The Travels Of Marco Polo By Marco Polo (approx. 1254 - 1324) Essays

The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo (approx. 1254 - 1324) The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo (approx. 1254 - 1324) (as told to Rusticiano da Pisa and edited by Francis R, Gemma; originally titled A DESCRIPTION OF THE WORLD) Type of Work: Autobiographical adventure Settings Venice, Italy and overland to Eastern China (Cathay) Principal Characters Marco Polo, a young nobleman, traveling merchant and adventurer Niccolo Polo, Marco's father, also a merchant Maffeo Polo, Niccolo's brother and business partner Kublai Khan, Emperor of China, descendent of Ghenghis Khan Historical Overview Prologue: (The book contains the story of Marco Polo's life and his travels from his home in Venice, Italy across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia to the court of Khan, located in the area now known as Beijing, China. Marco was much liked by the Emperor, who made him his ambassador. The explorer describes his many adventures during his 26-year absence from home. An introduction outlines the biographical events (each that he himself personally witnessed or "heard tell by persons worthy of faith"), and sets us on our way with Marco en route to China.) Two wealthy Venetian gentleman-merchants, Niccolo and Maffeo Polo, sailed eastward from Venice about 1254, leaving Niccolo's infant son, Marco, in the care of his aunt. The travelers journeyed as far as the court of the great emperor Kublai Khan, where they became highly favored. After learning a little about the exotic Catholic religion of his guests, the Khan dispatched envoys to return with them to Italy to meet with the Pope. His desire was that the Pope should lend the services of as many as a hundred scholars to come to his court and prove that the Law of Christ was "most agreeable." If they succeeded, he vowed that he and all his subjects would become Christians. The Polos sailed into Acre, Italy in April of 1269, to the news that Pope Clement had died. Then the brothers journeyed on to Venice to await the anointing of a new pope. But after several years they tired of waiting and began to make their way again to Kubtai's court, this time accompanied by young Marco. Again in Acre, after some backtracking, the three finally met up with the newly-named Pope Gregory of Piacenza. He reluctantly agreed to cooperate with the Khan's commission, but sent only two ambassadors to accompany them. However, these priests soon became discouraged. Unwilling either to endure the privations the journey would require or to sacrifice their lives in the service of pagans, both eventually turned back. Book-by-Book Summary Book I contains Marco's descriptions of his three-and-a-half year journey to Kublai's court. It is a fascinating narrative, with vivid renditions not only of geography, natural phenomena and traveling distances and conditions, but of histories, food preparation and production, trade, religious practices, and customs and oral traditions among the many tribes and civilizations they encountered. Book II tells of life in the court of Kublai Khan. The person of the Khan is admiringly detailed: "He is of a good stature, neither tall nor short, but of a middle height. He has a becoming amount of flesh, and is very shapely in all his limbs. His complexion is white and red, the eyes black and fine, the nose well formed and well set on." The Khan's palaces, his vast court, his government and armies are depicted. An account is given of a battle led by great Khan himself. The narrative reports that "when all were in battle array [one could hear] a sound arise of many instruments of various music, and of the voices of the whole of the two hosts loudly singing. For this is the custom of the Tartars.. ." Portrayals of court affairs such as the marking of the calendar, and the celebration of thousands of festivals and hunting trips, are eloquently recorded. Record-keeping was very important to the Chinese. Each household kept near the front door a list of the names of all the home's inhabitants, and the keepers of hostelries were required to record the names of all travelers and the dates of their visits. Certain chapters relate some of the wondrous inventions Marco saw while serving the Khan. He writes of such marvels as paper money, a system of express messengers, fine highway systems (remnants of which are still in place), and a "black stone" (coal) used for fuel. For all of these wonders Marco gives full credit to the "Great Khan," whom he never tires of praising for his wisdom, power, wealth and skill. Now fluent in four different languages, Marco became a valuable ambassador for the Emperor. Book 11 ends with brief descriptions of his separate missions. Book III recounts in

