to year when you want to see a high level overview of a company, and deciding whether it warrants more research or not.Over the past few years GameStop has shown a small drop in their net income, which would indicate the trouble the economy has been having over those years. The cost of goods did decrease while gross profits increased each year, which means they were able to acquire goods for less and sell for more. This shows that their pre-owned game sales likely increased due to the economy. Operating costs did drop slightly going into 2010 and maintained the same cost going into 2011, which means they did not put much more into their operations, but it also means they were probably unable to find a way to cut costs.This can be difficult if they rent because some places have a fixed amount of rent while others may rise and lower depending on realty in the various areas. The current ratio for GameStop year ending 2010 was 1. 28 whereas the year ending 2011 dropped to 1. 23. This seems to indicate that that the company’s ability to pay all of its short term liabilities fell slightly. This could indicate a drop in assets or even that the company reinvested in expanding its operations.Because the ratio dropped over the course of the two years does not necessa rily mean that the company is not still in good standing, there are many things that could affect the ratio. From the balance sheets, it looks like the assets did not increase as much as the current liabilities, meaning operations could have been expanded while sales fell, or even that business slowed down and operational expenses could have increased. Overall, GameStop’s assets did increase from 2010 into 2011 while the liabilities decreased slightly. The quick ratio showed a slight decrease from 0. 5 in 2010 to 0. 51 in 2011. This appears to be mainly caused by a rise in inventory that was not able to be sold by the end of the year. At the year end of 2010 the company’s inventory was marked at 1,052. 6 million dollars, and at year end in 2011 it was marked at 1,257. 5 million dollars. Sales of new hardware fell from 2010 into 2011 because no new systems were released. The sales declined from 2009 into 2011 by 140. 2 million dollars, which would account for the compan y’s quick ratio declining between the two years. GameStop’s gross profit for new hardware actually increased by 7. % going into 2011 which would indicate that there were drops in the cost of the new hardware. There was actually an increase in the fiscal year of 2011 of 4. 4%, which would indicate that even with the lower numbers the company actually did better for the previous year. The cash to current liabilities ratio also dropped slightly from 0. 55 in 2010 to 0. 41 in 2011, which simply indicates a small drop in liquid assets that GameStop has available. After looking at the balance sheet between 2010 and 2011, the company had a significantly smaller amount of cash on hand which can explain the drop.This does not mean that GameStop is doing any worse as there are several explanations for this. If a company has too much cash on hand, it can mean that they are not expanding their business or trying to reinvest in the company to try to earn more revenue. Most companie s will not keep a lot of cash on hand, so the cash to current liabilities ratio should not be given too much weight when considering an investment. After looking through the company’s financials, it seems that all of the numbers here are essentially straight forward. I do not see anything outside of normal reporting and a typical year that would cause the numbers o be either inflated or deflated within the year end reports. The company’s assets barely rose between 2010 and 2011 and there was almost an equal fall on the liabilities which helped keep the company somewhat balanced. Based on the most recent numbers, it seems that GameStop had less assets on hand that could be considered liquid. This is likely due to the increased inventory on hand that was not sold during the fiscal year. Even though the company technically had more assets, less of it was considered liquid because it was in inventory, less current assets, a drop in intangible assets, and a rise in current liabilities.GameStop went from 1,655. 7 million in 2010 up to 1,747. 8 million in 2011. The factor that made up the bulk of this difference was accounts payable, which indicates that there were probably loans taken out to cover the expansion of the company. Since the only real direct competitors of GameStop are giant retailers like Best Buy and Wal-Mart, they probably have more liquid assets available. GameStop does not have much in the way of liquid assets because they are still working on expanding even more. Between 2010 and 2011, total store numbers increased from 6,450 to 6,670.This is why cash and liquid assets are lower in 2011, because the company has been expanding and working on building more revenue up. It seems that GameStop is continuing to reinvest in itself by expanding and making the company available to more consumers. I think that GameStop would be a good company to invest in, and I would personally make some sort of investment if I had the resources to do so. From what I can gather by looking at the balance sheet, sales have steadily increased over the past few years and the company has been expanding.Since GameStop is working toward expanding and improving its business, it is a safe assumption that revenue should increase in the future, especially when new consoles are eventually introduced into the market from Microsoft and Sony. The only risk that I see with GameStop is that their liquid assets seem to be decreasing from year to year, at least in the past few years. This is probably mostly due to an increase in buildings, property, fixtures, and the hiring of new employees to work in the new locations.If they keep expanding and the profit margin keeps shrinking it will come to the point where the company starts losing money. I would really suggest waiting at least a quarter to see if trends improve and advising to invest if the profit did increase over that quarter. Doing the research on a company you are considering investing in is compl etely worth the time required to do a thorough analysis of the company. Once the research has been completed, you will be able to make a fair analysis of the company simply utilizing information available provided by whatever company you are investigating.By running a horizontal and ratio comparison, a company’s financial portfolio becomes almost transparent and trends, profits, losses, and expansion can all be seen at the top level view. References: GameStop. (2011) About GameStop. In News from GameStop. Retrieved November 1, 2012, from http://news. gamestop. com/about_us Gamestop. (2011) Annual Reports. In GameStop Corporate Information. Retrieved November 1, 2012, from http://phx. corporate-ir. net/phoenix. zhtml? c=130125&p=irol-reportsannual Walther. (2012). Principles of Accounting: Volume IÂ  (1st ed. ). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc

Book Report on Paper Towns by John Green Essay Example

Book Report on Paper Towns by John Green Essay Example Book Report on Paper Towns by John Green Essay Book Report on Paper Towns by John Green Essay Book Report Project in English By Claire Andrea Pascual – III-Arezzo Title: Paper Towns Author: John Green Genre: Young adult novel, mystery Characters: 1. ) Quentin â€Å"Q† Jacobsen – He is the protagonist and the one who is telling the story. He is childhood friends and neighbors with Margo, who he also had a crush on ever since they were children. As the years passed, their contact with one another has decreased. As the story progress, he tries to unfold clues he thinks Margo intentionally left for him when she went missing. 2. ) Margo Roth Spiegelman – Margo is Quentin’s childhood friend/neighbor who runs away from home. She was pursued by Q. She thinks planning out adventures is more fun than doing them. She was one of the popular kids in school before she ran away. 3. ) Marcus â€Å"Radar† Lincoln – He is one of Q’s best friends. He maintains a website called Omnictionary (which is very similar to Wikipedia). His parents own the largest collection of Black Santas. He assists Quentin in the search for Margo. 4. ) Lacey Pemberton – She’s been Margo’s best friend since kindergarten. Margo felt that Lacey had been very undermining throughout their entire friendship. She is also involved with searching for Margo. . ) Ben Starling – Another one of Q’s best friends who helps in looking for Margo. He becomes Lacey Pemberton’s boyfriend. Summary: â€Å"Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life- dressed like a ninja an d summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge- he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues- and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew. † Official Summary Synopsis: The story took place in Orlando, Florida and it started in a subdivision called â€Å"Jefferson Park†. Quentin, the protagonist and narrator, and Margo, his friend and neighbor, who were both nine years old at that time, went to the park and discovered the rotting corpse of Robert Joyner, one of the citizens of the subdivision who was divorced then committed suicide. The story then fast-forwarded to when they’re both in high school and they’ve both grown apart. One night, Margo showed up at Quentin’s bedroom window wearing all-black apparel and black facepaint. She convinced Quentin to follow her plan, sneak out using his parents’ car and go around town at night so he can help her get revenge on people who she thinks have hurt her. They first visited Margo’s ex-boyfriend, Jase, who was allegedly cheating on her with a girl named Becca. Margo made Quentin call Becca’s father and tell him that Jase and Becca are having sex in the basement. They then broke into Becca’s house, graffiti a