Different Styles of Imitation Essay

In The Transmission of Knowledge by Juan Luis Vives, Vives describes his idea of proper imitation. His basic theory is that people are not innately born with skills of art or rhetoric and therefore, these skills are obtained through the imitation of other skilled artists or rhetoricians. This idea is parallel to those of Petrarch and Alberti. Petrarch and Vives both say that proper imitation should be analogous to the way a son resembles his father. Vives says â€Å"A son is said to be like his father, not so much in that he recalls his features, his face and form, but because shows to us his father’s manners, his disposition, his talk, his gait, his movements, and as it were his very life, which issues forth in his actions as he goes abroad, from the inner seat of the spirit, and shows his real self to us.† (190) Petrarch says, similarly, â€Å"As soon as we see the son, he recalls the father to us, although if we should measure every feature we should find them all different.†(199) The father to son resemblance is the basis of imitation to both these authors. They both believe that a good writer should use imitation in a way where what they imitate resembles the original, but does it not duplicate it. For Petrarch and Vives, this can be achieved by properly integrating reading with writing. They both believe that by reading something and being able to digest it thoroughly, one can transport the overall idea and feeling of what he read onto his own writing. This creates a deep imitation, rather than copying what a writer says in different words. Both authors use the father to son metaphor to show that imitation should be meaningful and evocative. Petrarch supplements this idea by claiming that reading should be an alterative to experience. As one would in a sense â€Å"experience† the father through the son, one should similarly be able to experience the author a writer imitates. To illustrate this he referrers to â€Å"wandering† and â€Å"transport† throughout his works. Specifically, Petrarch interchanges writing with experience when he describes climbing Mont Ventroux. He says â€Å"But nature is not overcome by a man’s devices; a corporeal thing cannot reach the heights by descending† and, further, â€Å"there I leaped in my winged thought from things corporeal to what is incorporeal and addressed myself in words like these†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (39) The physical and spiritual are linked so closely together that they transport and overlap one another. According to Petrarch, characteristics like this are traits of a good imitator. Vives also relates to the kind of imitation which interchanges the bodily action with spiritual. He describes an oration, which links actions with rhetoric. He says â€Å"But these modern imitators regard not so much the mind of the orator in his expression, as the outward appearance of his words and the external for of his style.† (191) Both writers believe that by interchanging techne which psyche, one can properly imitate and transcend a deeper significance of what the writer is imitating. Although Petrarch and Vives share similar ideas, they also hold a contradictory belief: Petrarch only imitates Cicero, while Vives believes that one should imitate several models to create a single work. Although Vives clearly states that Cicero is the best model for writing in the conversational style: â€Å"Caesar and Epistles of Cicero will come into the first rank of conversational style,† (192) he also states that one should comprise writing by mimicking several writers: â€Å"The more models we have and the less likeness there is between them, the greater is the progress of eloquence.† (190) Foremost, Petrarch is not writing in the conversational style, instead he using the plain style. Therefore, he should mimic another writer from the list Vives has specified. Also, Petrarch is only interested in imitating one writer, Cicero. He defends the Ciceronian tradition by writing only in Cicero’s style. For this reason, Petrarch does not read other writers, like Dante, because he is afraid that he will become the product of what he reads, ideas and style. Instead he immerses himself in Cicero’s style by reading his work in such depth that he essentially writes in Cicero’s style without knowing he is doing so. Vives respects Cicero’s work, but he does not believe that Cicero is the best writer. Other than Vives’ belief that Petrarch should have imitated several conversationalists, Vives also states that â€Å"imitation of Cicero’s work is useful and safe, but not of his style; for if anyone cannot achieve success in the attempt he will degenerate into redundant, nerveless, vulgar and plebeian kind of writer.† (191) Therefore, the difference between Vives and Petrarch is that Vives believes that one should imitate several writers and that Cicero is not the best writer. Further, he offers a list of writers which should be imitated when trying to achieve a certain style. Petrarch, on the other hand, writes in Cicero’s style and believes that Cicero should be imitated while engaging in every kind of writing. Alberti was an author who was more like Vives in this sense. He also believed that one should embrace all the things which would make something beautiful into one. For example, he says that all arts are linked to painting somehow, and that all arts take from incorporate the skills associated with painting into their works: â€Å"The architect, if I am not mistaken, takes from the painter architraves, bases, capitals, columns, faà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ades and other similar things. All the smiths, sculptors, shops and guilds are governed by the rules and art of the painter. It is scarcely possible to find any superior art which is not concerned with painting. so that whatever beauty is found can be said to be born of painting .†(Book II) Furthermore, it was important to Alberti to imitate the laws of nature, rather than nature itself. He pointed out that an architect should mimic the structure of reality and the geometry hidden in reality. Like Vives and Petrarch, Alberti joined the bodil y with the spiritual to create the perfect art. But, he resembles Vives, in the sense that he believes that one should imitate several things to create one thing. One difference between Alberti and Vives is that Vives believes that one should start out imitating a person who is not the best at what he does, but someone who is better than the imitator. Eventually, according to Vives, one should be able to move up in rank and imitate the best. He says â€Å"it is a wise precept of M. Fabius Quintilian that boys should not at first attempt to rise to emulation of their master, lest their strength fail them. An easier and quicker method will be to let them imitate someone more learned than themselves among their fellows, and contending with him let them gradually rise to copying their master himself.† (189) Alberti does not mention this method of imitation. Instead he says that when it comes to art, on must have â€Å"the favors of nature.† (Book I) In other words, Alberti strongly believes that one should have a natural talent for what he is doing, and that the gradual chain of improvement is not necessarily an established method, a s Vives indicates. Also, Alberti uses a style that is short and to the point. He says â€Å"I beg that I may be pardoned if, where I above all wish to be understood, I have given more care to making my words clear than ornate. I believe that which follows will be less tedious to the reader. (Book I) This type of frankness is a distinguished style of writing. He uses simple rhetoric so that his audience can grasp the idea quickly. This kind of style corresponds to the type of art he is writing about. He says that he writing about a new type of art: â€Å"We are, however, building anew an art of painting about which nothing, as I see it, has been written since this age.†(Book II) His new style is imitating his concept of having a different type of manual towards art. Also, his main is to gear away from the Ancients and more towards the Florentine. By changing his style of writing he is achieving this, not only through what he saying about graduating art from mechanical to liberal, but also through his style and techne. Both Alberti and Vives spend time discussing subject matter. Vives splits up who should be imitated based on the subject of the piece being writer. Similarly, Alberti pays attention to the subject matter of the painting. He says that an image can only bring pleasure of the subject matter of the painting brings pleasure. Alberti believes that one must imitate the feeling he wants the viewer to have in the subject of his painting for the artwork to be successful. This is what Vives is saying when he illustrates that one must pick the best writer in the subject that he wants to write about and imitate that style to be successful. Both Petrarch and Alberti can be compared with Vives and his ideas on imitation. To all three writers imitation plays a huge role on how to present written and artistic works. All three of them believe that imitation of others will lead to success. Further, they believe that imitation is the only way to learn how to write properly. Alberti adds another assumption: he says that to be the best, one must imitate, but before the imitation process takes place, one must have a natural talent for art. Petrarch and Alberti both believe that one must mimic what they believe is the right tradition through their styles. Petrarch believes in the Ciceronian tradition and follows in Cicero’s footsteps by imitating his style. Alberti is more concerned with understanding than the use of eloquent language. Overall, to all three writers imitation plays a huge role in their understanding of how written works influence their audiences.

