Loose vs. Strict Constructionist free essay sample

Interpretation of the Constitution The debate over how much power a government should employ over its citizens has been issue in the United States, since its first development of government. This clash of views essentially led to the formation of political parties, and was the first major political dispute in the United States. Federalist leader Alexander Hamilton who was pro strong central government, industrialization, businesses and banking, was for a loose interpretation of the Constitution, meaning the government had the right to interpret the Constitution and its contents based on connation, in order to protect its citizens according to the Necessary and Proper Clause. Republican’s, such as Thomas Jefferson, who was aiming in establishing America as an agrarian country favored a strict interpretation of the Constitution, meaning the government defines and applies the contents of the Constitution as they are, word for word, to be in accordance with the concept of state’s rights. We will write a custom essay sample on Loose vs. Strict Constructionist or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The stance taken on this ongoing debate is inclined towards the side of loose constructionists, for its greater contribution in forming solutions to federal problems, helping the country flourish and aiding in today’s society as well. The idea of a loose interpretation of the constitution is seen triumphing over a strict interpretation when considering the Hamilton’s idea to establish a national bank. His philosophy was that in order for the country to further prosper economically, there had to be a common currency, and have a stable banking system in the new nation. The bank was established and helped the government boom economically, and participate in trade overseas. When the bank’s charter ended in 1811, a Second National Bank was chartered in 1816 by Henry Clay as part of his â€Å"American System†, in order to advance the nation economic growth further, displaying its major role in the government. To the strict constructionists, such a Thomas Jefferson, a national bank was unconstitutional, and that banking should be left to the individual states n accordance with the tenth amendment. When Jefferson was elected president in 1800, even though he was still pro-farming and a president for the â€Å"common man†, he uses the power of the bank in order to proceed with the Louisiana Purchase and purchasing western territory from Napoleon in order to benefit the country. This act went against his prior beliefs and ordeals of a strict interpretation of the constitution, but he was able to see the beneficial uses of a national bank and use it to his advantage, agreeing with the philosophies of loose constructionists. A loose constructionist interpretation of the Constitution can be seen triumphing over a strict interpretation in dealing with the ordeals between the British and French during the French Revolution. Alexander Hamilton admired Great Britain’s business, making them an economical, industrial and military powerhouse, all things Hamilton dreamed for America. Britain’s government stability was possible due to their concern for the citizens and the actions they took in an aim to protect them. Jefferson adored France for their agrarian lifestyle, something he felt that was constitutional for America. Britain was always able to come out as victor over France for their definite action taken to ensure their victory. Hamilton realized that if America was to come out as victor in the world, they would have to take necessary steps to do so. Interpreting the constitution loosely was one of these steps, in order to obtain their ambitions to establish themselves as a powerhouse as well. By doing so, in the future America was able to establish trade overseas, create factories and progress politically with a more open view on matters. When Thomas Jefferson was writing the Constitution in 1776, he was addressing present issues that might arise in the country, and creating laws in order to the solve those controversies. As the country started firmly establish itself, issues arose that were not directly addressed in the Constitution. If the Constitution was to be only interpreted strictly, many problems would have gone unsolved. When interpreting the Constitution more loosely, the government is able to look at the content more as principles then definite laws. In a more strict interpretation, the laws are more set in stone, and the solution of the problem is delayed and proper action, which would be beneficial to all involved, would be delayed. This idea of looking at the amendments more as principles on which our country was established on, helps the government approach the situation with more options and gives them more freedom on how to apply said â€Å"principle† in the given situation, find the proper resolution and take action more promptly. Furthermore, the United States was able to prosper at a constant pace, leaving its mark in history with a more loose interpretation of the Constitution. It helped establish a national bank which led to expanding territory, overseas trade and industrialization. Also it helps the government make quicker decisions, and take actions more efficiently in order to find a resolution, instead of having to create new amendments in order to keep to the constitution word for word. This interpretation continues to help the country run smoothly, while helping it remain an economical powerhouse.

