South Carolina Nullification Essay Example for Free

South Carolina Nullification Essay Throughout the great American history, Americans have been through a colossal amount of conflicts, and wars. However, they still figured out a way to compromise and accept each other’s differences. As America improves, they gradually lead to a making of a powerful and organized government. Yet in â€Å"South Carolina Ordinance of Nullification† a conflict arises, where South Carolina is furious at the federal government and wants the best for themselves. Like many other states South Carolina is one of which that had its own negative opinions towards the federal government, leading to a larger problem. The document â€Å"South Carolina Ordinance of Nullification† both supports and contradicts American and constitutional principles. In early 1860’s the Civil war took place, against the North and the South parts of America. In the time that was taken to reach the civil war, many small disagreements and arguments took place that eventually led to having an immense war. However, around three decades earlier, South Carolina had been having disagreements with the federal government. On May 19, 1928 the Congress of the United States passed the Tariff of 1828. The tariff was designed to protect industries in the northern United States which were being driven out of business, by low-priced imported goods by putting tax on them. Well it seems as if this was a great idea, until, the south started to feel the effects of it, on their antebellum economy. The south called the tariff of 1828, â€Å"Tariff of Abominations†. â€Å"South Carolina felt that the protective features of tariffs were harmful to them and they also claimed that they were unconstitutional because they favored North over the South. (u-s-history. com)A government should serve their people with equality and liberty. Instead the federal government chose to be unfair and help the north because that’s where they lived. This case continues to go on, as South Carolina and other southern states get more furious and lead on to making a Nullification of crisis. The Nullification of Crisis includes South Carolina’s opinions and how the tariff of 1828 is the opposit e of, liberty and justice for all. Since the federal government had passed a tariff that is unfair to the south, for the good of the North. South Carolina was so furious that they started talking about the seceding from the union and working their own independent state, where they can have their own laws. However, South Carolina believed that constitutionally, the state government of each state had more power within that state than did the federal government. Therefore, if a state considered it necessary, it had the right to nullify any federal law within its boundaries. The idea South Carolina had was injudicious, they thought of themselves as being more powerful than â€Å"The Federal Government†, the main and the most powerful government in America. The idea of a state being more powerful than a federal government does not exist. It doesn’t say anywhere in the constitution that a state could not follow the federal government laws and have more power than them as well. In addition, if South Carolina and other states had more power than the federal government, you wouldn’t need a federal government and there would be no point of having the â€Å"United States of America†. Moreover, when President Andrew Jackson found out about the nullification of tariffs passed by the congress, he declared an act of open rebellion and ordered U. S. ships to South Carolina to enforce the law. â€Å"Before federal forces arrived Calhoun and Senator Henry Clay had an agreement which lead to congress passing out the tariff of 1833. This lowered the tariff gradually over a decade and prevented any armed conflicts. †(. loc. gov) This shows the strength of the federal government over all the states. In conclusion, the â€Å"Ordinance of Nullification† was a document with many personal opinions and conflicts. For example, the federal government wasn’t equal to the south, by letting north have the positive affect of the tariff of 1928 and south have the negative affect. In result south tried to show that they have more power than the federal government by nullifying the tariffs. However all of this ended with an agreement. Throughout most of our history when a conflict derives a compromise is always made. After all, the conflict and work the Americans went through in the past, made an abundant change for us in the future.

English Views of Native Americans During Catholic-Protestant Conflict in the New World Essay Example for Free

English Views of Native Americans During Catholic-Protestant Conflict in the New World Essay English Views of Native Americans during Catholic-Protestant Conflict in the New World During the 16th and 17th century, as settlers from Europe continued to flock to the New World, technologies were being introduced that affected English views of Native Americans and how they saw Catholic, or more specifically, Spanish treatment of the Natives. Many countries wanted superiority in the Americas and to do that they needed more colonists and support from their homelands. To accomplish these goals different means were employed. For England, the New World settlements served a variety of purposes. To secure investors through stock purchases by showing them they would be well rewarded, attract new colonists, and to expand Protestantism in the New World to combat the Catholic movement in the Americas (text 38). Helping in these goals were new technologies that created some of the first propaganda. Many people in Europe feared the Native Americans, thinking of them as savage and uncivilized. Unrest and this fear among the people probably caused many to avoid even entertaining the thought of transplanting themselves and their family to an unknown continent. In 1588 Thomas Harriot published the first pamphlet about life in the New World. Describing great weather, fruitful land, and a wealth of goods these writings encouraged people to travel across the Atlantic. Along with him, painter John White, portrayed the Native Americans as a peaceful people that could easily coexist with Europeans. Taking liberties from these paintings, Theodore de Bry, a protestant from Belgium, made copperplate engravings of civilized Indians. These pictures and views of the Natives had a widespread appeal across England and alleviated fears of the New World which encouraged more settlers to take the voyage and more investors to purchase stock in colonizing companies. One of the biggest battles in the New World was between Catholic and Protestants to control the Americas. During this time Spain was the envy of Europe. With a large navy they were one of the most powerful armies in the world, wealthy, and boasted many colonies in the New World. Several countries, especially England, looked upon Spain with disdain. England being a Protestant country and Spain Catholic did nothing but increase the tension. Public opinion was very important in this power struggle. In 1598 Theodore de Bry republished Bartolome de Casa’s â€Å"Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies (text 38-39)† which helped win supporters for the Protestant movement and England’s prerogative in the Americas. Originally this book was written in 1541 about Spanish mistreatment of the Indians. De Casa’s writing along with de Bry’s graphic illustrations horrified people of the torture and killing of Indians by the Spaniards. The Protestants saw the Catholics as agents of the devil who needed to be purged from society in the New World. Ironically this thinking was hypocritical as almost all countries, including England, mistreated the Native Americans throughout colonization and for centuries to come. Many travel accounts were written over the years that portrayed a frightening and exciting New World to the Europeans. While most of these accounts were written based on opinion and very little facts, they had an important place among society and were very powerful in swaying people’s opinions about Native Americans, the New World, and rival European nations. New technologies of publishing and illustrating at the time helped spread these documents ideas and opinions faster than ever and we saw for possibly the first time ever a propaganda war.

