Peer Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Peer Assessment - Essay ExampleMy experience as a peer assessor was an eye opener. For the first time, I felt care I was not the one being reviewed, but I was reviewing other students work. This gave me a sense of pride and courage and it also enabled me to see the big picture. In marking my classmates papers, I no longer saw myself as a victim of marking but rather a victory. The peer assessment gave me an taste of one of the functions of our tutors, which is to assess the students academic performance. Our peer assessment was based on our assessment tests for all the units that we sat in the semester. The move was aimed at getting us to interact with each other while improving our leadership skills (Cottrell 2010). For the first time, my classmates and I felt some sense of responsibility for our knowledge. It dawned on us that our education depends on us and that we are all equally talented when given a chance to review our peers work. The assessment came as an encouragement to the not-so-good students that they can be trusted to assess even the brightest students in our class. Every student was assigned a paper to mark, and the tutor would guide us through the marking of the papers. The instructors apply this opportunity to go through the questions with us, in an attempt to revise the paper. The teacher would guide us through, reading the questions aloud, and one after the other. He would then adopt a classmate to provide the correct answer, and we would have a brief discussion on each issue.

The current technology that we carry with us all the time is reshaping Essay

The current technology that we carry with us all the judgment of conviction is reshaping our personality and in the future it seems to endangerin - Essay ExampleNonetheless, despite the positive effects of technology in society today, human beings deport commence slaves of technology, thus resulting in minus outcomes. Nonetheless, technology influences various aspects of human beings negatively, including shaping their personality, and this endangers the existence of the human race in future. According to a New York Times article written by Parker-Pope (WEB), technology has an ugly toll on human beings today. This mainly regards human personality, which has greatly been affected by technology in a detrimental manner. Today, at that place is the technological invention of high-speed internet, which near heap use. There are different gadgets with fast-forward buttons, including many other types of technologies, which people use daily. Parker-Pope (WEB) therefore, argues that the use and dependence on this technology slowly shapes the personality of most human beings. According to Parker-Pope, Some experts believe excessive use of the Internet, cellphones and other technologies can cause us to become more impatient, impulsive, forgetful and even more narcissistic (WEB). ... Therefore, this makes life of people today resemble a chat room. Additionally, since most people spend most of their time with their devices and computers with internet, this has resulted in some people becoming addicted to the internet and to the cellphones and other gadgets, therefore, making technology to become like a drug. Technology has too led to the cutting-off of social interactions among people. People communicate more on their cellphones and through the internet, therefore, leading to less time of face-to-face interactions. More people spend time in chat rooms, and this is encouraged by the high efficiency of the internet and iPhones, as well as the anonymity of chat rooms (P arker-Pope WEB). In some other article in the BBC News, by Coughlan (WEB), Coughlan argues that technology is presently ranked among some of the threats to human extinction. Humans develop technology therefore, this superpower be a show window of self-destruction, as observed by Lord Rees, who is a scientist, This is the first century in the worlds history when the biggest threat is from humanity (Coughlan WEB). Natural disasters, diseases, persecution, and environmental change might not lead to extinction of the human race, since humans have survived this throughout history. In addition, nuclear war might destroy a high lean of lives, but some humans might survive. Nonetheless, the present era of technology has the highest capacity for destroying human existence in future. The major reason for this is the lack of control, which people exhibit in the development and use of technology. Therefore, the negative effects of technology are not controlled. People today have become more experimentative and have delved into areas that are unpredictable. For instance, experiments in machine

Girl Scouts Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Girl Scouts - Coursework ExampleThe biggest obstacle was realignment of the council but Cloningers did it strategically. This created short term wins such as cost reduction. Cloningers together create on the change which was later embraced in a corporal culture. (Kotters 8-Step Change Model, 2012)d) Mckinsey (company, 2001) designs a model of mission, strategies and team work. Then he ensures human resource is substantial from all cadres forming a good organizational structure embraced by corporate culture which is the case brought forward by Cloninger in Girl Scout.e) The resistance brought by decentralization of the organization by some council influenced Cloningers approach of team work. The musty uncool image also affected Cloningers approach of discontinue flexible participation for all age level of between 15-17 girls.f) Through identification of strengths of the organization such as volunteering. Also done strengthening weaknesses. Cloningers also identified opportunities which they worked on within the given time line. Threatening issues such as decentralized governance were realigned and team work through corporate culture adopted.g) The first obstacle was the realignment of the council which she knew would be faced by rejection and disparities by local council. The there is the low membership recruitment. The other problem was the resistance by some council who were opposed to centralized control and finally by people joining and leaving the organization so that there is no continuity. The condition for triumph included working together as a team and within the allocated timeline by reducing costs in the organization.It is similar in that there was realignment of the council assay to satisfy the needs of everyone. There was also combination of task force by bringing all stakeholders aboard and finally looking for income contribution methods through donors and volunteers. Mckinsey addresses culture but model in chapter seven does not highlight o n