Behavioral Genetics and Human Personality

People do possess certain behaviors that make us unique from one another. People do vary in their behavior or the way we think, feel and act. The complexity of human behavior and understanding its nature has been the main interests of those studying behavioral genetics. We all know that if we inherit our physical attributes with our parents we also inherit their behavior which we call genotypes.We are also aware of the role of the society, culture or the environment in shaping one’s behavior. Which of the two then exerts the greatest influence in our life? In order to identify which really molds human behavior a family studies, adoption studies and twin studies where conducted. In these three settings the siblings are compared with their shared and non-shared experiences. The environment provides the child with care, education and other experiences.People differ in many ways in terms of intelligence, mental states, social ability, self-concept or self-esteem, attitudes, belief s and preferences. Genetics versus environment can also be called nature versus nurture in shaping behavior. The debate between the two tries to challenge the fact that genotypes or the nature of a person’s behavior can be altered by the environment or the inherited traits will remain the same and control the person no matter how strong the influence of the environment.Suicidal tendencies and anti-social behavior for example are studied if it is inherited or purely environmental. In my own opinion the behavior could depend upon the individual’s personal adjustment or resistance to the environment that can create a difference in our behavior. Work Cited Haimowitz, Avi. Heredity versus Environment: Twin, Adoption and Family Studies. November 2005. Rochester Institute of Technology: Great Ideas in Personality 4 June 2009