blue ‘M’ on their wall and left a fish with a message for Becca. Next, they visited the person who told Margo that her boyfriend was cheating on her. She left the person a bouquet of flowers. This character was only mentioned once throughout the story. They then went to Jase’s house, broke in, left a fish with another message and a blue ‘M’. They visited a character named Lacey next. Margo felt that Lacey was not being a good friend to her, despite them being friends since kindergarten. She was constantly undermining her with seemingly harmless comments that she interpreted as subtle, backhanded insults. She left a fish in her car with a message, then sprayed a blue ‘M’ on the roof of her car as well. At 3:15 in the morning, they went inside the SunTrust bank building and relaxed for a short while. Margo said their town is a â€Å"paper town†, describing it as â€Å"fake† and â€Å"not even hard enough to be made of plastic†. When they left the building, Margo asked who Q wanted to take revenge on, and Q chose Chuck Parson, a bully in their school. They snuck into his house, used hair removal cream on one of Chuck’s eyebrows to remove it, and then proceeded to slather Vaseline on all their doorknobs. They escaped and then broke into SeaWorld, but Margo was disappointed because the animals weren’t there. They went back to their respective houses around the time they’re supposed to be waking up for school. All Quentin thought about the next day was how things have changed. He wondered if Margo will start hanging out with him and his friends, but she didn’t even show up in school that day. After Margo has been missing for three days, her parents filed a report. Margo’s parents were more frustrated than worried, because Margo already ran away five times in the past so they thought she’ll eventually come back. After learning that Margo ran away, he noticed a poster of Woody Guthrie attached to the back of the shades in her room. The poster led him to a song called Walt Whitman’s Niece, which then led him to a book of poems, Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. There were sections in the book which were highlighted that led Q to believe that Margo intentionally left these for him to find. He then used these clues to find out where she was. He then found a piece of paper with an address on it. He and his friends skipped school the next day to go to the address indicated in hopes of finding Margo or at least, have an idea where she was. The address led him to a mini-mall which contained evidence that Margo was actually there. Eventually, the clues made Q believe that Margo may be hanging around one of the many abandoned subdivision projects around Orlando. His mother calls them â€Å"pseudodivisions†. After searching these â€Å"pseudodivisions†, he concluded that she was not there. While getting ready for graduation, Q discovered something which led him to believe that Margo was hiding in a fictional town in New York called Agloe. Q, Ben, Radar and Lacy all skipped graduation to drive to New York to look for her. They drove from Orlando, Florida all the way to New York just a bit short of twenty-four (24) hours. They found Margo in an old, dilapidated barn and they tried to convince her to go back. She reacted negatively when they found her, which offended Ben, Radar and Lacy. They left Margo and Q behind to spend the night in a motel, giving them the opportunity to talk to each other. She decided to stay in New York. Q wanted to stay with her but he returned to Florida with his friends in the end. Personal Review: I give it an 8. 5/10. It is one of my favourites, although there were a few points which made me rate it a bit lower. I loved the quotes and references there, there were a few funny moments, the suspense of where Margo was hiding in the story made me not put the book down, but the ending was quite the downer. I didn’t expect it to end that way, which if you look at it, makes the entire journey almost meaningless. What I loved about this book is how the characters were differently portrayed, and the way Q came off to me was that he really was just a normal teenager living in America, which makes his book more realistic. Margo is an interesting character, and she has a lot of good and bad points, so she is actually more human compared to other female protagonists. I also liked the format of the book when they were already on their trip to New York to look for Margo; it really felt like the clock was ticking and I could feel the tension, excitement and suspense building up to the final moment. All in all, it was a really good read, and I would recommend it to people who like a bit of thinking about possible outcomes while they read.

Battle of Plattsburgh - War of 1812 - Thomas MacDonough

Battle of Plattsburgh - War of 1812 - Thomas MacDonough Battle of Plattsburgh - Conflict Dates: The Battle of Plattsburgh was fought September 6-11, 1814, during the War of 1812 (1812-1815). Forces Commanders United States Master Commandant Thomas MacDonoughBrigadier General Alexander Macomb14 warships3,400 men Great Britain Captain George DownieLieutenant General Sir George Prà ©vost14 warshipsapprox. 10,000 men Battle of Plattsburgh - Background: With the abdication of Napoleon I and the apparent end of the Napoleonic Wars in April 1814, large numbers of British troops became available for service against the United States in the War of 1812. In an effort to break the deadlock in North America, around 16,000 men were dispatched to Canada to aid in an offensive against American forces. These came under the command of Lieutenant General Sir George Prà ©vost, the Commander-in-Chief in Canada and Governor General of the Canadas. Though London preferred an attack on Lake Ontario, the naval and logistical situation led Prà ©vost to advance up Lake Champlain. Battle of Plattsburgh - The Naval Situation: As in previous conflicts such as the French Indian War and American Revolution, land operations around Lake Champlain required control of the water for success. Having lost control of the lake to Commander Daniel Pring in June 1813, Master Commandant Thomas MacDonough embarked on a naval building program at Otter Creek, VT. This yard produced the corvette USS Saratoga (26 guns), the schooner USS Ticonderoga (14), and several gunboats by late spring 1814. Along with the sloop USS Preble (7), MacDonough used these vessels to reassert American dominance on Lake Champlain. Battle of Plattsburgh - Preparations: To counter MacDonoughs new vessels, the British began construction of the frigate HMS Confiance (36) at Ile aux Noix. In August, Major General George Izard, the senior American commander in the region, received orders from Washington, DC to take the bulk of his forces to reinforce Sackets Harbor, NY on Lake Ontario. With Izards departure, the land defense of Lake Champlain fell to Brigadier General Alexander Macomb and a mixed force of around 3,400 regulars and militia. Operating on the west shore of the lake, Macombs small army occupied a fortified ridge along the Saranac River just south of Plattsburgh, NY. Battle of Plattsburgh - The British Advance: Eager to begin the campaign south before the weather turned, Prà ©vost became increasingly frustrated with Prings replacement, Captain George Downie, over construction issues on Confiance. As Prà ©vost chafed over the delays, MacDonough added the brig USS Eagle (20) to his squadron. On August 31, Prà ©vosts army of around 11,000 men began moving south. To slow the British advance, Macomb sent a small force forward to block roads and destroy bridges. These efforts failed to hinder the British and they arrived in Plattsburgh on September 6. The next day minor British attacks were turned back by Macombs men. Despite the massive numerical advantage enjoyed by the British, they were hampered by friction in their command structure as the veterans of the Duke of Wellingtons campaigns were frustrated by the cautiousness and unpreparedness of Prà ©vost. Scouting west, the British located a ford across the Saranac that would allow them to assault the left flank of the American line. Intending to attack on September 10, Prà ©vost desired to make a feint against Macombs front while striking his flank. These efforts were to coincide with Downie attacking MacDonough on the lake. Battle of Plattsburgh - On the Lake: Possessing fewer long guns than Downie, MacDonough assumed a position in Plattsburgh Bay where he believed his heavier, but shorter range carronades would be most effective. Supported by ten small gunboats, he anchored Eagle, Saratoga, Ticonderoga, and Preble in a north-south line. In each case, two anchors were used along with spring lines to allow the vessels to turn while at anchor. Delayed by unfavorable winds, Downie was unable to attack on September 10 forcing the entire British operation to be pushed back a day. Nearing Plattsburgh, he scouted the American squadron on the morning of September 11. Rounding Cumberland Head at 9:00 AM, Downies fleet consisted of Confiance, the brig HMS Linnet (16), the sloops HMS Chubb (11) and HMS Finch, and twelve gunboats. Entering the bay, Downie initially desired to place Confiance across the head of the American line, but variable winds prevented this and he instead assumed a position opposite Saratoga. As the two flagships began battering each other, Pring succeeded in crossing in front of Eagle with Linnet while Chubb was quickly disabled and captured. Finch attempted to assume a position across the tail of MacDonoughs line but drifted south and grounded on Crab Island. Battle of Plattsburgh - MacDonoughs Victory: While Confiances initial broadside did heavy damage to Saratoga, the two ships continued to trade blows with Downie being struck down. To the north, Pring began pounding Eagle with the American brig unable to turn to counter. At the opposite end of the line, Preble was forced from the