Method of the Ancient Essay Example for Free

Method of the Ancient Essay In the excerpt, Claude Perrault begins mundanely by recalling the Ancients’ belief in that the utilization of proportioning systems based on the human body would give aesthetic qualities and beauty to a building. Without a doubt, this topic of beauty, which resides from mathematical proportions, is readily discussed both visually and verbally through examples in all history and theory of architecture classes including Buildings, Texts and Contexts. However, what makes the text compelling to me is how Perrault brings into light the discrepancy in these proportioning systems that exists throughout history from the antiquity through to the renaissance. It is said that although the building orders may conform to certain proportions as a whole, the constituent parts of buildings, such as the precise dimensions of the members and its profiles, does not pertain to any strict rules or to a consensus of opinions amongst architects such that the building’s ultimate beauty does not lie only in proportions. Perrault’s juxtaposition of the beauty of buildings with the beauty of a human face clearly give weights to his argument: â€Å"a face can be both ugly and beautiful without any change in proportions; the contraction of the eyes and the enlargement of the mouth can be the same when one laughs as one weeps†. Perrault also points out that even though there is no single absolute proportioning rules for beauty, there are certain limitations to which one can deviate before a building loses its elegance. Through these flexibility and variability of indefinite rules, Perrault points out that by no means is the proportions preserved in architecture, of which is perceived by our eyes, are akin to the ones that govern musical harmonies, gained through our ears, as they are of immutable precision. These two sensory faculties, the eyes and the ears, work in processing data in different ways according to Perrault: the ear processes data without intervention of the intellect whilst the eyes work through the mediation of knowledge. Perrault then argues that since the proportions of edifice are usually oblivious to our eyes there must exists two different types of beauty: positive beauty and arbitrary beauty. Positive beauty as define by Perrault is for me quite the oppositive of Kant’s aesthetics judgement for that Perrault’s positive beauty are based on convincing reasons rather being disinterested and being ‘purposive without a purpose’. They are convincing reasons based on value and quality such as its rich materiality or even its precise execution. Arbitrary beauty, unlike positive beauty, is to me more like Kant’s aesthetics judgement in that it is universal, at least to a certain extent. Arbitrary beauty, as defined by Perrault, is the beauty where people have customarily come to agreement without any intrinsic qualities to justify such judgement.

The French Revolution Essay -- European History

The French Revolution The French Revolution was one of the most traumatic events in human history. Over seven million people may have died as a result. The immediate reason was the financial crisis caused by French support for the American Revolution. France invested 2 billion pieces of silver to win the war. Her tax system could only support the government during peace. A war called for extraordinary measures. This was the beginning of the first phase of the revolution, which is referred to as the Aristocratic Revolution. The aristocrats saw this crisis as an opportunity to reassert their power. The French Finance Minister, Necker (1776-1781) didn’t use new taxation to finance the war, he borrowed the money. In 1781, he published the Compte Rendu – which was the first budget the people of France had ever seen. It showed a budget surplus of ten million pieces of silver and Necker was hailed as a hero of the Enlightenment throughout Europe. His budget, however, was a fabrication. France was actually 80,000,000 pieces of silver in debt. When Calonne became finance minister in 1783, he found over half of France’s income went to pay the interest on the debt and the debt was increasing at the rate of 100,000,000 a year. Soon France would not be able to borrow any more money. She had to either repudiate the debt or find new taxes. Repudiating the debt was out of the question because governments have to be able to borrow money. They need to borrow to bridge the gap between the yearly arrival of tax revenues. The only course open was to find new taxation. The problem was who to tax? The peasants and artisans were already