Mughal Era

PREFACE The Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire In seeking to determine the clothes worn by the wide range of people that entered India during the Mughal period, one has to take into account the geographical factors that influence their form of dress, the region they come from, how they lived, how the terrain, climate and their professional occupation affected what they wore. BRIEF HISTORY In 1526, Babur established the Mughal Empire, which lasted for over 200 years. They ruled most of the Indian subcontinent by 1600.The Mughal emperors married local royalty, allied themselves with the local maharajas & attempted to fuse their turko-persian culture with ancient Indian styles. The Mughal dynasty reached its peak during the reign of Akbar and it went into a slow decline after the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 and was finally defeated during the war of independence in 1857. LIFESTYLE The marketplace The marketplace The society of the Mughal period can roughly be categorized into the rich, midd le and poor class. The difference between the richest sections of society and the poorest was very wide.At the top of the social and economic ladder was the king followed by his nobles. This class lived in extraordinary luxury with abundant resources at their disposal. They lived a life of reckless festivity, grand banquets, lavish homes and often had inflated egos. Their food and dress was very costly, and their homes were huge palatial structures. Both indoor and outdoor games were popular with this class, for they had the time and resources to be able to indulge in them. An unfortunate aspect was that as a result of their tremendous wealth, many of them squandered away their money and lives in vice and temptations.Towards the close of the Mughal Empire, many of the emperors were no longer interested in running the empire; instead they were keener on enjoying the wealth they possessed as kings. Tyranny of the Emporer over the lower sections of the society Tyranny of the Emporer ov er the lower sections of the society The middle class was a relatively new development, one that would grow and become an important force during British India. They were usually merchants, industrialists and various other professionals. While not being able to afford the extravagance of the rich class, they led comfortable and perhaps more sensible lives.Many middle class families were also very well off and were able to indulge in some luxuries. Purdah system was followed during Mughal Era Purdah system was followed during Mughal Era Below the middle class lay the poor class, the most oppressed and neglected part of the society. There was a major difference between their standard of living and that of the two preceding classes. They were usually without adequate clothing and in cases of famines even without food. They held very low paying jobs, where they were expected to put in long hours.Their condition can perhaps be described as voluntary slaves. They were often harassed by the officers of the king, who extorted money out of them by making false charges against them. The economic conditions of the peasants continuously declined, especially towards the close of the Mughal period when the tyranny of the provincial governors constantly troubled the peasants' lives. The position of women in Indian society changed considerably with the coming of Islam. The Indian women now came to occupy an even lower status. Muslim inroads made strict enforcement of purdah and seclusion of women.Women’s education was not encouraged. The birth of a girl was not regarded as a happy event. On the contrary the position of the women of the noble and royal families was little better. Miniature paintings of the Mughal era Miniature paintings of the Mughal era Miniature paintings: important source for Mughal costumes Mughal painting is a particular style of South Asian painting, generally confined to miniatures, which emerged from Persian miniature painting and developed durin g the period of the Mughal Empire (16th – 19th centuries).Miniature paintings were a variety of Islamic paintings done during the reign of the Mughal Emperors. The Mughal paintings often covered scenes from the court and help our understanding of how the court functioned. These paintings also provide us with information on what the emperors looked like. * The Mughal miniature paintings had depicted the costumes and ornaments which were prevalent in the time of medieval India. Mughal artists had rendered exquisite detail of the costume of the people of that period. The Mughal Emperors who helped the art of painting to flourish were Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. Mughal Queen covered in fine clothing and jewels Mughal Queen covered in fine clothing and jewels The costume of Mughal women Traditional Mughal costume Traditional Mughal costume The ladies of the Mughal dynasty were as remarkable as their men and in certain cases even more cultivated. The way these beautiful, educat ed and extremely talented Mughal women used to dress became a matter of interest for many.Royal women wore beautiful clothes made from the finest materials and adorned jewellery from head to toe. They used to spend a lot of money in getting for themselves fine silks, brocades and muslins from which they got stitch beautiful garments. They were mostly covered in white colored veil because of the prevalent purdah system and they could not go out on the street without the veil otherwise they were forced to join the profession of prostitution. Early costumes