Ava Wrestles the Alligator

Three Dimensions Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain houses an unconventional triptych called The Garden of Earthly Delight painted by Hieronymus Bosch in 1504. A triptych works by combining three different panels and forming one picture, world, or scene. In the case of The Garden of Earthly Delight we are presented with a triptych that, not only has three complete scenes of Eden, Ecclesia’s Paradise, and Hell present when opened but when closed the viewer can see creation as a whole. In â€Å"Ava Wrestles the Alligator† the triptych given is Swamplandia!In this red neck fairytale the dimensions of Swamplandia! are parallel to the famous Bosch work due the ideas of Earth, Heaven, Hell, and Swamplandia! the kingdom. In Swamplandia! the idea of Earth is known as everyday activities; the running of the park, feeding the alligators. Ava and Ossie have pet lizards and giggle at night in the room they share. â€Å"We keep giggling, happy and nervous, tickled by an incomplete in nocence† (Russell 4). During these simple, earthly times of normality Ossie also begins to experiment with her newly formed womanly body.In The Garden of Earthly Delight the images of smiling, naked men and women cover the center panel. The figures in the painting are seen experiencing life as naturally as possible. Even the lives of two young girls can be represented in art painted hundreds of years before their time. This gives the reader and the avid art viewer the idea that it is human nature to experience, laugh, and dream about the world above and beyond the shell that is the human body. Ossie yearns to feel alive. With the use of her own body and her imagination she takes her kingdom and makes it her own.Far above the kingdom of Swamplandia! the spirits of past Swamplandians hover; most importantly the deceased mother of Ava and Ossie. Ava tells the reader â€Å"summer rain is still the most comforting sound I know. I like to pretend that it’s our dead motherâ⠂¬â„¢s fingers, drumming on the ceiling above us† (Russell 3). In The Garden of Earthly Delight the idea of Heaven is represented by animals, including alligators, relaxing by a pool of water and the lack of humans, comforted only by a single cloaked figure. In the ase of Ava and Ossie the cloaked figure is the thought of their mother’s spirit encasing their house with each drop of rain. One of the most focal points of The Garden of Earthly Delight is shown in the bottom right corner of the right hand panel. The image of a Bird Beast, or Prince of Hell, ruling over the Underworld is most prominent to the scene. The Prince lures in his prey and uses them for his benefit, whether it is food, pleasure, or manual labor. Like Ossie is a slave to her own pleasure and even attempts suicide to become one with her own twisted sense of desire.The women of The Garden of Earthly Delight are trapped by sex and pleasure, emotions commonly mistaken for love. Though the similarities ar e obvious between the two â€Å"men† of each story; the most striking common feature of â€Å"Ava Wrestles the Alligator† and The Garden of Earthly Delight comes from the Prince shown devouring a woman, much like how the Bird Man rapes Ava. As obvious as the painting, Ava identifies the Bird Man as â€Å"†¦no Prince Charming. He’s covered in feathers and bird shit† (Russell 11). With these three dimensions the idea of a kingdom is more apparent than the simple highway passing of Swamplandia!The reader is presented with a complex and mysterious gateway through the mind of a twelve year old and to the world of diamond lizards, grief, and the realistic notion that magic is above, below, and surrounding each human being that decides to open the doors of their own triptych. With a glance into Ava’s world and a single glance at a classic work of art each person can discover a fairytale. Works Cited Russell, Karen. â€Å"Ava Wrestles the Alligator. † St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves. New York: Vintage Books, 2006. 3-25.