taxed to the limit. New taxes would have to be put on the aristocracy and the clergy. The Parlement registered new edicts and the nobility controlled it. The problem would be getting the taxes through the Parlement. Calonne called together an assembly of notables in 1787, hoping to gain momentum for reform. The notables refused to back the new taxes, because they didn’t believe there was a deficit. The notables believed Necker’s Compte Rendu. Calonne and Necker traded charges and insults and King Louis XVI fired Calonne. Louise XVI hired the head of the notables – Brienne – to be his new finance minister in 1787. Brienne reviewed the budget and realized that Calonne had been telling the truth, but when he presented his case to the notables, ... ...ear, not popular support. Executions continued to increase (258 in April of 1794, 345 in May, and 688 in June) and differences in the Committee became irreconcilable. On July 27, 1794 Robespierre was shouted down in the National Convention while giving a speech to answer attacks against his policies. Cries of "Down with the tyrant" were raised and Robespierre's arrest was decreed. Robespierre and his followers escaped, but were later captured. He and 19 of his followers were executed July 28, 1794. The frontispiece from this anti-Robespierre work, Almanach des Prisons, depicts the results of the Reign of Terror under Robespierre's leadership. The various stacks of heads are labeled as follows: "Clergy," "Parliment," "Nobles," "Constitution" (supporters of the Constitution), "Legislature," "Convention," and "People." Note that the largest stack is for the "People" or general public, rather than for the clergy or aristocracy, emphasizing one of the claims against Robespierre's regime. The figure on the scaffold is Robespierre guillotining himself! ________________________________________

“His fiend-like queen” Does this seem a fitting judgement of Lady Macbeth? Essay

Upon beginning the play, one first believes that Lady Macbeth does indeed possess the evil, inhumane characteristics of a fiend. Within minutes of reading Macbeth’s letter, in which he informs her that according to the prophecy of the witches’ he is a â€Å"king that shalt be†, she contemplates regicide, in the belief that â€Å"fate and metaphysical aid doth seem to have [Macbeth] crown’d withal.† Though this introductory scene portrays her as â€Å"fiend-like†, despite condemning Macbeth for being â€Å"too fill o’ the milk of human kindness†, she herself is worried that â€Å"compunctious vistings of nature† will † shake [her] fell purpose† of murder. She then turns to demonic spirits, calling them to â€Å"fill [her] from the crown to the toe full of direst cruelty.† It is the feminine traits of compassion and fallibility often attributed to women of the Jacobean era that causes to Lady Macbeth beg the spirits to â€Å"unsex [her] here [†¦] and take [her milk for gall]†, for women’s capacity for cruelty was considered to be inferior to that of men. Lady Macbeth is fully aware of her weaknesses both as a human and especially as a woman that may â€Å"impede [them] from the golden round.† From this we see that Lady Macbeth is not naturally evil, for she calls upon the supernatural to aid her in the murder they are planning to commit. This is also shown in terms of language, for Lady Macbeth speaks in iambic pentameter, which conveys the human heart beat. This is in contrast to the non-human, fiendish, witches who use a different verse form. Therefore Lady Macbeth’s verse shows that not only is she human, she, unlike the demonic, has a heart. Though it is Lady Macbeth, through seductive verse, emotional blackmail and her powers of manipulation, who finally persuades Macbeth to kill Duncan it must be remembered that murder was not, initially, the idea of Lady Macbeth. It was Macbeth who, on the fulfilment of the first prophecy of the witches, entertains â€Å"horrible imaginings† of â€Å"murder yet [†¦] fantastical.