Waxing Judgmental about Judgement

Waxing Judgmental about Judgement Waxing Judgmental about Judgement Waxing Judgmental about Judgement By Maeve Maddox A reader commenting on my post about the difference between discreet and discrete was shocked by the spelling judgement in my definition of discreet (â€Å"Showing discernment or judgement in the guidance of one’s own speech and action†): Maeve, where did you find that definition of discreet â€Å"Judgment† is misspelled! For that reader, spelling the word with an â€Å"e† creates a misspelling. Other readers, commenting on other posts, objected to my use of judgment without the â€Å"e†: The verb change keeps its [e] here to indicate that the [g] is soft, not hard. (That is also why judgement is the correct spelling of this word, no matter what anyone says.) and There isn’t a single instance in English that I can think of with a root word ending in â€Å"g† where â€Å"g† has the â€Å"j† sound. The final â€Å"e† is used to cue in the reader to the correct pronunciation of the soft â€Å"g† sound. Therefore, â€Å"judgment† according to the rules of English phonics would be â€Å"jud-GUH-ment†. Clearly WRONG!!So I’ll continue to engage in pointless arguments with those who quibble with my CORRECT spelling of the word. Strong feelings, these. Like â€Å"could care less† and statements like â€Å"my head literally exploded,† the â€Å"judgment vs judgement† issue evokes passion in many English speakers. The first reader was correct to fault me on spelling judgment as judgement, not because judgement is a â€Å"misspelling,† but because I write these posts in standard American English and spelling judgment with an â€Å"e† is contrary to American spelling convention. The other two readers do not indicate what standard dialect they speak. I’m guessing that they are American speakers because they resort to the argument about the â€Å"e† being necessary to the correct pronunciation of the word. British speakers would probably defend the judgement spelling simply on the grounds that it is the preferred British spelling. The suggestion that the spelling judgment would â€Å"according to the rules of English phonics† produce the rendering â€Å"jud-GUH-ment† is preposterous. The word is formed by adding a suffix to the root word: judge+ment. Unlike the â€Å"e† we use to maintain the /j/ sound in words like rage, Marge, and usage, the â€Å"e† in judge is not necessary to signal a /j/ pronunciation. The letter combination dge is a phonogram in its own right, used to represent the /j/ sound. Dropping the â€Å"e† from it is not common, but I cannot imagine that any native speaker would attempt to pronounce dg as anything but /j/. Changeable does need the â€Å"e† to soften the â€Å"g†; judgment, abridgment, and lodgment do not. Look up judgement and lodgement in the OED and you will find the the spellings judgment and lodgment dignified as alternative spellings. (Abridgement is the only spelling given for that word.) According to the OED, [Judgement] is found in spellings with -dgm- from the early 16th century, and by the late 17th century judgment had become the prevailing spelling, although judgement was still commonly found. Kersey (1702) is an unusually early example of a dictionary in which the headword form was given as judgement . During the 19th century the form judgement gained in frequency in British contexts, and is now the usual spelling in general British use, but judgment has remained the standard spelling in British legal contexts when used to refer to a judicial decision, as well as in U.S. usage. In sum, there’s no reason American speakers can’t choose to put an â€Å"e† in judgment if they wish, but there’s nothing historically, phonetically, or morally superior in doing so. And if they’re writing for publication, a U.S. editor would surely correct it. Related posts: Judgement or Judgment? The Difference Between â€Å"Discreet† and â€Å"Discrete† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Direct and Indirect Objects30 Baseball Idioms5 Keys to Better Sentence Flow

Grammar Tips Compound Subjects

Grammar Tips Compound Subjects Grammar Tips: Compound Subjects Verb agreement gets tricky when it comes to compound subjects. Lucky for you, then, we’ve prepared this guide to help you avoid grammatical errors. Check out our advice on the different types of compound subject to find out how to use them in your writing. Subject–Verb Agreement and Compound Subjects The subject in a sentence is typically the thing or person acting. In the following, for example, the subject is â€Å"cat,† since the cat is the thing performing the action. And because there’s only one cat, we use the singular verb â€Å"is† so that the verb and subject agree: The cat is teasing the dogs. If the subject were plural, however, we would use a plural verb instead: The dogs are chasing the cat. But what about a compound subject? In simple terms, this is a subject formed when we join two things with one of the conjunctions â€Å"and,† â€Å"or,† or â€Å"nor.† But whether we use a singular or plural verb with a compound subject depends on which conjunction we use. Canine–feline harmony is a beautiful thing. Compound Subjects Formed with â€Å"And† You should almost always use a plural verb when you have formed a compound subject using â€Å"and.