Pe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Pe - Essay ExampleHowever there are a number of anonymous women of the oracle at Dephi who responsible for advising the Athenians to go and defend the wall of the Wood.Most women in the Greek society were immensely restricted but not as much as the women in new(prenominal) societies of that time. Their role in artistic production was very much important since they represented the ideals of the Greek society and even up some religious fervor. This gave rise to an art of great perfection that was highly demanded as a trade item. At that time religion had a lot of interdependence on the stories that were developed in the to begin with society where women could prove to act more powerful and independently. The Greek developed a sense of an ideal so that the portrait of the depicted women could depend not only on the ordinary people but on the best that was available at that time. Most of the societies benefited economically from the spreading trade in art while the rest of the world reaped some little benefits from the view of the women that had a less restriction in the Greek society.According to the literature of stereotypes of Athens, women were highly value for their virtues of not gossiping, taking the responsibility of household management, and most importantly for the production of legitimate children (Tomus, Hall and Geldart 11). The aristocratic woman was majorly secluded in the quarters that were narrow aside for the women and they were to be accompanied when they were in the public places. She could own a lot of property but they could not sell those property. Most of the Athenian women were subjects to their fathers and even after they were married, they could ask for their return. All women in Athens were not recognized as the citizens of Athens.In Roman, women were legally subjects to the pater familias whether the dominant male in their household of give or the household of their husbands (Sommerstein 37). They could own property and dispose- off the same property at their own wish and even

How New York Times vs Sullivan changed political thinking Essay Example for Free

How New York time vs Sullivan changed policy-making thinking EssayThe history of the American nation has been evidently marked with more landmarks legal interpretations of its constitution. The case of New York Times vs. Sullivan is one good example of landmark cases which greatly changed the political thinking of the American population. It is go off from the underlying minutes of the commanding Court on the case that the legal understanding of the first and fourth amendments of the civil right bill is not to solelyow any convalescence for media reports unless the complainant can sufficiently prove issues of malice when making the libelous report (FindLaw, 2010). This is what marked the many historical appreciations of the media freedom in our legal evaluator system. It is indeed a direct result of this 1964 ruling that the media gain freedom to sufficient cover the proceedings of civil rights movement thus aiding in the identification of the ultimate inclusion of th e black Americans right to the civil rights in the American constitution. This essay is written as a critical compend of the New York Times vs. Sullivan and how it evidently changed political thinking in America.The author first gives an analytical watchword on the underlying circumstances presented in the case. A discussion on how the case set a precedent for general officials and how that is just another thing to consider for habitual figures getting into politics is also effrontery Summary of the New York Times vs. Sullivan case 1. The trial courts apprehension The case of New York Times vs. Sullivan involved a claim by New York Times in an advertisement that the arrest of Martin Luther king junior was a campaign to compromise his efforts in encouraging the blacks to vote (FindLaw, 2010).The advert claimed that the Montgomery law had been allegedly directed their acts against students who were involved in the civil rights demonstrations. The led to the filing of defamatio n case against New York Times by Sullivan, a commissioner in the police incision at Montgomery (Shah Anderson, 2007). It is however here to be made clear that the advert was not directly mentioning Sullivan but Sullivan claimed that it was targeting him since he was the chief supervision of the police department in Montgomery. he low court trial judge in Alabaman found the New York Times guilty of committing an genuine malice defamatory statements against a public officer and ordered them to pay Sullivan damage worthy half a million US dollars. 2. The Supreme Courts judgment and its reflection on the first and fourteenth amendment It is however to be realized that the New York Times did not accept the lower court jurys judgment thus forcing to file an appeal with the supreme court in the quest realizing a fair and just judgment (Tysoe, 2008).At the Supreme Court, the adjudicate clearly confirmed that the provisions of the first amendment of the civil rights bill did not allow a public officer to be granted damages for defamation unless he or she clearly proves that such statements were made will veritable malice against them. Still citing the fourteenth amendment to the constitution, the court ruled out that the states is not stimulate to award damages for defamation to a public offices based on falsified claims unless the officers sufficiently proves actual malice in the statements (Shah Anderson, 2007).It is also clear from the proceedings at the Supreme Court that an individual statement can never its cheerion under the American constitution even if it appears in the form of a remunerative advert. The judges claimed that it is not the purpose of the government to judge the truth and that a public officer essential live to take critics from the public unless they can sufficiently proof malicious acts in the statements (Write Lidsky, 2004).It was evidently claimed that any act of allowing Sullivan to be paid damages