fight by Downies gunboats. These were finally checked by determined fire from Ticonderoga. Under heavy fire, Eagle cut its anchor lines and began to drift down the American line allowing Linnet to rake Saratoga. With most of his starboard guns out of action, MacDonough used his spring lines to turn his flagship. Bringing his undamaged portside guns to bear, he opened fire on Confiance. The survivors aboard the British flagship attempted a similar turn but became stuck with the frigates undefended stern presented to Saratoga. Unable to resist, Confiance struck its colors. Again pivoting, MacDonough brought Saratoga to bear on Linnet. With his ship outmatched and seeing that resistance was futile, Pring also surrendered. As at the Battle of Lake Erie a year before, the US Navy had succeeded in capturing an entire British squadron. Battle of Plattsburgh - On Land: Beginning around 10:00 AM, the feint against the Saranac bridges on Macombs front was easily repulsed by the American defenders. To the west, Major General Frederick Brisbanes brigade missed the ford and was forced to backtrack. Learning of Downies defeat, Prà ©vost decided that any victory would be meaningless as American control of the lake would prevent him from being able to resupply his army. Though late, Robinsons men went into action and were having success when they received orders from Prà ©vost to fall back. Though his commanders protested the decision, Prà ©vosts army began retreating north to Canada that night. Battle of Plattsburgh - Aftermath: In the fighting at Plattsburgh, American forces sustained 104 killed and 116 wounded. British losses totaled 168 killed, 220 wounded, and 317 captured. In addition, MacDonoughs squadron captured Confiance, Linnet, Chubb, and Finch. For his failure and due to complaints from his subordinates, Prà ©vost was relieved of command and recalled to Britain. The American victory at Plattsburgh along with the successful Defense of Fort McHenry, aided American peace negotiators at Ghent, Belgium who were attempting to end the war on a favorable note. The two victories helped offset the defeat at Bladensburg and subsequent Burning of Washington the previous month. In recognition of his efforts, MacDonough was promoted to captain and received a Congressional gold medal. Selected Sources Historic Lakes: Battle of Plattsburgh Battle of Plattsburgh Association

The Sahara Desert Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Sahara Desert - Essay Example Most of such arid regions are because of the pattern of the Earth’s air circulation as well as the topography of the land. Sahara name its derivation emanates from an Arabic term Sahra meaning wilderness and the Arabic speakers use it to describe the barren nature of such a region. Sahara desert occupies 9.1 million square kilometres, which is almost equal to the area of the United States, which is 9.5 M Km2. The desert stretches all the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red sea and it is not only the hottest in the world but also the driest. It covers many countries in Africa especially the northern area. The Atlantic Ocean binds the Sahara desert from the west whereas; the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea bind it from the North. In the East, the Red sea binds the desert, finally in the south, the Niger River partly binds the desert, and eventually the desert is exposed to semiarid lands known as the Sahel. Part of Sahara is plateau, which is elevated approximately 395-490 m above sea level. Mount Topside, which is as extinct volcano and the tallest mountain among the mountains of the Sahara, rises up to 3,265 m above sea level. The present deserts lay beneath what were seas in the ancient times. Because of this, ancient sands and calcareous deposits now foam sandstone and limestone found in these deserts. Sahara is a hot desert and the temperatures during summer daytimes exceed 90F for 8 months of the year, and often exceeding 100F (Osborne 27). The world record high temperature of 1370 F was evident in El Azizia, Libya; in North Africa’s Sahara Desert on September 13, 1922. The French colonial meteorologists measured this temperature 5 feet above the ground. The temperatures at night however drop by up to 50F. The nights are cold and in winter, they can fall below freezing (Osborne 27). There are three types of land surfaces in Sahara and they include Erg, Rag and Hamada (Keenan 43). Erg composes of dunes that have formed basins

Contemporary Issues In World Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Contemporary Issues In World Politics - Essay Example On the other hand, importing leads to the development of dependency of the receiving nation on foreign countries. It also leads to a reduction in national reserves thereby contributing to inflation. Moreover, local businesses as well as the labor market are threatened. On the other hand, the importing nation may experience security concerns especially with regards to high tech military hardware. These are addressed through ensuring that the imports are sourced from a trusted source to guarantee security. The decision to import or export is an economic development that influences the political interest of a nation state (Oatley, 2011). Nations react to influences that may have an impact on the military and economic strengths through export controls. A nation may resort to control its exports despite having the capacity to maintain an excessive export surplus over imports. Maintaining high export surplus may be interpreted by the recipient nation states as an aggressive policy that may have an impact on economic and military security hence the need to establish defensive mechanism for the purpose of safeguarding the security interests of the targeted nation for export. Trade affairs between nation states are therefore viewed cautiously in a political perspective (Sachs, 2006). Permission for imports from particular nations and not others is one of the tools that are applied in the establishment of the foreign policy of many nation states. It is applied to persuade governments to adhere to certain agreements that are meant to protect the interests of other nation states. For example, trade embargos have been enforced on countries such as Iraq by the US during the Saddam... This pressure is meant to protect the political and economic interests of the US that have often been threatened by global terrorism. The European Union countries also engaged in an economic agreement of adopting the Euro as their single currency, which would help to maintain economic stability. The treaty was politicized by the fact that its main aim was to bind the Cold War Alliance partners EU. For example, the agreement would prevent Germany from realigning itself with East and Central Europe. Generally, as Oatley observes, economic agreements generate political responsibilities that are prone to political exploitation. The global political economy is manifest through international trade and international relations. Exports increase the economic well being of the exporting country but a high export surplus may be viewed by other nation states as an aggressive policy that may not promote friendly international relations. Treaties such as NAFTA, WTO, and COMESA have been significan t in promoting international trade. Regional alliances among nation states present various economic and political challenges including a decline in democratic space. Nations that get financial assistance from these organizations are compelled to pass laws that serve the economic and political interest of the dominant economies that are involved in the management of the institutions. Generally, recourse to the global political economy is important in understanding world politics as presented in this paper.

Metal Suppliers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Metal Suppliers - Essay Example As the study outlines when Metal Suppliers offered this deal to Shanghai Steel, and Shanghai Steel accepted the offer this made a contract, and the contract was made verbally before was written. There was a mutual agreement made between a representative of Metal Suppliers, and Shanghai Steel. The mutual agreement was made prior to the written agreement being made, and signed. From this paper it is clear that the consideration of the contract is missing from this contract. The legal purpose of a contract is to make the promise are responsible to the receiver. If the person, our company making the promise does not honor the promise to the receiver, the receiver might be entitled to damages caused by the person who made the promise nine keeping the promise. So, for all purposes in signing the contracts, and having all negotiations that forth in the contract the legal purposes of a contract have been fulfilled. There is belief that a competent member from Metal Suppliers, and Shanghai Steel have signed the contract. The parties would not know up front weather, or not the person signing the contract was a competent member of society, and able to sign the contract. However, it is believed that a competent member from each company signed the contract. The contract takes legal form. The way the contract is written will make it bind, and if there is a breach in th e contract the other party can legally enforce the contract. Metal Suppliers agrees to supply scrap metal to Shanghai Steel in the amount of $7,500,000 USD. The buyer, Shanghai Steel agrees to pay Metal Suppliers in the amount of $7,500,000 USD. Shanghai Steel agrees to pay Metal Suppliers for the shipment of scrap metal prior to the scrap metal being loaded on the ship to be shipped to Shanghai, China. The due date for the $7,500,000 was removed from the contract. In taking out the due date for the $7,500,000 it will make the contract effect if, because Shanghai Steel can procrastinate about giving Metal Suppliers the money.  