† For example: The dogs and the cat are running around in circles. As the sentence above shows, we even use a plural verb after a singular noun. This is because â€Å"the dogs and the cat† is treated as plural. Compound Subjects Formed with â€Å"Or† and â€Å"Nor† When you form a compound subject using â€Å"or† or â€Å"nor,† the correct verb form depends on the term closest to the verb. When this is a singular noun, we use a singular verb. For instance: Either the dogs or the cat is going to end up at the vet. But when the term closest to the verb is a plural noun, we use a plural verb: Neither the cat nor the dogs are innocent in this situation. As such, the order of the nouns in a compound subject can be important. Singular Compound Subjects There are some special cases where we treat compound subjects formed with the conjunction â€Å"and† as singular. This is usually when two things are typically seen together. For instance: Gin and tonic is my favorite drink. Fish and chips is a traditional British dish. In these cases, we use the singular verb â€Å"is† because â€Å"gin and tonic† and â€Å"fish and chips† are usually treated as a single thing (i.e., the terms are usually used together). Thus, if we used plural verbs in the sentences above, it would seem like we were discussing two separate things. Were suddenly very thirsty. Check online if you’re not sure whether a phrase is singular or plural. And don’t forget to have your work proofread so you can ensure it’s error free.

Enterprise Project Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Enterprise Project Management - Assignment Example At such a point, the PMOs opt to use Scrum itself to sprint the PMO. Planning monthly and conducting daily scrums like all the other teams. The community of practice is that group that involves the like-skilled individuals who have the ability to build the high performance work groups .Such groups are based on the collaboration and facilitation that best apply in the project management. One of the most significant things that the PMO should do is to help in support the formation of such communities and then promote them. For that reason, communities of practice help in spreading Scrum throughout the organization. These groups also help in spreading all the good ideas from one team to the other (Pries & Quigley, 2012). Most PMOs are not fully implemented or even fail to get configured after sometime. In the process of changing the environment, the organization needs to see the results fast before starting a long term investment in a new PMO. When one starts reconfiguring the PMO, the set standards helps in planning and scheduling the progress and deviations of the projects. The tools necessary for enabling the PMO and other significant managers in the project environment helps to examine capabilities and potentialities as well as supervise the available resources and implement the operational planning and support activities such as training program management applications (Pries & Quigley, 2012). 2(b) The PMO is committed to the pursuit of excellence in all the project management practices. While ensuring that the project performance contributes to improving business performance, this will be carried out as the component of the PMO charter that requires to be clearly confirmed. For that reason, if the business intention of the PMO is not clearly stated, the PMO is viewed as the ad hoc attempt in fixing a temporary situation in the project

Corrections Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Corrections - Research Paper Example Therefore, this paper evaluates the various available forms of corrections for offenders ranging from incarceration to community based corrections. Appreciating the important role played by correction officers in charge of handling and controlling prisoners, the paper evaluates the in-depth responsibilities of these officers, their academic qualifications and attributes necessary for effective executions of their mandate. It would also be critical to analyze the classifications of prisons and the security levels that define these classifications. Introduction In the US, sentencing ranges from restitution, fines, probation supervision, community service, suspended sentences and imprisonment terms to execution in cases of capital offences. Sentencing as a legal process defines the anticipation of the correctional function which carries out these sentences. The correctional function on the other hand define the last component of the criminal justice activities continuum in the criminal justice system responsible for the execution of sentencing orders issued by criminal courts (Cripe, Pearlman & Kosiak, 2012). Correction encompasses the probation authority, jail terms, community corrections agencies, prisons and paroling authorities. In addition to these five traditional and principal components of corrections, this component of the justice system could also include clerks of courts charged with collection of fines and restitution money and also those who assist in the supervision of offenders in the community. Probation refers to imprisonment alternative sentences which allow the defendant to be integrated into the community, stay at home and continue working (Cripe, Pearlman & Kosiak, 