Censorship and Banning Books essays

Censorship and Banning Books essays Over time at one point or another, there has been issues about freedom of speech and censorship. I believe that there are fine lines to where there should be censorship, but not in all cases of what we see, read, or hear in everyday life. Books should not be banned because it goes against everything that our country was founded for, freedom to be what you want to be, to read what you want to read, and say whatever you want to say. I feel that I should not be told what to read and what not to read. People need to think for themselves and not let other people make decisions for them. Question Authority. Think a little more about what people tell you to do. Do you feel it is right? Use your own judgment wisely. Then conclude your own opinions on what you are told. The main reason books are banned from schools is because of sexual content, use of profanity, or the way the book may influence you. People in our society today should be wise enough to think by what they see and not by what they hear. Censorship could be defined as any individual or a group of individuals trying to impose their morality on all of society as a whole. While its important that we live in a moral society, the level of morality would be established naturally by and through the opinions on society as a whole. Not by any individual or small group. Our country was founded, there was something written in the Constitution called the First Amendment. The First Amendment gives us the freedom we have to think, see, speak, hear, etc. what we want to witness. Banning books takes away that freedom of the Constitution. The main purpose of books are to educate. If the book does not serve that purpose, chances are it wont be used at all. Society should not really be concerned about books with no redeeming value being used in schools. If they have no value to them, chances are they are not going to be used. People need to get a better understanding of things and th...

A Kindergarten Lesson Plan on Addition and Subtraction

A Kindergarten Lesson Plan on Addition and Subtraction In this sample lesson plan, students represent addition and subtraction with objects and actions. The plan is designed for kindergarten students.  It requires three class periods of 30 to 45 minutes each. Objective The objective of this lesson is for students to represent addition and  subtraction with objects and actions to understand the concepts of adding to and taking from. The key vocabulary words in this lesson are addition, subtraction, together and apart. Common Core Standard Met This lesson plan satisfies the following Common Core standard in the Operations and Algebraic Thinking category and Understanding Addition as Putting Together and Adding To and Understand Subtraction as Taking Apart and Taking From sub-category.   This lesson meets standard K.OA.1: Represent addition and subtraction with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings, sounds (e.g., claps), acting out situations, verbal explanations, expressions or  equations. Materials PencilsPaper  Sticky notesCereal in small baggies for each childOverhead projector Key Terms AdditionSubtractionTogetherApart Lesson Introduction   The day before the lesson, write 1 1 and 3 - 2 on the blackboard. Give each student a sticky note, and see if they know how to solve the problems. If a large number of students successfully answer these problems, you can begin this lesson midway through the procedures described below. Instruction   Write 1 1 on the blackboard. Ask students if they know what this means. Put one pencil in one hand, and one pencil in your other hand. Show students that this means one (pencil) and one (pencil) together equal two pencils. Bring your hands together to reinforce the concept.Draw two flowers on the board. Write down a plus sign followed by three more flowers. Say aloud, â€Å"Two flowers together with three flowers make what?† The students should be able to count and answer five flowers. Then, write down 2 3 5 to show how to record equations like this. Activity   Give each student  a bag of cereal and a piece of paper. Together, do the following problems and say them like this (adjust as you see fit, depending on other vocabulary  words you use in the math classroom): Allow the students to eat some of their cereal as soon as they write down the correct equation. Continue with problems such as these until the students feel comfortable with addition.Say 4 pieces together with 1 piece is 5. Write 4 1 5 and ask the students to write it down too.Say 6 pieces together with 2 pieces is 8. Write 6 2 8 or the board and ask the students to write it down.Say 3 pieces together with 6 pieces is 9. Write 3 6 9 and ask the students to write it down.The practice with addition should make the subtraction concept a bit easier. Pull out five pieces of cereal from your bag and put them on the overhead projector. Ask students, â€Å"How many do I have?† After they answer, eat two of the pieces of cereal. Ask â€Å"Now how many do I have?† Discuss that if you start with five pieces and then take away two, you have three pieces left over. Repeat this with the students several times. Have them take out three pieces of cereal from their bags, eat one and tell you how many are left over. Tell them that there is a way to record this on paper. Together, do the following problems and say them like this (adjust as you see fit):Say 6 pieces, take away 2 pieces, is 4 left over. Write 6 - 2 4 and ask the students to write it as well.Say 8 pieces, take away 1 piece, is 7 left over. Write 8 - 1 7 and ask the students to write it.Say 3 pieces, take away 2 pieces, is 1 left over. Write 3 - 2 1 and ask the students to write it.After the students have practiced this, it’s time to have them create their own simple problems. Divide them into groups of 4 or 5 and tell them that they can make their own addition or subtraction problems for the class. They can use their fingers (5 5 10), their books, their pencils, their crayons or even each other. Demonstrate 3 1 4 by bringing up three students and then asking another to come to the front of the class.  Give students a few minutes to think of a problem. Walk around the room to assist with their thinking.Ask the groups to show their problems to the class and have the seated students record the problems on a piece of paper. Differentiation In step four, separate students into tiered groups and adjust problems based on complexity and number of steps. Support struggling students by spending more time with these groups and challenge advanced students by asking them to experiment with different types of counting, such as with their fingers or even with each other. Assessment   Repeat steps six  through eight together as a class at the end of math class for a week or so. Then, have groups demonstrate a problem and do not discuss it as a class. Use this as an assessment for their  portfolio or to discuss with parents. Lesson Extensions   Ask students to go home and describe to their family what putting together and taking away means and what it looks like on paper. Have a family member sign off that this discussion took place.