for insufficiently qualified cla ims of malice could act as a loophole for compromising any future critics to public officers. Still to be noted here is the fact that such any act could greatly compromise existent critics for fear of intimidation, a move which could evidently compromise the just and fair provision of services by public officers to the general public. It is based on this reasons that the Supreme Court ruled against the lower courts ruling thus favoring New York Times.How New York Times vs. Sullivan set a precedent for public officials The first lesson is that it became evidently clear that a public official is subject to public criticism. It is quite clear from existing historical information that the realization of just and fair rules and regulations in the American nation has never been without social movements. Still clear is the fact that such realizations were heavily compromised with public office power interferences (Wright Lidsky, 2004). The civil right movement of the ordinal century is no exception to this.It is based on this reasoning and by applying the principles of conclusion by sufficient reasoning that the 1964 interpretation of the American constitution served to protect the political elite and/or public officials from imposing force to the public. Another change that was brought by the impact of the New York Times vs. Sullivan case ruling is that the political elite in the community must be role models (Tysoe, 2008). It is found in the proceedings of the Supreme Court ruling that public officials should be dependent to critics from the public domain.This was made to emphasis the fact that such are the leaders who should lead the American nation to the next level of fairness and justice for all in the society. It was only by instilling the fact that the general public has a constitutional right to critique their leaders that political comments made by leaders are subject to self liability. This is what has made the political elite of the American nation r espectful of the constitutional provisions thus sufficiently realizing great levels of justice and fairness in the society (Melbourne University Law Review, 2001).Still proved by the case is the fact that sufficiently prove of defamation by actual malice is the ultimate reason for claiming legal awarding of damages (Melbourne University Law Review, 2001). The proceedings at the Supreme Court clearly naturalized that the constitutional security measures of claimed statement can not be negated due to the fact that such have been expressed in the context of a paid advertisement. This clear makes public officials subject to proving of actual malice in their damage claim suits. It is to be clearly noted that most true expression which go to the media can be easily disputed by the source (FindLaw, 2010).However, the question of whether or not to get defamatory damages remains subject to the provision of substantial tell proving actual malice in the presentation of the expressions. How New York Times vs. Sullivan is just another thing to consider for public figures getting into politics The ruling in the case of the New York Times vs. Sullivan also instilled the lesson that no one in the American land is above the rule of law as provided in the constitution. legislate from the ruling of the lower court, it can be claimed that the jury sort less evidence to make the judgment in favor of Sullivan (Wright Lidsky, 2004).This could be closely attributed to the fact that the government was out to control the progression of the Martin Luther King led civil rights movement. It is however clear from the Supreme Court judgment that despite such previous rulings on the case the constitutional provisions must be respected and applied equally to all in the society (Melbourne University Law Review, 2001). The provision for proving actual malice for compensation of defamation of an individuals reputation should equally respect all even the politically advantaged in the societ y.It is this that made political turn on justice provisions rationalize thus respecting the rule of rule as reflected in the constitutional provision for independence of the judiciary. Another lesson from the case is that of change claim for awarding damage due to purported defamatory speech (Tysoe, 2008). From the advertisement that led to the defamation claims by Sullivan, it is quite clear that it claimed to be the onset of a new pattern of modern freedom. According to the ruling of the Supreme Court, it is quite clear that the constitution sufficiently protects the human right to speech.It is due to this that it found no sufficient claim of defamation in Sullivans claims due to the fact that the students involve were being deprived of their constitutional right to speech (Shah Anderson, 2007). It is based on this reasoning that the ruling changing our political approaches to reflective our constitutional right to speech. The last lesson from the case ruling is that it made i t clear that freedom of the press must be respected. It is to be noted here that the sole duties of the media is to provide news to the general public on occurrences around them.It is due to this reason that any act of compromise quality and accuracy of such news must be mitigated. Still to be understood here is the fact that the advertisement published by the New York Times was made for overseeing the fair and just execution of the underlying demands of the civil rights movement (Melbourne University Law Review, 2001). This is what made the ruling a greatly political influence blow in civil matters. Still realized from the ruling is the ultimate realizing of freedom of press. Indeed the New York Times vs. Sullivan led to the protection of the media against intimidation in covering the civil rights movement.It is thus clear that the ruling changed the perception the political and public officials had with regard to the media in the society.Conclusion In conclusion, it has been clear ly established that the Supreme Court ruling in the case of the New York Times vs. Sullivan marked the dawn of respect for freedom to speech and the press by public officials. It is thus clear that such a case qualifies to be a landmark case in the history of the American nation. It is this court ruling which mitigated misuse of public office and/or political power to impose legal awards for damages without sufficiently prove of actual malice.

