The Catholic Church Through The Eyes Of Geoffrey Chaucer Essays

The Catholic Church Through The Eyes of Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer uses some of the characters in the Canterbury Tales The Prologue in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales to point out his view of what was right and wrong within the Church during his time. He uses the Prioress, Monk, Friar, Summoner, and Pardoner to illustrate what he saw wrong within the Church. Chaucer uses the Clerk, Parson and the Plowman to illustrate the attributes the Church should possess. The Prioress is a nun who is probably equal to the rank of Mother Superior. She does not show the humility or dedication to God. Her compassion is shown towards animals. She makes sure her animals eat the best meats. She is more focused on natural love than agape love by the brooch she wears which says Love conquers all. She does not spend her time fasting because the author lets us know that she is fat. In correlation to the Church, the Prioress shows the Church's lack of dedication and humility towards God. The Church is more concerned with matters which do not deal with the deliverance of the human soul. Like the Prioress, the Monk does not walk in his calling. He is the monastery's outrider. This position allows him to roam the countryside at his will. Instead of being separate from the world, he is of the world. He loves to hunt and enjoys riding his horse. He does not value the teachings of his monastery because he feels they are somewhat strict. The Monk does not like to study. Why should he study, and drive himself mad, Over a book in a cloister always to pour, Or work with his hands, and labor, As St. Augustine bids? How shall the world be served? Let Augustine have his work to himself reserved (12-13). Chaucer sees the Church through the Monk as being more involved in its own affairs. The Church has gotten away from the basic Bible teachings and has instituted its own. Huburt, the Friar, like the Prioress and Monk, is not operating within his vocation. He does not spend time with the poor ministering to their phsyical needs as well as their spiritual needs. The Friar believes that because of his status he couild not spend time with these needy people. It was not fitting, considering his position, To be acquainted with sick lepers. It is not creditable, it holds no profit To deal with any such paupers (16). He spends time begging for donations from the rich farmers and other worthy women of the town. For a price he will hear confessions and give penance. He believes that ... instead of weeping and prayers, Men should give silver to the poor friars (15). This pilgram shows the Church being more concerned with the financial support for itself than the spiritual needs of the congregation. The Church has devised a way in which to collect money from it's members by promising them forgiveness with dollar signs attached to it. The Summoner is responsible for issuing summons for the Church to people who have violated Church doctrine. His position is interesting because he is handing out summons for people to appear before the Church when he himself is living in direct violation of Church doctrine. The Church seems to see what is wrong with everyone else but cannot focus on it's own violations of the doctrine taught in the Bible. The Pardoner is the most corrupt pilgram. He provides paper indulges for a price. These indulges are part of the scam the Pardoner is running. He also offers junk for sale which he says were relics of the saints. The Church has developed another mechanism for making money. It uses the selling of crosses, statues, and other trinkets which are supposed to remind us of what Christ has done for us. If these items were really to remind us of what Christ did for us they would be free, since Christ gave his life freely. The Clerk is the first pilgram Chaucer birngs into the script which has some godly attributes. He spends time in prayer and fasting because the narrator lets us know that he ...wasn't exactly fat, ...(19) and ...busily prayed for souls (20). He

