Where I Belong free essay sample

The day that would change my life did not even begin like an ordinary day. It was overflowing with excitement from the moment I awoke. This was to be the day I would find my true love: horses. It all started when my family moved from the Detroit area to Flushing, Michigan. Flushing is rather large for a small town but it was a welcome change from Detroit’s constant sirens. There I saw an ad for horseback riding lessons. When I asked my parents about it, my mom was worried I would get hurt and Dad didn’t think I would stick with it, but after some pleading my parents agreed that I could take lessons. As we made our way down the back roads, my excitement could not be contained. I rambled on and bounced around the car. A nauseating combination of excitement and terror tumbled in my stomach. We will write a custom essay sample on Where I Belong or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As soon as we turned into the driveway, I was unbuckled. Once introduced to my riding instructor, I had a tour of the barn. Stepping into the aisle, the aroma of fresh hay, the saddle leather, and the stress-relieving, mind-numbing, intoxicating fragrance of horses hit me like a ton of bricks. I knew that I belonged. When I opened my eyes, my jaw dropped. I had never seen so many horses. After my initial shock, I was introduced to Shannon, a stout Quarter Horse almost 15 hands tall who looked absolutely massive to me, a nine-year-old. She must have sensed my fear because as the instructor explained how to tack up, she looked deep into my eyes as if to say, It’s okay, little one. I’ll take good care of you. Her eyes were so reassuring that I let go of my fears and listened to the instructor. When we were all tacked up, we made our way to the arena. Because it was my first time, I was put on a lunge line. With my helmet firmly in place, I put my foot into the stirrup and leapt onto the saddle. Everything felt so strange and awkward, but Shannon never faltered and with each step, my confidence grew. The years of being a show horse could still be seen in a flicker of Shannon’s huge chocolate eyes as she carried herself proudly. As we neared the end of my first ride, the instructor told me to let go of the saddle horn. Apprehensive at first, I let one hand go and then the other. As we slowly circled I lifted my hands into the air. I felt free as a bird. I felt like this was where I belonged. My place in life would forever be on a horse. When I dismounted, my legs were wobbly. I hugged Shannon so hard that my face was lost in a sea of black mane. Patting her silky brown neck, I felt so comfortable. When she was untacked, a sudden sadness overpowered me. The instructor asked what was wrong and I replied, â€Å"Now I have to wait until next week to come back!† My parents knew at that moment that this was not a one-time thing. From that day on my life has been nothing but horses. From horse shows to trail rides, it has been horses, horses, and more horses. I belong on a horse. Even when I’m old, even if I can’t walk, I’ll find a way to be with the passion of my life. From the first awkward step to the rider I am today, I wouldn’t change a single fall, victory, or defeat. Who would have thought that a bay mare would put me in my place in this crazy world?

Asian Values and Clash of the Cultures essays

Asian Values and Clash of the Cultures essays Asian values and clash of the cultures In the early 1990s, Europe watched enviously as the Asian Tigers grew exponentially. We asked ourselves: what lessons can Europe learn from Asia? After the crash, the question was reversed: what lessons can Asia learn from Europe? (http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/news/patten/speech_00_278.htm, Speech by Chris Patten, Seoul, 20 July 2000) Western newspapers, radio and television stations, research institutes and universities have had much more to say about Asian values lately than Asian themselves. And usually it isnt in positive context. The idea of an "Asian Values" is actually very new. National traditions have been strong and rooted in peoples' perceptions. But the sense of a regional identity and shared heritage is a notion of today. Recently many Asian countries have started to praise Asian Values. There is many reasons for that but the strongest one have to be that they feel threatened by the sudden influence of Western culture and demands for democratisation and liberalisation as a result of their economic expansion. Though we have to remember that different kinds of anti-western attitudes, especially towards Europe has occurred since the end of the colonialism. Some of the Asia Countries leaders criticised the West for refusing to accept the legitimacy of Asian values. They argue that the reason is that West cannot accept that East Asia is becoming a centre of World power. Further more, they believe that psychological revolution is taking place in East Asia as soon as Asians recover from their colonial past and are discovering that they can do things as good as, or even better than the West. Asian Values, such as hard work, loyalty, and an emphasis on society's needs, have often been considered as a main reason for Asias economic growth and success in recent decades. West anyhow has challenged this believe by asking why didn&apo...