Something about fairy tales Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Something about fairy tales - Essay Example This works against the argument that many of the medical advances that have been made have been accomplished through ‘designer’ practices in response to top-dollar demands. At the same time, Postrel argues against the ‘anti-nature’ claim by citing several examples in which modern medicine has changed the ‘natural’ condition of decay and death, even allergic response, without anyone calling foul. Basically, I agree with Postrel that cloning science is not an attack on nature and is not intended to produce designer babies or yuppy science. I also agree that the majority of people who benefit from these technologies seems to be the middle class, maybe because there are more middle class families and thus more demand or maybe because rich people taking advantage of these advances prefer to keep their stories quiet. The technologies would not be developed, though, unless there was someone interested in benefiting from the results, especially in our overly capitalistic society. However, I do understand the point of view of the other side in being worried that this technology might be carried too far. As it can be seen in almost every other facet of life, moderation can provide tremendous benefits, but excess can lead to disaster. For this paper, I plan to explore the archetypes present within the fairy tale story of â€Å"Snow White.† Preliminary research has indicated that while archetypes are readily identified within the story even by very young children, there remain several interpretations regarding what these archetypes are. For example, Stephen Flynn (2005) interprets the story in terms of its female archetypes while Virginia Walker and Mary Lunz (1976) reveal numerous archetypes recognized by young children when the story is aurally communicated. My primary question in conducting this research is to determine if there is a consensus opinion regarding the identification of archetypes within the story and

Are social problems socially constructed or biologically determined Essay

Are social problems socially constructed or biologically determined - Essay Example There are a number of social constructs that exist in the times of today and the same have been for our understanding for so long now that they have started to seem pretty much a part and parcel of our very existence. The aspects of femininity and masculinity are something which is easily bracketed under the social constructs heading and this has been case for quite a number of decades now, if not centuries. The related linkages are predominantly the root cause for these social constructs to arise in the first place. Social constructs within the domains of social problems are indeed the entities which have been institutionalized in a social hierarchical system and which have been invented or constructed by a number of different participants which are in essence part of those very systems. These social constructs are remnant of the society or the culture that we are talking about and the same exist because people have followed the related regimes for so long now that it has become a part of their system, their day to day thinking mindset and the impending approach which has come about due to the very same. These social constructs could also be in line with the different traditional rules which are being followed over a period of time and then there are the discussions related with the conventional thinking and analysis hierarchies. The aspect of social constructionism looks to suggest some ways within the understanding module of the social constructions where detection of the same aspects are als o judged and found out. The analysis forms an important ingredient of the very same subject. Social constructs are pretty different from the social realities that exist within a society or a culture since the latter focuses more on the real happenings and not what the whole ideology or the thinking mindset can and cannot be. What this brings to light is the fact that the social constructs look to narrow the basis for the developing

Explore the idea of historical embeddedness in The Brief Wondrous Life Research Paper