Gladiator Essay Example

Gladiator Essay Example Gladiator Essay Gladiator Essay In the opening sequence of the Gladiator, the director, Ridley Scott uses a number of techniques to build excitement and capture the attention of the audience. In this essay I will analyse and review these techniques. The film was released in May of 2000 and had a budget of $100 million (US). This genre of movie is known as Sword and Sandal epics, which were a very popular style preceding World War II, but became less so when people decided that there were too many terrible things taking place in their own world and they did not want to see it in the movies. Other films such as Ben Hur and Spartacus created high standards for any successors, standards which Gladiator has fulfilled and added to.The director begins the movie with a variation on the well known Universal and Dreamworks logos. The normally blue logos have been placed under a yellow filter, giving the immediate impression that the movie must be quite influential in order to exact this change, creating anticipation for the outcome of the film. Also the use of this feature helps to add to the feeling that the story is set in a time which has passed us and will never come back, and creating a feeling of nostalgia. The director then presents the audience with information about the events preceding the beginning of the story, which is framed in a plain script and a smoky-yellow background. The director has created this scene in such a way, so as to not reveal any of the actual plot or storyline and is arguably just to entice the audience even more.The melodious voice of the Australian born Lisa Gerrard is a sweet relaxant and is used by the director to ease the audience into the next scene; an image of a hand brushing over wheat. There is the sound of a warm breeze blowing and children laughing and playing in the background, which adds to the aura of warmth given to the audience by the use of yellow filter on the camera.The director then creates the next scene in stark contrast with its predecessor and to create an understanding of the character, who appears as a silent, battle clad figure of General Maximus Decimus Meridius, framed by the dark Germanic mountainside (rather than the yellow wheat fields of the dream sequence). The director has now made use of a blue filter and this continues through the rest of the sequence and is completely contrasting to the warm yellow of the scene before. The wind is howling and suddenly the director shows us an image of a small robin looking at the man and fluttering away. The wing-beats are heavily accented to exaggerate the feeling of silence before a storm or the fact that Maximus is so in touch with the world around him that he hears every little sound, which, as we later find out, is a very important feature of his character and influences his decisions in all things.Upon first sighting of the character Maximus, the director aims to inspire a feel of awe and honour and has portrayed him thus in order to create an unmistakeable contrast betw een the character of Maximus and Commodus, heir to the throne. Maximus is a general in the army of Rome and although he has yet to set eyes upon the city, he places full allegiance in the hands of his emperor, the dying figure of Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). Later on we discover that he was dreaming about his home and family, whom he had not seen since the start of his campaign. This fact adds to his aura of loyalty and shows us that unlike most figures of power, he is not entertained by thoughts of personal wealth and power, but rather than that by a code of honour and loyalty and above all else, a love for his family, which the director has used to capture the audiences emotion and create a love for Maximus. Seeing the robin makes him smile because it reminds him of home and possibly he sees it ironically; the robin leaving is the innocence leaving before the war, this also shows that he takes pleasure in the small things in life and is not just a general intent on winning, h e is also a normal person with a sense of humanity. The audience will like this aspect of his character and it will bring them closer to the character.In the next scene the director shows us how Maximus troops react to him. The director uses a low angle shot for this part of the sequence and this is a useful technique because it helps to emphasise that he is a figure to be revered and respected and that this is the way others see him. The camera moves along with Maximus and it is from this point of view that the audience is shown the way his troops think of him; as a friend rather than just a figure of authority. The use of this type of shot makes the audience feel that they are witnessing the event as a participant rather than someone with a detached outlook on the scene. The director has emphasised this by the fact that Maximus is walking among his men and greets certain individuals among them whom he has personal experience with, showing that he has shared in their trials.Music p lays a vast role in this sequence and there are three major types of music apparent; the use of a Spanish guitar, the lone voice of Lisa Gerrard and the energetic and fast paced music with a full accompaniment. The Spanish guitar is used when we first see Maximus and continues into the battle scene. It is very fast paced and energetic and helps to build up a feeling of expectance. It introduces a very Mediterranean feel to the movie and quickens the pace of the scene at the