2012). However, such a person would be needed to report to a probation officer on a regular basis for counseling and assistance in crises. Violation of the conditions normally imposed by the court to govern the defendant’s activities could result in negative report being subm itted to the court. If serious enough, the probation could be revoked by the court. The courts rely on probation officers for such reports which could cause the defendant to be imprisoned. Lack of payment of fines and restitutions could cause the defendant to possibly face a jail term to serve as a sanction. As another form of correction, incarceration involves confining inmates in a prison. These include boot camps, weekend programs, half-way houses, also referred to as residential reentry centers and other entities for locking up individuals overnight. But a prisoner could be released before finishing the prison term if such a prisoner agrees to abide by certain conditions. This is referred to as parole and if the parole conditions get violated, the prisoner could be returned to prison. Fines would normally be used with or in lieu of prison terms. Less severe crimes such as traffic offenses have come to appreciate fines as the acceptable mode of punishment due to being punitive, e asier to administer and easily fits within a wide range of severity of crimes. However, it has been argued as being unavailable to indigent defendants and not being punitive enough for the wealthy defendants (Clear, Cole, Reisig & Petrosino, 2012). Restitution on the other hand tries to make the injured whole through administration of monetary awards as damages. In as much as

The Italian Renaissance Art Period Film Studies Essay

The Italian Renaissance Art Period Film Studies Essay   The Renaissance was a cultural movement that started in Italy at the beginning of the 1400s and lasted approximately 200 years. The Renaissance period was considered a transition period from the medieval age into Early Modern Europe. The Italian Renaissance was characterized by a shift in several cultural areas, from literature to politics to religion. During the Renaissance, Italian art underwent major artistic changes from the medieval period. The Italian Renaissance became one of the most productive and innovative time periods in the industry of art in painting, sculpture and architecture. Raphael, Michelangelo and Da Vinci were the key figures that were responsible for bringing about the significant changes in themes, styles and perspective of Italian art from the medieval period. Although the cultural changes in areas such as religion, literature, and sciences were considered significant contributions to the Renaissance period, the most innovative and notable changes were ma de in the Italian art, which had taken a back seat in the middle ages because of the political unrest that was going on in Europe. Given the overwhelming changes and revival of the arts, Italian art had the most significant impact in the Renaissance that ultimately resulted in the re-birth of Europe. The late Middle Ages period which has been defined as the time period between the 1300s and early 1400s was a difficult and trying time for Europe. During this time period, Europe went through a great famine caused by severe weather conditions as well as the bubonic plague (Black Death) in the late 1340s. (C pg 534). Both of these tragedies took a huge toll in human life. In addition to these two tragedies, Europe was also dealing with social unrest, warfare and the challenges facing the Catholic Church. The arts were not deemed significantly important during these challenging times and not much advances were made in this field. However, as the end of the 14th century approached, a movement was beginning to emerge in the arts and sciences in Italy. The most obvious changes during the Renaissance period were seen in painting and sculptures. Prior to the Renaissance, most of the Italian art revolved around religious subjects and themes. However, during the Renaissance, artists started to experiment with creating non-religious subjects such as creating portraits of living persons instead of just saints. Artists became more comfortable with developing their own individual styles and challenged themselves to be innovative and try new techniques. Painters began to place more focus on the humanistic aspects of life and implemented various new techniques, including humanism and perspective, sfumato, chiaroscuro, fresco and foreshortening in order to achieve their objective of realism. Realism became a popular characteristic of Italian Renaissance. Anatomy also became of particular interest to many of the Italian Renaissance artists. The artists were also interested in depicting the human form that mirrored real life. For the first time , Renaissance artists were producing art in Italy that reflected the real world. Painters used form, color, proportion, light, shade composition and anatomy to depict human nature and reality into their artistic work creating images of real people with expressions and emotions. The Italian Renaissance was highlighted by three separate periods, each of which contained distinct aspects that contributed to the cultural re-birth of Europe. The three periods of the Renaissance were the Early