Sister Carrie Symbolism

Sister Carrie Symbolism The naturalistic writer presents his theme through symbolic detail. The use of symbolism in Sister Carrie offers some evocative effects to this novel, namely, it eases to determine the elements, expose the reality and consolidate the theme. In this way the symbolic degree of the narrative put down straight over the events and occurrences of the simple story itself. Dreisers use of symbolic detail permeates the novel ranging from careful descriptions of dresses and adornment to descriptions of great American cities and their surroundings. The author must make the reader aware that the details are important to the meaning. According to Donald Pizer in his The Novels of Theodore Dreiser: A Critical Study, Dreiser is much more successful as a symbolic than as a metaphoric writer. Dreiser generally accomplishes this end through a kind of incremental repetition (qtd. in Ward, web) of important details. Occasionally, however, he shows a lack of subtlety when he addresses his reader directly to reveal his intention. By recording carefully Carries reaction to specific events Dreiser shows her moving from her early naà ¯ve optimism to her final disillusionment and despair. Carries sensitivity to details provides the emotional centre of the novel. The most important patterns of details, in addition to clothing and money, are mirrors, the theatre, hotels, and restaurants; interiors and dwellings mainly. These comprise the walled and gilded city to which Carrie seeks entrance. Rocking to dreamland Symbols in Sister Carrie are what E.K. Brown, in his Rhythm in the Novel called rhythmical symbols because they constantly reappear in various contexts changing in character and situation during the novel. The rocking chair as a symbol of dream for Carrie in Chicago and of escape for Hurstwood in New York, and it is an obvious example of a rhythmical symbol. .(qtd. in Pizer, 1976: 91) Throughout Sister Carrie, the symbol of the rocking chair is employed by Dreiser to reflect the restlessness, the feverish activity, which leads Carrie to no satisfying destination( Gerber,1964: 62). Early in the novel Carrie is seen rocking in her sisters flat on Van Buren Street , dreaming of escaping with Drouet. As Drouets mistress in Ogden Place she desires a luxurious life, fame, applause, refinement. The rocking chair is a symbol of Carries continued frustration and her inability to make a choice, wavering instead from one possibility to the other. Just before Hurstwoods two visits which occur along chapters eleven and twelve Carrie sits rocking in her chair. Dreiser takes the opportunity to foreshadow the future outcome of her desire: She hummed and hummed as the moments went by à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and was therein as happy though she did not perceive it, as she ever should be(87). In New York when living with Hurstwood, she sits rocking to and fro, thinking how common place( 229) her pretty flat is compared with what the rest of the world was enjoying(229)- the rest of the world made of those who had money and had a better life than hers.( Gerber, 1964: 62) In contrast to Carrie, after losing his business, Hurstwood uses the rocking chair to meditate over the lost days, the exhausted funds and his lack of strength. In the chairs slow and repeated motion he finds a narcotic dream of security. The final view of Carrie is moving. She now finds herself rocking in her chair, successful but unhappy, accomplished but unfulfilled (Gerber, 1964: 63), she dreams of new conquests which undoubtedly will or must bring her joy. Yet she accepts for the first time that happiness may not be for her, that perhaps her fate is forever to be the pursuit of that radiance of delight which tints the distant hilltops of the world (369). Dreiser creates a universe where life takes on the aspect of a fierce, grim struggle in which no quarter was either given or taken, and in which are laid traps, lied, squandered, erred, through illusion. (Dreiser, 1991: 82) And even the survivors of the struggle to become a king, are left without a trophy. The symbolic action of rocking is most fitting: Carrie is at once discontent, physically uneasy, reasonably energetic, and passively waiting for better fortune to come and find her. At the end of the novel, Carrie is still rocking. Her dwellings are different now and better by material standards-she is now in a lush New York hotel-but the action is the same and is symbolic of everlasting discontent. (Gale, 1968: 88) Carrie has reached in her quest the empty terminal, which Dreiser points out, so many Americans reach especially those who ascend from humble beginnings and are deceived by the life around them into believing the money ideal to be all in all. (Gerber, 1964: 63) Dreisers symbolism reveals the separate and distinct worlds of Sister Carrie. There is the realistic world of the reasonable mind in the imagined world of the emotional world, a world described in the novel as: Elf-land, Dream Land, or Kingdom of Greatness. This is the world from which Hurstwood emerges as an ambassador to bring Carrie back with him. It is this world from which Carrie ironically becomes a citizen ironically because it never seems to yield the rewards and beauty it promises. Life is a constant battle fought between the giant armies of frustration and desire. Dream symbolism provides a method of revealing what the world outside thinks of Carries behaviour. Minnie, Carries sister, functions in the novel as a choric figure. In her dream, the standard judgement of Carries actions is revealed. Carrie leaves the world of her sister to go to a dark and dangerous world below the surface of the ground. The swirling waters and unplumbed darkness of that world without a rigid morality seem certain to destroy the naÃÆ' ¯ve girl. It is no more necessary to accept Carries estimate of her sister Minnie as absolute and unbiased truth. Each girl unconsciously sees the other as a projection of herself, and thus interprets the life of the other as it would seem to herself. Clothes and Appearance The finest clothing made is a persons skin, but, of course, society demands something more than this.   ~Mark Twain( il las sau il elimin pt ca doar acest subcapitol e introdus de un citat?) The most obvious and well-known recurring symbol in Sister Carrie is that of clothes- clothes as an index of taste and social position and for Carrie of a naÃÆ' ¯ve but moving desire for a fine and pleasing life. (Pizer, 1976: 92) One can acknowledge the fact that appearance, while not including value and morals, as should be of more importance, defines oneself and helps them establish a place within the social system. Sister Carrie serves as an outstanding model to portray this idea. To the majority of the characters, how they appear and act hides the reality of which they live. Dreiser carefully lists in precise detail everything Carrie owns: a cheap imitation alligator-skin satchel, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦], a yellow leather snap purse,[à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] and four dollars (1). Since Carrie does have enough money to pay for a real alligator-skin satchel, she holds a fake with the intention that she appears to be something else than she is. False appearances are a dominating theme through out Sister Carrie. Because so little is revealed about Carries identity, the first impression left by her is formed not by what she does or by what she opinions but by her belongings. Dreiser ends the description of her with the precise amount of money she holds. This stress on money will be a major theme all through the rest of the novel.    To Carrie, the feeling of completeness comes only when dresses magnificently. On her first day at work, she feels ashamed with her female co-workers. After leaving her obscure work station, she proceeds to the lobby where she encounters other young women. As she walks past, She felt ashamed in the face of better dressed girls who went by. She felt as though she should be better served and her heart revolted.(31) Being of middle class stature, she thinks degraded and believes she can get no respect or attention from these, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ better dressed girls.(31) Though she is extremely attractive in her lesser state, as proven by the young men who flirt with her, she feels only remorse because she was not lavishly displayed. Carries first come across with mass fashion comes with her visit to the Fair, a Chicago department store. In this episode she is not shopping or more appropriately, having no money she is only window shopping. (Geyh, 2006: web)   Carries call to the department store prove her interest in conspicuous consumption; it had developed a new and curiously intimate relationship between purchaser and consumer goods. (Eby, 2001: web) As she observes the eye-catching goods available for sale, Carrie could not help feeling the claim of each trinket and valuable upon her personally [. . . .] The dainty slippers and stockings, the delicately frilled skirts and petticoats.