Clytemnestra Antigone: Inescapable Femininity

Clytemnestra Antigone: Inescapable Femininity In Aeschylus and Sophocles portrayals, women who are masculine are feminized when they confront death; the reassumption of orthodoxy reflects how women cannot truly break away from their femininity regardless if they resist it in Greek society. Aeschylus tragic heroine Clytemnestra is undoubtedly one of the most masculine women in the play, yet she is compelled to surrender her masculine features in the aftermath of her murder. When Orestes prepares to strike his mother, Clytemnestra elicits an evocation of femininity by exposing her breast to him and pleading, Wait, my son no respect for this, my child? The breast you held, drowsing away the hours / soft gums tugging the milk that made you grow? (The Libation Bearers, 883-885) The image of Orestes tenderly suckling the nourishing milk from his mothers breast temporarily makes Orestes question his own righteousness and signifies the queens return to motherhood. Aeschylus accentuates the feminine effect by contrasting this scene to Clytemnestras callous demand for a man-axe. Furthermore, Clytemnestras breast alludes to the maternity and sensuality associated with the female body. Despite exercising total control in prior events, Clytemnestra, in her most vulnerable moment, is forced to reoccupy her feminine role when threatened to pay with her life for Agamemnons death. Clytemnestras masculine power is ultimately illusory, and for her transgression she is reminded that she is, in essence, a woman. Sophocles reflects a similar sentiment to Aeschylus portrayal of women. Throughout the play, Antigone was firmly recalcitrant on dying, but her resolve wavers when she confronts death. Walking towards the the tomb where she will perish, she mourns, No marriage bed, no marriage  song for me / and since no wedding, so no child to rear / I go, without a friend, struck down by faith (Antigone, 918-922). Antigones headstrong demeanor relents to self-pity, and she rues that she will never experience the joyous celebrations and hallmarks of female growth. She will die husbandless and childless, unfulfilled in her female role, with no family nor friends to bewail her death. The source of her masculinity, her willful act to die in defiance of the law, significantly weakens and is replaced with regretful yearning for her natural life. Antigones indifference to death is supplanted by feminine vulnerability and sensitivity. Sophocles portrays through her brief remorse that though she behaved m asculinely, she is still emotionally overtaken by her foundation as a woman in the end. The examples discussed prior exhibit how Clytemnestra and Antigone react to the impending death. Hereafter, I will discuss the ways Aeschylus and Sophocles portray women when they take personal responsibility for their actions by means of death. Femininity is permanently imposed on Antigone and Clytemnestra in their demise regardless of their deliberate resistance against the social norm. Orestes reinstates Clytemnestras femininity by forcing upon her the proper role of a wife. He drags her to Aegisthus corpse and coldly says,You love your man? Then lie in the same grave. You can never be unfaithful to the dead (The Libation Bearers, 881-882). Criticizing Clytemnestras infidelity in her first relationship, Orestes sought to rectify her wrongdoing by coercing her into devotion for her second lover. Orestes demands that Clytemnestra fulfills her role as a wife with Aegisthus, the role that she had neglected with Agamemnon. By slaying Clytemnestra along with her lover, her loyalty will be imperishable and her duty as a wife  eternally etched in death a sour exit for someone who has been too keen in escaping their femininity. In this scene, Aeschylus portrays death as the mediator that conclusively resolves Clytemnestras ambiguity of gender in favor of her womanly roles. No matter how much Clytemnestra tries to escape her femininity in life, death is definite; the quee ns downfall perpetually reestablishes her role as a woman. Similarly, Antigone is forced against her will to be wedded in death. At first glance, Antigones death could be interpreted as masculine; she commits suicide as a final act of defiance against Creon, to take away his power by dying through her own hands. Additionally, Antigone dies a virgin, a symbolic rebellion against the traditional female role. Sophocles, however, refutes her masculine decisions by illustrating her as a bride in death, an expressive depiction of femininity. Antigone refers to her cave, O tomb, o marriage chamber, hollowed out / house that will watch forever, where I go (Antigone, 891-892). The marriage chamber and house, commonly symbolic of the sphere of private life, will never depart from Antigone in death. Antigones death mirrors Clytemnestras demise in her actual home. Neither Antigone nor Clytemnestra can stray away from their obligations to the domestic sphere the houses they die in restore their identities as women. Moreover, Antigones marriage chamber is fully realized when Haemon commits suicide beside her. The messenger describes the debacle, Corpse on corpse, [Haemon] lies. He found his marriage, its celebration in the halls of Hades. (Antigone. 