Wednesday, October 2, 2019

the awakening :: essays research papers

Music Throughout The Awakening, the manner in which each of the characters uses and understands music gives us a sense of Edna’s ideological alignment in relation to the novel’s other characters. Additionally, Edna’s exploration of music and her meditations upon its significance enable her own (visual) art to flourish. Edna first learns about the emotive power of music from Mademoiselle Reisz. Whereas Adà ¨le Ratignolle’s piano playing had merely conjured sentimental pictures for Edna, the older woman’s playing stirs new feelings and probes unexplored emotional territories in her. Mademoiselle Reisz uses music as a form of artistic expression, not merely as a way of entertaining others. In contrast to Mademoiselle Reisz, the Farival twins play the piano purely for the sake of the gathered company. The twins’ association with the Virgin Mary, and, hence, with a destiny of chaste motherliness, links them thematically with notions of how Victorian wo men should behave. Their piano playing—entertaining but not provocative, pleasant but not challenging—similarly serves as the model for how women should use art. It becomes clear that, for a Victorian woman, the use of art as a form of self-exploration and self-articulation constitutes a rebellion. Correspondingly, Mademoiselle Reisz’s use of music situates her as a nonconformist and a sympathetic confidante for Edna’s awakening. The difference Edna detects between the piano-playing of Mademoiselle Reisz and Adà ¨le Ratignolle seems also to testify to Edna’s emotional growth. She reaches a point in her awakening in which she is able to hear what a piece of music says to her, rather than idly inventing random pictures to accompany the sounds. Thus, music, or Edna’s changing reactions to it, also serves to help the reader locate Edna in her development. Children Images of children, and verbal allusions to them, occur throughout the novel. Edna herself is often metaphorically related to a child. In her awakening, she is undergoing a form of rebirth as she discovers the world from a fresh, childlike, perspective. Yet Edna’s childishness has a less admirable side. Edna becomes self-absorbed, she disregards others, and she fails to think realistically about the future or to meditate on her the consequences of her actions. Ultimately, Edna’s thoughts of her children inspire her to commit suicide, because she realizes that no matter how little she depends on others, her children’s lives will always be affected by society’s opinion of her. Moreover, her children represent an obligation that, unlike Edna’s obligation to her husband, is irrevocable.

Harley_davidson: The American Legend :: essays research papers

Harley Davidson: The American Legend The first thought of motorcycles as a means of transportation began in the year 1900. The pioneers’ of this field were William S. Harley and his lifelong friend Arthur Davidson. They were both born and raised in Milwaukee, WI. It took them almost three years to build their first production ready motorcycle which was a single cylinder, 10 cubic inch engine. It was bolted directly to a bicycle chassis driven by a pulley system with a leather belt. We are going to look at the development, racing, and the people who made the Harley Davidson an American Legend.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1907 they were experimenting with a two-cylinder model, which was essentially the same engine they started with. The only difference was that they had bolted one more cylinder at a 45 degree angle to the first. There were only two configurations possible. The side-by side twin would have been too wide and bulky. The v-configuration was the necessary choice. According to Harry Sucher, author of â€Å"Harley Davidson; The Milwaukee marvel†, engine power would nearly double while adding far less than double the weight.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bill Harley engineered the engine. He figured that he would need to make the cylinders reach the top of their stroke near simultaneous to take advantage of low range torque, and make the engine more dependable according to Rand Leffingwell, â€Å"Harley-Davidson; History & Mystique.† This created two lasting effects: The vibration and the exhaust sound for which Harley-Davidsons because famous.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the first 15 years, Harley-Davidson had established themselves as a fore-runner in the motorcycle market. The other prominent companies were Indian, Thor, and Excelsior. At the beginning of WWI, they were overwhelmed with orders from governments around the globe for bikes for the war effort. This allowed Harley-Davidson to almost triple the size of their manufacturing plant, which is still located in the same place in Milwaukee. These orders brought greater economic prosperity to all the motorcycle companies of the time but especially Harley-Davidson.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Harley-Davidson became very involved with racing between 1915 and 1925. They have continued to stay involved in racing ever since, but with much less success since they had to start competing with Japanese companies. The Harley-Davidson always placed in the top five at every event, and sometimes all five seats were taken by Harley-Davidsons. These early races were very well organized but usually very dangerous. This scared a majority of the public but the young were entranced by it and sought for sponsorship from major companies such as Harley-Davidson.