A contrast between opposing values in Hard Times Essay Example for Free

A contrast between opposing values in Hard Times Essay ? The first incident that involves the circus and circus people that I would like to talk about, and that clearly demonstrates the contrast between opposing values is on page 34 onwards. Mr Gradgrind, the absolute pinnacle of fact in the book, goes to visit the Circus people to tell them that the fanciful Sissy Jupe can no longer attend the school. I have chosen this incident as it involves more of the circus characters than really at any other time, secondly the description of the circus shows just how far from the world and values of fact it is. The circus is the best symbol for representing the alternative to all that is fact in the book; the circus is seen as a world of mystery and wonder almost of magic and idea that completely goes against the idea of facts. Gradgrind and Bounderby go to see Sissy’s father only to find out he has abandoned his daughter, it is then that Mr Gradgrind decides on the possibility of taking Sissy to his own home, and educating her in the ways of fact from there. Mr Bounderby and Mr Gradgrind get together during this time and have a conference of opinions based upon the fact and laws they have always followed, Gradgrind being softer at heart but still the fact machine at this point wants to take Sissy home, but Gradgrind can be heard to be saying â€Å"No. I say no. I advise you not. I say by no means.† He does this as he is the metaphor for fact throughout the book and to take someone else’s child on as your own and teach them the ways of fact, when she has been living the life of fancy for many years seems absurd to Bounderby. However, at the same time that Gradgrind is having a debate about the matter with Bounderby, â€Å"†¦the various members of Sleary’s company gradually gathered together from the upper regions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The circus people are described in this chapter as being â€Å"†¦remarkable gentleness and childishness about these people, a special inaptitude for any kind of sharp practice, and an untiring readiness to help and pity one another, deserving often as much respect, and always as much generous construction, as the every-day virtues of any class of people in the world.† Unlike the likes of Bounderby and Gradgrind, who cannot be described as emotional or passionate or anything of the sort just â€Å"plain hard facts† Sleary in this chapter is the real philosopher on the ideas of fancy he even says it â€Å"†¦I lay down the philothophy of the thubject when thay to you, Thquire, make the betht of uth: not the wurtht!† This chapter clearly show the contrast between opposing views and values in Hard Times, the circus shows a whole new world but is representative of a whole new set of values the ideas of fancy are represented in the themes and scenes with the circus. The thing is with the circus is that it has almost dreamlike status things happen there that cannot happen anywhere else and it appears to be an almost illusion, for example â€Å"The father of one of the families was in the habit of balancing the father of another of the families on top of a great pole.† These are the things that you would only expect to see in dreams and so therefore it is fanciful, a complete contrast to the ideas of fact displayed throughout the rest of Hard Times. A good example of how far opposed to the ideas of fact the circus is takes place on page 12 and 13 when, Mr Gradgrind the keeper of facts and bringer of knowledge to Thomas and Louisa Gradgrind’s lives, catches them sat watching the circus people, he takes the view that the circus was bad news, as it opposes everything he stands for â€Å"Now to think of these vagabonds attracting the young rabble from a model school.† He sees the idea of the circus so fanciful and alien to him, he feels that to watch a circus act would be to debase himself or a well-educated child. It even says â€Å"his own mathematical Thomas abasing himself on the ground to catch but a hoof of the graceful equestrian Tyrolean flower act!† This sentence shows what the opposing values are fully in Hard Times, it is obvious from the statement that anything mathematical or just plain practical is in direct opposition to the fanciful nature of flower shows and the like. Thomas when caught does not even protest but knows that to obey his father’s principles he must â€Å"[give] himself up to be taken home like a machine.† That is clearly the way of fact to be machine like, and that is why the circus is such a good opposition and symbol of everything fact isn’t, Gradgrind condemns circus like ideals when he says â€Å"In the name of wonder, idleness and folly!† apparently to dream or to be imaginative is lazy in Gradgrind’s books. Which is why the factual way in which Gradgrind has based his life upon is so offended by the ideas of fancy as he doesn’t like the thought of being considered as being not lazy but that there can be other ways to work hard in life. Gradgrind is so full of the idea that facts are right, that he even questions and believes that with all these thoughts at the disposal they could make the wrong decision, when surely it isn’t a case of right and wrong? Just opposing views and they do oppose each other! Gradgrind does say though â€Å"Thomas though I have the facts before me I find it difficult to believe that you with your education and resources should have brought your sister to a scene like this.† This makes it seem as though education is supposed to kill the imagination, which clearly conflicts with the views of the circus, which believe that you should work hard and perform in life, but never let the dreams die. A contrast between opposing values in Hard Times. (2017, Nov 15).

