Chris Mccandless Character Analysis Essay

One may say that Chris McCandless was an arrogant fool considering the decisions he made throughout his short life. Others may say he was an incredible inspiration and should be honored beyond his death for his choices. McCandless may have made some questionable choices within his journey, yet he was nothing less of an inspiration to those who feel that they have not ‘found themselves’ and deserves respect for the impact he has made. Although he is respectable, he also had ample flaws that may have led him to his tragic ending. Instead of being seen as narcissistic and arrogant, McCandless could be seen as an idealist. He believed that reality was past the everyday life that he was living, and he could find reality within a transcendent phenomenon. Although he was told multiple times not to go through with the lone journey to Alaska, McCandless stuck to his decision and did not take into account the advice he was given by many. Unlike most, McCandless was not influenced by the people in his life. He strived on his own idea of life rather than what is taught and learned throughout society. The indifference McCandless felt in his everyday life was what led him to pursue his inspirable journey that was scrutinized by Krakauer and others. Even as a youth, McCandless showed signs of being an idealist. Walt McCandless, Chris’s father, took Chris on a backpacking trip every year. One year Walt took Chris and his youngest son to climb Longs Peak in Colorado. When they reached an elevation of 13,000 feet, Walt decided it was time to turn around. â€Å"Chris wanted to keep going,† Walt recalled. â€Å"He was only twelve then†¦ If he’d been fourteen or fifteen, he would have simply gone on without me (Krakauer page 109). † This ambition Chris displayed to climb the mountain even when he was young showed his different outlook from most younger children to the more challenging aspects of life. This must have been a point of realization for Chris. His journey had been in the making even from such a young age. Gaylord Stuckey claimed â€Å"It was something he’d wanted to do since he was little (Krakauer page 159). † These idealist-like ambitions had reflected on the choices Chris made as an adult. Chris McCandless had refused to just fit in with those around him. Instead of listening to what others had for an opinion on his choices, he did what he wanted to do. Even when McCandless was offered luxuries such as food or a place to live, he would only stick around for a very short period of time, then be on his way. McCandless’s father even noticed the strive for difference in his son. â€Å"He didn’t think the odds applied to him. We were always trying to pull him back from the edge,† said Walt McCandless. The way Chris refused to blend in with society even with the pressure surrounding him to fit in was a respectable quality in his personality. Many of those who connected with Chris on his trip also saw him as a respectable man. Even though he had refused their offerings and left quickly without much communication, they never saw him as arrogant or prude. Even though McCandless had been incredibly respectable, he also had weaknesses, or flaws. One of these flaws was over-confidence. Before his trip to Alaska, Chris donated $25,000 to charity, ditched his vehicle and most of his possessions, and burned the rest of his cash. By doing this, McCandless demonstrated his idealist quality. Instead of thinking of reality, he made impulsive decisions to satisfy his spiritual self. McCandless also did not prepare for his trip as he should have. He went without bringing a map and brought very little amounts of food with him. By refusing to bring a map, he made it a very difficult trip back for himself that may have cost him his life. He had been offered supplies by multiple people he had met on his way, but refused most of them. McCandless relied too greatly on himself and nature for a trip that needed well thought out planning and devising. For enduring what many could not imagine, pursuing his childhood intents, and refusing to fit in with society, Chris McCandless was nothing less than respectable. Even with his flaws that led him to his death, he stayed true to himself and didn’t give up. All in all, Chris McCandless deserves recognition and respect for his enthusiasm and inspirable story.