same time because it is almost a signal for the battle to start. From its slow trickle to the full on force of the orchestra, it provides an immense build up of energy and expectation, which is all spent as it returns to the slowed, blurred scene of the victory and the calming of hearts, taking the audiences expectation with it, giving a sense of melancholy back.During the battle scene, there is a full orchestra playing, giving a feeling of clashing and violence, as well as one of well-ordered chaos. The piece, c omposed by musician Hans Zimmer, was inspired by the Viennese Waltz and Gustav Holsts, Mars: Bringer of War and both play a huge part in the sequence. The militaristic percussions, strings, and brass accents are some of the more typical elements of music found in Zimmers composition, and they combat desperately with what elements are left of the actual waltz, adding to the whole effect of battle and clashing.A chief aspect in the more supernatural side of the movie was the lone voice of Lisa Gerrard, with her soothing voice adding a Middle-Eastern feel to the movie. Her touch compliments the elements of the Elysium fields during the dream sequence and that of Maximus family that Ridley Scott has incorporated into the film. The skill photography, time lapse, and slow motion effects, allow the audience to be transported into the fields of Elysium and experience at full of such a powerful voice at work.Another key aspect to the sequence is the constant use of contrasts; they are used t o show emphasis on certain events and to help us understand what is taking place in the scene. The first major contrast shown to us is that of the dream sequence in the wheat fields and the first image of the battlefield. The dream sequence is very calm and peaceful and has been shot under a yellow filter. There is the sound of a lone womans voice and of children playing. The wind has also been made audible but it is in the form of a warm breeze and the director conveys an overall sense of warmth in this scene. In direct contrast with this is the battlefield scene; set in the dark Germanic mountainside, with a howling wind in the background. The scene is now under a blue filter and is cold and hard in comparison to the original scene. Even the characters are in contrast in this part as in the former scene there is a caressing hand, running over the wheat crops, clad in normal clothing whereas in the latter, an armour clad warrior. Another example of contrast is between the organisat ion of the Roman army and the mass gathering that is the German Horde. The Roman army seems to be very command driven and restrained, in waiting for the actual battle whereas the Germans are a disorganised rabble, who can barely restrain themselves and will do whatever they want, once released they will just charge with no thought for the consequences. This is meant to reflect the difference between Rome and its enemies, portraying Rome as The Light and its enemies as inferior. The constant use of contrast helps our understanding of how Rome was portrayed and show innocence compared to barbarity and order compared to disorder.During the battle Ridley Scott has created a distinct lack of dialogue between the characters, and when there is speech, it is used to advance the scene. There is one monologue as Maximus communicates with them regiment before the battle and he tries to inspire his cavalry ending with, What we do now echoes in eternity. From then on, the whole scene becomes gra phic and in a way this is more descriptive than it would have actually been with the use of dialogue.The director uses heavily exaggerated sounds during the battle scene as this helps to add to the all-encompassing effect of war. The galloping of the horses hooves upon the battlefield is one of these examples and makes the enemy turn and notice it because it is so loud, and this shows the audience the sheer scale of the Roman army. Another sound that was heavily exaggerated was the constant firing of flaming arrows whistling through the air, seemingly ceaseless giving a feeling of lost hope for the German army and in a way for Romes humanity. Also, the exploding fireball is a sudden burst of energy into what seems a dull landscape, charging the battle with more tension and excitement and reviving the energy of the scene.Another feature of the opening sequence is that it prepares us for future events in the film through symbolism. The dog that accompanies Maximus into the battle is s ymbolic of his loyalty to his family and emperor as dogs are widely known for their loyalty and this is noticeable in the fact that he dedicates his whole life to avenge the death of his family and emperor at any personal cost. The dialogue used by Maximus in this scene is also repeated later in the movie when he is a gladiator, and uses his skills to defeat his enemies. There is also the reoccurring event of him rubbing dirt on his hands before each battle, this is symbolic of his farming roots.In conclusion I think that the director did very well building up excitement as the scenes were filed with tension and expectation and this in coupling with the astounding musical abilities of Hans Zimmer brought Gladiator to what it is now. The film was so successful because it reflects a blood and glorious past, which we humans created and grew from, and how the grip of love reaches past all barriers to people. Overall I think that the director was very successful in the creation of this s cene and the whole opening sequence entices us to want more.