The development of Blues and Jazz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The development of Blues and Jazz - Essay Example Like jazz, the blues originated in the Deep South and had its roots in folk and popular culture, namely African American spirituals, gospel music or folk ballads (Culture and Change: Black History in America). Ironically while the proverbial Jazz Age celebrated the material excess and splendor of the years of economic boom which preceded the Great Depression, jazz and the blues had their roots in the melancholy and suffering which typified the lives of African Americans in the plantation society of the Deep South. The sadness of these musical forms, though it speaks tacitly of the pain of separation and exploitation, does not diminish its aesthetic beauty. In fact, perhaps quite paradoxically, jazz speaks of sadness even as it embraces an extremely life-affirming spirit. Perhaps the most important characteristic of jazz is its emphasis on artistic freedom. Improvisation is the most central facet of this musical genre. Improvisation which is essentially the act of creating melodies an d lyrics in the flow of a performance debunks the very idea of the normative in creative expression. Improvisation is seen in the solo performances of the best known jazz artist, Louis Armstrong as well as in the â€Å"free jazz† styles of artists such as Albert Ayler, Ornette Coleman, and John Coltrane (ibid). The trajectory of jazz and the blues is many pronged. ... are many factors which imbue jazz with not merely artistic importance but also cultural and sociopolitical importance and an analysis of these is important to this discussion. Jazz was brought to the fore in the American society shortly after the end of World War I. It celebrated, thus, freedom, happiness and the hope for peace, all things that the annihilation of war destroys. Furthermore, the Jazz Age coincided with a crucially important literary and political movement in the U.S.A.-the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance, predominantly an African American movement emphasized the literary and intellectual achievements of blacks and called for social and political equality for the colored people of the country. Jazz and the blues and their multifarious manifestations, formed a major part of the movement. It was celebrated in its most immediate form, music, but its beats and themes were also incorporated in dancing and literature. Above all, by celebrating the folk roots of ja zz, the movement upheld black pride and the civic equality of all Americans. In terms of its beginnings, jazz is similar to the minstrels, ballads and spirituals which have existed in every society since time immemorial. These forms are what Mikhail Bakhtin characterizes as â€Å"low† or â€Å"carnival†; they do not adhere to normative strictures of the â€Å"high† arts and seek an audience that is usually not amongst the socially and economically privileged in society (Mikhail Bakhtin). Jazz is unique by the virtue of the fact that it transcends its folk roots to enter the popular imagination of not merely the U.S.A. but many European nations as well. In fact, in the 1940s when jazz had already enjoyed a decade of dizzy popularity, jazz musicians were willing to explore in other directions

Ethnographic film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethnographic film - Essay Example There has no actual date that states the origin of this film. The initial instances of these films were the footages that projectionists and film makers took during their travels. They took footages of distant cultures in the places they visited. Colonizers also used them to educate the countries they colonized during their travels. They viewed them later during the journey or after returning home. Some argue that they begum in 1895 when Lumiere shown his film named ‘Arrival of Train’. During that time, the travelling agents also shown their clips during their travel. However, the anthropologist disagrees that this inspired the production of ethnographic films. They claim that the people who acted this film did not have acting experience and non-western. The cultures of this people had no exposure to the modern world and lived in the non-urban area. These factors disregard that these films originated during that time. After the First World War museums and universities st arted using ethnological films in their anthropological teachings. Commercial producers such as Paul Fejos trained anthropologists on how to use filming tools during their researches. They also collaborated with institutions and museums to produce high quality movies (Beate 67). Robert J Flaherty produced and shown his film â€Å"Nanook of the North’ in 1920. The film consisted of documentaries and stage crafts. He intended to naturalistically to portray people who lived in the arctic regions. He did not have any anthropology background but the subjects in his movie interacted with him well. People saw his pictures portray the unknown Eskimo way of life real. This made him the godfather of ethnological films together with his previous films he had recorded. Later in Gregory and Mead released their film ‘Hunter’. It documented the complex rituals that take place in New Guinea. This became the most viewed ethnographic films in different American institutions. Othe r ethnographic films that followed: Napoleon Chagnon, The story of a Kung Woman and The Feast. Marcel, Dieterlen and Rouch flourished production of ethnographic films in France. Discovery of 16mm cameras and light tape-recorders led to evolution of Visual anthropology. Then followed enhancement of filming techniques in visual anthropology by Rouch. Then Robert and Karl introduced editing and filming as a serious research technique. Then ‘Dead Birds’, a film produced later combined all these enhancements during its filming and production. In 1970’s, Judith and MacDougall started to produce ethnographic films with subtitles. Later different production techniques such as reflex ion and experimental montages become introduced in filming of ethnographic films by Minh-Ha. These summarize a brief history of how ethnographic films evolved in the world. There have been conflicts between the filmmakers and the archaeologist. Archaeologists argue that the ethnological films they produce do not satisfy the required criteria. Lack of scientific knowledge among the filmmakers contributes to this problem. They further argue that the filmmakers only primarily concerned with meeting documentary film conventions. This makes them not to meet the convention of ethnological films. These conventions require their images and sound tracks to be anthropological in nature. The film makers depend on verbal or written words to make their films anthropological. This again makes them fail to meet the conve