1240-1241) Powerless to change her image, Antigone assumes the role of a bride in death, and Haemon her groom. The image of Haemon caressing and resting against Antigones corpse resembles intimate consummation after marriage. Their paired deaths echoes those of Clytemnestra and Aegisthus Antigones rebellious act against the norm is involuntarily transformed into an image of exceptional femininity. In supplement to these portrayals of wifehood, Aeschylus and Sophocles emphasize the same body part to recall their essential femininity. When Antigone is caught in a noose / of her own linen veiling, (Antigone, 1221-1222), Sophocles directs the focus particularly on Antigones neck. Aeschylus also establishes an identical focus; Orestes confesses in his trial, I drew my sword more, I cut [Clytemnestras] throat (Eumenides, 598) Attention is centered to the neck for the same reason as Clytemnestras breast; it magnifies the feminine aspects of vulnerability and sensuality. Moreover, the linen noose mirrors the delicate tapestries, the life of the house (Agamemnon, 946) that Clytemnestra laid out for her husband to tread on; these fabrics symbolize the daintiness of a woman that Agamemnon himself has violated by sacrificing Iphigenia. It is only cruel irony that the same material that created these tapestries is responsible for Antigones death; she has literally succumbed to femininity when forced to take personal responsibility for her actions, her masculine acts of disobedience overshadowed by her feminine presentation in death. Clytemnestra and Antigones fierce independence and persistent defiance of the social norm makes them appear strikingly heroic. But in their rebellious aftermath, death arbitrates this dispute in favor of the orthodox; women who transgress the territory of gender are forced to reconcile with their womanliness. In Aeschylus and Sophocles vision, masculine women cannot truly escape from their femininity. Ismenes ominous warning, wrong from the start, to chase  what cannot be, (Antigone, 92) epitomizes the position of women like Clytemnestra and Antigone in patriarchal Greek society they are merely pursuing an impossibility. Traditional Malay House: Overview Traditional Malay House: Overview The traditional Malay house is one of the richest components of Malaysias cultural heritage. The purpose of this study is to understand and analyze traditional vernacular Malay house being modernized and the effects of modern material applied. Though the modernization process transforms and changes the materials, it still maintains the original building design, function, decorative element, and cultural importance to its local context. Literature reviews based on various sources regarding the traditional vernacular Malay house are referred, as well as interviews of the house owner will be conducted. To further enhance the research, the Malay houses in Kampong Bharu, Kuala Lumpur were chosen as the prime example of the modern vernacular Malay house. Malaysia is a tropical climatic country due to its place in the central part of the Southeast Asia. The design of the roof was steep and it was elevated is to cater the monsoon rain season in Malaysia. Due to the warm climate, most of the Malay houses have large openings on the sides and grilles are provided at the high level gable ends and the building its raised up are for ventilation purposes. There are three major elements of the traditional Malay house, which is transformed into modern context, namely the roof, window and pillars. The vernacular houses attempts to adhere to traditional life style even though it used modern construction materials while maintaining, the cultural and traditional design of Malay house. Nowadays the use of traditional materials has diminished. Unfortunately, these sustainable qualities of Malay house have transformed. Hence, through the study there are advantages and disadvantages using modern construction materials in traditional Malay house. While one exemplifies a deep cultural significance, the other is an immediate response to the evolving environment. It is intriguing that many aspects of architectural styles and its applications were discovered through this case study research . Case study (Kampung Bharu, Kuala Lumpur) This study is to analyze the modern traditional vernacular Malay house. How is the origin Malay house being transform into modern vernacular houses and what is the effect of contemporary materials. The kampong Baru is located in the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala lumpur. This is a reserved area for the Malay ethnic groups. From the case study will found out the climatic effect of using contemporary materials in the traditional Malay house by the following questions: How is the climate of Malaysia? How did the climatic factors of Malaysia influence the design of the traditional vernacular Malay house? How did the traditional vernacular Malay house being modernization? What are the climatic effects on the modern vernacular Malay house? Introduction In this paper, is to study and analyze the influences of Malaysia climatic factors on the design of the traditional vernacular Malay houses. Basically it is part of the research on the climatic effects on the contemporary construction materials in the traditional vernacular Malay houses in Malaysia. The study is more focused on the adaption of the local climate on the traditional vernacular Malay houses and how the building was transformed into modern vernacular Malay houses through the modernization process also the effects of using modern construction materials in the modern vernacular Malay houses. During the early 20th century, modernization and colonization periods the British had brought multiracial immigrants into Malaya. Then, Malaysia defines as a multiracial country that included Malays, Chinese, Indian and others. During the colonization period, multiracial group is staying separately. The majority staying in countryside mostly is Malays group and the Chinese and Indian were staying in the city. The Malay racial group depends heavily on the environment. Villages can be established even a single traditional Malay house and the additional houses came later. Normally, the buildings that built closely together were usually family members. The most significant characteristics of traditional vernacular Malay house are the adaption natural climatic factors in Malaysia. The traditional vernacular Malay house The traditional vernacular Malay house defines as a richest component of Malaysia cultural heritage. The buildings built with local materials and local techniques. Mostly, the occupant will participated in the process of design and construct, it is to manifest the aesthetic skills of the Malays. The site planning of the building based largely on Islamic beliefs and its environment. The layout was split into two parts, front and back yards. Obviously, front part will be the welcoming guest area and it is decorated with different types of ornamental plants and flowers. Back yard is the area linked to kitchen and washroom and it is placed near water, as