When the Mughal ladies first set their foot in India they were dressed in long gowns, caps and trousers.And upto the time of Akbar, Persian dress was worn by muslins but during Akbar’s time Rajput dress was adopted. * An inner garment or kartiji was invariably worn beneath the gown as a short bodice reaching to the hips. * Queen in her chambers Queen in her chambers Another jacket or nimtena was frequently put over the dress somewhat like a vest (Gulbadan begam, the daughter of Babar while describing mirza hindal’s marriage in her memoirs, mentions â€Å"nine jackets with garnitures of jeweled balls† and four shortered jackets with bal trimmings among the articles of dowry for the bride Sultana begam. The effect of these gorgeous dresses embroidered with gold and pearls was astonishing. So in a whole the early Mughal costume for women consisted of wide topped trousers fitting snuggly from calf to ankle, long kurta, fitted outer jacket, dupatta, high Turkish hats, sometimes with a small veil attached and some feathers too. The Jaguli The Jaguli Influence on Hindu women The glamour of these dresses must have cast its spell unmistakably on the susceptible Indian women. Opportunities were not lacking for frequent contacts between Indian and Mughal ladies.It is therefore not astonishing that Indian women associated with the court of Delhi and high ranking ladies living in the Rajput dependencie s of northern India should very soon have adopted the distinctively Mughal style of dress. The jaguli worn by women- a sort of empire gown fastening at neck an waist, opening between the fastenings and permitting a glimpse of the breasts and with long tight wrinkled sleeves and long flowing skirt reaching as far down as the ankles. This attire was worn by the Muslim dancing women. Later Mughal costumeLater Mughal costume The skirted robe of these women which was slit in front from the waist to the bottom and which in their language was known as peshwas distinctly resemble the jagulis of the Kangra painters. Later Mughal Costumes consisted of Long sleeved choli, Isar (often striped), Brocade vest, Short and long ghagra (often in sheer material),Silk or muslin dupatta, Apron (with embroidery) and farji (long sheer vest like garment), Long sleeved floor length gown with a sari that drapes from the jeweled embroidered crown and an Ornate turban.MALE COSTUME Men wore a pagri (turban), a jama (coat), a patka (shawl), a katzeb (sash) and either trousers or a dhoti (loincloth). The Jama: Essentially, the jama is a snugly fitted garment that is complemented by a pair of long sleeves, a distinctive crossover bodice and a full skirt. The jama is differentiated from other coats of the Mughal era (such as the angharka) in that the skirts overlap in the same fashion as the bodice. The Jama The JamaThe social status and wealth of the wearer were indicated by the textiles used to create the jama, the fullness of the skirts and the length of the sleeves. The sleeves were tight-fitting to the wrist, and were commonly so long as to form soft folds along the forearm. The sleeve also features an inset triangular gusset in the armpit, which allows for a snug fit without compromising mobility. Dhoti or Paijama: Another term for these trousers is paijama, from which comes our familiar word denoting sleep attire.The word is a compound of two Persian words, pai meaning â€Å"feet† or â€Å"legs†, and jama meaning â€Å"covering†. Both men and women wore paijamas, possibly in imitation of the warlike Rajput princes who preferred them to the dhoti or the mobility they afforded. Mughal King Akbar Mughal King Akbar Pagri or Turban: Paintings from the court of Akbar indicate that there was a difference between the wrap used by a Muslim and that of a Hindu. Generally, Hindu turbans were fuller and rounder than those of the Muslims, who favored elaborate jewelry to embellish their headgear.Patka, Katzeb and Juttis: Three more items finish off the male costume and these are the patka (shawl), the katzeb (sash) and Juttis (shoes). The Patka: The patka is a handsome garment often depicted in illustrations of the period draping elegantly from the shoulders of Akbar’s courtiers. It survives today in India as the dupatta, worn by women as a scarf with Emperor Shah Jahan Emperor Shah Jahan their salwar Kamiz and Hindu men on their wedding day. Patka , Katzeb and Juttis worn by Prince Salim Patka, Katzeb and Juttis worn by Prince SalimThe Katzeb: Even more ubiquitous than the patka, was the katzeb, or sash. In illustrations of the period, it is clear that the patka and the katzeb never matched one another, but like the patka, the katzeb was richly decorated in a number of ways. Sashes in the reign of Akbar seem to be of two lengths, long and short. Laborers, servants and courtiers in a hunting party are often shown with shorter and plainer katzebs. Wealthy emirs and the Akbar himself are depicted as wearing longer and more abundant sashes, and in a few cases, two sashes of contrasting colors at once.Juttis:   Hindus and Muslims differed greatly in their approach to footwear. Followers of Islam wore shoes and boots habitually to protect their feet from the heat and hazards of the Indian landscape. Hindus, on the other hand, view feet and leather both as â€Å"unclean†. The making of leather goods, therefore, is and was l eft to the members of the lowest castes. As a rule, Hindus preferred to go either barefoot or in sandals called paduka, which were made of â€Å"pure† materials such as wood or even metal. Shoes were invariably removed before entering living areas and temples.