Bunraku Theater and Kathakali Dance Drama

Bunraku Theater and Kathakali Dance Drama Introduction: Many explorations into the realm of theater arts have produced various discoveries, which have helped theater devotees make connections never seen before between theater traditions not only from different parts of the world, but with different means of origin. Any such exploration is vital to theatrical research and practice as it not only adds value to theatrical study, but it also may provide an opportunity for two or more theatrical traditions to blend into one exhibition of carefully investigated research. The following research presentation examines two very different and diverse theatrical practices: Bunraku Theater, from seventeenth century Japan, and Kathakali Dance-Drama, from seventeenth century southern India. In this examination of Bunraku and Kathakali theatrical traditions, this research paper is an exploration of the cultural evolution of each tradition and a reflection on the development of additional performer roles and the element of movement in both of these practices. Bunraku Theater is a traditional form of Puppet Theater that originated in Japan. Initially, Bunraku was the name of the theater where ningyo-joruri (puppets and storytelling) was performed in. Gradually, this name evolved and became to be the name associated with the art of ningyo-joruri itself. (What is Bunraku?) Today, Bunraku is the official name of Puppet Theater in Japan. Textual styles in Bunraku involve a high degree of drama, whereas most puppet-oriented theatrical traditions simply rely on simple myths and legends as a foundation for their texts. Most puppet-based theater practices around the world also usually hide the puppeteers involved in the drama. In Bunraku, however, the puppeteers are shown to the audience along with the puppets. (What is Bunraku?) Kathakali is one of the oldest theatrical traditions India, originating in the southern state of Kerela. In Malayalam, the name Kathakali directly translates into story-play. This tradition is primarily a dance-oriented tradition with textual styles involving themes based on mythological texts from Hinduism such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata. (Rajan) Most dance-based theater practices rely only on the dance movements to convey various messages. Kathakali, however, heavily relies on a highly detailed make-up and costume classification, which portrays the characteristics of the characters. (Rajan) The astonishing circumstance is that both of these traditions have no evidence of contact amongst themselves. However, as absurd as the relationship may be, a sense of the practices of naturalist Charles Darwin echo when discussing this situation. One might argue that at some point, both these traditions might have a common root that dates back thousands of years. Maybe, in the process of developing these traditions, there was a connection somewhere that inspired both these traditions. Then again, while searching for a historical link, the true essence of the links between Bunraku and Kathakali must not be lost. An examination, nevertheless, of their respective cultural evolution, seems necessary. Cultural Evolution: Bunraku Theater evolved from two different groups. There was a tradition of travelling storytellers and a tradition of travelling puppeteers in seventeenth century Japan. These two groups came into contact with each other and decided to combine the arts of puppetry and storytelling. This tradition was brought into professional performance when Takemoto Gidayu, considered as the father of Bunraku, established a theater in Osaka. Gidayu began his career in Kyoto as a narrator. He was known for his storytelling abilities. In 1684, he decided to form his own variation of theater with the combination of puppetry and storytelling. With the help of Chikamatsu Monzaemon, regarded as one of the greatest playwrights in Japanese history, and Takeda Izumo, a theater owner and manager, Gidayu was able to establish his theater in Osaka. The plays of this revolutionary style of theater known as joruri were categorized into two divisions: jidai-mono (historical) and sewa-mono (domestic) plays. Histo rical plays were focused on the lifestyle and stories involving the noble and military social classes, while domestic plays were concerned with the lives of the common town residents. Upon the division of joruri around 1703 into Takemoto-za, led by Gidayu, and Toyotake-za, led by an apprentice of Gidayu who left the Osaka Theater, the fight for the best theater of joruri produced some quality work. This period of Bunraku history was later referred to as the Golden Age. Plays from this time period are still the most often performed plays today. However, after a prosporous early eighteenth century, the late eighteenth century brought a period of literary drought as joruri declined in popularity. The only existence of Puppet Theater after that was that in shrines and temples. Amidst this phase, a small theater was opened in Osaka near the Inari Shrine in 1811 by Uemura Bunrakuken. In 1872, it was relocated to Matsushima and officially titled Bunraku-za. Soon after in 1884, a new rival to Bunraku-za arose by the name of Hikiroku-za. Similar to the previous golden age, this rivalry produced some fine work and Bunraku was at a point of revival. The rivalry lasted six years as Hikoroku-za closed down in 1893. Bunraku-za was the only remaining representative of Puppet Theater. Soon, the art of Puppet Theater became known as Bunraku instead of just the theater. After World War II, one of the first rebuilt theaters was the Yotsubashi Bunraku-za because the government wished to preserve this famous art form out of Osaka. In 1966, in Tokyo, the first National Theater was built. This theater targeted a younger audience to keep the tradition alive. Today, as a result of the investment, the theater is part of UNESCOs Intangible Cultural Heritage list. (paragraph of references) Meanwhile, in southern India, Kathalkali had a different direction from which it evolved. The art of Kathakali originated from a political rivalry between two chieftains: the Raja (King) of Kottarakkara and the Zamorin of Calicut. The Raja of Kottarakkara requested the presence of a dance-drama troupe known as Krishnanaattam from the Zamorin of Calicut to perform at a social gathering. Krishnanaattam was a dance-drama based on the life of Lord Krishna, a Hindu mythological god. The Zamorin considered this proposition and due to political tension between the two, he refused to send the troupe blaming it on the fact that the Raja of Kottarakkara would not appreciate the art form. In rebellion, the Raja of Kottarakkara created an equivalent form of dance-drama called Raamanaattam, based on the life of Lord Rama, another Hindu mythological god. Raamanaattam was created in Malayalam, the traditional language of the state of Kerela. By the end of the seventeenth century, the polished versi on of Raamanaattam was known as Kathakali. Kathakali was performed in Hindu temples as its stories had much to do with religious texts. The art of Kathakali was a mixture of several art forms of Kerela: Nritta, Nrittya, Natya, Kalaripayattu, Theyyam, and Koodiyattam. Nritta, Nrittya, and Natya are names for various dance types directly translating into pure dance, suggestive dance with the aid of postures and gestures, and drama. Kalaripayattu is the martial art of Kerela. This art is evident in the movement of Kathakali through the way performers are trained until absolute endurance is achieved. Theyyam is a ritualistic dance form. The heavy use of make-up and headdresses in Kathakali is derived from Theyyam. Lastly, Koodiyattam is a Sanskrit-based theater performed in the temples of Kerela. This theater, dating back to 200 BC, contains the stage action that has been inherited by Kathakali. Along with the make-up from Theyyam, stiff and powerful movements from Kaliripayattu, this s tage action completes the art of Kathakali today. (paragraph of references) Noticing the many differences in the way that these traditions came about, they have plenty of similarities that could be used as critical researched connections. Both theatrical practices have different roots of evolution. Bunraku Theater evolved as a result of the desire to capitalize on a newly discovered means of theater involving puppets and storytelling. Kathakali dance-drama evolved as a result of political feuds between rival kingdoms, and how one dominant form of dance-drama evolved through the centuries to represent its modern representation. The fact that both practices come from different narratives in their backgrounds challenges the implausible theory that any contact was possible between the two cultures. Regardless of historical contact, Bunraku and Kathakali seem to display great similarities in three areas: additional performer roles, make-up, and movement. Additional Performer Roles: Instantly, one notices that there are some introductory connections linking Bunraku and Kathakali evolution. Both traditions evolved in the 17th century. Both traditions are different from conventional traditions in their respected forms. However, lack of communication in the seventeenth century limited ways in which one practice could become aware of the other. There are also other detailed aspects that link the fundamentals of each theatrical practice. The first connection between Bunraku and Kathakali is the development of additional performer roles. There are two additional roles apart from the puppeteers in Bunraku. One of them is the role of the chanter and the other is that of the shamisen player. The chanter is known as the tayu. His role is described as bringing wooden dolls to life. Through the expressions made by the chanter, the dolls are able to communicate with each other filled with the same expression as any western theatrical actor. Apart from reciting the dialogue, the chanter also informs the audience on the background involved with the scene being presented. Only one chanter is needed to perform all the roles. Thus, the chanter needs to have a versatile voice. Over-exaggeration is essential to portray a characters personality and their emotions. The crowd is able to distinguish between characters through the exaggerated voices made by the chanter. The chanter is accompanied by the shamisen player, who plays the mu sical supplement to. Out of the three types of shamisens, the one played in Bunraku is the type with the longest neck to emit the deepest and most low-pitched sound. This also requires the chanter to sing from the lower abdomen. Similar to the role of the chanter, the shamisen player must also attempt to add his full heart into the music to make the musical addition as real and cultural as possible. (paragraph of references) Kathakali performances contain more additional performers than Bunraku. However, their roles are similar to those of Bunraku. There is a music accompaniment to the performance. The musicians are referred to as the orchestra. The orchestra composes of three drums and a set of cymbals. Usually, one performer plays each instrument, but there are performances where more than one are seen playing the same instrument. The three drums are the chenda, maddalam, and edakka.   