Work and Study

Work and Study Work and Study: How to Find a Happy Medium? Home›Tips for Students›Work and Study: How to Find a Happy Medium? Tips for StudentsNowadays combining work and studying is the reality of almost every student. There is no doubt that it is rather exhausting and hard. Anyway, it is possible to combine both without harm to your health. Many people have a full-time job and study when they have free time or quite the opposite â€" they work at their free time. Some people even have a family. If you need some useful tips from QualityCustomEssays.com on how to deal with all this spheres without ruining yourself, keep on reading…Inform your professor about your job. If you have difficulties with combining your work with the process of studying, let your professor know about the situation. This might inspire the latter to offer you flexibility regarding the deadlines of your course paper, essay, etc. We are all humans after all.Ask your family to give you a hand. Work, study and household du ties can be too much. That is the reason why it is worth to ask your relatives to help you. Save your time on washing and cleaning and spend it on more important things like studying. In case if you are single, ask your friends to help you!Study at work. If you have some free time at work, make advantage of it. Instead of chatting about your new girlfriend or your boss, focus on your subjects. Read something and write something down. Your lunch br?ak is ideal for this. If you are a commuter, spend the time on the way reading.Do not take on too much. If you study too much while you are working, it will not do you any good â€" you won’t do anything right. Chose your priorities and focus on them. Leave less important things for later. If you are a person that finds it difficult to refuse a request, you have to learn to say NO. Remember that every employee has his or her own responsibilities.Be ahead with your studies. Whenever it is possible, do some of your assignments in advance. R emember that there can be busy periods at work and you might stay late. You will not have a possibility to do your homework. This is one of the most efficient methods to combine your job with your studies without exhaustion. Say NO to stress! Keep in mind that our service is also able to help you in coping with your studies, namely academic writing assignments. Our highly qualified writers will help you with any kind of academic papers.Make sacrifices for your studies. When you combine studying and work, it is difficult to carve out some time for your hobbies. Anyway, it is normal to sacrifice something for the sake of your studying. Of course, you need some time for leisure, but opt for going for a walk rather than visiting an all night long party. Sacrificing is tough, but it is rewarding.

Essay about Emily Dickinson and Interpretations of Her...

Emily Dickinson and Interpretations of Her Poetry During Emily Dickinson’s fifty-six years she was able to produce many complex poems that contained deeply hidden meanings. When I consider the life she lived, this is not surprising to me. She was not only talented, but she also was born into a family and time that would provide much of her inspiration. Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was born into the Dickinson family on December 10, 1830 in Amherst, Massachusetts. Her parents, Edward and Emily Norcross Dickinson, were strict and cold like the Puritan religion they upheld. Her father even went as far as to censor the books Emily read so she wouldn’t be lead astray from Puritanism. As a young girl she was expected to embrace the beliefs†¦show more content†¦Many of her death poems were representations of how repressive Emily felt her life and culture to be. As a woman in the 1800’s she felt like she was being held down and that she was not being allowed to live the life that she wanted to live. She never had the chance to grasp onto a loving relationship while she was alive, and ended up dying on May 15, 1886 in the isolation of the same room she had confined herself to for years. It is those poems about death that I would like to discuss here, and I’ll begin by trying to explain poem #335. Poem #335 In the first stanza of this poem Emily explains that it’s not dying that hurts people so, but it’s living that hurts us more. In these first two lines she’s actually addressing her life as a woman in the 19th century. To her, being alive was almost worse than being dead because of the way that women were repressed and because of the way in which she was forced to hold her feelings for touch and a romantic relationship inside of herself. The world during her time was wound up in industrialization, power, and money, and it had little to offer her. She felt death would be better than life because she was unable to satisfy her own desires while living. The third and fourth lines of the first stanza refer to dying as a different way that occurs behind a door. In these two lines Emily is describing how trapped she felt within the New England culture in which she lived and theShow MoreRelatedEmily Dickinson : The Point When A Reader1749 Words   |  7 PagesKnoernschild November 27, 2015 Emily Dickinson At the point when a reader hears the name Emily Dickinson, they consider a female who composed verse that has been surely understood for a considerable length of time and years. Much to their dismay that Emily Dickinson established American Literature, and began an entire unrest of verse. The procedure Dickinson used to keep in touch with her verse was at no other time seen and was the foundation of her compositions. Major themes, FigurativeRead MoreEmily Dickinson s `` Because I Could Not Stop For Death `` Essay1355 Words   |  6 PagesModernism for Emily Dickinson has to do with the uncertainty. Emily Dickinson was a somber thinker who doesn’t try to enlighten anyone of anything. Her poems were uniquely written and she wrote about the uncertainty, which makes her poetry easy to empathize with in the 21st century. The 21st century, is a period of science which is used as a tool to make sense of the uncertainty. Emily Dickinson uses her poetry as a means to question and obs erve the trauma of human existence. For instance, she doesn’tRead MoreThe Works of Emily Dickinson726 Words   |  3 Pages Emily Dickinson’s writing reflects the Realistic period through personal themes: death, isolation, God, marriage, women in society, and love. Dickinson’s writing is affected by numerous factors. Among these are her family, the Realism period, and her life experiences. Emily Dickinson herself was a sort of mystery. Emily Dickinson’s background had a profound effect on her writing. Family always plays an important role in the upbringing of an individual. Her grandfather had a prominent position inRead MoreSymbolism in Emily Dickinson’s Poetry918 Words   |  4 PagesSymbolism in Emily Dickinson’s Poetry Kevin Hardy Jr. English 215 Dr. Maxwell Poems have many different interpretations, but let it be known that different people could see poems in many different ways. In Emily Dickinson’s poetry, she