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Comparing Judaism and Islam Essay

Judaism and Islam are two of the world’s oldest, and largest monotheistic religions. These religions share a variety of customs, beliefs, and even practices. But at the same time, there are enough differences to make the two religions and cultures oppose each other greatly. Even some similarities between the two have been the source of conflict for thousands of years. Both the Jewish and Muslim faith believe in one God. Being monotheistic means just that, the belief in one God. This is the most obvious similarity between the two religions. In fact a Muslim is defined as anyone who says â€Å"There is no God but God, and Mohammed is the messenger of God.† and the basic creed of Judaism says â€Å"Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one.† Judaism and Islam both have Holy Books from which religious teachings are taken. The Muslim Holy Book is called the Quran, it is spelled in English in many different ways Koran, Kuran, this is because Arabic is hard to translate. The Quran is the word of God as reveled by the prophet Mohammed. The Jewish Holy Book is referred to as the Hebrew Bible. The first five books of the Hebrew Bible is called the Torah. This is the part of the bible lays out a system of moral and religious conduct. The Hebrew Bible was put together in the 1st century A.D. by rabbis and teachers of the Jewish text. The Hebrew Bible and the Quran both set up a system of law for the followers of the Jewish and Muslim faiths. The Hebrew Bible, the book of the Jewish faith sets up more of a code of conduct, a system of moral and religious conduct that is called the halavhah. This addresses how families should be run, personal ethics and manners, social responsibilities, and what people of the Jewish faith should and should not eat. Dietary guidelines are very important in the Jewish religion, everything that is eaten must be Kosher, meaning it is prepared a certain way. The Quran goes one step farther in setting boundaries for it’s believers. This book of the Muslim faith sets the rules for an Islamic state. Also there are strict rules on women, families, and daily life that are addressed in deep detail in the Quran. Polygamy is accepted in the Quran, a man may have no more that four wives. And women are actually supposed to be mostly equal to men, yet modest.  Equality of women is not always practiced in some Middle Eastern and Islamic countries. As with most religions Islam and Judaism have a variety of holidays. Some are to commemorate an event of the the past, some to celebrate a new year, or maybe the passing of a certain number of years. Ramadan, a holiday celebrated mostly by Sunni Muslims, happens during the ninth month of the Muslim year. This was the month when the Quran was reveled for the guidance of mankind. During this holy month Muslims fast and abstain from sex during the daylight hours. It is a very holy time and is taken very seriously. In the Jewish faith there is a similar holiday called Passover. This holiday lasts for seven days and commerates the deliverance of Israel from slavery. Passover more specifically refers to the evening when the angel of death passed over the houses of all in Egypt killing the first born of each home that did not have lambs’s blood around the door. During this holiday Jews are permitted only to ear unleavened bread called matzo during the daylight hours, much like the Ramadan fasting. Jews also hold feasts during the first two nights of this holiday. A house of worship is an important component of most religions in our world today. Islam has the Mosque, a place of prayer and teaching. Judaism has the Synagogue, also a place of prayer and teaching. In both these places people gather to perform the customs that are laid out in their religious scriptures. Unlike some religions in the world today both Judaism and Islam require their believers to pray multiple times a day. Jews pray three times a day, once in the morning, once in the noontime and once in the evening. Though this practice is more of a personal choice than the strict guidelines of prayer set in the Muslim religion. In the Quran there are five pillars of the Muslim faith: The first is profession of faith which basically means a Muslims must constantly and openly profess their faith. The second is prayer, which happens five times a day. The third is giving alms to the needy. The fourth is fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. And the fifth is the pilgrimage to Mecca. The second pillar of faith is the  practice similar to the Jewish practice. Five times a day Muslims must pray facing the holy city of Mecca. This however is a very strict prayer, maybe a bit different from the Jewish tradition, but still the same basic concept. Judaism is the oldest of the three major monotheistic religions. The