The chenda is loud and powerful and is used for scenes with building suspense. The maddalam is used for softer sounds pertaining to female characters. The edakka is also used for its soft, musical addition to the overall spirit. Along with the drums, the cymbals aid the drums to help the dancer keep in beat with the music. The orchestra is used throughout the performance because without the beats of the drums, the performers are clueless as to their movements. The dance dances according to the rhythm of the drums. Ther e is a vocal aspect to Kathakali as well. This aspect is used to narrate the story because the performers do not speak in the performance. The dialogue is spoken in either Malayalam or Sanskrit and is said whenever narration is required. In parts where dance builds the suspense, the drums take control and the chanter(s) does(do) not speak. (paragraph of references) In Bunraku and Kathakali, the roles of additional performers are similar. The chanters are responsible for reciting the story and speaking any dialogue needed to be spoken. The instrument players are required to maintain the tone of the performance. The institutional soul of the performance in both cases is created by the music, which has to be followed by other elements. The remarkable similarities presented by this straightforward addition of music is one of many upon which basic structure of performance are developed. Make-Up: The second correlation between Bunraku and Kathakali is the heavy use of make-up to describe the characteristics of the various characters. In Bunraku, various puppet heads indicate various personalities of the characters.Different types of heads with fixed make-up are used. Each puppet head is meant for a different role. There are twelve types of male puppet heads, six types of female puppet heads, and there are also specially made heads used for special roles. The male heads are Bunshichi, Kenbishi, Komei, Odanshichi, Genda, Waka otoko, Oniwaka, Matahei, Darasuke, Yokanbei, Oshuto, and Kiichi. Bunshichi is a head used for tragic heroes. The heroism can be seen through the masculine face with thick eyebrows. However, the facial expression shows concealed worry or sorrow, which leads to the conclusion that this hero is tragic and has suffered for a long time. Kenbishi is a head used for characters playing supporting roles in a performance. This heads facial expression indicates stron g willpower, which is indicated by the single-lined painting of the mouth. Komei is a head used for middle-aged characters. This head is intended to be thoughtful, portrayed by its polished facade. Odanshichi is a head used for warriors. These warriors are brave and courageous, which can be seen through the bold facial expression and the heavy lines with which the head is painted. Genda and Waka otoko are heads used for teens and men in their twenties. Their elegance is shown through their handsome faces. Oniwaka is a head used for teen males as well. However, the red color of the face portrays that these characters are wild and stubborn as opposed to handsome and elegant. Matahei is a head used to portray honest men living simple lives, which is seen through the simplicity of their face. Darasuke is a head that represents the enemy. The facial expression of this character displays opposing views and a sense of unease. These characters are supposed to be disliked by the audience. Yo kanbei is a head used for enemies as well. However, the pink face and the long moustache are traits of humor. Therefore, these characters are humorous villains, who arent supposed to be completely disliked by the audience. Oshuto and Kiichi heads are both used for the roles of aged men. Oshuto is typically used to portray an aged warrior. Although the wrinkles on the face represent age, the fearless expression displays the characteristics of a retired warrior. Kiichi is a head also used for an aged warrior. However, the facial expression of wisdom represents an important figure. The six female heads are Musume, Fuke-oyama, Baba, Keisei, Baku-ya, and O-Fuku. Musume is the most beautiful and appealing female head for a common woman in Bunraku. It is used for roles for young women from fifteen years of age and onwards. It can also be used for young wives. Fuke-oyama is a head dedicated to young-middle aged women, aged twenty to forty. These heads are also very beautiful, but the different hairstyle portrays a greater degree of maturity. Baba is a head which is divided into two different-looking heads. One is used for historical plays and the other is used for domestic plays. The historical head is used for significant older roles in historical plays. The hair of this head is very smooth compared to rough hair in the domestic version, which is used mainly for old townswomen. Keisei is considered to be the most elegant head in its appealing facial features and elaborate hair style. It is used for courtesan women in the high social classes. Baku-ya is the head use d for evil roles such as that of an old hag. The wrinkles, rough hair, and facial expression depict wickedness. Lastly, O-Fuku is a plump version of Musume. This head is used for the roles of servants. (paragraph of references) With such details in terms of make-up of the puppets, a conclusion could be formulated that Bunraku heavily relies of make-up as an element of performance. The various make-up patterns expressed in the form of a range of heads lead to the build-up of the personalities of various characters on stage. These typical heads resembling various characters can also be found in the make-up of Kathakali. In Kathakali, the traits of the character depend on the color scheme of the make-up. There are five different styles of make-up in Kathakali: Minukku,Paccha, Katti, Taadi, and Kari. Minukku is the make-up used for characters designated in the upper class of society. Through the polished make-up scheme, a sense of glorified piety is shown in a disciple character. When used with women roles, delicate touches of Minukku are provided. Paccha is a style of make-up used to illustrate mythological heroes, Gods, and other characters with much importance. The characters valor and ethical distinction are portrayed by the purity of the green color used in this make-up. Katti, a make-up more complex than Paccha, is used for antagonistic roles which are opposite the heroes of the play. The resemblance of the make-up to sharply bent daggers portrays the characteristics of evil ambition and arrogance. T aadi is a make-up structure of a beard which is divided into three parts: Veluppu taadi, Chuvanna taadi, and Karuppu taadi. Veluppu taadi is a beard used for warrior roles. This beard brings a sense of realism to these mythological fighters. Chuvanna taadi is a beard used to add dreadfulness to characters. Used mainly for evil characters, this make-up can also be used for adding evilness to lesser malevolent characters. Burning red eyes and thick black lips are used to help portray this image. Karuppu taadi is the last type of taadi make-up. This beard is black and is used for thieves and robbers. The last type of make-up in Kathakali is Kari. This make-up is also used for evil characters. The black face represents the presence of blackness inside the character. (paragraph of references) Make-up in Bunraku is centered on the presentation of the different heads. In Kathakali, the way different make-up styles are combined defines characters. In both traditions, the purpose is similar: to reveal the characteristics and assign various stock roles to various styles of presentation. Instantly, a relation between the two traditions is established. Of course, there are differences in the details of each element. Nonetheless, in the two performance aspects investigated, the intentions in Bunraku and Kathakali are fundamentally alike. The significance of these relations is further elaborated when the third one is made, which is based on movement. Movement: Movement is the last element in Bunraku and Kathakali in discussion. Since none of the performers speak, movement is the medium through which they communicate the chanters message to the audience. The movement is the key aspect to the conveyance of the theme of the performance. In Bunraku, the puppeteers maneuver the puppet according to the chanter in order to keep up with the tempo of the performance. (The Puppets) In Kathakali, the movement is the prime source of communication to the audience through very intricate facial expressions and complicated hand movements. In Bunraku, the movements of the puppets are maneuvered by three puppeteers: the omo-zukai, hidari-zukai, and ashi-zukai. The omo-zukai is the head puppeteer. He controls the puppets head and right hand. The head is controlled by a stick wired with levers to control various facial parts such as the eyes, eyebrows, and mouth. The omo-zukai holds this lever with his left hand and operates the puppets right hand with his right hand. The hidari-zukai is the puppeteer that controls the puppets left hand. He does so with his right hand. Most hand gestures made by puppets are performed by the left hand because its movement is specifically exercised by the hidari-zukai. Lastly, the least experienced puppeteer out of the three is usually the ashi-zukai, who controls both feet of the puppeteer with both his hands. These three puppeteers train for years to acquire a state of harmony in their movements. If the movements are not presented with a state of synchronization, the puppeteers fail to br ing the puppet to life because the movements seem abnormal to the audience. The biggest challenge presented to puppeteers is the elemental requirement to empathize