uses interpretations that refer back to mortality because of her past experiences throughout life that influenced her to write. But, there are other hidden facts that you would be able to see Dickinson’s poems, she uses symbolism of immortality, death, sorrowRead MoreSome Keep the Sabbath Going to Church931 Words   |  4 PagesMegan McCullough Briejer English 101 15 April 2013 Emily Dickinson â€Å"Some Keep the Sabbath Going To Church† In the poem â€Å"Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church,† Emily Dickinson expresses the feeling that everybody practices their faith and religion in a different way. The narrator of this poem portrays the idea of self practice. Being able to completely understand and interpret the meaning of this piece of poetry was not a short and simple process. When first reading â€Å"Some Keep the SabbathRead More A Comparison of the Poetry of Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost1062 Words   |  5 PagesThe Poetry of Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost The poetry of Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost contains similar themes and ideas. Both poets attempt to romanticize nature and both speak of death and loneliness. Although they were more than fifty years apart, these two seem to be kindred spirits, poetically speaking. Both focus on the power of nature, death, and loneliness. The main way in which these two differ is in their differing use of tone. The power of nature is a recurring themeRead MoreEssay on Emily Dickinson: Untitled, Unregulated, and Unchained942 Words   |  4 PagesYou know her name. You’ve seen it following quoted lines of poetry; printed on greeting cards, cross-stitched and framed on your grandmother’s bathroom wall, and engraved into silver lockets. Regarded as one of the greatest American poets, you are no stranger to her work. You know her name. Say it. Emily Dickinson. And boy, was she a wierdo! †¦admittedly, most geniuses are. Emily Dickinson dedicated most of her privileged, reclusive life to her art. She employed a brilliance for lyricism, unconventionalRead More Literary Analysis of Emily Dickinsons Poetry Essays1053 Words   |  5 PagesLiterary Analysis of Emily Dickinsons Poetry   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Emily Dickinson is one of the most famous authors in American History, and a good amount of that can be attributed to her uniqueness in writing. In Emily Dickinsons poem Because I could not stop for Death, she characterizes her overarching theme of Death differently than it is usually described through the poetic devices of irony, imagery, symbolism, and word choice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Emily Dickinson likes to use many different forms of poetic devicesRead MoreEmily Dickinson s Poem, A Fairer House Of Poetry905 Words   |  4 PagesPoetry Explication Poetry has the ability to expand minds and put its reader in touch with the world around them. Emily Dickinson attempts to convey the power of poetry in her poem I Dwell in Possibility. She pours her passionate feelings about poetry into this poem and drives her point home with a comparison to prose. Using language, structure, and symbolism, Emily Dickinson’s I Dwell in Possibility effectively articulates how poetry can broaden horizons and provide an escape from the mundaneRead MoreEmily Dickinson s Poetry And Poetry1312 Words   |  6 PagesEmily Dickinson’s poems â€Å"They shut me up in Prose† and â€Å"I Dwell in Possibility† on the surface may seem similar, both having the same structure, three-four lined stanzas, and punctuation. However, they convey different messages. Typically Dickinson writes dark, meditative and defiant toned poems about death, gender and poetry itself, often challenging social beliefs and traditions. Each poem sticks to th ese pre-modernist views and styles, but place the emphasis on different aspects of her common

Essay about Away by Michael Gow - 1387 Words

Away Set in the Australian summer of 1967, Michael Gow’s Away is an elaborate play which explores the ideas of self- discovery and change. Through the war affected nation, three families, each from different social classes, depart on an iconic Australian holiday to the beach. In the play, Gow utilises the characters to demonstrate that going away physically is intrinsically linked to their mental developments. With the help of references to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer night’s Dream, Away uses Gwen and Coral to show the significant psychological changes made by the characters during holidays to the coast. Tom throughout the play acts as a catalyst for the change in other characters and is associated with Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.†¦show more content†¦During this scene, Gwen realises how easily possessions are lost, thus readjusting her views on what is truly important in life. By using the storm as one of the main turning points for Gwen, Gow ex plores the power of nature in solving problems and, in this case, it as being a power to ‘wash away’ Gwen’s issues. The representation of the four campers as the pixies in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and referring the storm to the scene where the all the mayhem caused by Puck is occurring is an ingenious link to the famous Shakespearian play. The intertextuality references help the audience relate to well-known plays and receive a deeper meaning of Away. The Mendelssohn music sets the mood of the scene and gives the audience a hint of the events coming. After talking with Vic, Gwen completes her transformation and loses her difficult, aggressive personality. She becomes an understanding and compassionate mother and is reflected by her conversation with Jim, which she says ‘What do you think of me? You must hate me? Why do you still bother? I’m sorry...’ (p46). The power of Tom’s influence on Gwen is the most prominent in this scen e, when Gwen talks with Vic and realises his condition. Here, Gwen opens her mind to the world and finds out that life is precious and easily lost, that people need to enjoy every moment in it. Gwen realises that she has been too selfish andShow MoreRelatedAway by Michael Gow857 Words   |  4 PagesMichael Gow’s play Away is the story of three different Australian families who go on holiday for Christmas in the sixties. By going away each family is hoping to resolve their issues. Although Away is set some time ago the themes and issues explored in the play are still relevant to a modern day audience, even one of a non-Australian background. Shakespearean plays that were written many hundreds of years ago and are still understandable and relevant to people all over the world today. AwayRead MoreAnalysis Of Away By Michael Gow925 Words   |  4 PagesIn Michael Gow’s play ‘Away’, a story of families in the 1960’s and how they come to embrace each other’s differences through gaining self-knowledge. Through identifying the context of act 3 scene 2, as well as the relationships between characters and the reasons behind them, as well as the stylistic devices used by Gow to share