Philosophy of Education for Foundations of Education Essay Example for Free

Philosophy of Education for Foundations of Education EssayIntroduction Education is an ongoing process based upon experience. The old adage you say something new everyday is very true, and nothing fascinates me more than simply talking to other slew you arse learn so much from them. Education is the invention of our American society, and the children of today are the future of our country, exclusively educating them is not enough we must be good role models and present a system of morality and values in our schoolrooms. Our objective in education is directly related to the social sciences in that the classroom is a microcosm of our society. As teachers we try to prepare our scholarly persons for real-world situations. Interacting socially, communication effectively and take ining other peoples emotions, feelings and points of view will help our students blossom into productive and understanding adults. Howard Gardner wrote close multiple intelligences, which I think is a colossal step in improving the classroom environment and lesson plans to include ways that everyone can learn (Tomlinson, 2002). He identified eight different ways to be smart that traditional IQ tests would not show.This model allows students to excel in these categories through different types of instruction, such as verbal ability, referred to as the linguistic intelligence, or the ability to play an instrument, referred to as the musical intelligence (Johnson et al. , 2005). My classroom will be entertaining, first and foremost. I understand the bodily I am pedagogy elementary school children, but delivering that material effectively depends on how they feel about school. Motivating children and getting them excited about learning is not unendingly easy, but it is a key ingredient to a successful classroom.As a male entering the elementary education field I understand my role as a possible father figure (Kindlon and Thompson, 1999) and recognize the importance. I want to make a difference in the world, and I jaw no better way than through the efforts of education. Definition of Philosophy From the perspective of a future educator, I see my egotism identifying with the qualities of existentialism the most. This theory can be hard to explain at times because it relies so heavily on the meaning we impose on our lives through education, an idea that cannot be expressed in a limited amount of words and one that differs from individual to individual.Existentialism is routed in the fact that our lives are nonsensical we live in a meaningless world and a meaningless period of time no different than any other. In essence, the quest to find meaning in our lives defines our manner. A heroic part of this view is the idea that we are all free, an idea embraced in America but not typically recognized throughout the world or throughout history. Given this, our freedom allows us to make choices and these choices define us. The goal of the teacher through this p hilosophy is not to teach freedom, but to embrace it.Tracking, mensuration and standardization homogenize the classroom, whereas our goal as teachers is to individualize the classroom and foster a healthy student-teacher relationship. The students feelings are historic and we should not compare ourselves to an ideal self but who we actually are, and education is the tool that fills the gaps of understanding this. Because I have yet to become a teacher, I am not quite received how and in what ways measurement and standardization negatively impact the classroom, but I am aware of the separation and animosity created my tracking.Getting the students to think positively about themselves will foster healthy learning and create a positive self-esteem that will drive them to learn both in the classroom and through questioning on their own. Sparking that fire is the idea behind existentialism, and in a world where we are essentially meaningless, it is up to us as teachers to jeer our st udents to grasp the freedom they have, bring meaning into their life, and use that excitement to find meaning in all that they do.Also, in sparking critical thinking, students will engage in a thoughtful and reflective process similar to Blooms taxonomy where a number of levels of learning are happening, dependent on how information in the classroom affects them and their conception as well as essence. Another important tool we can use to define our philosophy as a teacher is the Ways of Knowing. I feel like I identify most with the Eastern Way of Knowing, particularly the Chinese thought because of the emphasis on moral development.Understanding facts and theories is important in education, but sometimes it is hard to distinguish what is actually necessary from what is trivial. Preaching ethics allows us to respect others, particularly elders, and gain from their knowledge, something that cannot always be taught in the classroom. Also, it will foster a more productive and peacefu l society, one that is the best to learn in. Confucianism and Taoism play a large role in this type of knowing as well, and the reliance on harmony can be compared to the need for smooth transitions in the field of education.Although Confucius implemented the need for rules and standards, opposed to my belief in existentialism, he has influenced society and education in particular for thousands of years. These rules help keep life orderly and efficient, and the success of Chinese government, business and family life can be attributed to this as well as the harmony between the three. Taoism affects the Chinese thought by suggesting that we should leave things alone and not force private desires onto the way things will naturally occur.This eliminates the need for competition and is more consistent with the existentialist view. Competition can be good in many ways, but when comparing students we must be careful and considerate. There is no place in the classroom for devising anyone feel inferior, and I feel more powerfully about that than any other aspect of teaching right now. In relation to morals and respect, I will never allow a student to think they are better