with the puppet. For example, at a particular point in a play, if the puppet is sad, the puppeteer must develop a state of sadness in order to perfect the movement assigned to him. If all three puppeteers empathize this way, harmony in movement is reached and the puppet is brought to life. (paragraph of references) Kathakali also incorporates a large degree of movement in its performances. Most of the performance is based on the movement of the character. The element of movement is so extensive that an entire language has been developed using the hands of the performer. This language is based upon mudras. There are twenty-four basic mudras, or letters that can be combined to form words and phrases. Along with mudras, there are nine basic facial expressions known as the nava rassas. These facial expressions depict the mood of the character. They represent a stylized form of everyday expressions. The movements conducted by the feet follow the beat of the orchestra. They help in the addition of technique to the rest of the movements. When combined, the make-up represents the personality of a character, the facial expressions represent the mood, and the dialogue is spoken through the mudras. All aspects of a character are covered through the make-up and movement, representing a very stylized way of conducting a dance-drama. (paragraph of references) In both theatrical traditions, the movement is essential in bringing the production to life. In the case of Bunraku, this is done is by creating the perception of bringing the puppets to life. In Kathakali, this is done through a language based heavily on movement. The movement controls the dialogue in both cases. Thus, both traditions have a very similar use of movement. Conclusion: Bunraku Puppet Theater is a tradition that began as a combination of two traditions: storytelling and puppetry. Early Bunraku saw the rise of the Osaka Theater, founded by Takemoto Gidayu. After some highs and lows, Bunraku is still a popular form of theater in Japan. In another part of the world, Kathakali originated from a political brawl where the Raja of Kottarakkara created a dance-drama called Raamanaattam. This form of dance-drama, with some perfection, became modern-day Kathakali. There are many similarities, however, despite the differences in the cultural evolution of these traditions. One tradition evolved in the coastal region of modern-day Japan while the other evolved on the region surrounded by the southern tip of India. Regardless, both of these traditions rely on facial features to describe the characters involved in the drama. In Bunraku, it is the different painted heads. In Kathakali, it is the stylistic make-up. Also, both Bunraku and Kathakali contain specific a dditional performers. The stunning fact is that in both styles, the additional performers have similar duties. There is a recite/chanter and there is musical accompaniment. Lastly, the movement element in Bunraku and Kathakali is heavily relied upon to create harmony in Bunraku and convey messages in Kathakali. All these similarities are fascinating considering the differences amongst these two traditions. One must ponder how these similarities came into existence. Was it mere coincidence? Could Darwins theory of evolution be implied here? These similarities could pave the way for further investigation into these two traditions and maybe, the world would be able to see a Bunraku play performed the Kathakali way or a Hindu text performed with Bunraku puppets. This research can lead to a whole new dimension of theatrical study. Bibliography The Chanter and the Shamisen Player. An Introduction to the World of Bunraku. Japan Arts Council, 2004. Web. 24 Mar. 2009. . Heads for Female Roles. An Introduction to the World of Bunraku. Japan Arts Council, 2004. Web. 17 July 2009. . Heads for Male Roles. An Introduction to the World of Bunraku. Japan Arts Council, 2004. Web. 17 July 2009. . The History of Bunraku-1. An Introduction to the World of Bunraku. Japan Arts Council, 2004. Web. 18 June 2009. . The International Centre for Kathakali. New Delhi: International Centre for Kathakali, n.d. Print. Johnson, Matthew. A Brief Introduction to the History of Bunraku. Sagecraft. 14 Aug. 1995. Web. 21 July 2010. . Kathakali. The Art Forms of Kerala. Web. 17 July 2009. . Narayanan, Akavoor. Kathakali The Total Theatre Nonpareil. Kathakali Journal of The International Centre for Kathakali May 2009: 12+. Print. The Puppets. An Introduction to the World of Bunraku. Japan Arts Council, 2004. Web. 24 Mar. 2009. . Rajan, Anjana. Kathakali. Art India. Web. 17 July 2009. . Unikrishan. Movement and Themes of Kathakali. Personal interview. 18 July 2009. What is Bunraku? An Introduction to the World of Bunraku. Japan Arts Council, 2004. Web. 24 Mar. 2009. . Photograph Bibliography Heads for Female Roles. Photograph. Japan Arts Council. An Introduction to the World of Bunraku. Japan Arts Council. Web. 17 Jan. 2010. . Heads for Male Roles. Photograph. Japan Arts Council. An Introduction to the World of Bunraku. Japan Arts Council. Web. 17 Jan. 2010. . Various Colourful Costumes Makeup in Kathakali. Photograph. Cochin Cultural Centre, Kochi. Cochin Cultural Centre. Cochin Cultural Centre. Web. 17 Jan. 2010. . Bunraku Theater and Kathakali Dance Drama Bunraku Theater and Kathakali Dance Drama Introduction: Many explorations into the realm of theater arts have produced various discoveries, which have helped theater devotees make connections never seen before between theater traditions not only from different parts of the world, but with different means of origin. Any such exploration is vital to theatrical research and practice as it not only adds value to theatrical study, but it also may provide an opportunity for two or more theatrical traditions to blend into one exhibition of carefully investigated research. The following research presentation examines two very different and diverse theatrical practices: Bunraku Theater, from seventeenth century Japan, and Kathakali Dance-Drama, from seventeenth century southern India. In this examination of Bunraku and Kathakali theatrical traditions, this research paper is an exploration of the cultural evolution of each tradition and a reflection on the development of additional performer roles and the element of movement in both of these practices. Bunraku Theater is a traditional form of Puppet Theater that originated in Japan. Initially, Bunraku was the name of the theater where ningyo-joruri (puppets and storytelling) was performed in. Gradually, this name evolved and became to be the name associated with the art of ningyo-joruri itself. (What is Bunraku?) Today, Bunraku is the official name of Puppet Theater in Japan. Textual styles in Bunraku involve a high degree of drama, whereas most puppet-oriented theatrical traditions simply rely on simple myths and legends as a foundation for their texts. Most puppet-based theater practices around the world also usually hide the puppeteers involved in the drama. In Bunraku, however, the puppeteers are shown to the audience along with the puppets. (What is Bunraku?) Kathakali is one of the oldest theatrical traditions India, originating in the southern state of Kerela. In Malayalam, the name Kathakali directly translates into story-play. This tradition is primarily a dance-oriented tradition with textual styles involving themes based on mythological texts from Hinduism such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata. (Rajan) Most dance-based theater practices rely only on the dance movements to convey various messages. Kathakali, however, heavily relies on a highly detailed make-up and costume classification, which portrays the characteristics of the characters. (Rajan) The astonishing circumstance is that both of these traditions have no evidence of contact amongst themselves. However, as absurd as the relationship may be, a sense of the practices of naturalist Charles Darwin echo when discussing this situation. One might argue that at some point, both these traditions might have a common root that dates back thousands of years. Maybe, in the process of developing these traditions, there was a connection somewhere that inspired both these traditions. Then again, while searching for a historical link, the true essence of the links between Bunraku and Kathakali must not be lost. An examination, nevertheless, of their respective cultural evolution, seems necessary. Cultural Evolution: Bunraku Theater evolved from two different groups. There was a tradition of travelling storytellers and a tradition of travelling puppeteers in seventeenth century Japan. These two groups came into contact with each other and decided to combine the arts of puppetry and storytelling. This tradition was brought into professional performance when Takemoto Gidayu, considered as the father of Bunraku, established a theater in Osaka. Gidayu began his career in Kyoto as a narrator. He was known for his storytelling abilities. In 1684, he decided to form his own variation of theater with the combination of puppetry and storytelling. With the help of Chikamatsu Monzaemon, regarded as one of the greatest playwrights in Japanese history, and Takeda Izumo, a theater owner and manager, Gidayu was able to establish his theater in Osaka. The plays of this revolutionary style of theater known as joruri were categorized into two divisions: jidai-mono (historical) and sewa-mono (domestic) plays. Histo rical plays were focused on the lifestyle and stories involving the noble and military social classes, while domestic plays were concerned with the lives of the common town residents. Upon the division of joruri around 1703 into Takemoto-za, led by Gidayu, and Toyotake-za, led by an apprentice of Gidayu who left the Osaka Theater, the fight for the best theater of joruri produced some quality work. This period of Bunraku history was later referred to as the Golden Age. Plays from this time period are still the most often performed plays today. However, after a prosporous early eighteenth century, the late eighteenth century brought a period of literary drought as joruri declined in popularity. The only existence of Puppet Theater after that was that in shrines and temples. Amidst this phase, a small theater was opened in Osaka near the Inari Shrine in 1811 by Uemura Bunrakuken. In 1872, it was relocated to Matsushima and officially titled Bunraku-za. Soon after in 1884, a new rival to Bunraku-za arose by the name of Hikiroku-za. Similar