a message with his audiences that, even today, an audience can relate too. By analysing quotes from the scene to support conclusions, the purpose of this scene will be identifiedRead MoreAnalysis Of Away By Michael Gow751 Words   |  4 PagesAWAY Michael Gow â€Å"Away† is a play written in 1988 by Michael Gow. Away refers to the central ideas of Australia in 1967-68. The central ideas embrace the outsiders, family conflicts and grief and loss which affected families in the play. Gow uses three main families to convey the message of the play. The use of language and stylistic devices influence the way Gow has been able to speak to the modern Australian audience. In the play â€Å"Away† Gow is able to speak to the modern Australian audience withRead MoreAway Michael Gow Analysis808 Words   |  4 PagesSelf-discoveries can affirm or challenge an individual’s previously held attitude through acceptance contributing to a change in perception of self and the world. This notion is explored in Michael Gow’s play â€Å"Away† where three fractured families go on transformative holiday as they experience discoveries about themselves and others. Self-discovery of a certain individual can stimulate modification f or others’ perception and lead them to a more prominent discovery. Similarly, the poem: â€Å"the core†Read MoreAnalysis Of Away By Michael Gow883 Words   |  4 PagesAway is a play written by Michael Gow in 1986. It took him three weeks to write and it had little editing, as there was no complex writing involved. Gow admired Shakespeare’s refusal to be literal and so this was adapted into his play. ‘Despite its historical setting, Away is still able to speak to modern Australian audiences.’ This statement holds a lot of truth, as the play shows family conflict in three separate families, grief and loss in two different stages and people who are seen as differentRead MoreDiscovery Essay on Away Michael Gow923 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"To discover is to gain sight or knowledge of something.† How have ideas about discovery been shown in Away and The Book Thief Discovery allows main characters to gain sight or knowledge into themselves and others. This is evident in Michael Gow’s Away, as seen through the characters of Gwen, Coral and Tom. The three gain sight and knowledge into theirRead MoreAway by Michael Gow Character Analysis Essay2386 Words   |  10 Pagesis supported by her husband Roy, but Roy is not the best supporter at times. Coral is quiet and hasn’t built many strong relationships with others as others are trying to with her ‘Did you enjoy the play? [Coral stares at her for a moment then looks away’.] Roy: Roy is the principal at Meg and Tom’s school. He is a very well-spoken man who seems to be quite successful. â€Å"So what do you think of our little Chips Rafferties, eh? Proud mums and dads?† He’s married to his wife Coral who is a very mysteriousRead MoreAway by Michael Gow: Character Analysis Essay examples684 Words   |  3 Pagesattitude and this causes Coral to lower herself to the behavior of a naà ¯ve child â€Å"I’ll be good! I’ll improve!† When Coral does begin to speak, it is presented as very expressive and mournful. Her tone is filled with emotion as she is constantly â€Å"wiping away tears†. Coral finally begins to socialize, with a woman named Leonie. She seems instigated by the fact that Leonie (the woman) appeared to be hiding something. Leonie (like Roy) attempts to conceal her distress with a social disguise. Whilst dismissingRead Moreessay on preliminary topic journey847 Words   |  4 Pagesfound. Through Michael Gow’s ‘Away’ and ‘The Blind Side’ produced by John Lee Hancock, applications of both dramatic and film techniques allow the responder to see the direct impacts a journey puts on the traveller, either physically, emotionally or spiritually. We see this through bald transformations in the characters of both texts when they part take on a physical travel that takes them on an internal journey to discover a renewed inner purpose. In Michael Gow’s play â€Å"Away† Coral’s, physicalRead MoreBelonging Essay1446 Words   |  6 Pagesare clear divisions in him not belonging. The related texts reviewed include ‘The Arrival’ (Shaun Tan, 2006) graphic novel which illustrates a visual story of an immigrant who leaves home to create a better life for his family and the play ‘Away’ (Michael Gow, 1993). Thus it may be ascertained, that belonging defines who we are. In the poem of ‘Feliks Skrzyneckis’ Peter Skrzynecki explores filial relationships. This issue is highlighted between Feliks and Peter Skrzynecki, a cultural barrier

A Change Is as Good as a Holiday. Free Essays

‘’A change is as good as a holiday†¦ really? ’’ According to my personal experience a change is better than a holiday. I changed my life by moving to another country, the UK, where I can create something and develop my life, unlike going on holiday for a short period of time and returning to do the same thing again. During my time in Iraq I enjoyed spending time with my family and I was happy as a clown. We will write a custom essay sample on A Change Is as Good as a Holiday. or any similar topic only for you Order Now However, on April the 9th 2003 USA had a master plan to invade Iraq, as a child I was scared due to my parents clearly being worried; this made me anxious I was so terrified and shaken like an electric tooth brush. It was like I had adrenalin rush, I couldn’t sleep – I was alive with fear. As the army entered the city of Baghdad, Iraq†¦ The sky was red like blazing flames and I could hear the bullets shoot through my ears like thunder. The gun powder rushed into my nose from the chimney from the fire place in the comfort of my own home. There were so many reasons why I had left my country with my family, and one of them was the war. However I’ve been through the hard times and I could’ve just stayed. Not knowing what my destiny would be but as a family we made the decision of leaving. We all agreed that if we left Iraq then we could all have a better life and could continue with our education to have the best life possible. Who wants to leave their home town? Obviously it was a struggle and to look back and leave behind everything and everyone I know: The home I grew in for 11 years and the place where my childhood was full with amazing memories. On the way to the airport I felt miserable; I was reluctant to get on the plane. I hesitated to step forward, however a decision has been made and I had no choice apart from getting on the plane as I knew that my dad was at the other end of the journey. The dream came true! My first step out of the plane towards success, I continued walking through the tunnel to see my dad for the first time in a year. I was bursting with joy to see my father; I was pumped with energy full of happiness: I couldn’t express my feelings so I just hugged him, and my heart was finally relieved. The family and I were on the way out of the airport, into to the car that my dad bought which was blue like the Circassian sea, and we were on the way to the house in Neasdon, London. When I