Explore the idea of historical embeddedness in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - Research Paper Example The narrator therefore wonders if writing this novel is his own way of saying zafa. Every body seems to be cursed! The first chapter, which happens in 1974 to1987 in Paterson, details Oscar’s childhood and early adolescence. For one week when he is seven, Oscar dates two girls, Olga and Maritza, at the same period. However, the threesome momentarily falls apart and the life of Oscar goes downhill from then onwards. In adolescence, he was fat, dorky, and unattractive. His interest in Genre creates him even more unattractive, and his only true friends are Miggs and Al. Oscar’s sister Lola try to encourage him to lose weight to be more masculine for him to land a girlfriend, but Oscar does not regard their advice. When Miggs and Al find girlfriends and purposely dessert him out, Oscar realizes that they even contemplate that he is a failure. Oscar goes to Santo Domingo to visit Nena Inca, and starts writing science fiction as a channel. When Oscar returns he finds a girl c alled Ana Obregon at SAT prep class, instantly falling in love with her. Oscar and Ana become good friends, but never physically intimately attached. Eventually Ana’s boyfriend named Manny returns from an army mission and Ana stops having time with Oscar. Afterward, Oscar goes to Rutgers for college. He hopes life in college may be different, but in there, he realizes that still he is a loser. Oscar, the character who collects the novel together, justly perceives himself as a doubly marginalized figure. A Dominican-American boy growing up in Paterson during the 80s, he is hampered by counter-stereotypical nerdiness in addition to problems of racism and social class. Bashful, precocious, and overweight, Oscar is well versed in Marvel comics and "Japanimation" lore. His ambition is to write a space fictional. A Dominican accent manipulates "Wilde" into "Wao" wile in college. Yunior (Solis 49), his college roommate and best friend, does not quite apprehend Oscar, however loves h im and sees that there something is within Oscar that needs to be known. As the key narrator of the story, Yunior provides a loving portrayal of a tortured person within a tortured family. Redemption of Oscar â€Å"brief wondrous life† manifests at a momentous, but justified, price. Told from the viewpoint of Oscar’s sister Lola with his best friend Yunior, the story of the search for revitalization leads the reader through some of the darkest junctions of a country under severe dictatorial control. Lola pursues her own redemption, far away from her family, particularly her mother and her heritage. She only loves her younger brother Oscar and seeks protecting him from the curse which is tragically affecting their family. Saying that Hapatia Belicia was born to hard era would be an understatement. Beli’s mother died when she was only two months old, never met her father, held by her sisters a few times before they disappeared too, and spent no time in Casa Hatuey . Beli had multiple things sailing against her from the beginning of her pathetic life. She was born sick and underweight, at a time and environment where it would be difficult for any newborn to survive with her accompanied situation. She was also dark skinned, a reason that made her father’s family to absolutely dislike anything to do with her. At this juncture, her life is saved uniquely by a single woman’