religion began in the time of Abraham which would have been about 1900 B.C, over 3,000 years ago. In many ways this has made the Jewish religion and it’s followers very strong in their beliefs. Islam, on the other hand, was not founded until 570 A.D., some 2,000 years after the beginning of Judaism. Many Jewish believers will use this difference as an argument. They are the older of the two religions, and so they were the first people in the Holy Land (Israel/Palestine) and so they should be entitled to it and no one else. However, Abraham had two sons, Issac the leader of the Hebrew people and Ishmael, the leader of the Arab people. Though not all Muslims are Arab, the majority of the Muslims in Israel are Arab. So Muslims will use this argument by saying that Ishmael was the first son of Abraham and God told Abraham that He would take care of his first born, so the Muslims have just as much right to the area as the Jews, no matter who was there first. Though there are many similarities between Islam and Judaism, the few differences however large or small seem to greatly outweigh the amazing likenesses for the thousands of followers of both beliefs. These differences as well as the continuing argument over the promised land of Israel/Palestine continue today to escalate the war in the sacred area and drive a wedge even further between the two groups. The truly frightening part of all this is that Holy Wars are extremely hard to resolve. When two groups are fighting over land that was promised to them by a divine entity that’s existence can’t even be proven, there aren’t a whole lot of options for peace. All the world can do is educate themselves and try to accept the different religions and continue to look for some sort of compromise.

Monday, September 30, 2019

Discuss Shakespeare’s presentation of Cleopatra Essay

‘A woman of infinite variety’. This may be a very accurate portrayal of Cleopatra in my opinion. Cleopatra is a very interesting character in Shakespeare’s ‘Antony and Cleopatra’. She is presented in many ways; she is a great lover yet childish within her actions. Her actions are a reflection of her personality and shows how her character develops throughout the play. She goes from childish to suffering her consequences of this. The presentation of Cleopatra contributes to the play’s audiences and the things she does are a reflection of her love for Antony. Shakespeare’s presentation of Cleopatra helps to make her a credible character and helps audience to relate to her actions taken. An aspect of Cleopatra’s presentation is when she is with and without Antony. It is noticeable how her actions change, with the juxtaposition of scenes where she is in Egypt without Antony. Without him, we see her as a woman in love. She spends hours wondering where her beloved Antony is and what is he doing. She often ponders if he is thinking of her. She is infatuated with him. She can’t bear to be apart from him. This is shown in act 1 scene 5 when Cleopatra asks to drink ‘mandragora’. This is a type of sleeping drug. She is effectively saying that she can’t bear to be parted from her lover so she might as well sleep the time away. This is in contrast to her behaviour towards him when he returns to her. It as if when he’s around her he can never please her or at least she will never show her pleasure with him. She is hesitant as if she doesn’t want him to see her true love for him. This makes me think that because of her past with men, which never seems to work out she may realise that he is the ‘one’ for her but she is afraid that she may lose him. This can be seen by her anger when Charmian praises Caesar Cleopatra demands they say ‘ the brave Antony’ by Shakespeare using the word brave this shows Cleopatra see’s him as strong and noble. Her actions also show she is hard to please for example she tells Charmian that if she finds Antony sad then ‘say I’m dancing.’ This shows how perverse she can be, especially towards Antony; it shows her childlike actions towards him. Shakespeare has presented Cleopatra as a very alluring character, who seems to be able to charm and enchant any man or woman. Her ladies seem to be under a spell. They love her so much and are so loyal towards her. She has a great sex appeal and is able to use it to her advantage, although some characters see her as a ‘strumpet’, they believe she has used her enchantment to control Antony. This can be seen by the way he is so in love with her he leaves wives just to be with her. Some may argue he is not truly in love with her, that it is lust, but it doesn’t explain the consequences he suffers to be with her. Maybe Shakespeare is trying to show how one person can have such an impact on a person’s life through love. This would be valid as the play is a great love story. Shakespeare presents Cleopatra as a very controlling and overpowering woman. This can