was in the car whilst my dad was driving, I was scared; I didn’t know anyone or the language they spoke. The weather was dull; the clouds were grey and the dark streets. It was due to rain my dad said. I couldn’t play the sport I loved; swimming was my favourite sport back home. There was indoor swimming but it wasn’t the same. I couldn’t even go to my own back garden to do anything, and it was full of mud. A week after I arrived it had snowed, for the first time in my life I saw little white flakes falling from the sky, like a blessing from god. I wanted to go out, but I had a cold and I wasn’t even used to this miserable demotivating weather. Back in Iraq it was blazing hot nearly every day of the year. Every day it was a staggering 50 degrees Celsius like the Saharan desert. As I started school I felt the effects of the change, I didn’t know whether it would be for the better or worse; however I knew I was going to achieve something great, and become a role model to inspire my brother as he was young and needed someone to look up to besides my dad. I feel a little safer nowadays due to people being nice, although there are those occasional racist remarks people give. But altogether the people all colours, races and nationalities are not as I expected; there are mixed cultures and religions -they did not shun me they welcomed me to the area and country; even though they did not know where I was from, who I am, or what I do. Till this day the dream of a better life still lives on. Change instead of a holiday can be good in some circumstances such as mine. For me my safety was more important so I had to leave. Sometimes freedom and safety are something a holiday can’t give. How to cite A Change Is as Good as a Holiday., Papers

The Women of Sparta free essay sample

Sparta was cut off from the rest of Greece by high mountains and wild country sides, there for Spartans developed their own ideas of society and government. A domineering society that focused upon its military strength, Sparta did not allow its citizens the lenient lifestyle of Athenians. The ideology of Sparta was oriented around the state. The individual lived (and died) for the state. Their lives were designed to serve the state from their beginning to the age of sixty. Womens lives were similar in many parts of ancient Greece, but the Greeks themselves singled out the city state of Sparta as being greatly different. The women of Sparta were granted an equal stake in the success or failure of their state. With their fathers and husbands constantly away training or at war, the women of Sparta were responsible for all else in Spartan society. We will write a custom essay sample on The Women of Sparta or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Individual families headed by a husband were insignificant in Spartan society. Instead, the state laid down rules for everyone. Boys were sent away from home at around the age of seven to be trained as soldiers where they lived in army barracks until they were around 30 years old, even then, the men might have been absent for months, fighting in battles. This resulted in the Spartan women having to be very self dependent, they had to manage households all alone. Unlike other Greek women, Spartan women could own land and property and make all decisions on how it was to be run. â€Å"‘When a woman from Attica asked ‘Why is it that you Spartans are the only women who can rule men? Gorgo replied, ‘Because we are the only ones who give birth to men. ’† (Plutarch, Sayings of Spartan Women, 240. 5 translated in Pomeroy, 2002, 60) â€Å"‘The licence of the Lacedaemonian women defeats the intention of the Spartan constitution, and is adverse to good order of the State. For a husband and a wife, being each a part of every family, the state may be considered as about equally divide d into men and women; and, therefore, in those states in which the condition of the woman is bad, half the city may be regarded as having no laws. And this is what has actually happened at Sparta; the legislator wanted to make the whole state hardy and temperate, and he has carried out his intention in the case of the men, but he has neglected the women, who live in every sort of intemperance and luxury. The consequence is that in such a state wealth is too highly valued, especially if the citizens fall under the dominion of their wives†¦the influence of the Lacedaemonian women has been most mischievous†¦when Lycurgus, as tradition says, wanted to bring the women under his laws, they resisted, and he gave up the attempt. They, and not he, are to blame for what then happened, and this defect in the constitution is clearly to be attributed to them. We are not, however, considering what is or is not to be excused, but what is right or wrong, and the disorder of the women†¦not only of itself gives an air of indecorum to the state, but tends in a measure to foster avarice. ’† (Aristotle, Politics, 1269b12 translated in Lefkowitz and Fant, 1982, 39-40) â€Å"‘The mention of avarice naturally suggests a criticism of the inequality of property. While some of the Spartan citizens have quite small properties, others have very large ones; hence the land has passed into the hands of a few. And here is another fault in their laws; for, although the legislator rightly holds up to shame the sale or purchase of an inheritance, he allows anybody who likes to give and bequeath it. Yet both practices lead to the same result. And nearly two-fifths of the whole country are held by women; this is owing to the number of heiresses and to the large dowries which are customary. It would surely have been better to have given no dowries at all, or, if any, but small or moderate ones†¦Hence, although the country is able to maintain 1,500 cavalry and 30,000 hoplites, the whole number of Spartans citizens fell below1,000†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬  (Aristotle, Politics, 1270a15 translated in Lefkowitz and Fant, 1982, 40) When Spartan girl turned six or seven, they were sent to school where they were taught how to wrestle, as well as perform gymnastics. They were also schooled on the ins and outs of combat, developing skills that could be quite useful if the time came. Boys and girls had their separate physical training, and could be seen naked at their exercises and games. †- Victor Ehrenberg Solon to Socrates, 1967 When historians take a closer look at the schooling during this ancient period of time, many theories were established where the belief that the boys and girls schooling were not that different developed. Some believe that the girls were traine d just as hard as the boys. The reason why the Spartan women did not pass the time learning how to sew and cook a full-course meal was because , the Spartan women were expected to be strong. It was thought that a strong woman would be able to produce strong, healthy offspring. â€Å"‘†¦Lycurgus, rather, showed all possible concern for them too. First he toughened the girls physically by making them run and wrestle and throw the discus and javelin. Thereby their children in embryo would