Leonardo Davinci The Greatest Genius History Essay

Leonardo Davinci The Greatest Genius History Essay Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452 in Anchiano, near Vinci in the Republic of Florence, which is now Italy. He died on May 2, 1519 in Cloux (now Clos-Luce) France. Leonardo da Vinci is believed to be the greatest genius that ever lived. Leonardo had become a master in more fields of any other before or since him. Most geniuses such as Albert Einstein or Alfred Hitchcock were masters only in a single field. It was not the case with Leonardo. He believed that all subject matter was interconnected in one way or another. Leonardo expressed a great deal of his other works in his works of art. He was an Italian painter, draftsman, sculpture, architect, engineer, mathematician, musician, scientist, a writer, and a well-known inventor. Da Vinci, the Artist Leonardo started his career as an artist in about 1469 in Verrocchios fabled workshop. Leonardo, a youth at the time was Verrocchios assistant. One of their famous masterpieces was the Baptism of Christ. This painting was started in 1472 and took roughly 3 years to complete. It is currently being housed at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. A great deal of the detail of this painting was believed to be done by Leonardo himself. X-rays of the painting and comparing them to the original sketches shows that Leonardo had done the painting entirely different that the way Verrocchio had intended it to be in finished form. This may be the earliest indication that Leonardo was trying to free himself from his masters coaching to follow his own path. Verrocchio had felt threatened by the fact that da Vincis angel in the painting had seemed to be a great deal better than the other three which were painted by Verrocchio (John the Baptist) and other students) After this Verrocchio had lost in terest in painting and concentrated on his other talents such as sculpture and metal working. Suffice to say, this was Verrocchios last well-known painting and the start of Leonardos career as a famous artist. Another of his more famous works, the Mona Lisa, has brought forth much controversy over the years since its completion in 1506. It was painted in Florence, Italy on wood with oil paints and now currently resides at the Musee du Louvre, Paris. Some of this controversy includes such questioning as follows: Why is she smiling (was she secretly pregnant at the time of the painting), is this really a woman or a cleverly disguised self-portrait of Leonardo himself? If Mona Lisa was actually a self portrait of Leonardo, then the smile couldnt have been of a secret pregnancy, but most-likely of a secret that the painting is actually based on the artist. The Last Supper is another one of Leonardos great works of art. It is a mural that measures 30 feet by 14 feet. This great size mad it a great challenge for the very talented Leonardo. The work was started in 1495 and after 3 years of many sketches and preparatory drawings, the work was finally completed in 1498. This painting was done at the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie on the north refectory. This job focused on a scene at the moment of the announcement Judas betrayal. Instead of seating them in a traditional seating arrangement for that time, he seated them so that one could see each of the apostles faces and facial expressions as they hear the announcement of the betrayal of Jesus. This job couldnt have come at a more perfect time for Leonardo, for he was in his time of depression. This job not only brought him out of his depression, but it also won back the Duke Lodovicos patronage and through this he acquired a vineyard and a piece of property of 16 rods located near San Vittore. Other paintings by Leonardo include St. John in the Wilderness, Benois Madonna, Sala delle Asse, St. Jermome, Adoration of the Magi, and many others. Da Vinci and his sculptures Leonardo not only had a talent for art, which he seems the most famous for, but also he had a flare for sculpture. Some of his more well-known sculptures are the Horse in Bronze and the Il Cavallo. The Bronze horse was started in 1482 when the Duke of Milan had commissioned Leonardo to build the worlds biggest horse in honor of his father to guard over the Dukes castle. It stood 24 feet high upon its completion. The sculpture started out as a full size cay model and was eventually later cast in Bronze, thus the name the Bronze Horse. Leonardos other well known sculpture, Il Cavallo, was another horse sculpture that he would not see completed. This only exists in the form of the multitude of drawings that were left behind by da Vinci. Also left behind were two issues da Vinci had with his sculpture. The first was the fact that he needed to fill the space where the horses belly was to be and the second issue was settling on the position of the rider. Unfortunately for Leonardo, this wa s one sculpture he could not complete. Da Vinci, the Inventor Leonardo had many great inventions for his time period and a great deal of them was ahead of their time. These inventions can be put into a number of categories according to the invention and the intended purpose of the invention. The first category would be flight. This category includes the parachute, the helicopter, and the glider. The second category is forgeries. In this category would be the Turin Shroud. The reason for this as being in the forgery category is the fact that people question whether it is authentic or it was one of da Vincis illusions of making it look authentic by using his many artistic talents. The third category of his inventions is maps. Leonardo had made great improvements in the area of map making in his time period. The fifth category is the military. This category includes the plans he had drawn up for an automobile (re-invention), the invention of a three-tiered machine gun, a scaling ladder (improvement), and a military tank. Even his paintings, which are the sixth category, can be considered as inventions for Leonardo in the fact that he had made improvements in the art and also in his creative techniques. The seventh category for inventions for da Vinci is statues in the fact that, just as in paintings he had made improvements and used different techniques and also invention. The last but not least category in the inventions for da Vinci is a category that I would have never even thought or known about is robots. Leonardo was experimenting with this concept in 1495. The robot is a knight in appearance and is wearing the traditional armor for the time which was Italian-German. It had realistic features as well. For instance if one were to look into the mouth of the robot one would find it looked as a real humans mouth would. Leonardo had done this to prove to himself how easily a human beings body could be imitated. This to me in itself shows pure genius. I could go basically on and on forever about the great deal of accomplishments of the great Leonardo da Vinci. He had made great improvements to the art world, helped science a great deal, made inventions and plans for inventions that would be a great help to society. He was also a great mathematician, musician and writer as well. I believe that for one to be considered the greatest genius to ever live they need to have a vast knowledge of a multitude of different subjects. Leonardo da Vinci is the only person thus far has come to mind as that such person who greatly qualifies for such an honor.