be seen as even the cynical Enobarbus admits to the power of Cleopatra’s appearance. He describing her as ‘beggared all description’ shows that to describe the barge exhausts the power of language. She is of course a queen and all queens have a very regal presence, this is seen in the famous barge speech by Enobarbus, where he describes this wonderful barge with ‘purple sails’, purple is associated as very regal colour and he talks of the gold on the barge which represent her wealth. These images are used to show her status and importance. Enobarbus also describes a scent surrounding her ‘a strange invisible perfume hits the sense’. This sensual imagery for her presence as perfume is associated with a sweet smell. The movement of the oars of the barge are described in a powerful image ‘ tunes of flutes kept stroke,’ This means that the music kept the oars at a rhythmic pace. He also says she ‘o’erpicturing that Venus’ this is saying how she is almost better than Venus, the goddess of love. By comparing her to a Goddess this shows her influence upon people. Shakespeare’s barge speech gives the impression of her charm and attraction, to enhance her enticement and sex appeal towards men. In the last scene where Cleopatra kills herself she want to die wearing all her jewels and fine cloths and crown. This is to show how proud she is of herself and for people to remember her as a queen. Even when she is dead Charmian straightens up her crown. This shows the loyalty of Cleopatra’s woman and their love for her such that they want Cleopatra to look her best even in death.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Taunted to Death and Bullied Girl Kills Herself †Compare and sontrast Essay

The two articles, ‘Taunted to Death’ and ‘Bullied Girl Kills Herself’, both report the same incident, which happened on Sunday 28th September 1997. The incident involved a young girl called Kelly Yeoman who killed herself. ‘Taunted to Death’ is the report from a tabloid newspaper, ‘The Daily Star’, and ‘Bullied Girl Kills Herself’ is from a broadsheet newspaper, ‘The Guardian’. Despite both articles reporting the same story, there are numerous important differences in layout, content and style. There is an enormous difference in the presentational features of the articles. The headline of the tabloid newspaper is bold and large. Compared to the article, the headline is twice the size. It is written in a white font on a black background to draw the reader’s attention to the paper; the effect of this is that they are reversed out, whereas the Guardian headline is small in comparison to the article although it is still in bold type. The headlines reflect the styles of the newspapers; they both have bold, plain lettering to create a greater impact on the reader. The difference between the two headlines is that the Daily Star headline ‘Taunted to Death’ is placing the blame on someone and the Guardian headline ‘Bullied Girl Kills Herself’ is mutual. The Daily Star has a greater impact because tabloid newspapers are approached differently in order to sensationalise the story, here ‘Taunted to Death’ is ‘headline grabbing’. The first two paragraphs of these articles summarise the contents of the article. The Daily Star tabloid ‘Taunted to Death’ uses an ample amount of emotive words to make the reader read on, ‘hate campaign’, whereas the Guardian is straight forward, telling the reader facts. Such as, Kelly was bullied about her weight, her parents were unemployed and she had reported to the school that she was being bullied. Such facts aren’t in the Daily Star. They are designed to evoke sympathy. The Guardian article is more factual but does use some emotive language, ‘terrorised’. The word ‘terrorised’ suggests that Kelly was being intimidated through violence. You can learn from the Guardian the gender and the age of the victim, ’13 year-old girl’, how she killed herself, ‘found dead yesterday in her bedroom after taking an overdose’, a possible reason why she took this course of action, ‘bullied at school and terrorised at home’ and the probable offenders responsible for the bullying, ‘a mob of youths’. Also, the Guardian shows the bigger picture as they raise social issues. The newspapers contain photographs of both Kelly and her mother, Julie. In the Daily Star, one of the photographs of Kelly is in juxtaposition with the headline; it is in a block and is as large as the text. This has causes great effect and impact because she looks like a vulnerable victim and it shows who the article is about which induces empathy from the reader. The two photographs of Kelly, one in each newspaper, are visibly presenting her at different ages. In the Daily Star Kelly looks younger, she is also wearing her Salvation Army uniform, this is to illustrate that she was an innocent young girl who looks very vulnerable. The Daily Star used this photograph