[. . .] all touched her with individual desire (22). But the lure that attire and other personal possessions have for Dreisers protagonists-that he calls the voice of the so-called inanimate! (98)-lets us to notice that memorable change. Every one of of the fancy items tempts Carrie although she cannot afford to pay for any of them; thus a capitalist economy manipulates the desire of the consumer without ever completely satisfying it (Eby, 2001: web). Carrie realizes how far removed she is from its glamour and attraction. Although she desires for herself the frilly dresses, the jewellery and trinkets heaped upon the counters, she keenly feels how none of these are in the range of her purchase. An outcast without employment (17), a mere job-seeker, even the shop-girls could see she was poor and in need of a paying job. The coveted items of clothing put on display in the department stores, restaurants, hotels and streets, are for Carrie, matter of both conscious and unconscious desire, but the desire is unrelated to any organic, biological need. The clothes are functional primarily as indicators of what Carrie might possess and be, of this desire, but also indicators of she is not , of her class bound status as a daughter of working-class parents, and of all that exceeds her grasp.( qtd. in Geyh, 2006: web) The importance of clothes in Sister Carrie arises from the choice that one can exercise over them as a conspicuous performance of prospective being. Drouet seduces Carrie buying her the clothes that would be the appropriate costume only for the role of mistress. The clothes are ones that she could not even explain let alone wear were she to stay in her role of working girl at her sisters flat.. Similarly, Carries first acting job in New York translate into a paradoxical ability to buy the clothes for the role of a young actress. ( Fisher, 1991: 554)( se intelege ca citatele sunt ale lui Fisher?) While Carrie is the main character whose existence thrives on the dependence on her looks, she is not the only one who Dreiser chooses to make a victim of appearance. At Carries first meeting with Drouet on the train from Colombia City to Chicago his clothing and conduct built up for her a dim world of fortune, of which he was the centre ( 6) The young man whose charm and audacity caught Carries attention on the train also suffers from the value he places on appearance. While uttering her first words in their first sparked conversation, she notices his, Flush, colourful cheeks, a light moustache, a gray fedora hat. (3) She further observes him noticing every light detail of his suit and the jewellery. His suit was of a striped and cross pattern brown wool, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] the low crotch of the vest revealed a stiff bosom of white and pink stripes. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] his fingers bore several ringsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (3) From this quote, one can come to the conclusion that Drouet is a ra ther wealthy man with many refined tastes. In reality, He was not a moneyed man. (32) When in the presence of those who were fortunate, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ he straightened himself a little more stiffly and eats with solid comfort. (32) This defines his social status since he is well known among the prosperous. Carrie soon realized all the city had to offer her, such as wealth, fashion, eases every adornment for women, and she longed for dress and beauty with a whole heart (21).    Carrie is aroused by something promising in the entire material prospect that Drouet had to offer (5). While her background does subconsciously caution her momentarily, she ignores her misgivings in exchange for the happiness that Drouets success might bring her. While Drouet did work, he wants to hide his reality. His false preens dazzles many, including Carrie. As soon as Carrie sees that Drouet is not as well off as she originally perceived him to be, she turns to another man, another man who, like D rouet, was masking his own reality behind his allure of money and position. Mr. G. W. Hurstwood is the second gentleman to catch Carries fancy. He is the manager of a renowned restaurant and is known as a successful man about town. Many see him as a solid man of good physical stature, rather young, and is known for his, fine clothes, his clean linen, his jewels, and, above all, his own sense of his importance. (33) On the surface, Hurstwood is a man of power. He holds a valued opinion among many and some kind of effect on many more, Drouet and Carrie included. With all of the appeal, there is no possible way for anyone to see Hurstwoods personal life. No hint of the slightest inconsistency of the glamour can be found. People of social royalty know and see his family on many popular social outings. His wife is a charmer as well and many have high hopes for their young daughter. One would not conceive that Hurstwood and his wife were having heated arguments leading to marital problems. Due to the fact that many knew the family and how affluent in all aspects t hey are, most overlooked Hurstwoods callings on Carrie. Appearance, which led to this mans social status, kept people from considering this. Looks and charm is the only thing that kept this man from suspicion. Later in the story when Hurstwood social status declines, clothes and implicitly appearance reflect this time the reality. Gradually running out of money Hurstwood is not preoccupied with his appearance, he once rigorously guarded. Still, for the sake of old times, he tries to bring to light the old self. This fact emphasis Hurstwoods desire to keep appearances even though his social status was not the same. As Hurstwood experiences life as poor individual he begins to see the life of his wealthy past as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a city with a wall about it (328) on the other side Hurstwoods shabby clothes expose his state, the opposite but equally conspicuous equivalent to the display of state, that is the normal function of clothes.( Fisher, 1991: 554) In contrast to Carries new clothing which makes her part of her new world, Hurstwoods clothing is now threadbare part and worn. It is not sufficiently warm for him to weather in the cold winter. Clothing reveals the complete inversion of the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾marriage of Carrie and Hurstwood. As Hurstowoods preoccupation for the lack of money increases he tells Carrie that they do not afford to buy her any new clothes, she had not failed to notice that he did not seem to consult her about buying clothes for himself. (340) A few short years ago he was struggling breadwinner who occasionally indulged himself in new clothing to meet the world, while Carrie remained home, running the household in her outdates garb. In Sister Carrie: An Introduction, written by Kenneth S. Lynn, the author summarizes Carries arrival in Chicago. He then proceeds to say that she is, depending solely on personal appeal to enable her to work out her salvation. He goes on to criticize Drouet and Hurstwood as well. Drouet has no reality; take away the salesmans clothes, and he has nothing. (qtd. in Pizer, 1976: 40) This quote aimed to describe Drouet, shows that though his flashy clothes are a trademark of his, he really comes down to nothing. Hurstwood is in the same situation and as Dreiser says after a passer-by inquires if he is a motorist, he finally realizes that he is nothing. Carrie is taught manners and how to become a lady. Because clothes can be changed more rapidly than apartments they become a more sensitive index to changes of state. Clothes are ones address. Only hotels are places of living sensitive enough to the fluctuations of self to equal clothing as performances of the monetary condition of the self. In New York after they separate, both Carrie and Hurstwood, move through opposite ends of the spectrum of records the need of a society in which money will be kept in the stock market so that its waverings of value can be represented in the daily newspaper rather in land or goods which are, by comparison, subject only to year-long or decade-long readings of change of worth. As the rocking chair is to fortunes wheel, second by second rises and falls, so too are clothes, hotels, and newspapers to the long-term indexes of fortune and value. ( Fisher, 1991: 554) Every feature of these characters is a show put on display like that of a theatrical play. None have a real personality because it has been erased by the tantalizing temptation of being that name on the front page, or the cause of a hush fallen over a room as they enter. They even manipulate simple features to deceive their prey audience. As far as personalities being deciphered, as mentioned earlier, these three critical characters have no real personalities. They display the best well thought out personality that the situation demands. When they are in the company of a wealthy benefactor, the room and scene is filled with gaiety on their plastered surface, but they loathe for the life. Each of these three characters uses their appearance to obtain material goods and respectable social standings. They all achieve this, yet in the end, they wind up in desolate isolation. Had these characters accepted their lives as they would have came to be, and not used deceit to con the unknowing, perhaps they wouldnt have ended up in a lesser state then they stood at originally. Money In this novel, together with mirrors and clothes, money represents social status. Dreiser chose to draw a realistic portrayal of America for what it really was- materialistic (Gerber, 1964: 52). Life is presented in relation to this driving force and seems to undergo all destinies, involving everyone, as participants in the mad-cycle of the booming economy. The money ideal would be exposed as the great motivating purpose of life in the United States: ones relative affluence at any level of society determining the degree creature comfort one might enjoy, the measure of prestige one might own, and the extent of social power one might command (Gerber,1964: 52-53). Sister Carrie completely reaffirms Americas mania with money because all characters status symbol is determined economically. Dreisers characters are often fascinated with the physical reality of money (Pizer, 1976: 91); the money she has accepted was two, soft, green, handsome ten-dollar bills (39). The physical transfer of money is an act which promises so much for both the body and the spirit that it either entails or suggests the sexual (Pizer, 1976: 91) Carries impoverished situation incites genuine pity, but Drouet offers her money having hidden desires and intentions. This allows him to touch her hand, the first act in establishing physical contact with her. The apparently harmless offer of loaning money to Carrie and the pleasant lunch are a first step into obtaining it. Giving her the money somehow permits him to feel her hand, the first move in creating physical intimacy with her. In reality, he is trading the occasion for sex. ( Pizer,1976: 92) The lunch and the loan are only the first step in getting it. As she feels the twenty dollars in her hand, Carrie fells that a she was connected to him by a strange tie of affection.