Baroque Art Essay

Baroque art falls into the period of Counter-Reformation led by the Catholic church against the Protestants. Much of the Baroque art, especially in Italy, reflects reaction to Mannerism, but also the social turmoil of the time. According to the Council of Trent and the Catholic church artworks should be a clear, intelligible subject realistically interpreted in order to stimulate piety. This was part of the reason that the artwork turned towards naturalism, becoming emotionally engaging and intense. STYLE strong perspective effects ramatic color dramatic light and dark (chiaroscuro and tenebrism) movement of figures (especially upwards) broken and agitated draperies loose brushstrokes heavy impasto dense and detailed compositions (for emotional impact on viewer) Wofflin’s 5 points of the differences between Baroque and Renaissance recessional compositions (not planar) Baroque art has continuous overlapping of figures and elements where the Renaissance and clear defined planes that recede in depth. Baroque art often has a sweeping diagonal element that crosses many planes. painterly instead of linear The figures in Baroque art are merged better through chiaroscuro that blends the edges of each form. This creates a mystical union of all the figures/elements. Renaissance art treats each figure in isolation and they appear as discrete objects. Color contrasts, outlines, contours or hard edges contribute to this linearity. open form (not closed form) The figures in Baroque art seem projected out into the viewer’s space (so that the viewer becomes involved in the picture). unity rather than muliplicity Baroque art uses light (and other compositional elements) to create meaning instead of for its purely naturalistic effects or to reveal form. The light sources often are not natural or there are multiple sources. The meaning often emphasizes what will happen in the moment after that depicted. tendency towards unclearness subject matter includes or shows grandiose visions ecstasies and conversions (religious) martydom and death (religious) ephemeral moments and the passage of time intense light powerful psychological renderings (outward emotions, intense contemplation) OVERALL: EXAMPLES: (Italian) Caravaggio, Bernini, (Spanish) El Greco, Velazquez, (Low Countries) Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt ARTISTS and IMAGES Italian Baroque Spanish Baroque Baroque in the Low Countries French Baroque Italian Baroque Caravaggio The Conversion of St Paul Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome 1601 Caravaggio The Crucifixion of Saint Peter companion piece of The Conversion of Saint Paul Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome 1601 Caravaggio Calling of Saint MattewSan Luigi dei Francesi, Rome 1600 Caravaggio Death of the Virgin Louvre, Paris 1606 Artemisia Gentileschi Judith and Maidservant Institute of the Arts, Detroit 1625 Francesco Borromini San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane Rome 1665-1676 Gianlorenzo Bernini David Galleria Borghese, Rome 1623 Gianlorenzo Bernini The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome 1645-1652 Gianlorenzo Bernini Piazza and Colonnade Sculpture and architecture at saint Peter’s, Rome 89. Gianlorenzo Bernini Baldacchino at the crossing of the church over the tomb of Saint Peter Saint Peter’s, Rome Gianlorenzo Bernini Cathedra Petri The throne of Saint Peter Saint Peter’s, Rome Spanish Baroque El Greco The Burial of Count Orgaz Santo Tome, Toledo 1586 El Greco Portrait of Fray Hortensio Felix Paravicino Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 1609 Jose (Jusepe) de Ribera The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew Prado, Madrid 1639. Diego Velazquez Los Borrachos (â€Å"The Drinkers†) Prado, Madrid 1628 Diego Velazquez Portrait of Juan Pareja Metropolitan Museum, New York 1650 Diego Velazquez Las Meninas (â€Å"The Maids in Waiting†) Prado, Madrid 1656 Baroque in the Low Countries Peter Paul Rubens The Elevation of the Cross Antwerp Cathedral 1610 Peter Paul Rubens The Abduction of the Daughters of Leucippus Alte Pinakothek, Munich 1617 Peter Paul Rubens The Arrival of Marie de’ Medici at Marseilles Louvre, Paris 1622-1625 Gerrit van Honthorst Supper Party Uffizi, Florence 1620 Jacob van Ruisdael View of Haarlem Royal Picture Gallery,