because it is more personal. Also, Julie, Kelly’s mother, looks distraught in both articles; this demonstrates the impact of her daughter’s premature death. In the Guardian there is a picture of Kelly’s mother, Julie, standing outside their home, it is much larger than the one in the Daily Star and is larger than the text. This photograph is used to illustrate their family home and show that they were just an average family. Julie looks distressed in this photograph but not as much as the one in the Daily Star. They live in a council house and people associate council houses with rough neighbourhoods. In the Guardian the photo of Kelly’s mother is less dramatic than the one in the Daily Star. This is because the Daily Star is a sensational newspaper, they would have had a range of photographs to choose from and they decided to choose these specific ones to match the style of the paper. The Guardian takes a less emotive approach because it is impersonal and wants to remain neutral. The captions are longer in the Guardian whereas in the Daily Star they are shorter and the word ‘tearful’ is used to emphasise her mother’s intense grief. The fonts are different in both articles, the Guardian is written in the same font throughout, with no sub-headings, whereas the Daily Star has one sub-heading, ‘Hounded’, which is written in bold and in a different font to make it stand out and separate the quotations. The word ‘Hounded’ implies a chase and is metaphorical in the respect that it shows that she was bullied. Only two conversations are in bold and italic in the Daily Star. These two quotes’ are in bold because they are the most dramatic this is due to the fact that the newspaper wanted to highlight these quotations because they were from Kelly’s family, so they are focusing on the family’s emotions in order to create a sensational approach to the story. The Daily Star mainly consists of quotations and conversations to be evidence for the reader to how people are feeling to gain their sympathy. The quotations in the Daily Star are heart felt. â€Å"My daughter has been hounded to death. I don’t know why they did such things†. By using the word ‘hounded’, Kelly’s father is implying that his daughter was pursued and harassed. The article is comprised of mainly quotations from family members, so the reader can see how they have had to cope with the loss of their daughter, and so they are sympathetic. The quotes are melodramatic. â€Å"I’ve had enough of this. I’m going to take an overdose†. Kelly said this to her mother. The Daily Star concentrates on the attack and the suicide and has used these quotations from family members to create a sensational account. The Guardian only has a few quotes of family members and a great deal from outside agencies. Also, they are not as sympathetic but more forthright. â€Å"This is unacceptable. They should make sure children are safe-how many more must we lose as a result [of bullying]? † This is a quotation from Pauline Hasler, director of the Anti-Bullying Campaign. This is included in the article because the Guardian is impersonal as it just wants to remain mutual. Although in the Guardian, one quotation from Kelly’s father Ivan, shows strong emotion. â€Å"She was a bubbly, charming little angel who would do anything for anybody and I have lost her†. This serves to remind the reader that she was only a little girl whose life was curtailed. The Guardian has included this quotation to show the seriousness of this issue and they have done so by using an emotive quotation. The Guardian tends to concentrate on the broader issues such as why Kelly was being bullied and what was being done by various agencies to resolve it leading up to her death. This is because the Guardian is unprejudiced and more formal. Derby City Council was due to meet the family and the police had been called out on several occasions. â€Å"We were made aware of one incident that occurred on Friday and were intending to go round and see members of the family today†. The Daily Star revolves more around the issue that she was ‘driven to kill herself’, and not what was going on in Kelly’s life before she ended it. In this case the journalist of the Daily Star focuses on the attack of the house and the suicide, which are both dramatic events. The Daily Star concentrates more on the opinions of the family, which is shown in the use of quotations. The quotations are used to have an impact on the reader. The Guardian takes a more factual approach, telling the reader the events of Kelly’s life which may help to understand why she may have killed herself and raising issues for debate concerning the circumstances of her suicide such as whether or not she really was driven to kill herself and whether that can be classed as murder. The language used in both papers differs extremely. In the Guardian the sentences are longer and the language