the kitchen needs intense water usage. The marital status also reflected the architectural style of the building because of the Islamic beliefs. The house form had developed and modified over a long period to satisfy most of the cultural, occupants needs and circumstances changes. The traditional Malay houses are bamboo or timber houses raised on stilts (timber). The building mostly is a post and lintel structure with timber or bamboo walls and a thatched gabled shape roof. There are always large openings on the sides of the building to providing good ventilation. From a distance the traditional Malay house seems to integrate naturally with the environment. The large gabled shape roofs, dominates the low walls and with different orientations and sizes created an interesting visual form. Overall the Malay house is designed to cater the local climatic factors by various ventilation and local materials that are low thermal capacity materials. Besides the well adaption to the environment, the design of the traditional Malay houses are flexible is to cater the needs of user and it evolved a building system called prefabricated. Th e building has developed a sophisticated addition system that allows the building can be easily extended with the needs of the occupants. There were various traditional Malay house forms can be found in Peninsular Malaysia. Normally, they classified based on the shapes of roof. The basic forms of Malay house are called the bumbung panjang, bumbung lima, bumbung limas and bumbung perak. The most common design of the Malay house form was bumbung panjang that with a simple long gable roof, supported by the main posts. The bumbung panjang is the simplest one of the four roof shapes and it is an oldest identified in Malaysia. The bumbung panjang form became most popularity used on the Malay house among the poorer users and those built the buildings by themselves. Due to the bumbung panjang house form, it is simplicity and become a very efficient roof shape for the building. Mostly the material used for the bumbung panjang is attap. Attap is a thatch covered and tied together with nipah and others palm trees that can easily found in the local area. The simple funnel shape of bumbung panjang roof is a very efficient in ventil ation properties. The roof can cools the house effectively is because of using the ventilation grilles at the ends of the gable called tebarlayar and the ventilation joints to provide better ventilation. Besides the bumbung panjang, the bumbung lima, bumbung limas, and bumbung perak are all not origin tradition roof shapes, it has modified and developed through foreign influence. Furthermore, the bumbung lima Malay house always with a hipped roof, the bumbung perak Malay house form always with a gambrel roof and the bumbung limas house always with a pyramidal roof. Hence, they are two type of houses believed that were influenced by Dutch and British architecture during the colonization. Lastly the bumbung perak house form also known as the bumbung potongan Belanda which is a type of Dutch roof and it is a famous roof in East Coast. Originally, spaces in traditional Malay houses can be separated into front part and back portion. Therefore, the core house (rumah ibu) or main area must be at the front and the kitchen (Dapur Rumah Tengah) area will be on the back portions of the house. The selang is a closed walkway covered by leaves and used to be a linking device for the front and back portions. The selang is providing good ventilation and natural sunlight entering the house. Besides the location of the side entrance to the kitchen, it is also a space for womenfolk to socialize and chat. Most of the traditional Malay houses entrance there will be a covered porch called the anjung that acts as a transition place between the private and public spaces. The anjung will only used to entertain the unfamiliar visitors and it is a favorite space for the users to chat and rest. This floor was approximately 0.5 to 1 meter lower than the rumah ibu floor level. Beside the anjung was a hanging verandah (serambi gantung) wher e most of the guests will be entertained here and it is a one step down from the main house around 15 centimeters. The openings in the serambi gantung provide good views to outside and allowing natural ventilation entering the place where usually occurred daily activities. At the serambi gantung area can easily observed the embellishments like carving and grill of openings, balustrades and wall panels. Next to serambi gantung was the rumah ibu, which is the core area and it is the largest area and can defined as multi purpose area for most activities were conducted here. The rumah ibu floor level was the highest and cleanliness area white the kitchen (dapur) was the lowest level and untidy area of the house. How is the climate of Malaysia? The main characteristics of traditional Malay vernacular houses are it is well designed to cater the Malaysia climate. From the Malay houses we can notice it is designed with a very good understanding for nature. In the traditional Malay societies, the villagers were directly obtain most of the resources from the natural environment for theirs building materials, food and medicines. To understand better on the influences of local climatic factors on the Malay houses, must first understand the local climate, thermal requirements comfort and the conditions of the environment that the building will build. Malaysia is located in central South-East Asia and has a tropical weather. Due to the latitude and longitude, it gives Malaysia a warm humid equatorial that influenced by monsoonal climate. The monsoon climate here comes twice a year, the first monsoon season comes during the summer season and the other comes during winter season. The differences between the two monsoon season are summ er season bring lots of rainfalls and winter monsoon does not brings rain and is generally dry. The annual rainfall was averaging 80 inches to 100 inches. Furthermore, the climate here gives hot summer and high humidity throughout the year. The temperature here holds around 24 Celsius to 34 Celsius, which gives warm days and fairy cool nights. The