make a strong start in strong bodies and would develop better, while the women themselves would also bear their pregnancies with vigor and would meet the challenge of childbirth in a successful, relaxed way. He did away with prudery, sheltered upbringing, and effeminacy of any kind. He made young girls no less than young men grow used to walking nude in processions, as well as to dancing and signing at certain festivals with the young men present and looking on. On some occasions the girls would make fund of each of the young men, helpfully criticizing their mistakes. On other occasions they would rehearse in song the praises which they had composed about those meriting them, so that they filled the youngsters with great sense of ambition and rivalry†¦There was nothing disreputable about the girls’ nudity. It was altogether modest, and there was not hint of immorality. Instead it encouraged simple habits and an enthusiasm for physical fitness, as well as giving the female sex a taste of masculine gallantry, since it too was granted equal participation in both excellence and ambition. As a result the women came to talk as well as to think†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬  (Plutarch, 2nd century A. D. , Life of Lycurgus 14. 1-4 translation in Fantham, 1994, 62) Marriages were generally arranged between families; however, the bride and groom often knew each other. The average age for Spartan women to marry was age eighteen and was in keeping with the Spartan philosophy that maturity was essential to producing healthy and robust offspring. In preparation of the marriage, the bride was dressed like a young male with hair cropped short possibly to denote the transition in the female’s role in Spartan society. The marriage was consummated during a symbolic abduction of the bride. After marriage, the bride continued to live in her own home usually until her first pregnancy and the groom lived in the men’s communal barracks until he attained age thirty. Before the husband could live openly with his wife, the couple arranged secret meetings for the purpose of having sexual intercourse. In Spartan society, marriage was primarily for the purpose of producing healthy offspring for the state. Xenophon and Plutarch reported that Spartan husbands often shared their wives with another man in order to produce more children. It was considered acceptable for an older man with a young wife to grant permission for a younger man to have sexual intercourse with her as a means of begetting more physically fit children. In addition, a Spartan man, who wanted children but did not want to enter into a marriage arrangement, could request permission of a woman’s husband to share her sexually. There is no indication that the Spartan women objected to such arrangements; and, since many Spartan women owned land as well as managed the household, they may have seen it as an opportunity to supervise a second household; and, after all, a married woman’s duty in Spartan society was to beget and rear strong children for the state. Regardless of the motivations, it does appears that some ancient historians like Plutarch saw these Spartan customs being the reason adultery, illegitimacy and prostitution did not exist in Sparta. â€Å"the men of Sparta always did what their wives told them, and let women take part in public affairs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Plutarch Motherhood was of primary importance for Spartan women. For much of its five hundred year history, Sparta was at war, therefore, in this â€Å"militaristic† society, it was a woman’s duty to bear and rear healthy children in particular strong and brave sons to serve in the Spartan army. The woman’s role in Spartan society was viewed by the state as equal in importance to that of a man’s. So important was the role of motherhood that mothers with numerous sons were afforded special status and those dieing in childbirth were the only women for whom markers were placed on their graves. As a result of the men in Spartan society generally being absent from the home in the early years of marriage and because of their military occupation, the care of children was for the most part left in the hands of the mother. Since girls remained at home until their marriages, they may have had more opportunity for contact with their fathers especially if their fathers were older. As boys resided at home only until age seven, contact with their fathers would have been rare. Therefore any emotional bonds that children may have formed during their early years would have mainly been with theirs mothers. Mothers encouraged bravery in their sons and did not tolerate cowardice in battle, neither did they mourn the loss of their sons in war. They took pride in the fact that their sons died defending Sparta and were known to kill their sons who had displayed signs of fear during battle. â€Å"Because Damatria heard that her son was a coward and not worthy of her, she killed him when he arrived. This is the epigram about her: His mother killed Damatrius who broke, the laws, She a Spartan lady, he a Spartan Youth. † (Plutarch, Sayings of Spartan Women, 240. f2) â€Å"’As a woman was burying her son, a shabby old woman came up to her and said, ‘You poor woman, what a misfortune! ‘No, by the two goddesses, what a good fortune,’ she replied, ‘because I bore him so that he might die for Sparta, and that is what has happened for me. ’† (Plutarch, Sayings of Spartan Women, 241. 8) By contrast, Spartan women lived in a closed society that, although militaristic, was basically patriarchal. In ancient Sparta women may have dominated their households and owned much of the private p roperty as well as being wealthy in their own right; however, there is no indication that, other than being permitted to freely and publicly comment on political matters, they had any governmental authority. Although they were considered to have had significant influence and control over their men folk, this appears to have been more in the domestic and economic arena as a result of inheritance customs, the frequent but not total absence of their husbands, and an educational system that emphasized their role in Spartan society. Unlike the Amazons, the primary function of Spartan women was to produce strong children for the state in particular warrior sons – not warrior daughters – and their physical education and training was to enhance their ability to create strong children and to withstand childbirth not to create a female warrior society. The short skimpy tunics worn by Spartan women may have resembled those outfights depicted in ancient art as worn by Amazons; however, there is no mention of the physical mutilation of Spartan females. Spartan women honoured goddesses like Artemis and Hera in ritualistic religious and athletic performances as it related to their roles as fertility and marital deities. Outside Sparta, Spartan women were looked upon as being rather immoral as a result of the wife-sharing custom, to bold and outspoken and, in general, criticized for not being the traditionally subservient female.