(47). Having money as a principal weapon, Drouet has obtained the right to commence physical closeness with Carrie. Several times in the novel, including in this moment, an exact dollar sum is named. Carrie lives in a world of prices regardless of whether she is at work, out shopping, at home or on the street. Her labour worth is set to four dollars and fifty cents per week; accommodation costs four dollars per week; car fare amounts sixty cents per week; an economical lunch is ten cents; etc. By accepting Drouets money, Carrie unconscientiously establishes her worth to him at exactly twenty dollars. Carries desire maintain secret her intentions from Minnie and Hanson confirms that she is at least partly alert that she is selling herself. (Ward, 2000: web) Carrie symbolizes the collective values of the burgeoning American consumer culture. To her, money represents power; one might easily judge her and include her in the money-hunters category of people; those that would be happy to be trapped on a desert island if only she had a large amount of money. (Ward, 2000: web) She had not acknowledged the fact that money and nothing else is worth nothing. Only in relation to consumer goods does it represent anything of value. Chapter seven begins with one of Dreisers frequent discussions on the meaning of money. The true meaning of money yet remains to be popularly explained and comprehended (47). What Carrie does not understand, a fault she has in common with almost all of humanity, is that money should be paid out as honestly stored energy (48) not as a usurped privilege (48). Carrie definition of money would be simple and straightforward- something everybody else has and I must get (48). Dreiser then continues to give a remarkable explanation of money. Essential in his observation is that if an individual has money, it must be spent in order to recognize its value. Carrie as well as Drouet belong to this category. If not earned honestly money in this novel are obtained by theft or beggary. Money serves as a modality of characterization, consequently everyone in the novel is dependent on money to describe who they are and what they do. In the game played at the first meeting of Carrie and Hurstwood, Dreiser provides a miniature model of the characters, forces, and movement of the novel making symbolic use of the ordinary details. In this game of chance and skill Hurstwood manipulates his hand so that Carrie can win all the money while Drouet remains ignorant of what is happening. Dont you moralize Hurstwood says to Carrie, until you see what becomes of the money (74). This passage is like a vision from future, unconscious words evocative of what was to come. Social status is changed with money, at the same time offering those who acquire it the possibility to acknowledge the supreme wealth or the supreme lowering of status. For example, in the very beginning of the novel, Carrie rides in a train, the way poor people do then in a street car, as the fashionable girls of the time and finally she is forced to walk, forced to return to her initial status. This completes a chain that marks the gradual lowering of Carries status in the society until she reaches the lowest point, the point where she not only has no job but is also forced to walk around the city. Being Drouets company in the restaurant Carrie is aware of the decline. She observes that he affords to travel by train and she immediately associates means of transport with wealth. Lost between thoughts she hears him mentioning that she has to return home if she does not accept his offer, but she does not acknowledge the significance of this fact. She only sees a stage coach passing by . This serves as a visual reminder that a wealthy life can be lived only in a big city like Chicago, and is crucial to making her accept Drouets proposal. Her choice gives her a sense of well being, dragging her out from her state of dreamer, and, by the ending of the chapter, she is already riding the car from her vision. After Hurstwood and Carries affair and escape to New York, Hurstwood soon finds himself having to think carefully about small disbursements like rent and cab fare. Although he has sufficient money to invest in new businesses, he turns down many prospects because they are too low-class for him. Not only is his money very important to him now, but so is his respectability. Having to live so frugally as he searches for a job humiliates him (Balling, 1967: 61). The importance of Hurstwoods reputation to himself underscores the materialism in America. Being who you are to yourself is not as important as being someone to others (Gerber, 1964: 60-61). Hurstwoods decline pushes Carrie further away from him. Mrs. Vances decision to cut off her connection with Carrie because of Hurstwoods appearance exposes the dehumanizing nature of consumer society (Ward, 2000: web). While Hurstwood gradually sinks toward deprivation and suicide, Carrie once again moves foreword and appears on stage. Carries constant drag to something better was not to be denied (Thorp, 1963: 472). Her choice to leave him is almost completely motivated by finances, as was her decision to marry him. Mirrors reflections of the self Mirrors should think longer before they reflect.   ~Jean Cocteau Another important symbol is the mirror in which Carrie attempts to see inside herself to discover the truth or to reflect upon some problem. Like the rocking chair, the mirror represents the two poles of Carries thought, for it is also used by her simply to admire her appearance in new clothes. Both the rocking chair and the mirror fuse the desire for material satisfaction with the realisation that Carrie is never happy if she continually desires something new. Naturally, Carrie is never conscious of the symbolic import of these articles, but certainly the author is, and so, it is hoped, is the reader. Mirrors-both factual and the metaphorical mirrors of others reaction to her-contribute to this construction of identity as Carrie glimpses the ideal as reflected in them. The Mirror as the narrator notices convinced her of a thing which she had long believed. She was pretty, yes, indeed. (58) The process of mirroring through which Carrie creates her identity is, however not merely a matter of dress: it is bound with her natural acting ability. (qtd. in Geyh, 2006: web) Able to perceive the nature of those little modish ways which women adopt when they would presume to be something, Carrie mimics, mirrors, the gestures of those whom she admires: she looked in the mirror and pursed her lips, accompanying it with a little toss of the head, as she had seen the railroad treasures daughter doà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦She became a girl of considerable taste. (78-79) The urban environment itself offers numerous sites of such indemnificatory mirroring, from half-lit display windows of department stores in which one might see ones own ghostly reflection, to posh restaurants like Sherrys where the floor was of a reddish hue, waxed and polished, and in every direction were mirrors-tall, brilliant, bevel-edged mirrors-reflecting and re-reflecting forms, faces, and candelabra a score and hundred times (235) (Gyeh, 2006: web) Looking in the mirror is often considered a form of narcissism. This is particularly evident in the store episode when Carrie looks at herself with the new clothes on. Her sense of well-being is enhanced, to the point where she starts to feel a warm glow (70) creep into her cheeks. This is again shown up in chapter eight, when she realizes that she is beautiful after looking in a mirror. The two antithetical potions of Carries mind, her conscience and desire, make another appearance in chapter ten. There, standing before the mirror, she sees that her face reveals a more attractive girl than she was before but her mind, a mirror prepared of her own and the worlds opinions(70), reveals a worse creature than she had been before. She wavers between these two images, uncertain of which one to believe. The inner mirror, the reservoir of social and acquired moral option, must be watched closer by the reader. Sister Carrie is a study in depth of the character; what happens inside Carries mind is actually far more important than her outward fortune of trials and ordeal. Carries difficulties, more basic in the recent past, have now become mental ones, and altogether so turned about in all of her earthly relationships that she might well have been a new and different individual (70). In the mirror she sees a pretty face, but when she looks within herself she sees an image composed of her own judgements and those of society that makes her experience a certain moral queasiness. Carrie wavers between these two reflections, wondering which one to embrace. Her conscience, only an average little conscience (73), is shaped by the world, her own