than any other student, and hopefully using this method will prepare them for life in the real world, where manners and morals can actually take you pretty far.Even if its not for achievement, preaching this will promote self-improvement and a genuine compassion for other students, which is what I strive for in the classroom. Based on the work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and rooted in existentialism, secular humanism is the educational approach that I fell closest too. Humanism makes the effrontery that we are essentially born good and that children enter the world not as a blank slate, but with innate qualities and dispositions.Consistent and nearly akin to existentialism, humanism stresses the role of individualism in the classroom and says that society turns people evil. Group-oriented educatio n is rejected because it weakens the student-teacher relationship, limits self-actualization (based on the students feelings), and measures students as objects, effectively doing away with the individual self. Teachers involving humanism in the classroom look for student interests as guidelines for instruction and assessment and even go as far as letting the students pick the material and activities.Students discover their own opinions through divergent thinking and should not be influenced by the teachers views. Eastern influences on Humanism are also prevalent, as people should be looked at as valuable individuals that deserve respect, not as objects to be manipulated, described by the I-Thou and I-It example, respectively. I am an optimist the glass is always half(prenominal) full. Therefore, I strongly believe that people are created equally, good and free. Society can have a negative impact on individuals, but it can also have a positive impact.Our goal as teachers is to becom e that positive force and to let every student know that we care about them as individuals. The book cites how a college classroom can consist of more than one-hundred students, leaving know room for a personal relationship with the professor. One of the primary(prenominal) reasons I came to W and J was for that small school feel where I could have a personal relationship with my professors I feel like I do better in my classes and that I also learn more and feel more confident about my abilities.If we can achieve this goal, rather than making our students just a number, we will truly succeed as educators. References Johnson, J. A. , Musial, D. , Hall, G. E. , Gollnick, D. M. , Dupuis, V. L. (2005). Introduction to the foundations of American education (pp. 448). Boston Allyn Bacon. Kindlon, D. , Thompson M. (1999). Raising Cain Protecting the emotional life of boys (pp. 333). new-fashioned York Ballentine. Tomlinson, C. A. (2002). Different learners, different lessons. Scholast ic Instructor, 9, 21, 24-26, 91.

History of the Ming Dynasty

History of the Ming DynastyThe Ming Dynasty was one of bully grandness in Chinese recital, and from its humble beginnings in 1368 came the most impressive architectural achievement in China The nix metropolis. This city, strengthened by ternion master architects chosen by emperor moth moth YongLe, became the center of tout ensemble told diplomatic performance for the emperor and those near associated with him.Over a thousand owing(p) buildings were created for the Forbidden City, all to be apply by the emperor and his servants. castlings for domestic bread and scarcelyter, several more palaces for the empress and her servants, ghostlike buildings, buildings rehearsed for political work, and lavish gardens all filled the grounds of the new capital. However, what was most interesting about emperor YongLes Forbidden City was non that of all the buildings themselves, solely the premises upon which they were construct, premises of religion and symbolisation that remain most-valuable to Chinese society to this day.Following the last of the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty emerged and Emperor Qianlongs six extravagant finesse collections emerged along with it. These six wile collections, some bearing Western influenced, included an assorted amount of ceramics, paintings, sculpture, bronzy ware, jade and other minor arts, and all were enmeshed with the art previously brought in to the Forbidden City by Emperor YongLe.The stylistic architectural decisions instituted by Emperor YongLe while building the Forbidden City, along with Emperor Qianlongs six art collections, reflect the importance of religion, symbolism, and art in Chinese culture, and remain to be important aspects of China in present durations.The grandson of a idyl who was one of only three peasants ever to be total an emperor of China, Emperor YongLe was the third emperor in the Ming Dynasty. YongLe fought alongside his father in the Yunnan campaign to dismiss the country of the g o bad bastion of Mongolian resistance, and despite being considered as exemplary, he was overlooked as emperor. Instead, the elder emperor, having bypassed his son, chose to make his grandson the emperor.This did not sit wellhead with Emperor YongLe who later usurped his nephew and changed his reign name to that which he is remembered by, YongLe, or Perpetually Happy. YongLe ruled from 1403 to 1424 and tended to be remembered as one of the emperors who had done the most for China, most notably, wretched the capital of China from Nanjing to Beijing in the North. It was here that YongLe was approached by one of his spiritual advisors, who told the emperor of a vision he had of a great violet city.It was under this particular advisement that the Emperor decided to build this Forbidden City, the center of all life for the emperors, not only during YongLes reign, but for the reigns of emperors during other dynasties as well.In the introduction of the book The Palace M utilizationum Pe king, author Wan-go Wen asserts that for every supreme ruler of China, his capital was the center of the human beings not merely the stool of government but a solemn symbol of imperial power and authority and of the ideal polity, and the Forbidden City was an ideal example of this center of the ground for Emperor YongLe.This imperial palace, was