Renaissance (beginning of the 1400 to late 1400s), High Renaissance (Late 1400s to early 1500s) and Late Renaissance (early 1500s to 1600). The period of the Renaissance was led by a number of artists who were intelligent, innovative and ready to delve into a new art form. The first period, known as the Early Renaissance, took place during the early 15th century. Early Renaissance art was heavily influenced by Donatello, an Italian artist and sculptor and Masaccio, an Italian painter who scholars often refer to as the leading innovator in early fifteenth century painting. (C pg 601) Donatellos artistic style and works represent the significant facets of Early Renaissance time period. Donatellos bronze statue of David, considered to be his most famous work of art, depicts a common theme of the era. David is representative of a hero, which became a staple of early renaissance art. Heroes, which were a popular aspect of the humanist movement, were commonly portrayed in works of art during this the Early Renaissance. Donatellos earlier work also depicted the idea of youthfulness which was also another popular aspect of the humanist movement. Donatello utilized the technique of bronzing, and was notorious for his bronze pieces of art, such as his life size statue of David. David also displayed a new Renaissance style that is evident in both the classical nudity and the use of the classical contrapposto (twist of the hips), as well as the boldness of interpretation. Many of Donatellos sculptures are considered breakthroughs. For example, the statue of David was the first nude statute of the Renaissance (C pg 612). Another statue of Donatello, Gattamelata (the equestrian statute of Erasmo de Narni), is considered to be one of the best proportioned sculptures ever created. (C pg 618). Donatello, who was considered to be a very keen observer of human life and behavior, was able to portray different types of figures in his work and make it them look very realistic. One of Donatellos remarkable achievements was his ability to move forward the naturalistic illusion and classical idealism in sculpture. (C pg 593). Donatello also created science of perspective through the use of bas-relief or low relief in his work where the image is projected with a shallow overall depth which allows for exploitation of perspective and obtain a dramatic effect. The earliest example of the use of relief is the base of the statute of Saint George, which is decorated with a relief of Saint George and the Dragon. In the bronze relief panel of Feast of Herod, Donatello uses central perspective space for the first time which allows for intensifying the actions and characterizations of the subjects and makes them look real. (B pg 36-37).Donatellos incorporation of Greek classical principles was evident in the marble statute of Saint Mark. In this sculpture, Donatello took a fundamental step toward displaying motion in the human figure by recognizing the principle of weight shift and stresses the movement of the arms, legs, shoulders and hips. (C pg 599) Masaccio, one of Donatellos counterparts, was considered the best painter of the Early Renaissance. He showed a great skill at recreating life-like figures and movements. Scholars often identify Masaccio as the leading innovator in early 15th century painting. Most art historians acknowledge that no other painter in history has contributed so much to the development of a new style in such a short a time as Masaccio. Masaccio was also a master of fresco technique. The frescoes Masaccio painted in Florence provide excellent examples of his innovations. One of his greatest contributions to art of fresco painting was the use of light and dark instead of lines to represent figures in his paintings which was depicted in the . (A pg 157 )He was also one of the first to use something called linear perspective in his painting using the vanishing point technique. In the painting Tribute Money, Masaccio uses chiaroscuro, an art form that uses strong contrast between light and dark to give the i llusion of deep structural relief. (C pg 603) During his career, Masaccio transformed the direction of Italian painting, by moving it away from the idealizations of Gothic art, and, for the first time, presenting it as part of a more profound, natural, and humanist world 605) The next period of the Renaissance that influenced the cultural re-birth is known as the High Renaissance. The High Renaissance lasted from the late 15th century to about 1520. The most influential artists of this time of the High Renaissance period were Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael. Leonardo Da Vinci, arguably the most renowned artist in all of art history, made great, if not the greatest, contributions to the re-birth. Da Vinci often used religious themes in his paintings, which was reflective of the time and the impact religion had during this time period. During the High Renaissance time period, the Church was going through major changes as a result of the Protestant Reformation that was underway. The Protestant Reformation, which established the Protestant church in reaction to the corruption of the Catholic Church, also helped bring about the counter-reformation which established the Inquisition. The Inquisition established