past life, habit, and convention, all welded together in a confused way. Her conscience bothers her because she failed to live with moral correctness even before she tried. Carrie is in a winter mood, full of silent brooding. Nevertheless the secret of her conscience grows more and more feeble. Before, the mirror only was an indication of vanity and represented the ability to imitate things. Now Dreiser remarks that the mirror is the symbol of a good actress as well, a good actress serves as her own mirror to her audience (Gyeth, 2006: web). Carries vocation and power as an actress find their fullest expression on stage, where she creates not only a series of idealized versions of herself, but also an array of miniature mise-en-scà ¨ne- shadow plays-of the city and its inhabitants outside. (Geyh, 2006: web) Carrie was possessed of that sympathetic, impressionable nature which, ever in the most developed form, has been the glory of the drama. She was created with the passivity of soul which is always the mirror of the active world, the narrator observes. (117) Carries greatest ability is that she can mirror back to people that they want to see. Newspapers The frequent symbol in this novel is the employment of newspapers to designate people who are no longer capable to see the future, people that are suppressed by the past and sometimes by the present. The newspaper represents old news as it presents things that have already happened. Individuals who fall back on the newspaper thus fall into the class of have-beens, of those who already lived their life and experienced the world. The first who reads the newspaper in the novel is Sven Hanson followed by Hurstwood. The two are reading the newspaper in the evening as a form of entertainment and because it is the only way they could find out about their own world. Hurstwood is scrolling the paper for the first time in chapter twenty. The paper symbolizes the past, and the incapacity to rise in the future. Thus, his wife is already making the decision concerning the future of the family, and the future vacation. In this scene between Hurstwood and Julia, the first finds in the newspaper a refuge from his wifes demands and from what his entire family represented to him. This way he tries to avoid domestic quarrels and pretends to read the newspaper. By contrast Carrie, reads the paper to see if she is written about in one of its articles. The newspaper gains more importance and is more often used by Hurstwood than ever before. Each day he could read in the evening paper (143). Later Dreiser describes Hurstwood as s pending his time reading newspapers, as the only enjoyable activity left. This again suggests that Hurstwood can only live by looking at the past rather than into the future. The significance of newspapers reaches the pinnacle in chapter thirty five during the storm. Hurstwood is entirely ruined as a man that he uses the paper even for trivial news suc

Accounting Theory Essay -- essays research papers

Accounting is in the current state of being an art. It is referred to as a social science, but the question that still remains in view today is should accounting be an art or should it actually be a science? Although the move to scientific based accounting would be desirable in today’s society it is not possible. When you consider the facts of this issue in a true debate style, the scientific based approach does not work and cannot do today what the current system does for its users. Accountants provide information that is reliable, verifiable and precise. As well it is crucial those accountants are considered trustworthy and that the information can be confirmed by another source. Without this there is no future of accounting and there would have never been a past. Accounting is left open to interpretation to those who need to view the information. Many different people look at accounting information, many different cultures, organizations and ethnic groups use this information for different reasons. To make accounting scientific based makes it one set or rules, a set of laws to follow by. If you held a gun to a scientist and said make the speed of light faster he could not change the speed of light, because it is a scientific based law. One set of properties defines that law. In accounting we need different information for different situations. Internal departments require different information then external and as such their needs to be different rules and gui delines. ...

Reducing Gun Violence Essay examples -- The Need for More Gun Laws

Gun violence has reached an all-time high. After the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, widespread concern forced legislators to take a second look at our gun laws. When twenty children and six educators were gunned down, many citizens were outraged and begged authorities to pass more stringent gun laws because with fewer guns, there could possibly be fewer incidents involving gun violence. Many people believe that the widespread availability of guns is making society unsafe. Each year, nearly 100,000 Americans are shot, 32,000 of them die, 47 children are shot every day, and eight of them die, according to the U.S. News Digital Weekly. In order to solve this problem, more stringent background checks should be required by all applicants, restriction and enforcement on the sale of guns at gun shows need to improve, and the availability of automatic weapons should be limited. More stringent background checks should be obligatory for all gun purchases, and a database should be kept on a state and federal level, which could be funded by the federal government. According to Messer and Cartwright, background checks are a safer way to reduce the chances of endangering families. People who are against new laws misinterpret background checks with the belief that they can infringe on the rights of responsible gun owners. In actuality, background checks prevent known felons and unstable persons from acquiring weapons. The loophole with private sales of weapons, however, is that felons and mentally unstable buyers can purchase from a private seller without a background check. Because of the loophole, private sales should be documented. Even seventy four percent of the National Rifle Association members and 87 percent o... .... MasterFILE Elite. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. Goldberg, J 2012, 'The Case for More Guns (And More Gun Control)', Atlantic Monthly (10727825), 310, 5, pp. 68-78, Literary Reference Center, EBSCOhost, viewed 7 Oct. 2015. McInery, Thomas K. "Keeping Children Safe from Gun Violence." Vital Speeches of the Day 79.7 (2013): 209-211. MasterFILE Elite. Web. 4 Oct. 2015. Messer, Luke, Cartwright, Matt. "Should All Gun Sales Require Background Checks?." U.S. News Digital Weekly 5.20 (2013): 16. MasterFILE Elite. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. Tormey, Travis J. â€Å"NJ Gun Laws- Both Registration and Criminal Charges† New Jersey’s Criminal Defense & DWI Attorney, 8 Oct. 2015. Zarych, John J. â€Å"The Current State of New Jersey’s Gun Laws.† EIN Presswire, 13 August 2009. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. â€Å"Homicide Statistics† Australian Institute of Criminology, 21 February, 2013. Web. 8 Oct. 2015

The AIDS Quilt: Another Dimension :: Free AIDS Essays

The AIDS Quilt: Another Dimension "Jones originally envisioned the AIDS quilt as a message that would call upon the conscience of the nation." (Sturken 186) "The AIDS quilt raises the question of the purpose of mourning. For whom do we mourn when we mourn? The foregrounding of the needs of the living and the creation of a community through the quilt point to mourning not simply as a process for remembering the dead and marking the meaning and value of their lives but also an attempt to create something out of that loss." (Sturken 199) Although the AIDS quilt is thought of by most to be a mourning device, there are in fact panels in the quilt that actually oppose the idea of mourning. In this section of the quilt, one out of the eight sections clearly stands out. It is one that reads: "Terry Sutton; He hated this quilt†¦and so do we." This panel, surrounded by the seven more traditional panels shows how although, on a broad level, the quilt is thought of as a non-activist mourning attempt, there are definite aspects of activism that show through despite discourses popularly associated with the quilt. The other panels pictured here typify the finds of panels that are made for the victims of AIDS. "In memory of†¦" and "we will remember†¦" are some of the more common inclusions in the panels. Terry Sutton’s panel is incredibly significant because juxtaposed against the other panels it shows an opposite reaction to the quilt. It illustrates Sutton’s hatred of what other victims and families think is an amazing coping device. More often than not, the families and friends who decide to make panels for AIDS victims think it is a wonderful idea. Although the creators of the Sutton panel are certainly in the minority, creating a panel of this nature makes an intense impact. The "ACT UP’ t-shirt that is included in Sutton’s panel is most likely a symbol of his involvement with the well-known activist group, ACT UP. The letters stand for AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power. They define their organization as follows: "ACT UP is a diverse non-partisan group of individuals united in anger and committed to direct action to end the AIDS crisis. We advise and inform. We demonstrate. We are not silent." Because ACT UP is a well-known activist group, the fact that Terry Sutton’s panel associates him with the group shows the audience his feelings toward the idea of making a quilt as a strategy to fight AIDS.