actually named the Purple Forbidden City, and was named as such after the Purple Luminous Constellation with Polaris, the North Star, in its center a heavenly equivalent of the earthly residence of the supreme ruler. Author Yu Zhuyon claimed that fixed in time and quadruplet, the Pole Star was to be put up at the apex of the vault of heaven and the gods of all the other stars revolved around it in homage, and as the emperor was the leader of all of his people, the idea of Polaris coincided with the idea of the Forbidden City.This religious idea, and comparison of the Emperor to the deity in his apex of his vault of heaven, showed no t only how important the Emperor was to his people, but alike how the Emperor himself was revered as a god-like incarnation on Earth.Before the Forbidden City was even built, Emperor YongLe put much thought and effort into its construction, bringing in three master architects who were to adhere to the strictest set of religious rules, such as the idea of yin and yang, in the construction and building of the Forbidden City. There were three important aspects in the planning of the City itself, and all three were noted by Yu Zhuyon.The first of these three points was the fact that there was no natural water supply to the Forbidden City itself, so water was channeled into it from the expectant Liquid Pool at the northwest corner and this channeling aided in bringing water into the Inner Court. The routine of these three points stemmed from the Emperors desire to have a long walk port in his City, much like the wide walkway go ford at the palaces of the blue Song dynasty.With caref ul research and precision, these builders applied the Song Layout, from the aforementioned Northern Song dynasty, which allowed for the grandeur of the wide avenue, which was what the Emperor desired. Finally, Yu Zhuyon explains the third point that was important in the pre-construction of the Forbidden City, that being the creation of a moat behind the Forbidden City in the style that corresponded to the arrangement at the Ming palace in Nanjing, which was built specifically to make the city more secure for the empress, as well as the emperors concubines. It was at this point that construction of the Forbidden City could begin and all the planning could evolve from mere plans to reality.When it finally came time to build the thousand buildings that make up the Forbidden City, three things were done to prepare for it the collection of timber, the proceeds and transportation of bricks and tiles, and the transportation of large quarrying stones. The work that went into gathering all these items was done by a large amount of people, and galore(postnominal) of these people who built the Forbidden City put themselves in grave danger to acquire these supplies. To secure the use of this timber involved first rolling logs into the dry fix gullies.They were lashed together to stock rafts and left to await the torrents which plunged down the mountainside during the rainy season and then, when this timber finally made arrived at its destination, it was put in massive storerooms until it was to be used. The production and transportation of the surface bricks for the walls of the city were not the mud bricks that were commonly used, because these bricks, over time, suffered from a great deal of wear. Instead, the Forbidden City was built with clay bricks which were made first by mixing water and clay together, and then put in the sun to dry.These were not the most important aspects of the building materials in the city those were the roof tiles that were symbolically representative of the Five elements and the golden brick floor tiles from Suzho. These golden bricks were the finest floor tiles, smooth and dense, and called golden bricks because they sounded like admixture when they were hit. Finally came the moving of the heavy quarrying stone, which involved the creation of a slippery slope that builders could push said quarrying stone along.These stones held particular importance in the creation of the Forbidden City, because these specific stones relied on the ideas of lacuna and distance which, when paired with the ideas of yin and yang and the Five elements, reflected many of the major aspects of Chinese cultural beliefs.The idea of space and distance, when applied to the architecture of the Forbidden City correlated with the ideas of cosmic environment for the imperial family, which intertwined itself with the idea of the Emperor being a deity. The theory of the five Elements and the almighty idea of yin and yang were also important in t he architecture of the Forbidden City as both were pivotal parts of Chinese annals.The idea of yin and yang emerged during the Han dynasty in 207 B.C. and has remained a part of the Chinese lifestyle. Under the idea of yin came the ideas of maleness, the sun, creation, light, heat, Heaven, dominance, and so on, while the opposite fell under the ideas of yang. According to Washington State University professor Richard Hooker, all aspects of life could be explained by these two opposite ideas of yin and yang, and these two ideas were applied to the building of the YongLes city.Where even numbers take precedence in the Inner Court (such as the six Western palaces for the empress, and the emperors concubines), odd numbers are dominant in the Outer Court or the system of the three halls and five gates. Following the use of yin and yang in the architecture of the Forbidden City was the use of the Five elements, which were fire, water, metal/gold, wood, and Earth, and each person and crea tion carried some combination of these elements around in them.These elements all were represented by different colors, and these colors were used in the architecture of the city itself, such as green tiles that represented the tenderness of spring and corresponds to the east being used to tile the dorm room that was used for study. The carefully thought out application of yin and yang, as well as the citys Five elements of water, fire, metal/gold, wood, and Earth, reflected the symbolism of these two ideas that, as mentioned previously, still play large business offices in the lives of Chinese