Biodegradable Plastics Essay Example for Free

Biodegradable Plastics Essay The properties of plastics are determined by the polymers that constitute the unit. Based on this, plastics can be modified into biodegradable products by varying the constituents synthetically. Their chemical structures vary due to the substituting polyesters in the polymer chain. Let’s study about the chemical differences and structure of green plastics; PHA and PLA. Amylose and Amylopectin are the major polymer components of starch. In the link structure, all identical chain points are connected to –CH2OH group. The oxygen in the ring structure chain facilitates degradation when reacted with water. Any hybrid variety can be produced with two components: renewable natural polymer (starch) and petroleum based synthetic polymer (PCL). †¢ Polylactide (PLA) is a bioplastic basically made from starch, the basic building material. Here lactic acid (CH3CHOHCOOH) is produced through fermentation where microorganisms convert sugar feedstock into lactic acid. The lactic acid thus isolated is depolymerized to lactide and by Ring-opening polymerization with catalysts it is converted into Polylactide polymer of high molecular weight. Based on the particle size, the rate of biodegradability and transparency varies. They find use in soluble fibers, compose bags and renewable products. †¢ Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) polymers are produced naturally by microorganisms directly from sugar feedstock. The polymer is isolated, purified and processed. These components can be controlled by varying the ratio of sugar feedstock. Synthesized PHA is copolyester composed of 3-hydroxy fatty acids hydroxybuterate, hydroxyvalerate and hydroxyhexanoate. In all PHAs the hydroxyl substituted carbon atom is steriochemical -R configuration. Since they are composed of short chain and long chain length –R groups, they are used for a variety of commercial applications. References Journal of Applied Microbiology, 2007, Pp 1437-1449 Stevens, E. S. , Green Plastics: An introduction to the New Science of Biodegradable Plastics, Princeton University Press, 2003 Biodegradable Plastics. (2016, Oct 08).

The Origin and Significance of European Sovereign Debt Crisis Essay

The Origin and Significance of European Sovereign Debt Crisis - Essay Example Indeed, despite Germany being at the centre of the origin of the European debt crisis, there were other players who had the authority to save the euro member countries from plunging into this crisis. Introduction Manolopoulos (2011) refers to the European sovereign debt crisis as a financial crisis which has caused some Eurozone countries to have difficulties in refinancing respective government debts unless a third party intervenes. The decade preceding 2009 saw the Eurozone achieve much success economically with the European Central Bank, ECB achieving its policy objectives. The inflation was maintained at low with an almost equilibrium GDP. The use of a single currency reduced the cost of transactions with the greatest effect being on territories of countries where financial interactions were intense. Nonetheless, Grahl (2011) noted that with a single currency, member countries lose control of their currencies. As such, the exchange rate becomes fixed and in times of competitiveness problems, the country would not devalue or allow depreciation of its currency. During the crisis of the sovereign debt crisis, Britain was cushioned against this because of not being a member of the Eurozone. Secondly, these countries lose the control of domestic interest rates which influence investment and consumption effectively affecting the economy. It would only be beneficial if the member economies move at par. But with discrepancies, with others in recession while others face inflation, this becomes costly. The average good performance of the Eurozone hid some of these misgivings and individual performances of these countries. For instance, countries negatively affected by the Eurozone debt crisis had inflation rates of above 2% despite the average inflation of the Germany, the largest economy in the Eurozone being always being lower than 2% (Grahl 2011). While Germany had gradual growth, the other countries had domestic booms and entered into debt crisis with Greece being the first casualty followed by Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy in that order, with their account deficits being traced back to 1999. These countries borrowed for their domestic financing from abroad such as the housing developments in Spain and Ireland and government spending in Italy financed by German household savings. These financing was given when these countries were unable to service these debts in the long run. Instead of financing human capital and productive projects that would lead to higher future returns, the investments were on public and private consumption and on wasteful construction projects. According to Conquest (2011), financial crises resulting from housing booms would normally lead to sovereign debt crisis. Grahl (2011) further argues that sovereign debt crisis would be further propelled by fears of government’s insolvency as it would fail to pay capital and interest on its bonds. Eventually, capital markets get closed and the governments forced to default. The local currency would then depreciate followed by