annual humidity level was averaging about 75% or above. The high humidity climate causes the very high water vapour in the air. It can filter the solar radiation but it also speeded up the rotting, and the growth of algae. The local wind only comes in from northeast and southwest these two directions. Normally winds are in low variable speed, high variable speed wind will only occur when rain. Hence, the local climatic factors here were high temperatures, humidity and solar radiation. Based on the local climatic factors the building built here should able to achieve the thermal comfort. Therefore, rain, floods and strong winds must be control to achieve thermal comfort in Malaysia Malay houses. For thermal comfort, heat will produce from the human activities and metabolic process. The metabolic process will balance and maintain the body temperature (37celcius). The heat will release during the metabolism process of conversion of good into energy. The heat loss through convection, conduction and radiation can be negligible is due to the local temperature are almost same as the body temperature. Similarly, the perspiration is reduced and the body temperature is decreasing because of the high humidity. The saturated air envelope blocks the evaporation from the human body and it is easily form especially in humid climate. In the building ventilation is important because air fl owing can removed the saturated air envelope in order to accelerate evaporation. Similarity, a building without any ventilation, it will increase the temperature and humidity to an uncomfortable conditions. The main sources of body heat gaining are the local climatic factors conduction from the building fabric. Direct solar radiation is the main sources of body heat gaining, thus the proper design of controlling the direct solar radiation entering the building is the most important to achieve thermal comfort. Besides that, the type of materials used is one of the major sources because the high thermal capacity materials will absorbed heat and emitted to the interiors buildings. Therefore, heat gain from solar radiation must be minimized and maximized the ventilation in order to achieve the human thermal comfort in the house. How did the climatic factors of Malaysia influence the design of the traditional vernacular Malay house? Obviously, the traditional Malay vernacular house is well local climatic control building and it also influences by the local climatic factors. A local design of Malay house must have the following factors must raised up on stilts (timber), large opening on side, use low thermal capacity building materials (wood,timber,rattan,bamboo), controlling the direct sun radiation, a long thatched steep gable roof by attap , site planning and site layout. From the design of traditional Malay vernacular house, it is a very appropriate design to cater the tropical climate of Malaysia and it is more suitable to the Malaysia climate compared to the modern brick house. The raised up floor in traditional Malay house is maximizing the ventilation in the house as well as preventing the monsoonal rain floods. The raised floor is hardly seen in most modern house and the quality of openness in the building is shown by the voids in its window, ventilation grills, the open raised up bottom and the open int eriors. There are various features providing effective ventilation in Malay house. The purpose of elevated the floor on stilts is to catch high velocity of winds and the interiors with minimum partitions is to maximize the cross ventilation occur in the building. Normally, full-length opening and fully adjustable windows or louvers will surround the traditional Malay house. The carved panels on the top of the windows and wooden grilles also an important ventilation device. Behind the ventilation, the craving on wooden panels controlled the glare entering the house and it also representing the Islamic scripts. There are two effective ventilation devices on a simple gable roof. They are the sail-like gable-end (tebar layar) of the roof and the ventilation joints called patah both are very effective ventilation to direct air to ventilate the roof space. The houses in village are randomly arranged and planting the tree wisely around the house to allow natural flow through the building a nd integrated harmoniously with nature. The Malay house mostly built far apart for future extension to fulfill the needs of occupant. In the traditional Malay house, there are more voids than mass and it is a lightweight construction using natural materials to cater the local climate. The natural materials define as low thermal capacity materials and it is a very good in insulating. The long thatched roof with large overhands in traditional Malay house has reduced the solar radiation and it also designed to reduce direct sunlight. The low walls and large overhangs in Malay house, it make the shading easier and reduced the solar radiation also the glare from he open skies. Besides providing good shading, the large overhangs also gives protection against driving rain. The walls and overhangs have allowed the windows to be open in different situation weather. In addition, the external environment of Malay house mostly covered and shaded with trees or vegetation. This provides a cooler environment and lessened the reflective of glare for the house to set in. Traditionally, most of the Malay houses are oriented to face East-West for religious reasons and reduces direct exposure to heat from direct solar radiation. How did the traditional vernacular Malay house being modernization? Nowadays, most of the traditional vernacular Malay houses are being transforming into modern Malay house throughout the modernization period. The Malay houses were modernized due to the stress from urban redevelopment and sociality changes. The new Malay houses has different spatial layout also the used of construction materials and technique. Based on the case studies, the Malay houses in the kampong bharu were transformed the roof, wall, pillar and window. The external environment has also changes is hardly to see high and tall trees only short trees are planted there due to the