One Scary Night

One Scary Night Free Online Research Papers One warm, dark, summer night, my friends and I were hanging out looking, laughing, and making fun of stupid peoples myspace pages. All of a sudden, we were all alramed by a blood curdling scream coming from the next room. We all sat, motionless as we awaited what would happen next. The thoughts running through our minds were only about if we were going to survive, if we were going to be tortured, if we were going to ever see each other again, if we were ever going to see our families again, if we were ever going to be able to laugh at stupid people on myspace again. Then one of the girls came galloping into the room, as fast as her short, stubby legs would carry her chubby body. She stood, motionless, in the doorway. We all stared at her not knowing what to do or say, or expecting her head to fall off infront of us because of some murderer that got her when she was alone, all by herself, in the next room, which was dark, disturbingly dark, and scarily quiet. There is plenty of dark funiture in the room and a non-squeaking, unlocked door that he could have walked through and then hid. As our friend struggled for words, we all watched, jaws to the floor, as she appeared to be suffocating from shock. After about seven hours of this, she finally snapped out of it and exclaimed to us, in her annoying, ear piercing voice that she saw someone standing in the front lawn, look at her, and then run across the lawn and into the extremely dense forest of dark trees located in the back yard. Everyone started screaming and running ferociously around the house, banging into everything, breaking all of the items in the house and a couple bones, from the momentum of our bodies running into each other during our panic. After a few hours of this chaos, we came to the realization that we needed to teach this peeper a lesson, we loaded up on supplies. We ended up with blinding light flashlights, five or six sniper gus and about one thousand two hundred and fifty seven bullets, thats just an estimation, two taser guns, and five cans of sure guard spray. We found the man and skinned him good, killing him within about ten hours. Research Papers on One Scary NightThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsThe Hockey GameThe Spring and AutumnHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayTrailblazing by Eric AndersonUnreasonable Searches and Seizures19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyMind TravelCapital Punishment

Analyze compare and contrast two books Research Paper

Analyze compare and contrast two books - Research Paper Example John who is Ann’s mother and the Red Girl. Anne is the main character who dominates the whole novel and the story is told in her own subjective voice. The author depicts Anne as an arrogant and complex being who struggles to survive and define her own separate world from that of her mother. Anne is seen to develop as a character as she struggles with the fear of separation from her mother, becomes an expert in marbles and eventually develops hatred and anger as she rebels against her mother’s attempts to define her world (Kincaid 32). Mrs. John’s character is developed and defined by Ann through her subjective narration. She is initially portrayed as a person who is strong, wonderful, kind and full of knowledge about the societal norms and values. Anne develops bitterness and hatred towards Mrs. John when she repeatedly tells her that they are two separate beings. In addition to this, Anne points to her mother’s sexual relationship with her husband as the reasons for her alienation and neglect. The Red Girl on the other hand is developed as a character that represents the outside world and does not have to adhere to the societal norms and values. The Red Girl represents the new world which Anne dreams of creating and she becomes a key figure in Anne’s development as a character by offering her a sense of self. The major characters in The portrait of a young artist as a young man by James Joyce includes: Stephen Dedalus, Simon Dedalus, Emma Clery, Cranly and Charles Stewart Parnell. Stephen Dedalus, the main character in the novel, is developed as a highly sensitive individual. He has the advantage of a quality education but is portrayed to be living in isolation and deprivation amidst the oppressive colonial nationality, highly developed social immorality and extremist family and religious values. Just like Anne in Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid, Stephen feels trapped and seeks escape by abandoning the restrictive societal norm s and living freely as an artist. As a character, Stephen undergoes growth, development and transformation as the story progresses. His transformations occurs in various stages starting in his first year in college where he demonstrates that he is an intellectual person with his understanding of societal systems and begins to create a different perception of his environment (Joyce 32). Another transformation occurs when Stephen engages in sexual intercourse with the prostitute in Dublin which transforms his from innocence to promiscuity according to the societal values. The third transformation was motivated by Father Arnall’s speech regarding the concept of death and hell which led to his conversion from a sinner to a Catholic. His final transformation indicates his maturity as a conscious individual when he changes his obsession from religion and focuses on the appreciation of art and beauty. Thematic analysis Themes refer to the major topic or subject in a piece of literat ure. The themes in Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid include the relationships between mother and daughter, colonization and the impact of colonial education and the various gender relations in the society. The main theme is the relationship between mother and child where Kincaid develops the complex relationship between Anne and her mother in her childhood and adolescence. As a result of the closeness of their relationship, Anne encounters several challenges and tension as she