† As a woman, it is true that Lady Macbeth was only able to achieve success through her husband and, perhaps, she may have exploited his weaknesses in order to gain power. Nevertheless, from a different perspective, it may appear that Lady Macbeth simply encouraged and supported her husband’s ambition, for it is Macbeth himself who satisfies his â€Å"black and deep desires† by killing Duncan. It is also evident that though Lady Macbeth may be â€Å"fiend-like† in word, she appears to be quite human in her actions. For Malcolm’s judgement on Lady Macbeth seems utterly justified when she talks of â€Å"the babe that milks [her],† for she claims that even â€Å"while it was smiling in [her] face/ Have pluck’d [her] nipple from his boneless gums,/And dash’d the brains out, had I so sworn†. It follows that â€Å"fiend-like† is a true description of her character, for it is only an evil, inhumane fiend who would murder an innocent and helpless baby. However, Lady Macbeth soon reveals her inconsistency when she confesses that she would have murdered Duncan â€Å"had he not resembled [her] father as he slept†. From this comment we see that Lady Macbeth is more humane than she would like to believe. She also claims that she has known â€Å"how tender ’tis to love the babe that milks [her]†. Lady Macbeth has experienced love and this love must still remain, for it is her love for her father that stops her killing Duncan. Therefore Lady Macbeth cannot be fully fiend-like as she possesses the decidedly human quality of love. Paranoia causes Macbeth, against his wife’s wishes, to hire murderers to kill his former friend Banquo, and his son Fleance. Lady Macbeth feels that â€Å"[their] desire is got without content† and begs her husband to â€Å"leave this† when he hints at disposing of Banquo. He ceases to involve his â€Å"partner of greatness† in his plans and she is evidently no longer dominant in the relationship. Instead Lady Macbeth is now in the position which befitted a Jacobean wife, for, according to prevalent Christian belief, the husband was the head of the family. Whereas Macbeth appears to no longer possess a conscience, Lady Macbeth is plagued by hers. She sleepwalks regularly, for â€Å"unnatural deeds do breed unnatural troubles† and is afraid of the dark, having â€Å"a light by her continually†, even carrying a candle whilst sleepwalking. This is in contrast to the time when she called â€Å"come thick night†; she is afraid of the darkness which she once summoned. She, who scorned Macbeth when he feared that regicide will cause them to â€Å"jump the life to come†, now fears eternal damnation. She pleads with the damning guilt to leave her, crying â€Å"out, out damned spot†. In her disturbed sleep she instructs herself to â€Å"wash your hands†, in the hope that â€Å"a little water will clear [them] of this deed. However, it is soon clear that Macbeth’s fear as to whether â€Å"all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood/Clean from [his] hand† is not unfounded, for Lady Macbeth soon despairs that â€Å"these hands [will] ne’er be clean.† Earlier in the play Lady Macbeth is shown to be a master of language in her manipulation of Macbeth. Due to her distressed state of mind she has lost the ability to speak in verse and instead uses distracted prose. At one point her language breaks down to doggerel, on her remembrance that â€Å"the Thane of Fife had a wife†. Lady Macbeth is no longer aware of her surroundings, as her mind recalls the various murders of Duncan, Banquo and the Macduffs. It is difficult to ascertain whether at times she is talking to herself or to Macbeth, for she is evidently in conversation with someone, exactly who is not clear, though she makes one reference to â€Å"My Lord†, Macbeth. Her insanity is also shown by her the inconsistency of her speeches and her total disregard for chronology, for she confuses the order of the murders as well as the present with the past. Her parting words recognise the hopelessness of her situation, for she knows that â€Å"what’s done cannot be undone†. This also shows that, unlike her husband, Lady Macbeth feels remorse for their actions. She is sorry that their actions â€Å"cannot be undone†. Macbeth, on the other hand, shows no sign of regret, for he feels that he is â€Å"in blood/Stepp’d in so far, that should [he] wade no more, /Returning were as tedious as go o’er.† Murder, including that of innocent, women and children are part of course with him. A distraught Lady Macbeth begs â€Å"No more o’ that my Lord, no more o’ that†, for memories of the murders serve only to torment her, though it is she who earlier unfeelingly remarked that â€Å"what’s done is done† with the belief that â€Å"things without all remedy/Should be without regard†. Her guilt has driven her to near insanity and her conscience is so disturbed as to confuse her mental faculties. Eventually, Lady Macbeth â€Å"by self and violent hands/Took off her life† for Lady Macbeth is unable to bear the burden of guilt any longer and suicide appears to be her only option. According to Jacobean belief, suicide led to certain damnation, and Lady Macbeth’s untimely end is evidence of her despairing of hope in the next life, for she will now â€Å"jump the life to come† having resigned herself to â€Å"deep damnation.