is complicated. Some emotive words, such as, ‘terrorised and ‘taunted’ are used to gain sympathy from the reader, as it shows how she was separated out and that it was persistent. â€Å"In the latest incident eggs, flour and butter were hurled at the house and abuse shouted at Kelly as she watched from an upstairs window†. The emotive word in this sentence is ‘hurled’. It emphasises the malicious intention behind the attack and is more effective than using the word ‘throwing’. It suggests it was thrown with force and purpose. The preposition in this quote ‘at’ stresses violence as opposed to being gentle. They also interview Kelly’s head teacher and the re-housing council in the Guardian. Their words speak of Kelly as a person and her ability. The Daily Star is full of emotive words; this is because it is an opinionative article. â€Å"Her distraught dad found the tragic 13 year-old dead in her bedroom when he went to wake her for school at 7. 50am†. ‘Distraught’ shows the father’s pain and suffering; ‘tragic’ conveys a terrible image and has a severe impact on the reader. These are just a few examples but the Daily Star has plenty more. The sentence structure in the Guardian is complex. â€Å"Pauline Hasler, director of the Anti-Bullying Campaign, which was formed in 1985, said many schools did not take a hard enough line against bullying†. This is classified as a complex sentence. The subject throughout this sentence is Anti-Bullying; there are two objects, Pauline Hasler and schools in general. Punctuation joins three short statements together to form this complex sentence, whereas, the Daily Star tends to rely on simple sentences. â€Å"My daughter has been hounded to death. † It is simple but striking. It is simple because it contains a subject a verb and an object. Another example of a simple sentence is â€Å"Manslaughter charges could be brought if it is believed she was driven to kill herself†. The Guardian appeals to the more educated person with a better command of the English language, as it is a broadsheet newspaper. The vocabulary and style of language is more complex than a tabloid newspaper. The two newspapers are to suit different audiences and that is shown in the amount of fact and opinion in each article. The Daily Star is based on opinion whereas the Guardian takes a more factual approach. Although, they both try to grab the attention and sympathy from the reader. The Daily Star does this more successfully than the Guardian, the qualities of which lie in it’s broader range of facts and interviews with outside agencies which raise important issues beyond the immediate story of the suicide. Overall there is an element of class distinction which is related to the reader and their intellectual capability.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Ethics Business Exam Essay

Define â€Å"ethics† as described in our textbook: Ethics refers to our efforts to figure out what we should do and how we should live. It involves the challenge of figuring out how to justify our behavior both to ourselves and others. 3 Who are the most important stakeholders in the following examples in our textbook? 1. Tylenol : Doctors, nurses, mothers, fathers and children. 2. Novo Nordisk : People with diabetes 3. GE Healthcare in India: Heath care providers 4. Merck: Members of society and to provide good to people in need around the world. . An employee is accused of altering a company’s financial ledgers. Upon questioning, the employee exclaims that he was only following the supervisor’s orders. The employee is using which justification for his unethical behavior? Distancing from responsibility 5. What are the 3 ways to avoid rationalizations? First the generalizability test; which states to make similar decision when confronted with similar issues. Next the publicity test; this test aims to make sure one can defend their reason, simply is it just and can it be defended. The last test is the reversibility test; this suggests putting one in another’s shoes. Do onto others as you would have done to you. 6. What are the 3 Decision Guidelines named in the textbook? 1. Stranded to conduct 2. From virtue ethics to character and relationships 3. Purposes and consequences 9. What are the 3 Levels of the Stakeholder Framework? 1. Value proposition of the organization 2. Principles of stakeholder cooperation 3. Respect for societal standers of conduct. 10. In the case study about Merck, for what disease were they asked to provide medication? River blindness 1. What are Kohlberg’s 6 Stages of Moral Development? 1. Pre-convectional – Punishment and obedience – individual instrument purpose and exchange. 