NATIONAL REPUBLICAN-WHIG INTELLIGENCER(ANDREW JACKSON) Essay

NATIONAL REPUBLICAN-WHIG INTELLIGENCER(ANDREW JACKSON) - Essay Example Hailed as a manipulative politician, in his eight years as President of USA he achieved the impossible, not always turned out to be good for a section of the people. He made the best use of the ‘divide and rule policy’ so secure his power and chair. From an ordinary soldier to reach the office of the President was a big leap and hold on to it for two terms was a bigger achievement. For a practicing politician, the powerful chair is more important than the welfare of the ‘chair-less powers’ (people) The important tool with the people to check the political ascendancy of a person or a party, is the need to know how to apply brakes. This can be done by not electing the party in power for the second term. Andrew Jackson successfully met the challenges posed by his rival politicians. Nevertheless, he was the protector of popular democracy and individual liberty. This tough President deserved the nickname â€Å"Old Hickory.† His portrait on the United States twenty-dollar bill is the constant reminder to his popularity. Populism, once in a while, is understandable for a political figure, but the repeated populist measures will not be for the good of the Nation. In the first flush of enthusiasm Jackson invited the poor people on the occasion of the inaugural ball during the 1829 presidential inauguration, in their homemade clothes. This was a magnanimous gesture that nearly went beyond the controlling capacity of the security guards at the White House. He converted political problems into opportunities. When the scandal related to Senator John Eaton, his trusted friend, blew out of proportion and the Cabinet Ministers resigned, it was a God-sent opportunity for him to reshuffle the Cabinet and appoint Officers who were loyal to him. Some of his attempted socio-political reforms crossed the borders of fantasy. The designs of destiny worked in his favor and in 1830 the Indian Removal Act was passed by his administration by a singe vote. That decided the fate of

Outline Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Outline - Assignment Example Of course, by illegally downloading music, the artist, whose song is downloaded, receives no remuneration for his or her work The research paper will be focused on pointing out the main differences and similarities among the Canadian and American legislative system in the music download domain, but it will also try to explain why Canada has the highest rate of illegal MP3 downloads in the world. The author will analyze the legislative acts that regulate the copyright protection in Canada and will point out their weak points, those that make illegal music downloading possible and, somehow, legal. Examples of law cases based on illegal MP3 download will be produced and analyzed. The research paper will be finalized with several suggestions on how this situation might be improved in such a way that Canada is no longer the â€Å"winner† of the top of the countries with the highest level of piracy in music downloads. The author will base his researches on important legislative acts, opinions of famous authors and statistical