citizens.To enter the Forbidden City, one must first remove their shoes, and leave their horses and carts right(prenominal) the palace doors. Inside, the city contains over a thousand buildings, each of these buildings being significant in their own way. There is not a building in the entire compound that is out of place, they all mean something, and have symbolic representations that were well planned out ahead of time.One of the most important of these buildings is the penetration of Great Harmony (also cognise as the Gate of self-governing Harmony), known as the greatest gate in the entire Forbidden City. The Gate of Great Harmony is the pathway that one must take to reach the Three Great Audience Halls, which are three large buildings that occupy the main space of the Forbidden City, covering an expanse of 85,000 sq. m. This Gate of Great Harmony, described by Weng as elegant and expansive, was oftentimes used by the emperor himself when he mouth to the people in the Forbidden City. To create this gate, a new architectural element is now introduced to define the inner style marble terraces, with intricately form railings, which, prior to this time, had never been used. After some time had passed, however, the emperor ceased to use this gate at all.Despite this fact, this particular gate played a role in the symbolism of Heaven on Earth because the Hall of Su preme Harmony, which was built to recreate the aforementioned Heaven on Earth, was accessed through this gate.The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest courtyard in the Forbidden City and carries both religious and symbolic importance. Zhuyon wrote that this courtyard truly gives rise to the feeling that Heaven is high and earth is broad, and it was true, as this expansive garden is home to some of the most elaborate pieces of sculpture in the entire Forbidden City.This Hall of Supreme Harmony is also one of religious importance, as it is a Taoist temple that, although not used by YongLe, was in fact used by those who followed after him. The Hall also manages to show symbolic importance because it reflects YongLes application of yin and yang in the Imperial Garden.Just as important, if not more important, than the Outer Court, was the Inner Court, or the domestic area where the emperor and those closely associated to him lived and carried out their daily lives. Though the idea of s pace and distance was highly regarded and used in the Outer Court with great diligence, it was much harder for the Inner Court to be so spacious. Instead, these palaces and other buildings were built closely together.The Inner Court was the yang to the Outer Courts yin, and everything related to the Inner Court corresponded evenly, such as the sextette Western and Six Eastern Palaces that were constructed to house all of the Emperors concubines. The two key features of the Inner Court were not these Six Western and Six Eastern Palaces, but instead remained to be the Palace of Heavenly Purity and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, the two palaces which were not only home to the Emperor and the Empress, but also the palaces where the Emperor conducted business with his advisors, and where the Emperor the emperor lay in state immediately following his death. Over time, both of these Palaces would undergo incredible amounts of architectural renovation, specifically under the reign of E mperor Qianlong.Emperor Qianlongs renovation to YongLes vision was not his only contribution to the Forbidden City. Instead, his six extravagant art collections were in fact, his greatest contribution to the city itself. These six collections included beauteous pieces of ceramics, paintings and calligraphy, sculpture, bronze ware, jade, and so-called minor arts that remain on display in the Palace Museum in modern times. Though much of the architecture in the Forbidden City reflects the architectural decisions made by YongLe, the art is all reminiscent of Emperor Qianlong and his time in the Palace.Of all the art collections in his possession, it was noted that the collection of paintings and calligraphy were what Emperor Qianlong had the most of. In fact, Qianlong practiced painting and calligraphy personally and thus axiom from the viewpoint of an artist as well as a connoisseur. Despite seeing from the viewpoint of an artist as well as a connoisseur, Qianlong was not very good at either painting or calligraphy, but that did not deter him from practicing or collecting, and Qianlong actually went so far as to use the example of fourth century artists handwriting to better his own calligraphy.Chinese calligraphy was a great art, with broad, sweeping strokes and vivid colors which were reminiscent of great paintings. These paintings have ceaselessly been incredibly important in Chinese culture, and the paintings in the Forbidden City were no exception to this. The first Chinese paintings were simple gloomy ink brush strokes on parchment paper, but the efforts of later artists in their search for the expression of spirit or essence of all animate and non-living objects extended from figure painting to landscape and bird and flower paintings and this expression of spirit was what Chinese artists became most known for.Zhu Jiajin claimed that porcelain is one of Chinas great inventions, achieved through an fusion of the two disciplines of science and art, and this is true. Chinas most important family of art is still to this day ceramics, or china. Though Emperor Qianlongs vast art collection contained pieces of china, some of these were beautiful vases and plates from the Ming Dynasty. some(prenominal) artisans made vases out of vibrant colors such as blue, red, and black, while others made sculptures out of pure white clay called kaolin.Kaolin was not the only kind of clay that was available, and as time proceeded, many different types of ceramics also originated, and under glaze decoration, a technique invented at the Changsha kilns was used. In this form of decoration, the craftsman would decorate his vase or sculpture with a color, and then they would glaze the art and put it in the kiln. All these styles of ceramic artistry paved the way for other