to the previous golden age, this rivalry produced some fine work and Bunraku was at a point of revival. The rivalry lasted six years as Hikoroku-za closed down in 1893. Bunraku-za was the only remaining representative of Puppet Theater. Soon, the art of Puppet Theater became known as Bunraku instead of just the theater. After World War II, one of the first rebuilt theaters was the Yotsubashi Bunraku-za because the government wished to preserve this famous art form out of Osaka. In 1966, in Tokyo, the first National Theater was built. This theater targeted a younger audience to keep the tradition alive. Today, as a result of the investment, the theater is part of UNESCOs Intangible Cultural Heritage list. (paragraph of references) Meanwhile, in southern India, Kathalkali had a different direction from which it evolved. The art of Kathakali originated from a political rivalry between two chieftains: the Raja (King) of Kottarakkara and the Zamorin of Calicut. The Raja of Kottarakkara requested the presence of a dance-drama troupe known as Krishnanaattam from the Zamorin of Calicut to perform at a social gathering. Krishnanaattam was a dance-drama based on the life of Lord Krishna, a Hindu mythological god. The Zamorin considered this proposition and due to political tension between the two, he refused to send the troupe blaming it on the fact that the Raja of Kottarakkara would not appreciate the art form. In rebellion, the Raja of Kottarakkara created an equivalent form of dance-drama called Raamanaattam, based on the life of Lord Rama, another Hindu mythological god. Raamanaattam was created in Malayalam, the traditional language of the state of Kerela. By the end of the seventeenth century, the polished versi on of Raamanaattam was known as Kathakali. Kathakali was performed in Hindu temples as its stories had much to do with religious texts. The art of Kathakali was a mixture of several art forms of Kerela: Nritta, Nrittya, Natya, Kalaripayattu, Theyyam, and Koodiyattam. Nritta, Nrittya, and Natya are names for various dance types directly translating into pure dance, suggestive dance with the aid of postures and gestures, and drama. Kalaripayattu is the martial art of Kerela. This art is evident in the movement of Kathakali through the way performers are trained until absolute endurance is achieved. Theyyam is a ritualistic dance form. The heavy use of make-up and headdresses in Kathakali is derived from Theyyam. Lastly, Koodiyattam is a Sanskrit-based theater performed in the temples of Kerela. This theater, dating back to 200 BC, contains the stage action that has been inherited by Kathakali. Along with the make-up from Theyyam, stiff and powerful movements from Kaliripayattu, this s tage action completes the art of Kathakali today. (paragraph of references) Noticing the many differences in the way that these traditions came about, they have plenty of similarities that could be used as critical researched connections. Both theatrical practices have different roots of evolution. Bunraku Theater evolved as a result of the desire to capitalize on a newly discovered means of theater involving puppets and storytelling. Kathakali dance-drama evolved as a result of political feuds between rival kingdoms, and how one dominant form of dance-drama evolved through the centuries to represent its modern representation. The fact that both practices come from different narratives in their backgrounds challenges the implausible theory that any contact was possible between the two cultures. Regardless of historical contact, Bunraku and Kathakali seem to display great similarities in three areas: additional performer roles, make-up, and movement. Additional Performer Roles: Instantly, one notices that there are some introductory connections linking Bunraku and Kathakali evolution. Both traditions evolved in the 17th century. Both traditions are different from conventional traditions in their respected forms. However, lack of communication in the seventeenth century limited ways in which one practice could become aware of the other. There are also other detailed aspects that link the fundamentals of each theatrical practice. The first connection between Bunraku and Kathakali is the development of additional performer roles. There are two additional roles apart from the puppeteers in Bunraku. One of them is the role of the chanter and the other is that of the shamisen player. The chanter is known as the tayu. His role is described as bringing wooden dolls to life. Through the expressions made by the chanter, the dolls are able to communicate with each other filled with the same expression as any western theatrical actor. Apart from reciting the dialogue, the chanter also informs the audience on the background involved with the scene being presented. Only one chanter is needed to perform all the roles. Thus, the chanter needs to have a versatile voice. Over-exaggeration is essential to portray a characters personality and their emotions. The crowd is able to distinguish between characters through the exaggerated voices made by the chanter. The chanter is accompanied by the shamisen player, who plays the mu sical supplement to. Out of the three types of shamisens, the one played in Bunraku is the type with the longest neck to emit the deepest and most low-pitched sound. This also requires the chanter to sing from the lower abdomen. Similar to the role of the chanter, the shamisen player must also attempt to add his full heart into the music to make the musical addition as real and cultural as possible. (paragraph of references) Kathakali performances contain more additional performers than Bunraku. However, their roles are similar to those of Bunraku. There is a music accompaniment to the performance. The musicians are referred to as the orchestra. The orchestra composes of three drums and a set of cymbals. Usually, one performer plays each instrument, but there are performances where more than one are seen playing the same instrument. The three drums are the chenda, maddalam, and edakka.   The chenda is loud and powerful and is used for scenes with building suspense. The maddalam is used for softer sounds pertaining to female characters. The edakka is also used for its soft, musical addition to the overall spirit. Along with the drums, the cymbals aid the drums to help the dancer keep in beat with the music. The orchestra is used throughout the performance because without the beats of the drums, the performers are clueless as to their movements. The dance dances according to the rhythm of the drums. Ther e is a vocal aspect to Kathakali as well. This aspect is used to narrate the story because the performers do not speak in the performance. The dialogue is spoken in either Malayalam or Sanskrit and is said whenever narration is required. In parts where dance builds the suspense, the drums take control and the chanter(s) does(do) not speak. (paragraph of references) In Bunraku and Kathakali, the roles of additional performers are similar. The chanters are responsible for reciting the story and speaking any dialogue needed to be spoken. The instrument players are required to maintain the tone of the performance. The institutional soul of the performance in both cases is created by the music, which has to be followed by other elements. The remarkable similarities presented by this straightforward addition of music is one of many upon which basic structure of performance are developed. Make-Up: The second correlation between Bunraku and Kathakali is the heavy use of make-up to describe the characteristics of the various characters. In Bunraku, various puppet heads indicate various personalities of the characters.Different types of heads with fixed make-up are used. Each puppet head is meant for a different role. There are twelve types of male puppet heads, six types of female puppet heads, and there are also specially made heads used for special roles. The male heads are Bunshichi, Kenbishi, Komei, Odanshichi, Genda, Waka otoko, Oniwaka, Matahei, Darasuke, Yokanbei, Oshuto, and Kiichi. Bunshichi is a head used for tragic heroes. The heroism can be seen through the masculine face with thick eyebrows. However, the facial expression shows concealed worry or sorrow, which leads to the conclusion that this hero is tragic and has suffered for a long time. Kenbishi is a head used for characters playing supporting roles in a performance. This heads facial expression indicates stron g willpower, which is indicated by the single-lined painting of the mouth. Komei is a head used for middle-aged characters. This head is intended to be thoughtful, portrayed by its polished facade. Odanshichi is a head used for warriors. These warriors are brave and courageous, which can be seen through the bold facial expression and the heavy lines with which the head is painted. Genda and Waka otoko are heads used for teens and men in their twenties. Their elegance is shown through their handsome faces. Oniwaka is a head used for teen males as well. However, the red color of the face portrays that these characters are wild and stubborn as opposed to handsome and elegant. Matahei is a head used to portray honest men living simple lives, which is seen through the simplicity of their face. Darasuke is a head that represents the enemy. The facial expression of this character displays opposing views and a sense of unease. These characters are supposed to be disliked by the audience. Yo kanbei is a head used for enemies as well. However, the pink face and the long moustache are traits of humor. Therefore, these characters are humorous villains, who arent supposed to be completely disliked by the audience. Oshuto and Kiichi heads are both used for the roles of aged men. Oshuto is typically used to portray an aged warrior. Although the wrinkles on the face represent age, the fearless expression displays the characteristics of a retired warrior. Kiichi is a head also used for an aged warrior. However, the facial expression of wisdom represents an important figure. The six female heads are Musume, Fuke-oyama, Baba, Keisei, Baku-ya, and O-Fuku. Musume is the most beautiful and appealing female head for a common woman in Bunraku. It is used for roles for young women from fifteen years of age and onwards. It can also be used for young wives. Fuke-oyama is a head dedicated to young-middle aged women, aged twenty to forty. These heads are also very beautiful, but the different hairstyle portrays a greater degree