Speech Males And Females Communication Differences English Language Essay

Speech Males And Females Communication Differences English Language Essay Introduction: The differences in linguistic styles between males and females have exercised linguistic researchers for decades (e.g. Trudgill 1972; Lakoff 1975; Labov 1990; Coates 1998). It has been argued for some time that some consistent differences exist in speech, Holmes (1993). Although the interpretation of such differences remains somewhat elusive. Most previous work has investigated apparent phonological and pragmatic differences between male and female language use in speech (e.g. Trudgill 1972; Key 1975; Holmes 1990; Labov 1990; Eckert 1997). Several statistical phenomena have emerged that appear to be fairly stable across a variety of contexts. For example, females seem to talk more about relationships than do males (Aries Johnson 1983; Tannen 1990) and use more compliments and apologies (Holmes 1988; Holmes 1989) and facilitative tag questions (Holmes 1984). Holmes (1993) has suggested that these and other phenomena might be generalized to a number of universals including that females are more attentive to the affective function of conversation and more prone to use linguistic devices that solidify relationships. However, interpretation of the underlying linguistic phenomena, particularly as regards their specific communicative functions, is the subject of considerable controversy (Bergvall et al 1996). For example, it has been argued (Cameron et al 1988) that the use of facilitative tag questions by women might be more plausibly interpreted as signs of conversational control than as signs of subordination, as had been previously contended (Lakoff 1975). Nevertheless, broadly speaking, the differences between female and male language use appear to be centered about the interaction between the linguistic actor and his or her linguistic context. Are gender issues just women issues? No, but it is understandable that many people think so. This is because in most societies women are subordinated to men. And they are thought to be inferior to men. Many women do not accept this, and therefore they challenge the way their culture and society ascribes them an inferior position and an inferior role. That means, it often tends to be women who raise the issue of gender. But gender refers just as much to the position and role of men in society. Are gender differences in communication patterns related to power? When people are strangers, they expect less competence from women than from men. But if women are known to have prior experience or expertise related to the task, or if women are assigned leadership roles, then women show greatly increased verbal behaviors in mixed-sex groups. Educated professionals who have high social status were less likely to use powerless language, regardless of gender. Thus, differences are linked to power, and are context-specific. Differences are socially created and therefore may be socially altered. Studies have found that talking time is related both to gender (because men spend more time talking than women) and to organizational power (because the more powerful spend more time talking than the less powerful). Who Talks More, Men or Women?    A common cultural stereotype describes women as being talkative, always speaking and expressing their feelings. Well, this is probably true; however, do women do it more than men? No! In fact an experiment designed to measure the amount of speech produced suggested that men are more prone to use up more talking time than women. An experiment b y Marjorie Swacker entailed using three pictures by a fifteenth century Flemish artist, Albrecht Durer which were presented to men and women separately. They were told to take as much time as they wanted to describe the pictures. The average time for males: 13.0 minutes, and the average time for women 3.17 minutes. Why is this?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sociolinguists try to make the connection between our society and our language in a way that suggests that women talk less because it has not always been as culturally acceptable as it has been for men. Men have tended to take on a more dominant role not only in the household, but in the business world. This ever-changing concept is becoming less applicable in our society, however, the trend is still prominent in some societies across the world. It is more acceptable for a man to be talkative, carry on long conversation, or a give a long wordy speech, however it is less acceptable for a women to do so. It has been more of a historical trend for men have more rights to talk. However , it is common for men to be more silent in situations that require them to express emotion. Since childhood, they have been told to keep their cool and remain calm, be a man. Literature Review The different sources that Ive read and used in the literature review presented different points of view and analysis for the subjects by reliable writers and authorities in this issue. All the sources that were used assume that there is a real difference in communication between males and females, and they agreed that there were many misunderstandings or misinterpretations in communication between genders. However, each article and source presented its own examination of the miscommunication, and they proposed different ways by which to investigate this social issue. According to an article entitled Differences in Gender Communication (2005) there is another form of differences between genders. Communication can be verbal, non verbal, or written because people can communicate also using the mail system, the written way is added to the interpersonal communication in addition of course to the verbal and non verbal ways. From reading this article, it was clear that gender differences in communication existed also in the written way because we can determine the gender of a person just by reading its written words. The differences that exist between genders and the reason why women cant be more like a man play an important role in the creation of misunderstanding in communication. Also differences present the essential causes that lead to a disagreement in communication between the two genders. There are some factors that contribute to the instinctive differences that exist between genders; for instance, there are biological ones, also there is a kind of competitiveness that exists between men and women. In addition, the cultural part enters also into consideration. Another point stated by Hill (2002) is that, there are many styles of communication. These styles are the result of many factors where were from, how and where we were brought up, our educational background, our age, and it also can depend on our gender (p. 87). In communication, generally men and women have special manners and styles of speaking also a specific subject, Coates (1986, p 23). Many studies have been done to clarify the difference in communication between men and women. According to Canaray and Dindia (2006): Researchers typically report that men are more likely to emerge as leaders, to be directive and hierarchical, to dominate in groups by talking more and interrupting more. In contrast, women are found to be more expressive, supportive, facilitative, egalitarian, and cooperative than men, and to focus more on relationships and share more personally with others From this description of the difference between men and women at a level of behaviors, it was clear that women convey their ideas and feelings and cooperate more than men who want to be the leaders and to direct. In addition, the difference between genders in communication causes misunderstanding and leads to conflicts. For example, women might disclose their feelings and the problems that they are facing, but men think that women need help, so they start giving advice and trying to help. However, women behave like that in order to get closer to others not to get solutions (Gray, 1992, p 96). Another important point argued in the research of Tanner (2002) is the reason why difference exists in communication between genders. It is said that these differences should not exist because men and women might belong to the same environment as being neighbors or brothers and sisters, yet the difference is present even if they have a similar background. The dissimilarity rises from the games that boys and girls play since their childhood, and the groups they form. For example, boys form a big group and one is the leader; however, girls tend to form small groups and they disclose their feelings and their opinions (Tanner, 2002). Torppa claims that women and men sometimes perceive the same messages to have different meanings (2002, p112). That is due to the difference in the way of interpreting messages by the two genders. In fact, women are more likely to depend on others. In other words, women want to establish an emotional and passionate interdependence with men. Moreover, women try to satisfy the others as much as possible to make everyone satisfied, merry and happy whereas men more often stick to their independence and try to keep it intact whatever the situation may be. Besides, the spirit of competition inside them let these ones think of themselves more than any other one. Nevertheless, the misunderstandings between these two genders are mostly due to a difference in the way each one expresses oneself. Many examples of the normal life analysed by Torppa revealed that misunderstandings can be caused by a distortion in the manner people want to manifest their emotions and feelings to the other sex: wome n tend more to use words while men prefer generally to show them with acts. The possible way for coping with miscommunication is to try to be aware of the differences that exist with the other sex as well as to figure out what is the point of view or the angle from which the other sees the situation. Lakoff (1975) pioneering work suggested that womens speech typically displayed a range of features, such as tag questions, which marked it as inferior and weak. Thus, she argued that the type of subordinate speech learned by a young girl will later be an excuse others use to keep her in a demeaning position, to refuse to treat her seriously as a human being (1975, p.5). As what was said before, the difference of communication between men and women can trigger some misunderstandings, and in order to overcome this problem men and women should deal with each other as if they are from different cultures. They should not misinterpret words and body language, and try to understand what the other wants to convey. Moreover, they have to clarify and make sure that they understand the other by asking questions and doing perception checking (Lathrop, 2006). Conclusion The differences between genders in communication exist, not only in the verbal way but also in the non-verbal one was proved true. Moreover, these differences in communication are mostly due to culture, education and biologic origin. The consequences of these differences in communication which is misunderstandings that also proved right. However, new ideas also found in such as the fact that a significant number of men are concerned about this issue and have feelings of disappointment when facing misunderstandings with the other sex. No matter what communication style there is both men and women will communicate in different ways. Men will take the approach of instrumental communication style where they want the answer right away and establish their hierarchy. Women, on the other hand, will be more of an expressive style of communication as they will be able to confide to others and are more sensitive to issues than men and they will be able to build, maintain, and strengthen their relationship.