craftsmen in this same style.Sculptures were another form of art that made their way to the Forbidden City, and, as mentioned earlier, some of the most beautiful of these sculptures can be seen in the courtyard of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Stone, bone, horn, ivory, jade, shells, bamboo, and wood were the chosen mediums that sculptors used to carve important figures of people and animals.One of the greatest discoveries of sculptures associated with the Forbidden City was the tomb of the first Qin Emperor. In this particular tomb was a monumental find that no one had known about, and this was a collection of life-sized clay soldiers and horses that were stand up guard over the tomb of this great Emperor.It was said that, though the life-sized sculptures were made of clay, they were buried with real chariots and weapons of that time, numbering more than seven thousand an soldiers sufficient to guard the supreme ruler in his afterlife. There has been no greater or monumental find of such size and artistry found since this time, with the excavation of this tomb taking many painstaking age.Prior to the use of bronze in the creation of beautiful pieces of art, bro nze was used by the Chinese for tools. As time progressed, artists began to craft three beautiful types of vessels that served three specific purposes vessels for foods, wine vessels, and water vessels.These bronze vessels were used by Chinese nobility and reflected the styles of the times. Some of these sacrificial vessels contained images of people, but in later dynasties, the vessels stopped containing representations of people and turned more towards representations of animals. Artists began to inscribe poignant Chinese characters into their bronze vessels, these master craftsmen of over 3,000 years ago were skilled in the art of the making of moulds and casting the finished article and were able to produce superb works which were well balanced with a sense of visual rhythm and strength and it was these craftsmen and Qianlongs interest in them that made these bronze vessels exceptional.In all of China, jade is viewed as something that is highly treasure, even above such fine m etals as gold. Jade is a material of supreme merit, possessing beauty, character, and mystery, and has been used to make beautiful sculptures, vases, and tools. Chinese poets wrote beautiful poetry about jade, and artisans pass extended amounts of time coming up with innovative ways to cut and style the stone into gorgeous figurines. One of the most exquisite pieces of art from this time period is a sculpture that weighs close to 2000 pounds.This sculpture, called The Nine Elders of Huichang, was carved out of a boulder and has been on display in the Forbidden City for many years. Not only did artists carve sculptures out of jade, they also carved their prose into the sculptures that they created.Qianlong was so much an advocate of jade that he had a workshop built and had artisans come in to make figurines, boxes, and ornaments for him. It was due to Qianlongs immense favoritism of jade that this period of time is viewed as the single most eventful era in the history of jade carvi ng, and there are some accounts that assert that, as a novice artist, Qianlong himself might have attempted to carve jade as well.The last collection of art to remain as an important part of the Forbidden City is that which scholars call minor art. These arts included handicraft arts, lacquer wares, cloisonn art, scratch blowing, bamboo carving and work done with copper and enamel. One of the most famous of these minor arts artists emerged from the Imperial Palaces artistry workshop.This craftsman, Wu Zhifan, was a prolific bamboo carver who was known to carve pagodas, dragon boats and the intricate reticulated balls carved from a single piece of ivory, one inside another and all movable, and still other craftsmen were handpicked by the emperor himself to come and carve sculptures and other pieces of art for him out of ivory and bamboo.Lacquer ware artists poured lacquer, put it in the sun and then in a recrudesce area, and were able to mold lacquer ware boxes and cups out of it. Another form of art, glass blowing, is one with origins that are unknown to scholars. The artists would blow the glass into vases and then use a glaze to give the glass its hardness, brilliance, and colorfulness, which approximate the magical attributes of precious and semiprecious stones. All of these forms of art were incredibly time consuming, but the finished products were always intricate and beautiful.In China, the Ming and Qing Dynasties remain as two of the most important dynasties in Chinese cultural history. From its humble beginnings in 1368, the Ming Dynasty helped to shape Chinese history forever with the help of its third emperor, the Emperor YongLe. Over a thousand great buildings were created to fulfill Emperor YongLes great vision of a home for the gods on Earth, a Forbidden City that appeared to one of YongLes tutors in an extraordinary vision.This beautiful city that grew in the new capital of Beijing became the center for all activity in China. The most important part of this Imperial City lay in its careful planning and architectural execution. The ideas of symmetry, religion, and symbolism all played a large role in China and all of these ideas were applied to the layout of the city. The premises upon which the city was built remain as some of Chinas most important.Following the demise of the Ming Dynasty, many others followed, but none as important to the Ming Dynasty as the Qing Dynasty, because with the Qing Dynasty came a flourishing art workshop that provided the Palace with an assortment of beautiful art collections.Ceramics, paintings and calligraphy, bronze ware, jade, and other minor arts, were diligently created and enmeshed in the art that was the architecture of the Forbidden City. Emperor YongLes carefully created architectural decisions, paired with Emperor Qianlongs exquisite art collections, were important in reflecting the incorporation of religion, symbolism, and art, in Chinese culture in prior times, and remain as impo rtant aspects of China in the present.