Contributions of Tun Dr Mahathir Essay

Dr Mahathir was Malaysia’s fourth Prime Minister and he worked very hard to develope our country since the day he was appointed as the Prime Minister. Dr M served as the prime minister of Malaysia for 22 years. He created a concept called VISION 2020, where by the year 2020 Malaysia is expected to be a fully developed country. He called upon the entire citizens of Malaysia to work harder and to prepare themselves to really achieve that vision. Dr M transformed Malaysia from a country that completely depended on self-subsistant agriculture, cultivation of rubber and tin mining, into a vibrant economic country based on trading and industrialisation. Malaysia now has heavy and high technology industries that have become more developed and competitive with other developed countries in the world. Besides that, Dr Mahathir took steps to enable Malaysia to face the future by establishing the Multimedia Super Corridor, which emphasizes ‘Information Technology’ as a very i mportant asset for the country in the new millennium. Dr Mahathir also announced the National Car Project (Proton), which is one of the many important developments of Malaysia in achieving Vision 2020. In the field of literature, Dr Mahathir has contributed greatly since his schooling days. Due to his great interest in writing, Dr Mahathir was an editor of a magazine called Darulaman. Other than that, Dr Mahathir successfully handled the financial crisis 1997 and stabilized the Malaysian economy. All schools were equipped with computers with the help of Dr Mahathir. Dr Mahathir helped Malaysia to not depend too much on neighbouring country ports by constructing Malaysia’s own major ports. This helped Malaysia to reduce foreign currency outflow until now. Dr Mahathir beginned various large scale national projects, such as the North-South Highway, The Multimedia Super Corridor, Malaysia’s new administrative capital Putrajaya, Port of Tanjung Pelepas, KLIA in Sepang, and an adjacent Formula One Circuit, Olympic-class stadium in Bukit Jalil and the Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world, the world’s tallest building from 1997-2003, that has become the symbol of modern Malaysia.