† This, if anything, is proof that Lady Macbeth is not â€Å"fiend-like†. Lady Macbeth regrets their actions, begging her husband to cease his murdering, a sign that unlike her husband, she still possesses a morsel of humanity. Lady Macbeth is by no means evil, for evil has no conscience, whereas the conscience of Lady Macbeth is very much in evidence As an audience we witness, through the medium of the stage, the breakdown of Lady Macbeth. We watch her eventual unravelling, from her initial ambitious determination to murder the king, to her final, desperate act of suicide. We gradually realise, that Malcolm, blinded by the knowledge that Lady Macbeth was instrumental in his father’s death, is too harsh in his judgement of her. By showing signs of remorse, not to mention an unwillingness to kill Duncan and an inability to be cruel without aid, Lady Macbeth proves that she has not the evil of a fiend. She is certainly not without conscience, having been tortured by guilt, nor is she without feeling, for she has known â€Å"how tender ’tis to love†. I conclude, therefore, that though Lady Macbeth is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a â€Å"gentle lady†, she is certainly no fiend. Though, at the beginning of the play she may have appeared to be as evil and inhumane as a fiend, by its closing, she is seen to be a wretched, desolate woman who deserves our pity.

Ethics in Advertising Essay - 1263 Words

An American unnoticeably views three thousand advertisements in a day, many of which use women and sex appeal to get consumers’ attention (Kilbourne). Advertisements subconsciously affect our lives, and often times not in a good way. Also, women and young girls are usually the ones that compare themselves to thin models featured in ads. Advertisements not only impact how women view each other, but also how they view themselves. Women and girls strive to look like the retouched and Photoshopped models, which can lead to serious issues including eating disorders, extreme dieting, and excessive plastic surgery. But what these women and young girls look past, is the fact that advertising companies use Photoshopping to completely change†¦show more content†¦If a model is not perfect, the computer makes them perfect. According to Kilbourne’s documentary, Oprah Winfrey’s head was once put on the body of actress Ann-Margret for a TV guide magazine, merely because Oprah wasn’t skinny enough. Simply put, advertisements are lies. Advertisements psychologically and physically affect women. In a study by Ann Becker, (shown in Killing us Softly 4), girls who watched TV three plus nights a week were 50% more likely to say they looked â€Å"too fat† than girls who watched less TV, simply because these girls were viewing too many â€Å"perfect† women. More often now then ever before, advertisements are causing issues to women’s health, including, eating disorders, extreme dieting, and excessive plastic surgery. All these components are ways women change their physical appearance to look more like the models they see in advertisements. What these women look past is that these models don’t truly look like that, and they have been retouched. According to a New York Times article published in 2009, titled, A Move to Curb Digitally Altered Photos in Ads, â€Å"there is a big concern that girls and women feel excessive pressure to live up to the digitally Botoxed and liposuctioned images o f human perfection they see in glossy magazines,† (Pfanner). For instance, my friend is a perfect example of a girl who has been succumbed by the pressure of the media. She hasShow MoreRelatedEthics of Advertising1230 Words   |  5 PagesAssignment Advertising is a tremendous and powerful way of providing silent information as to how consumers should interact and present themselves. From the ethics class, we realize that the messages help us to see the meaning and possibilities in the things we purchase. It also helps consumers to liberate the direct meaning that lie below the surface of the products. For example, the Volkswagen advertisements have turned the automobile company into a social statement. Advertising has become aRead MoreThe Ethics Of Persuasive Advertising1278 Words   |  6 PagesJackson Catalano Business Ethics Ethics of Persuasive Advertising Each day we are bombarded with advertisements from a plethora of corporations in every waking moment of our lives. Advertising agencies have become so advanced at what they do, that often times we may not even realize we are being advertised a product. This raises an interesting ethical dilemma over a certain type of advertising: persuasive advertising. Philosophers, economists, and business professionals have debated over whetherRead MoreThe Ethics Of Marketing And Advertising937 Words   |  4 PagesJacob Darbonne 8/26/15 MKGT 3100 Ethics Paper What is marketing? Marketing, according to Investopedia, is â€Å"The activities of a company associated with buying and selling a product or service. It includes advertising, selling and delivering products to people.