Permit and Opening Portion

For this activity, please construct a series of questions that you would ask In the opening portion of the following types of interviews: 1 . To obtain information from a county official about building permits for a report you have been assigned to deliver to senior management 2. To write a biography of a long-time employee for a special presentation at her retirement party 3.To counsel a subordinate about a problem he or she is having keeping his or her business expenses within budget deadlines Activity 1 . Construct a series of questions that you would ask in the opening portion of the following types of interviews: a. To obtain information from a county official about building permits for a report you have been assigned to deliver to senior management What will we need for the permission to begin our project In this area? How long does It take to get the permit after we submit everything?Do we have an allotted time to finish the project, or do we have indefinite time to complete t his? B. To write a biography of a long-time employee for a special presentation at her detriment party Brenda Mason, the dedication of a woman who has been working to supply for her children all these years, now gets the opportunity to celebrate her retirement and we are thankfully here to celebrate with her. She started working here 35 years ago, when her kids were Just 2 and 3, with the dream of becoming a decanter admit, and all the experience she ever had was witnessing.Her hard work got her into the entry level tech department with all the guys, and everyone treated her as she were a kindergarten, helped her with all the basics. She reemploy became the go-to to other people, and she was known for her charisma, and drive, we even tried to convince her to go to management, we wanted more people like her. She declined, and with that, still holding a positive attitude, she'd decline and said management was only â€Å"baby sitting adults†, she wanted to do a man's job, she st uck to her dream.With absolute certainty we all knew she was going to be someone, with her two kids, and her job, working an additional 20 hours a week when her daughters began school, she got ahead of the whole department, raced the est. sales people, and learned all the server administrative tasks she ever could. She was getting to her dream, she applied to server support, and kept narrowing down her dream, spiraled Into It, till 3 years later, faster than anyone, she got It. Unbounded to us, this whole time, working the additional 20 hours, and she was In school, after the 3rd year she'd graduated, and qualified for those positions she qualified for. From there to now, she has brought that girl feel every tech department needed, the nagging and the whining, that got us all off our seat to get to work. We absolutely love her, and wish her the best, and to give her time to use up all the paid time off she earned. Equines expenses within budget guidelines We've noticed a few draw ba cks in your business, is everything okay with you and your family? We need to make sure you succeed here for them, if there is anything you need to do we will list it, but we are going over the goals you have failed to med, and re-structure the plan. You will report to us, the customers need to be served the right portions, you are busy, you have clientele, but you are allowing your employees to run your business and they re handing things off to their friends and family.This is coming out of your family resources, they depend on you, and you need to make sure that everyone is accountable for their actions. Your employees must get their receipts reviewed every night, and if I were you, I'd be having their submitted orders reviewed before the client checks out for the moment in order to have them understand how important this is. If they aren't willing to comply, you have the right to fire them, you have to feed your family, they are not the right fit for the restaurant if that is th e way they are behaving while they are clocked in.