Dell computers - describe their marketing plan Essay

Dell computers - describe their marketing plan - Essay Example Through highly creative approach of meeting the challenges of fast changing requirements of the people, the company follows a dynamic strategy that incorporates the following major ingredients of competitive advantage. Marketing Mix Dell Computers has highly innovative approach towards marketing and pursues a market mix strategy to promote its goods and services. Unique aspects of its products and services are important ingredients of its market strategies that it promotes through various channels of mass media. While its online presence provides it with great asset to communicate with its customers on a personal level, it also helps the firm to access a larger database of prospective customers and showcase its range of products. The visual advertisements of Dell are intrinsically lined to the company’s mission and goals of meeting the needs of the people. They portray company’s state of the products and services under the landscape of changing socio-economic paradigms and demography. Thus, its advertisement on various channels show how its products are used by people from different market segmentation – from the common man to meeting the highly complex demands of specific industry or individuals through customization of products and services. ... The company is able to do so through exploiting people’s changing requirements and providing them with goods and services that meet their preferences. It specializes in the personal computers and accessories. The company continuously strives for new product development that can exploit the huge potential of Information technology. Dell’s vision of future encompasses flexible computer solutions so that its customers can easily manage to work within the complex environment of information technology comprising of ‘the data, preferences, applications, operating systems and associated IT policies that uniquely define the individual’. Indeed the solutions are designed to ‘provide IT with centralized control  of end-user data and images (or digital identity), while  still enabling end-user flexibility  to work from anywhere and eventually on any device’ (dell.com) Using green technology and client virtualization hosting are yet another areas tha t provides it with unique market leadership initiatives. It is a key technology that facilitates the customers to run multiple applications under different operating system with complete data security. In the fast advancing technology, Dell’s products and services provide the customers wit state of the art technology that can meet the future challenges with confidence and total security. Thus, various products and services have become vital differentiating elements of Dell’s competitive advantage within the industry. Promotion of brand image The company has been able to establish a highly credible brand image. Kotler (2005) strongly stresses that brand building is extremely important aspect of marketing because

Thematic analysis social psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Thematic analysis social psychology - Essay Example This analysis leads us to a conclusion that this can have quite long term impacts on ones personality and an individual would still find all those experiences alive within themselves. The impact of a parent’s separation has a great influence on what you become in later life. This study relates the suggested aftermaths of parents separation to the real life experiences as suggested by certain psychologists. The childhood experiences either good or bad have a major impact on a person as an individual. These factors can be labeled under attribution theory of social psychology and somehow deals with the cognitive aspect of it. The attribution aspect deals with the three main factors locus, stability and controllability and is closely associated with the personal feelings, experiences, expectations and how one controls the reason that results in the variation of behavior. Parents play a major role in a childs life, and the attachment a kid has to his parents plays a very constructive role in his development. (Bowlby 1951). Bowlby also supports the view the child undergoes separation anxiety due to the family issues he confronts. It is clearly noticed that a child has special bonding to his parents especially mother, and if the home environment stability goes off one is likely to have an impact on his personality. Kate DiCamillo had gone through such occurrence in her childhood as she states that her fathers departure had had a great impact on her persona. Her writings too were greatly affected by the childhood experiences she had endured. It is certain that the things in her life did not stay the same after her dad left. The purpose of this study is to find out how these childhood experiences affected Kate DiCamillo as a person and find how the non availability of both the parents can form what you are. In this study I am focusing on how the behavior she narrates compliments the theories described by the psychologists and how her ideas get

Why followers suport toxic leaders qualitative case study perspective Essay

Why followers suport toxic leaders qualitative case study perspective - Essay Example can this paradoxical scenario, which is has been evident in virtually every society, from the earliest records of history to the present day, be explained (Lipman-Blumen, 2005)? Susceptible followers have followed, preferred or favored, and sometimes helped create an enabling environment for toxic leadership to thrive. Followers have permitted and supported toxic leadership behavior to the point where it seems to be acceptable in both political and business organizations (Reed, 2004). The central question for investigation in this project is what are the reasons followers accept, favor, and help sustain toxic leadership? Researchers recognize that leadership effectiveness is dependent on the role of followers within the organization (McClure, 2009). However, the lack of research work on the role of followers within a company led by a toxic leader presents a significant gap in the literature which the present study aims to address. McClure (2009) acknowledges this concern about the current lack of published research or investigation into the role of followers of toxic leaders. Mccoby (2004), Challeff (1995), and Chai (2010) emphasize that researchers’ failure to investigate the role of followers and identify the motivation for follower actions are among the reasons why failures in leadership and the rise of toxic leadership still persist today. This research will undertake a qualitative methodology using content analysis to gather information as to why followers support toxic leaders. This study will fill the gap in published research on the role of followers in making organizations more effective. It will also help determine why followers support their leader, good or bad. According to Kellerman, (2008) and Lipman-Blumen, (2005), safety, security, group membership, and the unpredictable nature of the world are some of the human conditions that make followers susceptible to toxic leaders. Various followers benefit from toxic leadership behavior and