rules of visual imagery in the arts and tried to enforce these rules. This common theme of religion was represented throughout a majority of Leonardos paintings including two of his most famous ones, The Last Supper and Saint Jerome. The Last Supper depicted the image of Jesus and his 12 apostles seated at the altar, with Jesus in the ce nter, breaking bread. This scene is representative of when Jesus informs the apostles he has been betrayed by one of them. In this painting, Da Vinci portrayed a common theme of Italian Renaissance art, humanism. Humanism placed more emphasis on Man and less stress on God. In The Last Supper painting, Da Vinci placed more of an emphasis on Jesus Christ by placing him in the center of the painting, focusing the attention on him. Humanism attempted to attach faces or visual beings to religion, which is why there was such a rise in paintings of religious figures such as evangelists and saints. In Saint Jerome, once again the theme of religion can be seen along with the humanistic view of the time period. Saint Jerome is as close as Da Vinci came in a painting to his numerous anatomical drawings. These were a logical development of the Classical revival and the humanist view of mens centrality, beauty of form and superior intellect. In the painting, Saint Jerome is shown holding a rock with which he appears prepared to strike the lion with, showing mans dominance over animals. Saint Jerome is also very detailed which furthers the emphasis placed on man. The detail and realistic view that Da Vinci places in his art is another popular characteristic of Italian Renaissance art known as realism. Italian Renaissance artists, not just Da Vinci, all strived to attain greater realism in their works of art. Unlike the art of the 13th and early 14th centuries, the art of the Italian Renaissance appeared far more realistic. Art strayed away from the flat, stiff images of the previous ages, to more life-like figures that displayed real emotions. In order to produce this greater realism in art, artists such as Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael all used a technique known as sfumato, which literally means lost in smoke. Sfumato was an artistic technique that uses light and shade to place emphasis and some areas and defer it from other areas of lesser importance. Humanistic artists used this technique to aid in the emphasis of man in their paintings. Da Vinci combined the sfumato technique with his skill with chiaroscuro and perspective to create the mysterious smile in his most famous portrait, Mona Lisa. Michelangelo is another Italian Renaissance artist whose artistic themes and style contributed to the Renaissance being known as a period of re-birth. Michelangelo, like Da Vinci and many other artists of this time period, took a humanistic approach to his art work. Michelangelo was interested in definite form, and the human body alone seemed worthy of representation. Michelangelo aimed primarily for concentration and precise details, similar to Da Vinci, and attempted to capture emotion with every stroke of the brush. For example, in Michelangelos sculpture of David, David is depicted not with an emotionless expression on his face. Instead, David is shown with a very detailed anger, as he prepares to face Goliath, in their infamous showdown. Michelangelo is also notable for his use of the contrapposto pose, which was also reflected in the sculptures of Donatello in the Early Renaissance. One of Michelangelos famous works in which he uses the contrapposto pose, which once again is th e twisting of the hips, is his Bacchus. Bacchus is sculpted nude with a glass of wine in hand, which is representative of the fact that Bacchus is the Greek god of wine and intoxication. (Need Notation from your book) Michelangelo was not only a brilliant sculpture but also a great painter whose work was a major contributor to the Renaissance. The paints on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel are one of the most famous artwork that was created during the Renaissance. Although Michelangelo has studied painting, sculpture was where his interest was. At the request of Julius II, he agreed to paint the Sistine Chapel even though painting was not his profession. His inexperience along with the magnitude of the project were going to be a challenge, but a challenge that he quickly overcame because of his innate talents and desire to produce exceptional work. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was an enormous fresco depicting various passages from the Book of Genesis including the Creation of Adam in the ceiling and the Last Judgment at the alter. Similar to his sculptures, his paintings also focus on the human figure and its natural beauty. (C pg 648-651) Raphael, the youngest of the three great contributors to High Renaissance at, was an Italian painter and architect. Raphaels work took the artistic innovations that had been developed by Da Vinci and Michelangelo and created his own style in depicting the ideals of the Renaissance.