The Palace of Versailles and Contemporary Art: Takashi Murakami

The Palace of Versailles located approximately twelve miles outside Paris, France and is viewed as a place to showcase modern art. Much of the art that the palace has put on exhibitions over the years has brought a lot of controversy including the most recent one by Japanese artist Takashi Murakimi. Looking back at the 400 years of history at the Palace of Versailles it was once a home for the French royal family, a center for political power and today is a symbol of absolute monarchy. King Louis XIV viewed Versailles also as a showcase for the artists he supported. Louis and his successors were passionate about contemporary art and were constantly having parts of the palace demolished and rebuilt and redecorated by the newest and finest artists of their day. Versailles serves as a place where the newest ideas in art are showcased and served as a trendsetter for other palaces as well such as The Louvre; with it’s over the top decorations showing the monarchy’s wealth. Today, the palace is constantly having some of the currently most popular artists showcase their work at Versailles for the public to view. The most recent exhibit at the palace by Takashi Murakami ran from September 14, 2010 to December 12, 2010 has sparked a lot of controversy. This exhibition is called Murakami Versailles features 15 statues placed in different rooms of the palace. Murakami is a contemporary artist from Japan and has been billed as the new Andy Warhol, who is also Murakami’s mentor. The showcase features big, brightly colored cartoonish figures, flowers, globes and other inanimate objects. The style is far from the Baroque style of the palace, leaving most critics to deem the show inappropriate. Some groups visiting the Chateau complained that Murakami’s work has no place in rooms once residence to historical figures such as King Louis XIV, France’s Sun King and Marie Antoinette. Prince Charles-Emmanual de Bourbon-Parme, an heir of Louis XIV, tried to get the exhibit banned stating that it dishonored his family and their past but the courts dismissed his bid. One of his most tasteless pieces is a sculpture titled Hiropon, a large-breasted girl in a bikini who is skipping through a â€Å"rope† made of breast milk, this piece is not included in the exposition but it shows that Mr. Murakami is undeserving of Versailles. Muarakami spoke at a news conference and discussed the controversy. â€Å"When I hear such things, I say to myself that when a (sports) team scores a goal, there are always people who aren’t happy about it and who express that discontent†¦ The exhibit’s meant to be a sort of face-off between the Baroque period and postwar Japan, and I hope it will create in visitors a sort of shock, an aesthetic feeling† (Barchfield). Jean-Jacques Aillagon, president of the Chateau de Versailles defended the showcase saying he believes it is â€Å"‘his duty to open the palace to the artistic creation of our times’† (Barchfield). He also stated it gives the â€Å"visitors to historic monuments the chance to discover art that is less familiar to them† He added that the protests â€Å"come from far-right fundamentalists circles and from very conservative circles who see the museum as a reliquary of nostalgia of Ancient Regime France, of a France, that is turned in itself and hostile to modernity† (â€Å"Protesters†). Aillagon also stated â€Å"the palace and Murakami’s work are both joyful- the palace was not a place of penitence, not a place to be sad† (â€Å"Takashi Murakami's Versailles†). Versailles curator, Laurent Le Bon, stated â€Å"most of the visitors come for the chateau, not for Murakami, and are unfamiliar with contemporary art† (Von Uthmann). Several online petitions gathered thousands of names online even before the exhibition opened to the public. Two years ago a similar controversy occurred when Aillagon brought in contemporary American artist Jeff Koons. Call me a far right fundamentalist and conservative but I agree with all of the criticism surrounding this issue. This past November I got the privilege of traveling to Paris and visiting the Palace of Versailles. I had not heard anything about this exhibit occurring until getting to the Palace, walking into one of the first rooms and seeing it firsthand. I was appalled when seeing the first statue, my family and I thought the statues took a lot away from the beauty of the chateau. It also prevented us from seeing parts of the rooms and taking pictures of ceilings, walls, specific architecture that was being blocked from the statues. One visitor stated â€Å"[w]e are in a historic place, we want to see how history happened here, but every time you see a doll or a crazy monster it takes you completely out of the climax of the place† (â€Å"Takashi Murakami's Versailles†). Another stated, â€Å" it totally detracts from everything that’s here. It’s almost insulting to the palace and to visitors† (â€Å"Takashi Murakami's Versailles †) My least favorite was a piece called Tongari-Kun, also known as Mr. Pointy, inside one of the state rooms because it was so tall it blocked me from seeing the entire ceiling. Moreover, another piece called Flower Matango in the Hall of Mirrors was just awful in this room. The hall of mirrors is one of the most famous and beautiful rooms in the entire palace rich in beauty and history but it was all masked because of this statue. The sculpture of a bunch of bright, animated, ugly flowers. We could not step back and see the entire hall in its original beauty without seeing this statue smack in the center and the beauty of the mirrors was taken away because this statue was being reflected off of almost every one at that end of the hall. The statues were too brightly colored and too in your face from the mood of the rest of the palace. I have no personal pictures of the artwork because I, along with everyone else in my family, made sure Murakami’s art was out of every picture frame. I can understand why they have the exposition and the cultural exchange, the fact that they want to keep the tradition of showing the world modern art but unlike when the palace was being used for residence and power today the palace is an enormous historical landmark and is visited by over three million people per year. People do not go to the Parthenon in Greece or the Colosseum in Rome to see other artists or even have other artists intruding on its beauty. Likewise, these visitors do not go to see modern art but to see the old beauty of the palace and walk into a bit of history for a day. There are so many other museums in Paris that show modern art that the Palace of Versailles does not need to be one of them. The Palace is a piece of art on its own and does not need to have these controversial exhibits constantly demolishing its beauty. After seeing this overall I was disappointed with the exhibit and I wish I could go back another time when there will not be such a distraction.