The House of Mirth Essay Example for Free

The House of Mirth Essay Lily Bart is simultaneously a product and a victim of the society she was born into. She cannot choose between two possible ways of living: to hunt for wealth or long for love and understanding. She was taught that her goal of life was to find a wealthy man and become his wife. She can choose only among those who either have no social status (Rosedale), are married (Trenor), are boring and not interesting for her (Gryce), or have no money (Selden). 2. As the story progresses we understand that money is not everything in this upper class of society the main character belongs to. One must behave a certain way, be friends with certain people and have a free admission to certain houses. Everybody watches each other and then discusses the details with the rest of elite. This is the society where everybody will struggle to death, step over others, use and abuse others but to get what one wants. We see how Lily’s friends treat her and this is not the way how friends treat each other. It is not allowed to meet with a man unless you have a chaperone. If a women is married, she has to be discreet, besides women must be more precise in their appearance than men. 3. One social group I know (my parents belong to it) has ist â€Å"unwritten rules†, too. Among these are: not to stare people and not to point to people; not to ask for favor; to drive an expensive car; not to be late. There are also rules about dressing up like: not to wear jeans if its not casual day to work and not to ask womans age. 4. While reading the book I felt really sorry for people who lived at that time when they could not be free but had to live the way the society has determined for them. I felt quite happy for the present and for myself that modern rules are not that terrible, although some of them are worse that in the past. I also felt sorry for the girl herself: being all alone among people who just use and abuse you, knowing that your only fate is to try to please a wealthy man whom you do not necessarily like but whom you need in order to live a normal life. Bibliography: 1. Wharton, Edith. The House of Mirth. New American Library; Reprint edition (February 1, 2000).

Early Repolarization Pattern (ERP) Essay -- pattern, leads, conditions

Introduction Early repolarization pattern (ERP) is an enigmatic common electrocardiographic (ECG) finding,occurring in 1% to 2% of the general population (1). ERP prevalence is decreasing with advancing age (2) This ECG pattern is frequently observed in healthy persons,particularly young,male (3,4,5), athletic (6,7), and of African-American origin (4,5,6,7,8).On the 12-lead ECG the ERP is characterized as â€Å"notching† or â€Å"slurring† of the terminal portion of the R wave and beginning of the ST-segment that produces a positive hump known as J wave. The J wave is a deflection with a dome that appears immediately after the end of QRS complex followed by ST-segment elevation ≠¥ 0.1 mV (or 1 mm, varying from 1 to 4 mm) above isoelectric line (relative to the subsequent TP interval) concave upward in at least two contiguous ECG leads. This ECG finding is most frequently seen in the precordial leads from V3 to V5 and often in the inferior leads II, III, and aVF (9) Normal ERP should be differentiated from others conditions with ST segment elevation such as asthenic habitus, acute pericarditis, STEMI,Brugada syndrome (BrS), congenital short QT syndrome(SQTS), and IVF (10,11). Although the condition is usually considered benign, its potential arrhythmogenicity has been suggested by experimental studies.(12) The majority of such sudden cardiac arrests are caused by ventricular tachyarrhythmias, which occur in persons without structural heart disease in 6 to 14% of cases. (13,14) These results were replicated in similar studies and the association with increased arrhythmic risk was subsequently extended to the general population in large cohort studies (16,17). In brief, ER consists of 2 components: prominent J waves and ST-segment elevation.... ... and QT interval association.In the recently study, patients with ERP had shorter QTc interval than subjects with normal ECG pattern. Also statistical results are significantly different about other paratemeters like QT,JT,JTc,QT-apex interval.The previous studies showed ERP and short QT interval relation however subjects had different heart rates.Conversely we showed this association one-to-one matching with heart rates. Study limitations The number of subjects in this study is limited,because as a tertiary center patients with early repolarization pattern referred to our institution were complex and had comorbidities Although the cohort included subjects with strictly defined common features, data collectionwas not uniform among centers. In our study population, we had no subjects with structural heart disease so the results may not apply to these subgroups.