limited space of the compound. The short and small trees also blocked most of the natural airflow passes through the house. Besides the changes of external environment, the interior of Malay houses was transformed into more walls to divide the rooms and spaces. The cross ventilation and natural air movement were reduced due to the mass partitioning walls inside the house. As I mentioned above, the roof is the most significant feature because the Malay house were categorized based on their roof types. The Malay house in the kampong mostly used bumbung panjang compared than the other 3 types of roof. This is because the type of roof is easier to construct and cheaper. From the site I have found some houses actually using different roof for theirs main and secondary roofs. The most famous combination types of roof in kampong are bumbung perak with bumbung panjang and bumbung panjang with bumbung panjang. The long gable steep roof has become gentler for the sloping degrees and regarding the tebar layar on the gable ends of the roof were modified the design or closed with wall panels. Traditionally, attap or wooden shingles were the main materials of the roof but generally now modern construction materials were often used than the traditional materials. Besides the transformation of roof, the walls and the openings also modified due to introduce of new arc hitecture during the colonization period. The traditional wall is made by bamboo and the traditional arrangements of wallboard were totally modified. The shuttered windows on the wall are one of the significant features to show the characteristic of Malay house. The faade of the Malay house can be separated into 3 parts, the carved wooden panels providing better ventilation mostly at the top part above the window, while the window or adjustable louvers always built at the middle and bottom parts. There are some Malay house walls still using the timber board but in the modern construction brick walls are replaced the traditional bamboo or timber board wall is due to the maintenance and long lasting problems. There are 3 main types of windows such as the short window (tingkap), the tall window (jendela) and the punched window. The aesthetic wooden balustrades behind the windows are being used for safety purposes. In origin of window pattern, the jendela and tiangkap window have a key feature to classify the windows pattern called Jenang pintu. Although, the windows in Malay house has the traditional elements but the proportion of the window has modified to slimmer and became closer of the gap between the windows. The western punched glass window was adopted modern glass louvers to maximizing the ventilation while maintaining the safety of the house. The traditional stilts are no longer in use since pillars are a very important structural to support load from the house. In general, the brick and reinforced concrete pillar were often used, with the increasing of concrete pillar heights spaces of underneath became more efficient. In the modern vernacular Malay house only used concrete pillars and the underneath is usually walled to fulfill the needs of user. The transformation of wooden pillars to concrete pillars is due to the concrete pillars is more suitable for supporting the loads. What are the climatic effects on the modern vernacular Malay house? After brought in the modern construction materials like zinc, cement, brick, glazing and aluminum louvers window into traditional Malay house has modified the traditional house forms and side effects of the high thermal capacity materials. The high thermal capacity materials are not suitable in local climate example like the zinc and asbestos roofs in Malay houses are generated more noise during the rains fall and gives a very hot interiors during the day. Besides the climatic effects the used of modern materials also causes the diminishing of traditional aesthetic skills and techniques of creating the complicated thatched attap roof. Other than used of zinc and asbestos materials, the bricks, cement and concrete are better materials use for creating walls especially the wet area parts and stronger structures for the house. Some of the Malay house has a closed underneath to create the house to double-storey house. Such change has transformed the light and airy Malay house into solid looking building. The full-length wooden window has been replace by the adjustable glass louvers window with aluminum frames. The louvers window has modified the traditional windows into smaller and closed the bottom part of the window. It causes the less efficiency of ventilation. The iron bar in louver window is for safety purpose but it totally destroyed the quality of openness in traditional Malay house. Conclusion Throughout the studies, the traditional vernacular Malay house was design to cater the local climate and it is one of the richest components of Malaysia cultural heritage. Besides the adaption of local climatic factors the houses also reflected the Islamic belief. The houses were developed and modified until it satisfies the user. Based on the research they are various house form in Malaysia, they only can be classified based on the roof types. Overall the traditional Malay house was adapted to the local climate and it is design such as random spatial layout, raised up floor, full-length windows and high-insulated roof. The shading tress and vegetation around the house also helps to cool down the temperature in the house. The orientation of house facing to east and west was influences by the religions reason and it helps reduced the direct sun light radiation. In the modern vernacular Malay house was transformed and modified to fulfill the needs of occupant but it still maintained the traditional roof shapes. The used of modern materials was directly changed the house form and brought climatic effects into the house. Secondly, introduce of modern materials the lightweight construction Malay house has transformed into more solid looking building and it also causes the diminishing of traditional skills. Overall, the sustainably in modern vernacular Malay house was transformed and also the traditional house forms were changed.