The Mosaic floors at Fishbourne

The Mosaic floors at Fishbourne have been damaged in a variety of ways. In this essay I am going to describe and explain how several of the floors have been damaged before explaining how the damage might have been caused. In addition, I will then explain what this damage can tell us about the changing function of the site. I will now organise the damaged floors into different categorises of 4 types, and those 4 types are:- Natural-natural damage such as weather erosion. Structural- structural damage such as post holes or ditches or drain marks. Accidental-accidental damage such as JCB marks, or plough marks. Vandalism-vandalism damage made on purpose such as rubbish site. I will now describe and explain each of the 4 different types of floor damage. I will start off with Natural damage. There are 2 clearly visible effects of natural damage at Fishbourne, the first is Subsidence, subsidence is the motion of a surface as it shifts downward relative to a datum such as sea-level, there are clear and visible marks of subsidence at Fishbourne as one of the floors is decomposed and has signs of floor sinking, and tiles crumbled down also sinking, this tells us that the place could have been used as a rubbish tip site before because there are clear dips around that particular floor so people could of just thrown rubbish into it and then buried it, then built over with mosaic and now dug up again, subsidence also occurs in brittle areas of the Earth's crust and by ductile flow in the hotter and more fluid mantle of the Earth caused by the footwall of normal faults. And the second natural damage is Fire, one of the floors at Fishbourne shows heavy erosion by weathering, this is because during Roman rule, a fire was reported and burned most of the place, when the fire ended, it burned and completely destroyed the roof in that particular area, so there was then no roof and the mosaic floor was then exposed to the harsh English weather which slowly eroded it and eventually was then covered over by Earth and then eventually dug up, the fire did not actually cause any damage, but it burned down the roof so it collapsed onto the floor creating the first part of the damage, and then the weather erodes the floor and creates the second part of the damage. I will now explore Structural damage, there are 2 clear visible effects of structural damage, and the first is Granary Posts, one floor at Fishbourne has clear post holes left in it, they are equal length apart from each other and are opposite to each other. This shows that if there were Granary Posts, there was a Granary store used to store goods such as food, weapons, jewellery, and other valuables, when the Granary store was taken down, posts were left there and the wood oxidized and rotted. This tells us that the people that put up the Granary store and took it down were probably in a rush and wanted to do it quickly, and the Granary store could of be used for military purposes, also the wooden posts were left there after granary store was taken down, this tells us that maybe the Romans did not really know about objects like wood rotting, and they could have been in a hurry to take down the granary store as posts were left in there this could show they did not have time to take out the posts. The second Structural damage is a Drainage Ditch, a floor at Fishbourne has damage which can suggest that a Drainage Ditch could have been placed there earlier on because there is a massive dip in the shape of a ditch on one of the mosaics, in the Medieval period this drainage ditch could have been used for growing various crop, and might have been used as a burial ground or even a rubbish tip again, there is evidence of it being a burial ground because a skeleton was found under that mosaic. I will now look at the Accidental damage, there are 2 cases of accidental damage at Fishbourne, the first is a JCB channel concrete mark, one of the mosaics at Fishborne has been damaged by a channel of concrete that runs through the mosaic floor, it is clearly visible and was caused when the site was first discovered, the concrete was used to fill in the ditch that had been dug by a mechanical digger in order to lay water pipes in the 1960s, this tells us that the Fishbourne site had been completely overgrown, no-one knew of the site's existence until the 1960s, by then 3 quarters of the site had already been destroyed by this time. And the second damage is Medieval ploughing, one of the floors at Fishbourne has deep parallel line plough marks in the floor probably caused by a Medieval plough, this tells us that the place could possibly of been used to grow various crops on farm land in medieval times. I will now finish off the different types of damage by exploring the last type of damage which is vandalism, at Fishbourne there is 1 case of vandalism damage, near one of the mosaics there is a burial site with a number of graves and skeleton bones found in them, but some of the mosaic floor patterns are still visible under the skeleton, dug through the tiles, there could of probably been robbers trying to get to the bodies and could of smashed through the grave looking for valuables, this tells us that the site could have been used as a burial ground, and maybe in a hurry to burry someone. To conclude this essay, from the evidence that is available to me at the site and through other sources such as photographs and extracts I can successfully prove how the floors were damaged at Fishbourne and explain  about the different types of floor damage as I have already done this earlier  on in this essay in the main body of evidence.