(C pg 654) The School of Athens, one of Raphaels most famous paintings, displays the classical spirit of the High Renaissance. This painting along with three others completed along the walls of the Stanza della Segnatura room, which was the library in the papal apartment at the Vatican, show great philosophers and scientists of the ancient word coming together to discuss their theories and ideas.. Aristotle and Plato, the two great philosophers of ancient Greece, are portrayed as the key figures in these paintings. (C pg 653) In line with the realism theme of this time period, the figures in Raphaels paintings are known for their display of realistic emotions. Another characteristic of Raphaels work was the perfection and grace that he portrayed in his paintings and drawings. A theme throughout Raphaels work is the Christian devotion and pagan beauty. This theme is brought out in his series of Madonna paintings where Christian devotion and pagan beauty are brought together. In one of Raphaels best frescoes, Galatea, which Raphael based on ancient Roman poet Orvids Metamorphoses, the pagan joy and excitement is displayed praising human beauty and passionate love. (C pg 656) Raphael also excelled at portraiture. The subjects of his portraits were primarily scholars and courtiers surrounding the Pope. His portraits tended to exhibit the increasing attention that High Renaissance artists paid to the subjects personality and psyche. In addition, Raphael also revived the gods and heroes of classical times and the world they lived in, not to honor them but to transform them into art. (C pg 656) The Late Renaissance period experienced a slow down in the arts. A number of factors including political instability, the preachings of Martin Luther leading many to question the authority of the Church, and especially the Churchs response to the Luthers Protestant Reformation put a freeze on any type of Renaissance innovation. In order to protect itself against further criticism, the Church started to censor literary or artistic ambitions. The Late Renaissance movement which became known as Mannerism, represents the winding down of the Renaissance period and a departure from the ideals of the High Renaissance. The mannerist paintings, sculptures and architecture decided to challenge rules of the Renaissance and change them to a certain extent. The rules of perspective, nudity, and lighting that were developed during the High Renaissance were pushed to the side. Instead the artists of Mannerism opted to create art that showed elegance and beauty but not really realistic. (C pg 673-675) The three pioneers of Mannerism were Pontormo, Fiorentino and Bronzino. During this period, artists shifted from the realistic forms of the art completed in the High Renaissance to a more artificial form with distortions and exaggerations. In contrast to the natural, calm, and proportional art of the High Renaissance, Mannerism art was full of bizarre colors and images where figures are shown with abnormally elongated limbs and strange poses. (C pg 673-674). For example, in one of his paintings, Lamentation, Pontormo distorts the figures bodies by stretching them, exaggerating their postures and applying unreal colors. Mannerist painters also used portraiture to create sophisticated elegance.(C pg 676) Mannerism was not limited to painting. It also included sculpture and architecture. Benvenuto Cellini, a mannerist sculptor, tended to exaggerate the characteristics of his work in accordance with the rules of mannerism. This was evident in his sculpture of Genius of Fontainebleau. Similar to the Mannerism paintings, the characteristics of the sculptures also exaggerated and out of proportion.(C pg 678) The Renaissance was a period of incredible achievements and innovations in the arts. A few artists with exceptional talent, an amazing level of imagination and an ability to express themselves through their work, changed the world of art forever in a relatively short period of time. They took advantage of the opportunity that history had given them to put man and the human figure at the center of their work. The Renaissance was a time of great artistic development where painters and sculptors were discovering individualism, harmony, perspective and realism in their portrayal of human being. The Renaissance began relatively slow during the Early Renaissance but sprang into full gear during the High Renaissance waned during the Late Renaissance. Although the Renaissance was a period of major achievements in literature, philosophy and the sciences, the most dramatic accomplishments were achieved in the Arts. This period of rebirth is most and foremost associated with the artistic accomplishments of Masaccio, Donatello, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael. The High Renaissance represented an outstanding pool of talent that surfaced in the same area around the same time. These artists were individual geniuses who combined classical work and realism to transform the art. They took the flat and stiff images from the previous periods and converted them into more life-like figures that displayed emotion and reality. Italian artists and sculptors were innovative, creative, ambitious, and bold. They dared to go above and beyond to achieve their goals and were determined to achieve greatness in their field. As a result of the extraordinary artistic accomplishments, Italian art had the most significant impact in the Renaissance that brought about the re-birth of Europe.