† In even simpler terms, it’s how a company or business buys/sells a product, and the way in which they do so. Marketing is aimed towards consumers, or us the buyers of these products, and the best advertising will have us begging for the productRead MoreThe Ethics Of The Advertising Industry1320 Words   |  6 Pageson the ethics of the advertising industry. Some questions will be answered like: should companies be allowed to collect/sell client’s info? Should targeted online advertising on the basis of user’s profile and demographics? Should there be a ban the sale of surveillance technology to non-democratic countries? Keywords: targeted online advertising, surveillance technology, non-democratic countries, false advertising, ethical theories, code of ethics. Ethics in the Advertising Industry. Ethics is aRead MoreThe Ethics Of Advertising For Children1731 Words   |  7 Pages Congratulations, it s a †¦ Consumer! The Ethics of Advertising to Children Ishaaq Beg ENG4U Ms. Lodi October 22nd 2015 Ishaaq Beg Ms. Lodi ENG4U October 22nd 2015 Advertising to Children â€Å"The consumer embryo begins to develop during the first year of existence. Children begin their consumer journey in infancy, and they certainly deserve consideration as consumers at that time† - James U. McNeal, Youth Marketer. Companies have their sights on kids for many reasons, butRead MoreEthics in Alcohol Advertising3960 Words   |  16 PagesMarketing and Ethics Introduction Marketing is a commercial right in many countries; it gives information to consumers about brands and choices, and also helps businesses with the selling of their products. In a market economy; some businesses are expected to act in a way, in which they have their own best interest. The field of marketing is there to create sustained competitive advantage. This advantage can only be achieved, when an organization does a better job than its competitors by satisfyingRead MoreThe Ethics Of Electronic Advertising916 Words   |  4 Pagesdecades have changed how businesses approach current and potential customers. Advertising strategies have transcended traditional mediums and have evolved to infect new technology mediums. The Internet opened the doors to new possibilities and it is no different with advertising. Every new era has some new invention that calls into question its ethical standards such as the radio, television, computer, and now the Internet. Ethics concerns the moral prin ciples that govern how a person or organization shouldRead MoreEthics of Deception in Advertising2384 Words   |  10 PagesEthics of deception in advertising: Why is deceptive advertising morally objectionable? 1. Introduction In the world of today, the role of marketing within the business community has increased exponentially. Nowadays consumers are presented with countless purchase opportunities, numerous providers and various points of value. In order to attract and retain their buyers, economic agents devise and implement a wide array of strategic efforts, including the creation of strong and aggressive marketingRead MoreAdvertising Ethics 23861 Words   |  16 PagesOne of the most controversial areas of marketing has long been that of advertising to children. Today, advertisers are focusing their ads at younger and younger audiences, many of whom are still in diapers. The reason that adverters are targeting younger and younger children is that they are trying to establish â€Å"brand-name preference† at as early of an age as possible. (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2006) Marketers are now using psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists and behavioral scientistsRead MoreEthics in Advertising Essay2614 Words   |  11 PagesEthics in advertising to most sounds like the definition for irony. However, the practice of truthful advertising is commonplace in today’s society. Advertisers are held accountable for the messages they produce. So too are the manufacturers, whom are held accountable for their products meeting the standards set forth by the advertisement. For the most part this is a self-regulated practice. Once an advertised product is called out for not living up to expectation, recovery of reputation and