Ajanta Caves Essay

Ajanta Caves in Maharashtra, India are a Buddhist monastery complex of twenty-nine rock-cut cave monuments containing paintings and sculpture considered to be masterpieces of both â€Å"Buddhist religious art†[1] and â€Å"universal pictorial art†[2] The caves are located just outside the village of Ajiná ¹ ­hÄ  in Aurangabad District in the Indian state of Maharashtra (N. lat. 20 deg. 30†² by E. long. 75 deg. 40†²). Since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Excavation of the caves began in the third-second century B.C.E., during the period when Dakshinapath was ruled by Satavahana dynasty, and activity at the complex continued until the fifth to sixth century C.E., when the region was ruled by Vakatakas. Both the Satavahanas and Vakatakas were followers of Brahmanism, but also patronized the Buddhist shrines. The walls, ceilings and columns of the caves were covered with complex compositions of the Jataka stories (the stories of the Buddha’s former existences as Boddhisattva), and ornate floral and animal decorations. The exuberance and richness of the painting suggests that the artists were accustomed to painting secular as well as religious works. The paintings have a natural fluidity, depth and volume not found in later, more stylized Indian art. Jataka tales from the Ajanta caves Ajanta Caves – view from ticket officeAjanta Caves in Maharashtra, India are a Buddhist monastery complex of twenty-nine rock-cut cave monuments containing paintings and sculpture considered to be masterpieces of both â€Å"Buddhist religious art†[1] and â€Å"universal pictorial art†[2] The caves are located just outside the village of Ajiná ¹ ­hÄ  in Aurangabad District in the Indian state of Maharashtra (N. lat. 20 deg. 30†² by E. long. 75 deg. 40†²). Since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Excavation of the caves began in the third-second century B.C.E., during the period when Dakshinapath was ruled by Satavahana dynasty, and activity at the complex continued until the fifth to sixth century C.E., when the region was ruled by Vakatakas. Both the Satavahanas and Vakatakas were followers of Brahmanism, but also patronized the Buddhist shrines. The walls, ceilings and columns of the caves were covered with complex compositions of the Jataka stories (the stories of the Buddha’s former existences as  Boddhisattva), and ornate floral and animal decorations. The exuberance and richness of the painting suggests that the artists were accustomed to painting secular as well as religious works. The paintings have a natural fluidity, depth and volume not found in later, more stylized Indian art. Jataka tales from the Ajanta caves Ajanta Caves – view from ticket office Horse shoe shaped Ajanta caves view from Caves Viewpoint some eight kms away Contents [hide] †¢1 Description and History †¢2 Dating of the Caves †¢3 Structure of the Caves o3.1 Cave One o3.2 Cave Two †¢4 Paintings †¢5 See also †¢6 Notes †¢7 References †¢8 External links †¢9 Credits Description and History The Ajanta Caves are a Buddhist monastery complex consisting of 29 caves (as officially numbered by the Archaeological Survey of India), located in a wooded and rugged horseshoe-shaped ravine about 3.5 km from the village of Ajintha, which is situated in the AurangÄ bÄ d district of Maharashtra State in India (106 kilometers away from the city of Aurangabad). Along the bottom of the ravine runs the Waghur River, a mountain stream. The caves, carved into the south side of the precipitous scarp made by the cutting of the ravine, vary from 35 to 110 feet in elevation above the bed of the stream. The monastic complex of Ajanta consists of several viharas (monastic halls of residence) and chaitya-grihas (stupa monument halls), adorned with  architectural details, sculptures and paintings that, even in their partially damaged state, are considered one of the glories of world art.[3] Excavation of the caves began in the third-second century B.C.E., during the period when Dakshinapath was ruled by Satavahana dynasty, and activity at the complex continued until the fifth to the sixth century C.E., when the region was ruled by Vakatakas. Both the Satavahanas and Vakatakas were followers of Brahmanism; nevertheless, they not only generated a liberal climate in which all religions could flourish, but also patronized the Buddhist shrines. The mention of a rock-cut monastery as the abode of the Buddhist monk Achala celebrated Buddhist philosopher and author of well-known books on logic, and the mountain range where it was located, the monastery being for certain Cave No. 26 and the mountain range, Ajanta ridge, appeared in the travel account of the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang, who visited India in the seventh century C.E. and stayed there for 15 years[4]. Nothing more was known of Ajanta before 1819, when some British officers of the Madras Army made a chance discovery of this magnificent site. They named it Ajanta after the name of the nearest village. In 1843, after a gap of 25 years, James Fergusson presented a paper to the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland and drew global attention to the site. The M adras Army deputed its officer R. Gill to prepare copies of the Ajanta murals. Gill worked from 1849 to 1855 and prepared 30 paintings, but unfortunately they were destroyed in a fire in 1866. The efforts to discover Ajanta progressed in two directions, the preparation of copies of the murals, and research on Ajanta’s other aspects. Mr. Griffiths, the Superintendent and Principal of Sir Jamshedji Jijibhai School of Art, Bombay, was at Ajanta from 1872 to 1885 with a team of his students, to copy its murals, but unfortunately most of these were also destroyed in a fire. Finally, Lady Haringham and a team of artists comprising Syed Ahmad and Mohammad Fazlud-din of Hyderabad and Nandalal Bose, Asit Kumar Haldar and Samarendranath Gupta of the Calcutta School, camped at Ajanta from 1910 to 1912 copying its murals. In 1956-1957 the Archeological Survey of India took up the project and authentic copies of the murals were prepared. In 1983, the Ajanta Caves were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dating of the Caves The period during which Ajanta Caves were excavated stretches over eight- or nine hundred years from the third- to second century B.C.E. to the fifth- sixth century C.E. The caves reveal two distinct phases of excavation. Six of them, namely, caves 9, 10, 8, 12, 13, and 15-A (the last one was re-discovered in 1956, and is still not officially numbered), belong to the early period. Caves 9 and 10 appear to have been excavated during the second half of the third or the first half of the second century B.C.E.. The other four date from the first century B.C.E. However, Cave 10 is the earliest; it precedes even Cave 9 by at least 50 years. Caves 12, 13, and 15A of this phase are vihÄ ras (monastic halls of residence). During this period, Buddhism pursued the HÄ «nayÄ na doctrine, which initially prohibited the worship of anthropomorphic images of Buddha. Caves 9 and 10, the Chaitya-grahas (homes of the Sacred, monument halls) do not have anthropomorphic images of Buddha, though on th e faà §ade of Cave No. 9 such images were subsequently added. Around the first century B.C.E.Hinayana allowed the making of Buddha’s personal images. The shift from non-image to image characterizes other caves of this early phase, known as the Hinayana-Satavahana phase. Caves 1, 2, 4, 7, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 to 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29 belong to the later phase, which began three centuries later, from the fifth to the sixth century C.E.. Buddhism had largely shifted to Mahayana doctrine and the region was ruled by Vakatakas of the Vatsagulma branch, who were also the patrons of these caves; this phase is usually known as Mahayana-Vakataka phase. As suggested by epigraphic records, Caves No. 16 and 17 were commissioned by Vakataka ruler Harishena (475-500 C.E.) through one of his ministers Varahadeva, who was posted at the site for supervising the progress, and a subordinate vassal of the area respectively. Ajanta had been a center of monastic and religious activities since the second- to first century B.C.E.; the embellishment of facades and wall spaces with paintings and sculptures continued all through. However, the excavation of the caves seems to have been