Ancient Nepal, ca. 500 B.C.-A.D. 700

Ancient Nepal, ca. 500 B.C.-A.D. 700 Neolithic tools found in the Kathmandu Valley indicate that people were living in the Himalayan region in the distant past, although their culture and artifacts are only slowly being explored. Written references to this region appeared only by the first millennium B.C. During that period, political or social groupings in Nepal became known in north India. The Mahabharata and other legendary Indian histories mention the Kiratas (see Glossary), who still inhabited eastern Nepal in 1991. Some legendary sources from the Kathmandu Valley also describe the Kiratas as early rulers there, taking over from earlier ​Gopals or Abhiras, both of whom may have been cowherding tribes. These sources agree that an original population, probably of Tibeto-Burman ethnicity, lived in Nepal 2,500 years ago, inhabiting small settlements with a relatively low degree of political centralization. Monumental changes occurred when groups of tribes calling themselves the Arya migrated into northwest India between 2000 B.C. and 1500 B.C. By the first millennium B.C., their culture had spread throughout northern India. Their many small kingdoms were constantly at war amid the dynamic religious and cultural environment of early Hinduism. By 500 B.C., a cosmopolitan society was growing around urban sites linked by trade routes that stretched throughout South Asia and beyond. On the edges of the Gangetic Plain, in the Tarai Region, smaller kingdoms or confederations of tribes grew up, responding to dangers from larger kingdoms and opportunities for trade. It is probable that slow and steady migration of Khasa (see Glossary) peoples speaking Indo-Aryan languages were occurring in western Nepal during this period; this movement of peoples would continue, in fact, until modern times and expand to include the eastern Tarai as well. One of the early confederations of the Tarai was the Sakya clan, whose seat apparently was Kapilavastu, near Nepals present-day border with India. Their most renowned son was Siddhartha Gautama (ca. 563-483 B.C.), a prince who rejected the world to search for the meaning of existence and became known as the Buddha, or the Enlightened One. The earliest stories of his life recount his wanderings in the area stretching from the Tarai to Banaras on the Ganges River and into modern Bihar State in India, where he found enlightenment at Gaya still the site of one of the greatest Buddhist shrines. After his death and cremation, his ashes were distributed among some of the major kingdoms and confederations and were enshrined under mounds of earth or stone called stupas. Certainly, his religion was known at a very early date in Nepal through the Buddhas ministry and the activities of his disciples. continues... Glossary KhasaA term applied to the peoples and languages in the western parts of Nepal, closely related to the cultures of northern India. KirataA Tibeto-Burman ethnic group inhabiting eastern Nepal since before the Licchavi Dynasty, just prior to and during the early years of the Christian era. The political struggles and urbanization of north India culminated in the great Mauryan Empire, which at its height under Ashoka (reigned 268-31 B.C.) covered almost all of South Asia and stretched into Afghanistan in the west. There is no proof that Nepal was ever included in the empire, although records of Ashoka are located at Lumbini, the Buddhas birthplace, in the Tarai. But the empire had important cultural and political consequences for Nepal. First, Ashoka himself embraced Buddhism, and during his time the religion must have become established in the Kathmandu Valley and throughout much of Nepal. Ashoka was known as a great builder of stupas, and his archaic style is preserved in four mounds on the outskirts of Patan (now often referred to as Lalitpur), which were locally called Ashok stupas, and possibly in the Svayambhunath (or Swayambhunath) stupa. Second, along with religion came an entire cultural style centered on the king as the upholder of dharma, or the cosmic law of the universe. This political concept of the king as the righteous center of the political system had a powerful impact on all later South Asian governments and continued to play a major role in modern Nepal. The Mauryan Empire declined after the second century B.C., and north India entered a period of political disunity. The extended urban and commercial systems expanded to include much of Inner Asia, however, and close contacts were maintained with European merchants. Nepal was apparently a distant part of this commercial network because even Ptolemy and other Greek writers of the second century knew of the Kiratas as a people who lived near China. North India was united by the Gupta emperors again in the fourth century. Their capital was the old Mauryan center of Pataliputra (present-day Patna in Bihar State), during what Indian writers often describe as a golden age of artistic and cultural creativity. The greatest conqueror of this dynasty was Samudragupta (reigned ca. 353-73), who claimed that the lord of Nepal paid him taxes and tribute and obeyed his commands. It still is impossible to tell who this lord may have been, what area he ruled, and if he was really a subordinate of the Guptas. Some of the earliest examples of Nepalese art show that the culture of north India during Gupta times exercised a decisive influence on Nepali language, religion, and artistic expression. Next: The Early Kingdom of the Licchavis, 400-750The River System In the late fifth century, rulers calling themselves Licchavis began to record details on politics, society, and economy in Nepal. The Licchavis were known from early Buddhist legends as a ruling family during the Buddhas time in India, and the founder of the Gupta Dynasty claimed that he had married a Licchavi princess. Perhaps some members of this Licchavi family married members of a local royal family in the Kathmandu Valley, or perhaps the illustrious history of the name prompted early Nepalese notables to identify themselves with it. In any case, the Licchavis of Nepal were a strictly local dynasty based in the Kathmandu Valley and oversaw the growth of the first truly Nepalese state. The earliest known Licchavi record, an inscription of Manadeva I, dates from 464, and mentions three preceding rulers, suggesting that the dynasty began in the late fourth century. The last Licchavi inscription was in A.D. 733. All of the Licchavi records are deeds reporting donations to religious foundations, predominantly Hindu temples. The language of the inscriptions is Sanskrit, the language of the court in north India, and the script is closely related to official Gupta scripts. There is little doubt that India exerted a powerful cultural influence, especially through the area called Mithila, the northern part of present-day Bihar State. Politically, however, India again was divided for most of the Licchavi period. To the north, Tibet grew into an expansive military power through the seventh century, declining only by 843. Some early historians, such as the French scholar Sylvain LÃ ©vi, thought that Nepal may have become subordinate to Tibet for some time, but more recent Nepalese historians, including Dilli Raman Regmi, deny this interpretation. In any case, from the seventh century onward a recurring pattern