Any work of art in Baltimore Museum of Art or Walter's Museum Research Paper

Any work of art in Baltimore Museum of Art or Walter's Museum - Research Paper Example The artist here worked skillfully to make the viewer share these feelings. The artist was inspired by the work and ideologies of modern theologians, who implored the faithful to recognize with Christ in his torment. This painting was intended to point to Christ’s torment by depicting him hanging greatly with bowed head and bleeding wounds. A swarm of other statures forms the backdrop of the cross, and they are frequently notable for their expressiveness. From the artwork, the Virgin Mary weeps piteously in the foreground. Other hosts of statures are in oriental dress just gaze at Christ as if he has somewhat enthused them. These figures reflect a shift from style, but it also permeates the scene with enhanced reality, which in effect makes the episode more available to virtuous rumination (MacArthur 12-25). In this German art, episodes from the Passion have made the concentration of greater independent picture. This approach by the artist bought new probabilities for artists a s well as virtuous viewers. The artist seems to have been influenced by the spirit of Transformation, which is why he worked deftly to involve the emotions in meditation of Christ’s suffering and death. His painting dispenses with details of tales and environment and so compels the observer into undeviating engagement with the body of Christ. He has achieved this by showing Christ’s suffering with categorical realism at close proximity to the observer. â€Å"His style is nothing but a striking demonstration of the potency of artistic custom in the service of expressive effect.†2 The compacted configuration and superlative costumes of the statures both demonstrate the artist’s experience and emphasize the scenes reality (MacArthur 25-28). The Catholic Church reconfirmed the value of images in Christian devotion and the significance of the emotions in religious experience. These judgments warranted that the Church would persist to stimulate commissions for Italian painters, and that the life of Christ would retain its significance in art. Many paintings of the passion of Christ were commissioned for a Church. The body of Christ hanging on the wooden cross pertains to the image of a powerless, undressed tormented man, and many observers of the artwork recognize the culture of crucifixion. The nuisance of Christ’s crucifixion tale on the artwork is somewhat a type of defacement, which is, engraving a sophisticated narrative of sin and consecration onto the body of someone powerless, converting the maimed body of another into a symbol. The painter has used figures and environments in a life-like manner to make the scenes appear existent and the message convincing. Christ is the innermost stature in the painting. The painter has adroitly utilized the symbols and tales of Christianity to narrate the happening in the artwork, shaping how the violence is viewed and understood. â€Å"Christ’s crucifixion endeavors to make conse quential the suffering of another, but still stimulates another desecration.†3 Superimposing a Christian tale on a worshipper’s suffering to provide that suffering meaning in terms of the individuals causing that suffering thinks a narrative of triumph, salvation, where there is none