Simone DeBeauvoir Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Simone DeBeauvoir - Essay Example In fact, "a man never begins by presenting himself as an individual of a certain sex; it goes without saying that he is man "(De Beauvoir 1986, p. 15). Opposite to the men, women are forced to constantly justify their social status as women in which femininity is particularly important. De Beauvoir points to three main arguments in favor of the idea of the existence of gender discrimination against women. Firstly, De Beauvoir regards the stereotypes in relation to biological differences between men and women: a womans body is considered as defective and limited, while the male body is characterized positively. The second argument in favor of this idea lies in the fact that, as part of the opposition "the Self – the Other" men treat women as an object for manipulation and the overwhelming impact, while the women allow such stereotypes in their address. Consideration of a woman as the Other leads to the third argument in favor of the authors idea. It consists in the fact that gender inequality is determined by social norms with respect to the distribution of various resources and social rights. In practice, women have far fewer rights than men, and this injustice is manifested in all areas of their lives. In general, the idea of discrimination against women is confirmed by the disproportion in the significance of masculinity and femininity in society. Their status is determined by the opposition "the Self – the Other" where the role of the Self is given to the man as an active and free subject, while the role of the Other belongs to the woman as a dependent object. As mentioned above, the first factor in favor of discrimination against women is associated with stereotypes about male and female bodies. In fact, men see their bodies as having a perfect set of features for a happy life. In contrast to the man, "woman has ovaries, a uterus: these peculiarities imprison her in her

Periodic Table Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Periodic Table - Essay Example Mercury is one of the noble metals. It appears near the bottom of the activity series and is very inactive. It is not affected by oxygen of the air at ordinary temperatures, but if heated to about 300oC it slowly combines with oxygen to form mercury (II) oxide. It does not dissolve in the monoxidizing acids, but dissolves readily in nitric acid to form mercury (II) nitrate (King, Caldwell and Williams 604).. Mercury was known to the ancient Chinese and Hindus and has been found in 3500 year old Egyptian tombs. Mercury is not usually found free in nature and is primarily obtained from the mineral cinnabar (HgS). Spain and Italy produce about half of the world's supply of Mercury (Gagnon). The element mercury is a metal which is liquid at room temperature. Mercury is a bit like lead but it's liquid. You can hold it in your hand. Heavy (density 13.6), in fact so heavy that objects such as bricks, cannonballs, and lumps of lead or iron will float in Mercury. Gold doesn't float in mercury - it behaves more like sugar in tea! Mercury does not stick to magnets, so if it gets into your carpets or under your floorboards it will be a long-term problem. Mercury vapour makes nice bright lights but is not for breathing. The highly reflective surface of the Mercury makes it the stuff of mirrors. It's also used for thermometers, barometers, electrical devices, etc. However the problem is the cumulative poisonous nature. In the pure metal form it's relatively inert, so not so deadly, but in compounds such as mercuric chloride. Mercury is a liquid it is not wet. It has a negative coefficient of surface tension, which means that the meniscus on the surface is the other way up from no rmal, or to put it another way it does not soak into material but more runs off in the style of "water off a duck's back (The Element Mercury). Mercury vapor and its salts are poisonous, though the free metal may be taken internally under certain conditions. Because of its relatively low boiling point (629.88 K or 356.73oC or 674.11oF) and hence volatile in nature, free mercury should never be allowed to stand in an open container in the laboratory. Evidence shows that inhalation of its vapors is injurious (King et al. 605). When it comes to versatility, mercury is number one. It has many used for today's common man and mad scientist. Being the only metal which is liquid at room temperature mercury has some specialist uses: It is used in thermometers because it has a large thermal expansion which is constant over a large temperature range although it is being phased out in favour of safer liquids. It is also used in barometers and manometers due to its high density. From this it has also become a way of measuring pressure in millimetres of mercury. Mercury can be used to make thermometers, barometers and other scientific instruments. Mercury conducts electricity and is used to make silent, position dependent switches. Mercury vapor is used in streetlights, fluorescent lamps and advertising signs. Mercury is also a good thermal conductor, making it an excellent shield and coolant in nuclear reactors. Mercury vapor is used instead of steam in the boilers of some turbine (Encyclopedia Britannica). Mercury easily forms alloys with other metals, such as gold, silver, zinc and cadmium. These alloys are called amalgams. Amalgams are used to help extract gold from its ores. Some mercury is used in the preparati on of dental amalgams of silver and gold for filling