of foreign relations emerged for rulers in Nepal: more intensive cultural contacts with the south, potential political threats from both India and Tibet, and continuing trade contacts in both directions. The Licchavi political system closely resembled that of northern India. At the top was the great king (maharaja), who in theory exercised absolute power but in reality interfered little in the social lives of his subjects. Their behavior was regulated in accordance with dharma through their own village and caste councils. The king was aided by royal officers led by a prime minister, who also served as a military commander. As the preserver of righteous moral order, the king had no set limit for his domain, whose borders were determined only by the power of his army and statecraftan ideology that supported almost unceasing warfare throughout South Asia. In Nepals case, the geographic realities of the hills limited the Licchavi kingdom to the Kathmandu Valley and neighboring valleys and to the more symbolic submission of less hierarchical societies to the east and west. Within the Licchavi system, there was ample room for powerful notables (samanta) to keep their own private armies, ru n their own landholdings, and influence the court. There was thus a variety of forces struggling for power. During the seventh century, a family is known as the Abhira Guptas accumulated enough influence to take over the government. The prime minister, Amsuvarman, assumed the throne between approximately 605 and 641, after which the Licchavis regained power. The later history of Nepal offers similar examples, but behind these struggles was growing a long tradition of kingship. The economy of the Kathmandu Valley already was based on agriculture during the Licchavi period. Artworks and place-names mentioned in inscriptions show that settlements had filled the entire valley and moved east toward Banepa, west toward Tisting, and northwest toward present-day Gorkha. Peasants lived in villages (grama) that were administratively grouped into larger units (dranga). They grew rice and other grains as staples on lands owned by the royal family, other major families, Buddhist monastic orders (sangha), or groups of Brahmans (agrahara). Land taxes due in theory to the king were often allocated to religious or charitable foundations, and additional labor dues (vishti) were required from the peasantry in order to keep up irrigation works, roads, and shrines. The village head (usually known as pradhan, meaning a leader in family or society) and leading families handled most local administrative issues, forming the village assembly of leaders (panchalika or grama pancha). This ancient history of localized decision making served as a model for late twentieth-century development efforts. The River System of Nepal One of the most striking features of present-day Kathmandu Valley is its vibrant urbanism, notably at Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhadgaon (also called Bhaktapur), which apparently goes back to ancient times. During the Licchavi period, however, the settlement pattern seems to have been much more diffuse and sparse. In the present-day city of Kathmandu, there existed two early villagesKoligrama (Village of the Kolis, or Yambu in Newari), and Dakshinakoligrama (South Koli Village, or Yangala in Newari)that grew up around the valleys main trade route. Bhadgaon was simply a small village then called Khoprn (Khoprngrama in Sanskrit) along the same trade route. The site of Patan was known as Yala (Village of the Sacrificial Post, or Yupagrama in Sanskrit). In view of the four archaic stupas on its outskirts and its very old tradition of Buddhism, Patan probably can claim to be the oldest true center in the nation. Licchavi palaces or public buildings, however, have not survived. The truly impor tant public sites in those days were religious foundations, including the original stupas at Svayambhunath, Bodhnath, and Chabahil, as well as the shrine of Shiva at Deopatan, and the shrine of Vishnu at Hadigaon. There was a close relationship between the Licchavi settlements and trade. The Kolis of present-day Kathmandu and the Vrijis of present-day Hadigaon were known even in the Buddhas time as commercial and political confederations in north India. By the time of the Licchavi kingdom, trade had long been intimately connected with the spread of Buddhism and religious pilgrimage. One of the main contributions of Nepal during this period was the transmission of Buddhist culture to Tibet and all of central Asia, through merchants, pilgrims, and missionaries. In return, Nepal gained money from customs duties and goods that helped to support the Licchavi state, as well as the artistic heritage that made the valley famous. Data as of September 1991 Next: The River System of Nepal Nepals Climate | Chronology | Historical Setting Nepal can be divided into three major river systems from east to west: the Kosi River, the Narayani River (Indias Gandak River), and the Karnali River. All ultimately become major tributaries of the Ganges River in northern India. After plunging through deep gorges, these rivers deposit their heavy sediments and debris on the plains, thereby nurturing them and renewing their alluvial soil fertility. Once they reach the Tarai Region, they often overflow their banks onto wide floodplains during the summer monsoon season, periodically shifting their courses. Besides providing fertile alluvial soil, the backbone of the agrarian economy, these rivers present great possibilities for hydroelectric and irrigation development. India managed to exploit this resource by building massive dams on the Kosi and Narayani rivers inside the Nepal border, known, respectively, as the Kosi and Gandak projects. None of these river systems, however, support any significant commercial navigation facility. R ather, the deep gorges formed by the rivers represent immense obstacles to establishing the broad transport and communication networks needed to develop an integrated national economy. As a result, the economy in Nepal has remained fragmented. Because Nepals rivers have not been harnessed for transportation, most settlements in the Hill and Mountain regions remain isolated from each other. As of 1991, trails remained the primary transportation routes in the hills. The eastern part of the country is drained by the Kosi River, which has seven tributaries. It is locally known as the Sapt Kosi, which means seven Kosi rivers (Tamur, Likhu Khola, Dudh, Sun, Indrawati, Tama, and Arun). The principal tributary is the Arun, which rises about 150 kilometers inside the Tibetan Plateau. The Narayani River drains the central part of Nepal and also has seven major tributaries (Daraudi, Seti, Madi, Kali, Marsyandi, Budhi, and Trisuli). The Kali, which flows between the Dhaulagiri Himal and the Annapurna Himal (Himal is the Nepali variation of the Sanskrit word Himalaya), is the main river of this drainage system. The river system draining the western part of Nepal is the Karnali. Its three immediate tributaries are the Bheri, Seti, and Karnali rivers, the latter being the major one. The Maha Kali, which also is known as the Kali and which flows along the Nepal-India border on the west side, and the Rapti River also are considered tributaries of the Karnali. Data as of September 1991 Nepals Climate | Chronology | Historical Setting