Harriet Jacob’s “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl” Essay

In this paper I argue that slavery is an essential part of life and, as such, should be cared for to ensure the continuation of the lives of the slaves so that they serve their purpose. Slavery is referred to as an â€Å"unhappy condition†, one that should be relieved and which can only be relieved by the enslaved. Harriet Jacob’s â€Å"Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl† reveals the story of a slave girl and her misfortunes through out her life. The writing is among the feminist literature narrating the humiliations and sufferings of black slave females. Slave Black women didn’t have any such protection to voice their rights against their white masters. They were considered as â€Å"property† of their masters. And those masters have full authority over their female slaves to rape them at any time for the gain of sexual desire, for having stock of more slave children and for keeping such slaves below standards and disdain them. Therefore, there wasn’t any law that would apply to Linda’s case. In that era, woman, in general, were subject to man’s superiority and specifically slave woman were the victim of their masters, even in the enactment of law she had no right to voice her opinions, likes, dislikes or to live her life according to her own wishes. She was subject to any type of violent and abusive behavior by her masters. Lack of protection to their rights by law enforcement gave much bravery and authority to white males over their female slaves. Such deficiencies in law at that time surrounded the female slaves with fetters and disabilities, her very basic and natural rights were unguarded, and her liberty was unacknowledged. She was not allowed to process her separate interest. Not realizing the existence of these slave women as an individual or their own, the law gave her no independent possession. Law being supportive for the supremacy of white masters, and black female slaves were the victim of sexual assault, abusive, violent and unjust attitude. It was the law of the strongest. Though, abusing slaves were not considered as good and there was a universal disdain regarding this issue, no one was willing to help those helpless females against their sexual assault. There was wide spread use of female slaves as sex without any prohibition. Everyone was afraid of helping such women because no one wanted to go against slaveholders who were very rich and held much authority at that time. Most of the blacks were dependent on these slaveholders, and majority of them were proprietors and nurturing most of the Black slaves’ family for labor. Other poor whites were dependent on agriculture and feared to loose their property if they would be of any help to Black female slaves. Therefore, no one dared to voice against such slave owners, even including the family members of the female slave would remain quiet. However, there was general opinion among white females that the abuse of Black slaves was acceptable and that males and white masters are the dominant gender. Most white women were also quiet because not only that they thought slavery was an acceptable thing but they were receiving a lot benefits like money, food and free labor. Daughters or wives were solely dependent on their fathers and husbands. To voice against them meant to deprive themselves of all those benefits they were receiving. To help slave women for their sexual and autonomic identity was to worsen the situation prevailing at that time. The story is essentially a moral code for the slave owners as to how to properly care for the slaves and their overseers. Initially the slaves are spoken of as though they are children who need to be watched over for their own safety and discipline. Slave’s behavior is seen as something unchangeably infantile, no amount of education on morals will change their behavior and they will always succumb to the temptations of thievery and malice toward their masters. It is not a function of the desire to be free, rather it is a function of their immature nature in the eyes of the masters and something to be controlled. These masters viewed themselves as benevolent, as though they were doing a service to the slaves in their charge by taking charge of their lives and keeping their souls out of the trouble to which they would be tempted. The care taken of the slaves is only so that they will be comfortable enough to continue to work and reproduce, not out of care for them as humans. To care for them as humans would require thinking of them as such, doing so would bring up the idea that as humans they deserve the freedom that the masters enjoyed. Masters of the slaves expect obedience and respect from their slaves. However, in return masters must also show their good attitude towards their slaves. They must be honest and truthful with their slaves. Slaves are after all humans who need to be cared off. The way masters will treat their slaves, the same they will get in return. Masters should show firmness and kindness towards their slaves to get their trust. And they must control their temper when dealing with them. In addition, slaves should be given their complete food and diet to keep them healthy and fulfill their needs of the daily work. It is clear, however, that the masters view their slaves as nothing higher than any farm animal. Something to be taken care of for its usefulness, to be cared for so that it will serve its purpose without trouble in the same category as a horse or a cow. Slavery is understood by the slaves to be an oppressive system inflicted by one group of humans upon another, and oppression of any type should not be tolerated. Freedom is a God-given right to all humans and to voluntarily submit to having that freedom taken away is an abomination against God, an enormous sin. Garnet, freed men and slaves believed that slavery set all the laws given by God aside and caused the slaves to make reverence to their masters before God and to submit themselves other than to Him, which is against the first commandment of their Christian belief. This made it necessary to revolt against slavery and endeavor for freedom in any way, even if it meant death because death itself was preferable to oppression. They were willing to sacrifice their lives rather than live as slaves, treated no better than animals rather than with the respect of men. What is most interesting about the story is that it is not an incitement to violence, rather it is an order for those enslaved to demand their freedom. If they were to recognize that their numbers made such a demand possible without violence there could be some resolution to slavery without bloodshed. There is clearly the awareness that a peaceful end to slavery would not be possible, but at least the idea was put forth that it should be considered first. Works Cited Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the life of a slave girl.