Review of Research Paper on RNA in Mammalian Cells -- Biology

Review of Research Paper: Duplexes of 21-nucleotide RNAs mediate RNA interference in cultured mammalian cells Overview The significance of this experiment is that it shows how siRNA suppresses the expression of genes in different mammalian cells. It was known previous to the experiment that dsRNA can trigger apoptosis in cells- this is an automatic defense mechanism that mammalian cells use to protect against the dsRNA possessed by viruses. The dsRNA can cause RNA interference when it is taken into the cell by a transgene or a virus. The dsRNA is then cleaved by ribonuclease III enzyme into 21-22 nucleotide siRNA's. The siRNA's joins a nuclease complex to form an RNA-induced silencing complex. This complex then cleaves and degrades mRNA. The question was, could transfecting the cell directly with siRNA produce RNA interference? This experiment was performed to test whether siRNA's are capable of RNAi in mammalian cell cultures. (The idea to test gene silencing on mammalian cells sparked from a petunia-darkening experiment.) To do this they synthesized siRNA duplexes against genes that coded for sea pansies and two variants of firefly luciferases. Luciferase is used because it emits light so it's easy to see if the genes are turned on or off, and by what degree. The luciferase activities were recorded 20 hours after transfection and it was seen that the specific inhibition of luciferase was complete, which is similar to the results obtained for dsRNA. In mammalian cells where the reporter genes were more strongly expressed, the ability of the siRNA to completely suppress the gene was reduced. Background Information So, what's with all these petunia flowers anyways? Gene Suppression Within Plants Plant scientists ... ...nderstanding of the significance of genes. Primarily, by silencing a given gene of the genome using a transfected siRNA, geneticists can quantifiably study the properties of the gene and the allele it encodes. This knowledge can then be applied to the pharmaceutical industry to identify "druggable" gene targets. Plants RNAi can be used for multiple purposes in plants. Among the most notable, it can be used to control insect viral vectors and improve the tolerance to pests and stress so that crops do not need to be destroyed regularly by insecticides. It can also cure plants by potentially eliminating toxins and allergens. Finally, RNAi employment can create perfection by extending flowering and fruit setting periods. References Duplexes of 21-nucleotide RNAs mediate RNA interference in cultured mammalian cells published in Nature (Vol. 411, 24 May 2001).

A Reaction to the Article, “The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind” by Gustave Le Bon

I resolutely concur with Gustave Le Bon’s LAW OF THE MENTAL UNITY OF CROWDS, which is indeed a socio-psychological phenomenon manifested throughout history and continues to manifest in our day-to-day lives. We are social beings. That makes this law almost absolute that to exclude oneself from it would mean excluding oneself from the rest of society and humanity, or one’s community to be more specific.Le Bon’s multifaceted analysis on the psychological crowd gave me the feeling of referring to it as a community. As he spoke of â€Å"collectiveness†, I remembered â€Å"sharing.† His discussion on the â€Å"individual comprising the crowd† reminded me of â€Å"group membership.† When he spoke of â€Å"contagion† I thought of â€Å"shared expectations and common goals.†His â€Å"influence and suggestion,† are â€Å"motives and issues† to me in relation to community. Most importantly, his statement of individuals being equals regardless of intellect and social status is â€Å"democracy.†   These heightened my belief of the law as I became more comfortable in relating his claims to everyday life.What is more convincing with the article is that it was written in a realistic and practical approach. Le Bon didn’t dwell idealistically in his concept of the psychological crowd, like me in my understanding of a community.Diversity, conflict, and factions in thinking are certainly inevitable and are always threats to harmony and homogeny. More so, the bottom line of every crowd or community’s dynamics is the motives, commitment, and gains of its members.Like Gustave’s discussion on the psychological crowd’s dynamics of having the individuals conscious and independent ways of thinking dissolved in a crowd, my understanding of a community is that it is composed of people who transmit knowledge through sharing rather than individually inheriting traits and characte ristics from their parents.Undeniably, this law had been formulated through in-depth observation of the dynamics of historical events and processes. It shall never cease to support the existence of social, cultural, political, and economic entities, that is all the advances as well as the setbacks human development has brought to us.ALL religions, ALL laws, ALL business establishments and policies, ALL family systems, ALL academic institutions, ALL forms technology, ALL sciences, ALL wars and conflicts, etc. are all products of MENTAL UNITY OF CROWDS. As long as people converge to work on something, as long as they exist and need each other, this law shall be valid.If Sociology is the study of human social behavior, origins, institutions, organization, and the development of human society, then Le Bon’s Law would be the very much essential to justifying the existence of the science (Sociology).It effectively presents a powerful phenomenon that explains the process of the simp le individual being the foundation of a more complex crowd, which tells us so much about social relationships and behaviors, and organizational processes. Thus, it is able to profoundly provide us a base of what we are actually studying every day in this course.