Life and Art of Eva Hesse, Postmodern Sculpture Pioneer

Life and Art of Eva Hesse, Postmodern Sculpture Pioneer Eva Hesse was a German-American artist known for her work as a postmodern sculptor and draughtswoman. Her work is characterized by a willingness to experiment with material and form, fashioning work from latex, string, fiber glass, and rope. Though she died at the age of thirty-four, Hesse has had a lasting impact on American art as a radical voice that pushed the New York art world into an era beyond Abstract Expressionism and stark Minimalism, the dominant art movements at the time she was working in the 1960s. Fast Facts: Eva Hesse Occupation:  Artist, sculptor, draughtswomanKnown for:  Experimenting with materials such as latex, string, fiber glass, and ropeEducation: Pratt Institute of Design, Cooper Union, Yale University (B.A.)Born:  January 11, 1936 in Hamburg, GermanyDied:  May 29, 1970 in New York, New York Early Life Eva Hesse was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1936 to a secular Jewish family. At the age of two, she and her older sister were put on a train to the Netherlands in order to escape the increasing threat of the Nazi party in Germany following Kristallnacht. For six months, they lived in a Catholic orphanage without their parents. As Hesse was a sickly child, she was in and out of the hospital, with not even her older sister for company. Once reunited, the family escaped to England, where they lived for several months, before they were miraculously able to sail to the United States in 1939, on one of the last boats of refugees welcomed on American shores. Settling in New York did not spell peace for the Hesse family, however. Hesse’s father, a lawyer in Germany, trained and was able to work as an insurance broker, but her mother had trouble adjusting to life in the United States. As a manic depressive, she was frequently hospitalized and eventually left Hesse’s father for another man. Following the divorce, young Hesse never saw her mother again, and she later committed suicide in 1946, when Eva was ten years old. The chaos of her early life characterizes the trauma Hesse would endure throughout her life, with which she would wrestle in therapy for her entire adult life. Eva’s father married a woman also named Eva, the strangeness of which was not lost on the young artist. The two women did not see eye to eye, and Hesse left for art school at the age of sixteen. She dropped out of the Pratt Institute less than a year later, fed up with its mindless traditional teaching style, where she was forced to paint uninspired still life after uninspired still life. Still a teenager, she was forced to move back home, where she got a part time job at Seventeen magazine and began taking classes at the Art Students’ League. Hesse decided to take the entrance exam for the Cooper Union, passed, and attended the school for a year before moving on to get her BFA at Yale, where she studied under renowned painter and color theorist Josef Albers. Friends who knew Hesse at Yale remembered her to be his star student. Though she did not enjoy the program, she stayed until graduation in 1959. Return to Germany In 1961, Hesse married sculptor Tom Doyle. Described as equally â€Å"passionate† people, their marriage was not an easy one. Reluctantly, Hesse moved back to her native Germany with her husband in 1964, as he was awarded a fellowship there. While in Germany, Hesses art practice matured into what would become her best known work. She began using string in her sculpture, a material which resonated with her, as it was the most practical way of translating the lines of drawing into three dimensions. Critical Success Upon returning to the United States in 1965, Hesse began to hit her stride as a critically successful artist. The year 1966 saw two landmark group shows in which she exhibited: â€Å"Stuffed Expressionism† at Graham Gallery, and â€Å"Eccentric Abstraction† curated by Lucy R. Lippard at Fischbach Gallery. Her work was singled out and critically praised in both shows. (1966 also saw the dissolution of her marriage to Doyle through separation.) The next year Hesse was given her first solo show at Fischbach, and was included in the Warehouse Show, â€Å"9 at Leo Castelli† along with fellow Yale alumnus Richard Serra. She was the only woman artist among the nine to be given the honor. Artistic Milieu in New York City Hesse worked in a milieu of similarly-minded artists in New York, many of whom she called her friends. Nearest and dearest to her, however, was sculptor Sol LeWitt, eight years her senior, who she called one of the two people â€Å"who really know and trust me.† The two artists equally exchanged influence and ideas, perhaps the most famous example of which is LeWitt’s letter to Hesse, encouraging her to quit distracting herself with insecurity and just â€Å"DO.† Months after her death, LeWitt dedicated the first of his famous wall drawings using â€Å"not straight† lines to his late friend. Art In her own words, the closest summation Hesse managed to come up with to describe her work was â€Å"chaos structured as non-chaos,† as in sculptures that contained within them randomness and confusion, presented within structured scaffolding. â€Å"I want to extend my art into something that doesn’t exist,† she said, and though conceptualism was gaining popularity in the art world, critic Lucy Lippard says that Hesse was not interested in the movement as â€Å"material meant much too much to her.† The creation of â€Å"non-shapes,† as Hesse termed them, was one way to bridge the gap between her dedication to direct touch, investment in material, and abstract thinking.   Her use of unconventional materials like latex has sometimes meant that her work is difficult to preserve. Hesse said that, just as â€Å"life doesn’t last, art doesn’t last.† Her art attempted to â€Å"dismantle the center† and destabilize the â€Å"life force† of existence, departing from the stability and predictability of minimalist sculpture. Her work was a deviation from the norm and as a result has had an indelible impact on sculpture today, which uses many of the looping and asymmetrical constructions that she pioneered.   Legacy Hesse developed a brain tumor at the age of thirty-three and died in May 1970 at the age of thirty-four. Though Hesse did not live to participate in it, the women’s movement of the 1970s championed her work as a female artist and ensured her lasting legacy as a pioneer in the American art world. In 1972, the Guggenheim in New York staged a posthumous retrospective of her work, and in 1976 feminist critic and essayist Lucy R. Lippard published Eva Hesse, a monograph on the artist’s work and the first full length book to be published on virtually any American artist of the 1960s. It was organized by LeWitt and Hesse’s sister, Helen Charash. Tate Modern staged a retrospective of her work from 2002-2003. Sources Blanton Museum of Art (2014). Lucy Lippard Lecture on Eva Hesse. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?vV50g8spJrp8t2511s. (2014).Kort, C. and Sonneborn, L. (2002).  A to Z of American Women in the Visual Arts. New York: Facts on File, Inc. 93-95.Lippard, L. (1976). Eva Hesse. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press.Nixon, M. (2002). Eva Hesse. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.