suspended until the excavation of Caves 16 and 17. Cave 8 was long thought to be a HinayÄ na cave; however current research shows that it is in fact a Mahayana cave. Three chaitya-grihas, caves 19, 26, and 29, were excavated during the Vakataka or Mahayana phase. The last cave was abandoned soon after it was begun. The rest of the excavations are viharas: caves 1-3, 5-8, 11, 14-18,  20-25, and 27-28. None of the caves in the Vakataka phase were ever fully completed. Based on the archaeological evidence visible on site, the suggestion of Walter M. Spink that a crisis occurred when the ruling Vakataka dynasty suddenly fell out of power and forced all activities to a sudden halt, is increasingly gaining acceptance. Structure of the Caves The viharas are of various sizes, the maximum being about 52 feet. They are often square-shaped. Their designs are varied; some have simple and some have ornate facades, some have a porch and others do not. The hall was an essential element of a vihara. The early viharas of the Vakataka phase were not intended to have shrines because they were meant to be used solely as halls of residence and congregation. Later, a shrine set in the back wall of the vihara became a norm. The shrines were fashion to house a central object of reverence, often the image of the Buddha seated in the dharmachakrapravartana mudra (the gesture of teaching position). In the more recent caves, subsidiary shrines are added on the side walls, porch or the front-court. The facades of many vihÄ ras are decorated with carvings, and walls and ceilings were often covered with paintings. Most of the subjects of the paintings have been identified by the German Ajantologist, Dieter Schlingloff. Cave One Painting from Cave No. 1 Cave 1 The first cave on the eastern end of the horse-shoe shaped scarp, it is, according to Spink, one of the latest caves to have begun on site and brought to near-completion in the VÄ kÄ Ã… £aka phase. Although there is no epigraphic evidence, it has been proposed that the VÄ kÄ Ã… £aka king Harisena may have been the benefactor of this better-preserved cave. This cave has an elaborate carving on its facade with relief sculptures on entablature and fridges, depicting scenes from the life of the Buddha as well as a number of decorative motifs. A two-pillared portico, visible in nineteenth-century photographs, has since perished. The cave has a front-court with cells fronted by pillared vestibules on either side, and a porch with simple cells on both ends. The absence of pillared vestibules on the ends suggest that  the porch was not excavated in the latest phase of Ajanta, when pillared vestibules had became the norm. Most areas of the porch were once covered with murals, of whi ch many fragments remain. There are three doorways: a central doorway and two side doorways, and two square windows carved between the doorways to brighten the interiors. Each wall of the hall inside is nearly 40 feet long and 20 feet high. A square colonnade of 12 pillars inside supports the ceiling and creates spacious aisles along the walls. A shrine carved on the rear wall houses an impressive seated image of the Buddha, his hands in the dharmachakrapravartana mudra (position). There are four cells on each of the left, rear, and the right walls. The walls are covered with paintings in a fair state of preservation, depicting mostly didactic, devotional, and ornamental scenes from the Jataka stories (the stories of the Buddha’s former existences as Boddhisattva), the life of the Gautam Buddha, and those of his veneration. Cave Two Painting, Cave No. 2 (?) Painting from the Ajanta caves Ajanta Caves Ajanta Caves Cave 2, adjacent to Cave 1, is known for the paintings that have been preserved on its walls, ceilings, and pillars. It resembles Cave 1 and is in a better state of preservation. The porch and the facade carvings are different, and the cave is supported by robust ornamented pillars, but the size and ground plan have many aspects in common with the first cave. The front porch has of cells supported by pillared vestibules on both ends; porch-end cells, which provided more room, symmetry, and beauty, became a trend in all later Vakataka excavations. The paintings on the ceilings and walls of this porch have been widely published. They depict the Jataka tales that are stories of the Buddha’s life in former existences as Bodhisattva. The porch’s rear wall has a doorway in the center, which allows entrance to the hall. On either side of the door is a square-shaped window to brighten the interiors. Four colonnades arranged in a square support the ceiling; the  capitals are carved and painted with various decorative themes that include ornamental, human, animal, vegetative and semi-divine forms. The paintings covering the walls and ceilings are eroded and fragmentary at various places. Painted narratives of the Jataka tales are depicted on the walls in such a way that a devotee walking through the aisles between the colonnades and the wall would be able to â€Å"read† about the Buddha’s teachings and life through successive births. Paintings The Ajanta Cave paintings are the earliest and most important wall paintings in India and are particularly significant because all other forms of painting, such as palace murals and painting on wood, cloth or palm-leaf from before about 1000 C.E. have not survived. [5] The technique and process used to create the Ajanta cave paintings are unlike any other artwork found in the art history of other civilizations, and are unique within the history of South Asian art. The walls, ceilings and columns of the caves were covered with complex compositions of the Jataka stories and ornate floral and animal decorations. The paintings depict a universe in which aristocratic men and women dwell in harmony with an abundant nature. The exuberance and richness of the painting suggests that the artists were accustomed to painting secular as well as religious works. The process of painting involved several stages. First, the rock surface was chiseled to make it rough enough to hold a plaster made of c lay, hay, dung and lime over a clay under-layer. Differences are found in the ingredients and their proportions from cave to cave. While the plaster was still wet, the drawings were outlined and the colors applied. The wet plaster had the capacity to soak up the color so that the color became a part of the surface and would not peel off or decay easily. The colors were referred to as ‘earth colors’ or ‘vegetable colors.’ Various kinds of stones, minerals, and plants were used in combinations to prepare different colors. The paint brushes used to create the artwork were made from animal hair and twigs. The outline drawing has a fluency and vigor not found in later Indian painting. Modeling and highlights, as well as spatial recession are used to accentuate the volume of the figures. The latest paintings show some of the highly-stylized, flatter qualities of paintings from the succeeding centuries. Sculptures were often covered with stucco to give them a fine finish and lustrous  polish. The stucco had the ingredients of lime and powdered sea-shell or conch. The latter afforded exceptio nal shine and smoothness. In cave upper 6, where some of it is extant, the smoothness resembles the surface of glass. See also The Ajanta Caves (Ajiá ¹â€¡Ã¡ ¹ ­hÄ  leni; Marathi: à ¤â€¦Ã  ¤Å"à ¤ ¿Ã  ¤â€šÃ  ¤  Ã  ¤ ¾ à ¤ ²Ã  ¥â€¡Ã  ¤ £Ã  ¥â‚¬) in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India are 30 rock-cut cave monuments which date from the 2nd century BCE to the 600 CE. The caves include paintings and sculptures considered to be masterpieces of Buddhist religious art (which depict the Jataka tales)[1] as well as frescos which are reminiscent of the Sigiriya paintings in Sri Lanka.[2] The caves were built in two phases starting around 2nd century BCE, with the second group of caves built around 600 CE.[3] It is a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India.