Creatine Monohydrate Essay -- Supplements Chemistry Creatine Essays

Creatine Monohydrate Creatine monohydrate is a body building supplement. Many athletes and trainers use it to enhance athletic performance. College athletics are an advocate for creatine when it comes to exercising and strength conditioning, But what is creatine? Creatine is a naturally occurring metabolite found in red muscle tissue. It is a powerful ergogenic aid that plays an important role in energizing muscle. Creatine increases the body's ability to do work. It is high powered and generates the muscles ultimate energy source - ATP (adenosine triphosphate)- ATP produces the contractions of a muscle's proteins. When muscles are performing work ATP is being broken down into ADP (adenosine diphosphate) and energy is given off. The ATP being used usually lasts 10 - 15 seconds. After that the muscle depends on creatine phosphate to restock the ATP. Creatine acts as a reserve for the ATP. Therefore increased amounts of creatine will allow the body to supply ATP at a faster rate. Which, in turn allows an individual to workout longer and maintain a high level of strength. With creatine as a supple)-nent the body is exposed 4 grams of creatine per kilogram. Red meats give 1 gram of creatine per large serving. These increased amounts of creatine slow the possibility of fatigue. Creatine promotes the synthesis of protein, which promotes muscle growth. The loading phase consists of 5 grams 4 - 6 times a day for the first 5 to 7 days. 'f his should be accompanied by at least I hour of exercise. The load should then be reduced after a week to no more than IO grams per day. This is what most of the stores that sell the creatine will tell vou because there aim is to sell the product. Since the product has been... ...ur best bet because it has been proved that loading is not necessary. While creatine is being taken it is necessary that the individual remains hydrated during the early cycles extra water is taken into the cells when creatine enters and this causes minor water retention- This water retention has been related to cramps and heat intolerance. The majority of the advocates for creatine didn't report any side effects. In most instances when the question was raised, the articles said, "Yes, it's safe. No negative side effects noted in research with recommended levels of supplement." All of these people were involved with sales and advertisement of the product also. An article on a review of creatine was the most effective in providing insight on creatine because it didn't have anything to do with promotions of it. Creatine is safe, it is pure and it works!