Developing Countries Essay -- International Political Economy, Debt

Developing countries are closely linked to debt. This is because developing countries needs to allocate more funds to resolve debt crises. Debt can create a negative effect to the host country’s economy and the social condition of a country. This issue of indebtedness is usually solved using domestic capital. Since developing countries have low income, therefore they have low level of savings. The savings are insufficient to repay debt. Thus the government resolves the issue by imposing higher tax. But this will lead to inflationary tax, which is a burden to the further generation. Therefore, the government resorts to foreign borrowings. Domestic borrowings and foreign borrowings have further increased the total debt accumulated by the nation leading them to poverty. To resolve the debt issue, foreign direct investment plays an important role as a source of fund and also in acquiring skills and knowledge. But the inflows of foreign direct investment depend on location advantage. There are various channels that determine the location advantage such as human capital development channel, financial development channel and environmental condition channel. According to Wilhelms and Stanley (1998), foreign direct investment movements are derived from the both financial transaction and non-financial transaction such as changes in price, foreign exchange and others. Figure 12 shows the foreign direct investment theory and its determinants in emerging economics. According to the foreign direct investment theory, socio culture is the oldest institution, complex and most diffused factor that influence the inflow of foreign direct investment. It is most difficult and time consuming to change. The degree to which a society is recepti... ...ivariate regression models were used to further probe the nature of the relationships between income, talent, and other factors. The adjusted R-squared values for these models are (0.57) and (0.65) respectively, suggesting a reasonably positive and robust relationship. These findings support the human capital growth by Lucas (1988), Simon (1998) and Geetha (2002). This was also supported by Eaton and Eckstein (1997) and Black and Henderson (1999) that workers are more productive when they locate around others with high levels of human capital. In addition, Romer (1990) also claims the importance of knowledge and human capital in generating economic growth through economic geography. Romer (1990) stressed that what is important for growth is integration not into an economy with a large number of people but rather into one with a large amount of human capital.

Antigone Mock Trial Essay

For you to find the Defendant guilty of the crime of Contempt, you must be convinced that the prosecution has proved one of the following beyond a reasonable doubt: (1) the Defendant misbehaved in the King’s presence or so near thereto as to obstruct the administration of justice; or (2) the Defendant disobeyed or resisted a process, order, rule, decree, or command of the King. For those who don’t remember the play clearly, here is a brief summary: Antigone completes the story of the family of Oedipus the King of Thebes, who kills his father and marries his mother. Following the death of Oedipus, his sons Eteocles and Polyneices are to rule Thebes alternately. Eteocles assumes the throne first, but when Polyneices’ turn comes, Eteocles refuses to yield the throne. Polyneices attacks Thebes, and he and Eteocles die in the battle. Creon assumes the throne and gives Eteocles a hero’s burial, but commands that Polyneices be allowed to rot in the open since he is a traitor to the state. Antigone, Polyneices’ sister, throws a handful of dust on the corpse as a symbolic burial. Creon orders her imprisoned. Under the urging of his son Haemon, who is Antigone’s fiancee, Creon relents, but before he can free Antigone she kills herself. Haemon and Creon’s wife Eurydice also commit suicide. Witness for the Defense (Ismene, Haimon, and Tiresias) Responsibilities You will serve as a defense witness for Antigone throughout the trial. Preparation Before the trial, you will create an affidavit as a witness for the defense (your testimony of what you think happened). This affidavit should be one-page in length and typed neatly. When your affidavit is complete, meet with the Defense Attorneys and discuss your testimony. Give a copy of your affidavit to all attorneys and judges (me) by ____________________. On Trial Make sure you know your character & testimony well enough to be that person in class. After the trial, turn in your final copy of the affidavit with both of your names on it. Post Trial Write an essay explaining the whether you believe the verdict is fair or not based on your interpretation (the interpretation of your character) of what happened in the play and in the mock trial. Essays must be 4 paragraphs in length. Witness for the Prosecution (Sentry, Creon, Choragos) Responsibilities You will serve as a prosecuting witness throughout the trial (Antigone is guilty of the charge). Preparation Before the trial, you and will create an affidavit as a witness for the defense (your testimony of what you think happened). This affidavit should be one-page in length and typed neatly. When your affidavit is complete meet with the Defense Attorneys and discuss your testimony. Give a copy of your affidavit to all attorneys and judges (me) by ___________________. On Trial Make sure you know your character & testimony well enough to be that person in class. After the trial, turn in your final copy of the affidavit with both your names on it. Post Trial Write an essay explaining the whether you believe the verdict is fair or not based on your interpretation (the interpretation of your character) of what happened in the play and in the mock trial. Essays must be 4 paragraphs in length. Antigone Responsibilities Create an affidavit (what you think happened) for your testimony. At the end of your testimony, enter a plea of guilty or not guilty and