of maturity. Baba is a head which is divided into two different-looking heads. One is used for historical plays and the other is used for domestic plays. The historical head is used for significant older roles in historical plays. The hair of this head is very smooth compared to rough hair in the domestic version, which is used mainly for old townswomen. Keisei is considered to be the most elegant head in its appealing facial features and elaborate hair style. It is used for courtesan women in the high social classes. Baku-ya is the head use d for evil roles such as that of an old hag. The wrinkles, rough hair, and facial expression depict wickedness. Lastly, O-Fuku is a plump version of Musume. This head is used for the roles of servants. (paragraph of references) With such details in terms of make-up of the puppets, a conclusion could be formulated that Bunraku heavily relies of make-up as an element of performance. The various make-up patterns expressed in the form of a range of heads lead to the build-up of the personalities of various characters on stage. These typical heads resembling various characters can also be found in the make-up of Kathakali. In Kathakali, the traits of the character depend on the color scheme of the make-up. There are five different styles of make-up in Kathakali: Minukku,Paccha, Katti, Taadi, and Kari. Minukku is the make-up used for characters designated in the upper class of society. Through the polished make-up scheme, a sense of glorified piety is shown in a disciple character. When used with women roles, delicate touches of Minukku are provided. Paccha is a style of make-up used to illustrate mythological heroes, Gods, and other characters with much importance. The characters valor and ethical distinction are portrayed by the purity of the green color used in this make-up. Katti, a make-up more complex than Paccha, is used for antagonistic roles which are opposite the heroes of the play. The resemblance of the make-up to sharply bent daggers portrays the characteristics of evil ambition and arrogance. T aadi is a make-up structure of a beard which is divided into three parts: Veluppu taadi, Chuvanna taadi, and Karuppu taadi. Veluppu taadi is a beard used for warrior roles. This beard brings a sense of realism to these mythological fighters. Chuvanna taadi is a beard used to add dreadfulness to characters. Used mainly for evil characters, this make-up can also be used for adding evilness to lesser malevolent characters. Burning red eyes and thick black lips are used to help portray this image. Karuppu taadi is the last type of taadi make-up. This beard is black and is used for thieves and robbers. The last type of make-up in Kathakali is Kari. This make-up is also used for evil characters. The black face represents the presence of blackness inside the character. (paragraph of references) Make-up in Bunraku is centered on the presentation of the different heads. In Kathakali, the way different make-up styles are combined defines characters. In both traditions, the purpose is similar: to reveal the characteristics and assign various stock roles to various styles of presentation. Instantly, a relation between the two traditions is established. Of course, there are differences in the details of each element. Nonetheless, in the two performance aspects investigated, the intentions in Bunraku and Kathakali are fundamentally alike. The significance of these relations is further elaborated when the third one is made, which is based on movement. Movement: Movement is the last element in Bunraku and Kathakali in discussion. Since none of the performers speak, movement is the medium through which they communicate the chanters message to the audience. The movement is the key aspect to the conveyance of the theme of the performance. In Bunraku, the puppeteers maneuver the puppet according to the chanter in order to keep up with the tempo of the performance. (The Puppets) In Kathakali, the movement is the prime source of communication to the audience through very intricate facial expressions and complicated hand movements. In Bunraku, the movements of the puppets are maneuvered by three puppeteers: the omo-zukai, hidari-zukai, and ashi-zukai. The omo-zukai is the head puppeteer. He controls the puppets head and right hand. The head is controlled by a stick wired with levers to control various facial parts such as the eyes, eyebrows, and mouth. The omo-zukai holds this lever with his left hand and operates the puppets right hand with his right hand. The hidari-zukai is the puppeteer that controls the puppets left hand. He does so with his right hand. Most hand gestures made by puppets are performed by the left hand because its movement is specifically exercised by the hidari-zukai. Lastly, the least experienced puppeteer out of the three is usually the ashi-zukai, who controls both feet of the puppeteer with both his hands. These three puppeteers train for years to acquire a state of harmony in their movements. If the movements are not presented with a state of synchronization, the puppeteers fail to br ing the puppet to life because the movements seem abnormal to the audience. The biggest challenge presented to puppeteers is the elemental requirement to empathize with the puppet. For example, at a particular point in a play, if the puppet is sad, the puppeteer must develop a state of sadness in order to perfect the movement assigned to him. If all three puppeteers empathize this way, harmony in movement is reached and the puppet is brought to life. (paragraph of references) Kathakali also incorporates a large degree of movement in its performances. Most of the performance is based on the movement of the character. The element of movement is so extensive that an entire language has been developed using the hands of the performer. This language is based upon mudras. There are twenty-four basic mudras, or letters that can be combined to form words and phrases. Along with mudras, there are nine basic facial expressions known as the nava rassas. These facial expressions depict the mood of the character. They represent a stylized form of everyday expressions. The movements conducted by the feet follow the beat of the orchestra. They help in the addition of technique to the rest of the movements. When combined, the make-up represents the personality of a character, the facial expressions represent the mood, and the dialogue is spoken through the mudras. All aspects of a character are covered through the make-up and movement, representing a very stylized way of conducting a dance-drama. (paragraph of references) In both theatrical traditions, the movement is essential in bringing the production to life. In the case of Bunraku, this is done is by creating the perception of bringing the puppets to life. In Kathakali, this is done through a language based heavily on movement. The movement controls the dialogue in both cases. Thus, both traditions have a very similar use of movement. Conclusion: Bunraku Puppet Theater is a tradition that began as a combination of two traditions: storytelling and puppetry. Early Bunraku saw the rise of the Osaka Theater, founded by Takemoto Gidayu. After some highs and lows, Bunraku is still a popular form of theater in Japan. In another part of the world, Kathakali originated from a political brawl where the Raja of Kottarakkara created a dance-drama called Raamanaattam. This form of dance-drama, with some perfection, became modern-day Kathakali. There are many similarities, however, despite the differences in the cultural evolution of these traditions. One tradition evolved in the coastal region of modern-day Japan while the other evolved on the region surrounded by the southern tip of India. Regardless, both of these traditions rely on facial features to describe the characters involved in the drama. In Bunraku, it is the different painted heads. In Kathakali, it is the stylistic make-up. Also, both Bunraku and Kathakali contain specific a dditional performers. The stunning fact is that in both styles, the additional performers have similar duties. There is a recite/chanter and there is musical accompaniment. Lastly, the movement element in Bunraku and Kathakali is heavily relied upon to create harmony in Bunraku and convey messages in Kathakali. All these similarities are fascinating considering the differences amongst these two traditions. One must ponder how these similarities came into existence. Was it mere coincidence? Could Darwins theory of evolution be implied here? These similarities could pave the way for further investigation into these two traditions and maybe, the world would be able to see a Bunraku play performed the Kathakali way or a Hindu text performed with Bunraku puppets. This research can lead to a whole new dimension of theatrical study. Bibliography The Chanter and the Shamisen Player. An Introduction to the World of Bunraku. Japan Arts Council, 2004. Web. 24 Mar. 2009. . Heads for Female Roles. An Introduction to the World of Bunraku. Japan Arts Council, 2004. Web. 17 July 2009. . Heads for Male Roles. An Introduction to the World of Bunraku. Japan Arts Council, 2004. Web. 17 July 2009. . The History of Bunraku-1. An Introduction to the World of Bunraku. Japan Arts Council, 2004. Web. 18 June 2009. . The International Centre for Kathakali. New Delhi: International Centre for Kathakali, n.d. Print. Johnson, Matthew. A Brief Introduction to the History of Bunraku. Sagecraft. 14 Aug. 1995. Web. 21 July 2010. . Kathakali. The Art Forms of Kerala. Web. 17 July 2009. . Narayanan, Akavoor. Kathakali The Total Theatre Nonpareil. Kathakali Journal of The International Centre for Kathakali May 2009: 12+. Print. The Puppets. An Introduction to the World of Bunraku. Japan Arts Council, 2004. Web. 24 Mar. 2009. . Rajan, Anjana. Kathakali. Art India. Web. 17 July 2009. . Unikrishan. Movement and Themes of Kathakali. Personal interview. 18 July 2009. What is Bunraku? An Introduction to the World of Bunraku. Japan Arts Council, 2004. Web. 24 Mar. 2009. . Photograph Bibliography Heads for Female Roles. Photograph. Japan Arts Council. An Introduction to the World of Bunraku. Japan Arts Council. Web. 17 Jan. 2010. . Heads for Male Roles. Photograph. Japan Arts Council. An Introduction to the World of Bunraku. Japan Arts Council. Web. 17 Jan. 2010. . Various Colourful Costumes Makeup in Kathakali. Photograph. Cochin Cultural Centre, Kochi. Cochin Cultural Centre. Cochin Cultural Centre. Web. 17 Jan. 2010. .