[4] Since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The caves are located in the Indian state of Maharashtra, near Jalgaon, just outside the village of Ajiná ¹ ­hÄ  (20 °31†²56†³N 75 °44†²44†³E). Caves are only about 59 kilometers from Jalgaon Railway station (on Delhi – Mumbai, Rail line of the Central railways, India); and 104 kilometers from Aurangabad (from Ellora Caves 100 Kilometers). Contents [hide] †¢1 First period †¢2 Second period †¢3 Rediscovery by Europeans †¢4 Cave One †¢5 Cave Two o5.1 The facade o5.2 The porch o5.3 The hall o5.4 The paintings †¢6 Cave Four †¢7 See also †¢8 References †¢9 Literature †¢10 External links [edit]First period According to Spink (2006), the first phase was the construction of sanctuaries (known as chaytia-grihas) built during the period 100 BCE to 100 CE, probably under the patronage of the Satavahana dynasty (230 BCE – c. 220 CE) in the canyons of the Waghora River. The caves 9, 10, 12 and 15A were constructed during this period.[5] Murals preserved from this time belong to the oldest monuments of painted art in India. Bird’s eye view of Ajanta Caves. [edit]Second period Ajanta Caves, map Scholars disagree about the date of the Ajanta Caves’ second period. For a time it was thought that the work was done over a long period from the fourth to the 7th century AD, but recently long-time researcher Walter M. Spink declared that most of the work took place over short time period, from 460 to 480 CE, during the reign of Emperor Harishena of the Vakataka dynasty. Some 20 cave temples were simultaneously created, for the most part viharas: monasteries with a sanctuary in the structure’s rear centre. Each of cave temples seem to be patronised by influential authority, numerous best available artists have been involved in the work with fruitful rivalry between the neighbouring construction sites.[6] According to Spink, the Ajanta Caves appear to have been abandoned shortly after the fall of Harishena c. 480 CE. Since then, these temples have been abandoned and gradually forgotten. During the intervening centuries, the jungle grew back and the caves were hidden, un visited and undisturbed.[7] [edit]Rediscovery by Europeans On 28 April 1819, a British officer for the Madras Presidency, John Smith, of the 28th Cavalry, while hunting tiger, accidentally discovered the entrance to one of the cave temples (Cave No. 10) deep within the tangled undergrowth. Exploring that first cave, long since a home to nothing more than birds and bats and a lair for other, larger, animals, Captain Smith scratched his name in on one of the pillars. Still faintly visible, it records his name and the date, April 1819. Since he stood on a five foot high pile of rubble collected over the years, the inscription is well above the eye-level gaze of an adult.[8] Shortly after this discovery, the Ajanta Caves became renowned for their exotic setting, impressive architecture, historic artwork, and long-forgotten history. [edit]Cave One Painting of Padmapani and Vajrapani from Cave No. 1 Porch of cave no. 1. Ajanta Caves The first cave was built on the eastern end of the horse-shoe shaped scarp. According to Spink, it is one of the latest caves to have begun on site and brought to near-completion in theVÄ kÄ Ã… £aka phase.[clarification needed] Although there is no epigraphic evidence, it has been proposed that the VÄ kÄ Ã… £aka Emperor Harishena may have been the benefactor of this better-preserved cave. A dominant reason for this is that Harisena was not involved initially in patronizing Ajanta. This cave has one of the most elaborate carvings on its facade with relief sculptures on entablature and ridges. There are scenes carved from the life of the Buddha as well as a number of decorative motifs. A two pillared portico, visible in the 19th-century photographs, has since perished. The cave has a front-court with cells fronted by pillared vestibules on either side. These have a high plinth level. The cave has a porch with simple cells on both ends. The absence of pillared vestibules on the ends suggest that the porch was not excavated in the latest phase of Ajanta when pillared vestibules had become a necessity and norm. Most areas of the porch were once covered with murals, of which many fragments remain. There are three doorways: a central doorway and two side doorways. Two square windows were carved between the doorways to brighten the interiors. Each wall of the hall inside is nearly 40 feet (12 m) long and 20 feet (6.1 m) high. Twelve pillars make a square colonnade inside supporting the ceiling, and creating spacious aisles along the walls. There is a shrine carved on the rear wall to house an impressive seated image of the Buddha, his hands being in the ‘dharmachakrapravartana mudra. There are four cells on each of the left, rear, and the right walls. The  walls are covered with paintings in a fair state of preservation. The scenes depicted are mostly didactic, devotional, and ornamental. The themes are from the Jataka stories (the stories of the Buddha’s former existences as Bodhisattva), the life of the Gautama Buddha, and those of his veneration. [edit] Cave Two Ajanta Caves ï‚ § Painting, cave no. 2. ï‚ § Painting from the Ajanta Caves. ï‚ § A section of the mural at Ajanta in Cave No 17, depicts the ‘coming of Sinhala’. The prince (Prince Vijaya) is seen in both of groups of elephants and riders. ï‚ §The consecration of KingSinhala (Prince Vijaya) (Detail from the Ajanta Mural of Cave No 17). ï‚ § Entrance of cave no. 9. ï‚ § Lord Buddha in preaching pose flanked by Bodhisattvas, Cave 4, Ajanta. Cave 2, adjacent to Cave 1, is known for the paintings that have been preserved on its walls, ceilings, and pillars. It looks similar to Cave 1 and is in a better state of preservation. The facade Cave 2 has a porch quite different from Cave one. Even the facade carvings seem to be different. The cave is supported by robust pillars, ornamented with designs. The size and ground plan have many things in common with the first cave. The porch The front porch consists of cells supported by pillared vestibules on both  ends. The cells on the previously â€Å"wasted areas† were needed to meet the greater housing requirements in later years. Porch-end cells became a trend in all later Vakataka excavations. The simple single cells on porch-ends were converted into CPVs or were planned to provide more room, symmetry, and beauty. The paintings on the ceilings and walls of this porch have been widely published. They depict the Jataka tales that are stories of the Buddha’s life in former existences as Bodhisattva. The porch’s rear wall has a doorway in the center, which allows entrance to the hall. On either side of the door is a square-shaped window to brighten the interior. The hall The hall has four colonnades which are supporting the ceiling and surrounding a square in the center of the hall. Each arm or colonnade of the square is parallel to the respective walls of the hall, making an aisle in between. The colonnades have rock-beams above and below them. The capitals are carved and painted with various decorative themes that include ornamental, human, animal, vegetative, and semi-divine forms. The paintings Paintings appear on almost every surface of the cave except for the floor. At various places the art work has become eroded due to decay and human interference. Therefore, many areas of the painted walls, ceilings, and pillars are fragmentary. The painted narratives of the Jataka tales are depicted only on the walls, which demanded the special attention of the devotee. They are didactic in nature, meant to inform the community about the Buddha’s teachings and life through successive rebirths. Their placement on the walls required the devotee to walk through the aisles and ‘read’ the narratives depicted in various episodes. The narrative episodes are depicted one after another although not in a linear order. Their identification has been a core area of research since the site’s rediscovery in 1819. Dieter Schlingloff’s identifications have updated our knowledge on the subject. Some believe that the art work has erroneously been alluded to as â€Å"fresco†, rather than mural, and assert that the technique and process used to produce this kind of artwork is unlike any other artwork found in the art history of other civilizations, including within the history of South Asian art. Cave Four The Archeological Survey of India board outside the caves gives the following detail about cave 4 : â€Å"This is the largest monastery planned on a grandiose scale but was never finished.An inscription on the pedestal of the buddha’s image mentions that it was a gift from a person named Mathura and paleographically belongs to 6 th century A.D. It consists of a verandah , a hypostylar hall, sanctum with an antechamber and a series of unfinished cells.The sanctum houses a colossal image of Lord buddha in preaching pose flanked