2. Convectional – mutual Interpersonal expectations and relationships conformity – law and order orientation 3. Post- convectional – prior rights Social contact, utility – universal ethical principles 14. Tr ue or False: According to the Stakeholder Framework, the concerns of Shareholders are not important. False: But they should have a solid and defensible reason when they choose not to address a stakeholder 15. True or False: Bribery is acceptable when engaging in business in another country where it is commonly practiced. False: bribery is an unacceptable practice 16. Name 4 of DeGeorge’s 10 Principles for Cross Cultural Management. 1. Do no intentional harm. 2. Produce more good than harm for host. 3. Contribute to host development. 4. Respect human rights of employees. 17. In the video of ‘The Office†, what are 5 ethical issues portrayed? 1) Getting discount on paper for sexual acts. 2) Upper level management overlooked reason for discount paper 3) Stealing company time. ) Office manager blew off ethics training program. 5) Giving immunity and revoking it after the meeting is an ethics issue. 18. True or False: Enron was in the ice cream cone business. False: they sold energy. 19. What is the difference between primary and secondary stakeholders? Primary stakeholders are people and groups most affected by the outcome of the business actions. Value chain and definitiona l stakeholders. Secondary stakeholders are individuals or groups not directly affected by the outcome of business operations. Instrumental stakeholders.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Compare and contract micheloangelo david and bernini's david Essay

Compare and contract micheloangelo david and bernini's david - Essay Example During the Renaissance period, people rediscovered the skill and knowledge of the ancient worlds of Greece and Rome. The lessons learned from the ancients contributed significantly to the technical developments in ‘realistic’ painting that emerged during this period through the efforts of a variety of famous artists including Masaccio, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. As the period waned, Baroque artists such as Caravaggio, Rubens and Bernini focused more upon natural expression, form and emotion in their work. By comparing representative works of sculpture from each of these two periods, such as â€Å"David† by Michelangelo and â€Å"David† by Bernini, one can get a sense of the difference between Renaissance and Baroque art and attitudes as well as an understanding of why these different approaches can sometimes be confused. Michelangelo's David was created over a space of three years - from 1501 until 1503 - and was carved out of a solid b lock of Carrera marble. The figure of David stands more than 17 feet tall and shows him in contrapposto stance. This means that his back leg is straight and obviously is supporting most of his weight while his front leg is slightly bent with the foot resting on the ground for balance. This was a favorite position for Greek and Roman statuary, which is what Michelangelo was trying to replicate using Biblical instead of mythological figures. This pose tends to throw the hips out of alignment, forcing one up and out and the other down and in, which is seen in this statue. At the same time, his right shoulder dips slightly down toward his out-thrust hip and his head twists to look over his slightly raised left shoulder. Michelangelo's David is completely nude and stands with his sling resting back over his left shoulder as if he is sizing up his enemy for the stone throw that will bring him victory. His left hand supports the sling near his shoulder while his right hand is held tensely down by his thigh. His hand is bent in a way that suggests he could be holding the stone he intends to use. David's chin is slightly down, causing his eyes to glare out from under a wavy abundance of bangs hanging over his forehead and he appears ready for the battle about to begin. Bernini's David was created more than a century later, carved out of marble during a seven month period from 1623 to 1624. This statue is life-sized and shows David in a moment of action, just as he is about to let his stone fly. His stance can best be described as mid-leap although both feet have contact with the ground. His hips and head face forward, but his upper body is twisted around to the side with one arm behind him as he gets ready to launch his missile. Although he is not nude, there is a great deal of musculature visible in his frame, such as in the lines of his exposed legs and the muscles of his stomach where the light fabric of his garment clings to his body. Whether this is because it is wet with the sweat of his fear in facing the giant or because it is being pressed to his body because of the wind of his motions is unclear. It might even be simply because Bernini wanted to demonstrate a fine physique in his character. The muscles of his upper body seem almost alive as they ripple over his rib cage and through his chest while the fabric of his garment bunches around his upper thighs and hips and fastens over his