explain your reasoning. Craft your persona around how Antigone is presented in the text. Strive to imitate her, based on any evidence the text gives about her personality and habits. Preparation Before the trial, you must create your affidavit, which should be one page in length and written or typed neatly. Make a copy of your plea (guilty or not guilty) and your reasoning and submit it to the prosecution (you can just give them your affidavit). Work with the defense attorneys to develop a case in your favor. On Trial At the beginning of the trial, you will stand with the defense attorneys and enter your plea. Make sure you know your character & testimony well enough to be that person in class. Again, use the book as your guide! Post Trial Write an essay explaining the whether you believe the verdict is fair or not based on your interpretation (the interpretation of your character) of what happened in the play and in the mock trial. Essays must be 4 paragraphs in length. Prosecuting and Defense Attorneys Responsibilities Review the affidavits given to you by witnesses and decide how to formulate your questions to best serve your argument. Develop an opening statement, closing statement, and a list of questions to ask each witness to help you win the case. Preparation With your team of attorneys and witnesses, complete a case outline (see attached) to develop your argument using textual evidence from the play. You will question the witnesses during the trial, so work with your attorneys and witnesses to create examination questions to best serve your argument. Your examination should create a witness testimony of approximately 5 minutes. On Trial You will give your opening statement, examine your witnesses using the examination questions you developed with your team of attorneys, and give your closing statement. After the trial, turn in your exanimation questions and your case outline with your name on it. Post Trial Write an essay explaining the whether you believe the verdict is fair or not based on your interpretation (the interpretation of your role in the trial) of what happened in the play and in the mock trial. Essays must be 4 paragraphs in length. Jurors Responsibilities Create a brochure using Microsoft Publisher reporting the crime, including quotes from the text, articles, and pictures. Decide a final verdict of Guilty or Not Guilty Preparation While others are preparing their roles for the trial, you will on your brochure using Microsoft Publisher reporting Antigone’s crime. Be sure to include a name for your brochure, a large & catchy headline, articles, and relevant pictures. On Trial Listen attentively to all testimonies & statements given. Take notes (see attached). You must have these in order to create a final verdict of guilty or not guilty and your explanation. After the trial, meet & vote with your fellow jurors to decide what verdict you will submit to the judge (Guilty or Not Guilty). After the trial, submit your final verdict with trial notes attached.

The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Attempting to bring an earlier end to World War II, U.S. President Harry Truman made the fateful decision to drop a massive atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. On August 6, 1945, this atomic bomb, known as Little Boy, flattened the city, killing at least 70,000 people that day and tens of thousands more from radiation poisoning. While Japan  was still trying to comprehend this devastation, the United States dropped another atomic bomb. This bomb, nicknamed Fat Man, was dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, killing an estimated 40,000 people immediately and another 20,000 to 40,000 in the months following the explosion. On August 15, 1945, Japanese Emperor Hirohito announced an unconditional surrender, ending World War II. The Enola Gay Heads to Hiroshima At 2:45 a.m. on Monday, August 6, 1945, a B-29 bomber  took off from Tinian, a North Pacific island in the Marianas, 1,500 miles south of Japan. The 12-man crew  was on board to make sure this secret mission went smoothly. Colonel Paul Tibbets, the pilot, nicknamed the B-29 the Enola Gay after his mother. Just before take-off, the planes nickname was painted on its side. The Enola Gay was a B-29 Superfortress  (aircraft 44-86292), part of the 509th Composite Group. In order to carry such a heavy load as an atomic bomb, the Enola Gay was modified: new propellers, stronger engines, and faster opening bomb bay doors. (Only 15 B-29s underwent this modification.) Even though it had been modified, the plane still had to use the full runway to gain the necessary speed, thus it did not lift off until very near the waters edge.1 The Enola Gay was escorted by two other bombers that carried cameras and a variety of measuring devices. Three other planes had left earlier in order to ascertain the weather conditions over the possible targets. The Atomic Bomb Known as Little Boy Is on Board On a hook in the ceiling of the plane, hung the ten-foot atomic bomb, Little Boy. Navy Captain William S. Parsons (Deak), chief of the Ordnance Division in the Manhattan Project, was the Enola Gays weaponeer. Since Parsons had been instrumental in the development of the bomb, he was now responsible for arming the bomb while in-flight. Approximately 15 minutes into the flight (3:00 a.m.), Parsons began to arm the atomic bomb; it took him 15 minutes. Parsons thought while arming Little Boy: I knew the Japs were in for it, but I felt no particular emotion about it.2 Little Boy was created using uranium-235, a radioactive isotope of uranium. This uranium-235 atomic bomb, a product of $2 billion of research, had never been tested. Nor had any atomic bomb yet been dropped from a plane. Some scientists and politicians pushed for not warning Japan of the bombing in order to save face in case the bomb malfunctioned. Clear Weather Over Hiroshima There had been four cities chosen as possible targets: Hiroshima, Kokura, Nagasaki, and Niigata (Kyoto was the first choice until it was removed from the list by Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson). The cities were chosen because they had been relatively untouched during the war. The Target Committee wanted the first bomb to be sufficiently spectacular for the importance of the weapon to be internationally recognized when publicity on it was released.3 On August 6, 1945, the first choice target, Hiroshima, was having clear weather. At 8:15 a.m. (local time), the Enola Gays door sprang open and dropped Little Boy. The bomb exploded 1,900 feet above the city and only missed the target, the Aioi Bridge, by approximately 800 feet. The Explosion at Hiroshima Staff Sergeant George Caron, the tail gunner, described what he saw: The mushroom cloud itself was a spectacular sight, a bubbling mass of purple-gray smoke and you could see it had a red core in it and everything was burning inside. . . . It looked like lava or molasses covering a whole city. . . .4 The cloud is estimated to have reached a height of 40,000 feet. Captain Robert Lewis, the co-pilot, stated, Where we had seen a clear city two minutes before, we could no longer see the city. We could see smoke and fires creeping up the sides of the mountains.5 Two-thirds of Hiroshima was destroyed. Within three miles of the explosion, 60,000 of the 90,000 buildings were demolished. Clay roof tiles had melted together. Shadows had imprinted on buildings and other hard surfaces. Metal and stone had melted. Unlike other bombing raids, the goal for this raid had not been a military installation but rather an entire city. The atomic bomb that exploded over Hiroshima killed civilian women and children in addition to soldiers. Hiroshimas population has been estimated at 350,000; approximately 70,000 died immediately from the explosion and another 70,000 died from radiation within five years. A survivor described the damage to people: The appearance of people was . . . well, they all had skin blackened by burns. . . . They had no hair because their hair was burned, and at a glance you couldnt tell whether you were looking at them from in front or in back. . . . They held their arms bent [forward] like this . . . and their skin - not only on their hands, but on their faces and bodies too - hung down. . . . If there had been only one or two such people . . . perhaps I would not have had such a strong impression. But wherever I walked I met these people. . . . Many of them died along the road - I can still picture them in my mind -- like walking ghosts. 6 The Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki While the people of Japan tried to comprehend the devastation in Hiroshima, the United States was preparing a second bombing mission. The second run was not delayed in order to give Japan  time to surrender but was waiting only for a sufficient amount of plutonium-239 for the atomic bomb. On August 9, 1945, only three days after the bombing of Hiroshima, another B-29, Bocks Car, left Tinian at 3:49 a.m. The first choice target for this bombing run had been Kokura. Since the haze over Kokura prevented the sighting of the bombing target, Bocks Car continued on to its second target. At 11:02 a.m., the atomic bomb, Fat Man, was dropped over Nagasaki. The atomic bomb exploded 1,650 feet above the city. Fujie Urata Matsumoto, a survivor, shares one scene: The pumpkin field in front of the house was blown clean. Nothing was left of the whole thick crop, except that in place of the pumpkins there was a womans head. I looked at the face to see if I knew her. It was a woman of about forty. She must have been from another part of town -- I had never seen her around here. A gold tooth gleamed in the wide-open mouth. A handful of singed hair hung down from the left temple over her cheek, dangling in her mouth. Her eyelids were drawn up, showing black holes where the eyes had been burned out. . . . She had probably looked square into the flash and gotten her eyeballs burned. Approximately 40 percent of Nagasaki was destroyed. Luckily for many civilians  living in Nagasaki,  though this atomic bomb was considered much stronger than the one exploded over Hiroshima, the terrain of Nagasaki prevented the bomb from doing as much damage. The decimation, however, was still great. With a population of 270,000, approximately 40,000 people died immediately and another 30,000 by the end of the year. I saw the atom bomb. I was four then. I remember the cicadas chirping. The atom bomb was the last thing that happened in the war and no more bad things have happened since then, but I dont have my Mummy any more. So even if it isnt bad any more, Im not happy.--- Kayano Nagai, survivor 8 Sources Notes 1. Dan Kurzman,  Day of the Bomb: Countdown to Hiroshima  (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1986) 410.2. William S. Parsons as quoted in Ronald Takaki, Hiroshima:  Why America Dropped the Atomic Bomb  (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1995) 43.3. Kurzman,  Day of the Bomb  394.4. George Caron as quoted in Takaki,  Hiroshima  44.5. Robert Lewis as quoted in Takaki,  Hiroshima  43.6. A survivor quoted in Robert Jay Lifton,  Death in Life: Survivors of Hiroshima  (New York: Random House, 1967) 27.7. Fujie Urata Matsumoto as quoted in Takashi  Nagai, We of Nagasaki: The Story of Survivors in an Atomic Wasteland  (New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1964) 42.8. Kayano Nagai as quoted in  Nagai, We of Nagasaki  6. Bibliography Hersey, John.  Hiroshima. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985. Kurzman, Dan.  Day of the Bomb: Countdown to Hiroshima. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1986. Liebow, Averill A.  Encounter With Disaster: A Medical Diary of Hiroshima, 1945. New York: W. W. Norton Company, 1970. Lifton, Robert Jay.  Death in Life: Survivors of Hiroshima. New York: Random House, 1967. Nagai, Takashi.  We of Nagasaki: The Story of Survivors in an Atomic Wasteland. New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1964. Takaki, Ronald.  Hiroshima: Why America Dropped the Atomic Bomb. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1995.