Ec3002 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ec3002 - Essay Example in several distinct ways: they increase the flow of Foreign Direct Investments, speed up the internationalization of knowledge transfer, improve and increase international trade and globalize R&D activities. Generally, a multinational enterprise â€Å"that engages in foreign direct investment (FDI) and owns or, in some way, controls value-added activities in more than one country† (Dunning & Lundan 3). This definition, however, is subject to considerable criticism, for scholars in economic studies seek to distinguish between multinational enterprises that participate in â€Å"foreign-owned production and those that have increased overseas commitments† (Dunning & Lundan 3). Nevertheless, these deviations in the definition of multinational enterprises does not have anything to do with the role which MNEs play in the processes of globalization. It would be fair to say that MNEs have already turned into the essential components of the daily economic routine. MNEs play one of the dominant roles in competitive markets and are not the last drivers of globalization in the world. MNEs increase and speed up globalization via increased foreign direct investments (FDI), increased know ledge transfer, growth of the international trade, and internationalization of R&D activities. Foreign direct investments (FDI) have already become an essential feature of the deepening economic globalization. The integration of global markets and the growing number of MNEs reflect in ever rising FDI flows (Markusen & Venables 185). The second half of the 1980s was marked with the rapid advancement of the international FDI opportunities which, obviously, became the starting point of what we currently know as globalization (Markusen & Venables 186). During the six consecutive years, the worldwide stocks of FDI almost doubled and continued to grow during the 1990s (Markusen & Venables 187). Such increase in FDI is easy to explain by the growing number of MNEs, which seek to invest their resources

Shoehorn Sonata Speech + Related Text Essay Example for Free

Shoehorn Sonata Speech + Related Text Essay At age 15, you are thrown into a war, fighting for your life and your will to live is slowly diminishing. Are you scared? Probably, but you know that if you show fear, everyone will see you as being weak. This is what the main protagonists of both the play, Shoe Horn Sonata by John Mistro and the movie, Hunger Games directed by Gary Ross endured. Together with photographs, cinematic techniques and symbols, these texts represent the devastation of war, the bonds of friendship forged during a war and their respective will to survive. Friendship is defined as a relationship between friends. In Shoe Horn Sonata, when Sheila and Bridie first meet, it seems unlikely that they will ever be friends. They are complete polar opposites. Sheila cynical statement ‘People always get on when they’re tossed in together. I’d hardly call that friendship. ’, reinforces that Bridie and Sheila initially formed a friendship out of desperation to survive, not because there was mutual affection for each other. Bitter tone is utilised to convey Shelia’s survival instincts are prioritised over tender friendship. Additionally the alliteration of tossed in together reflects how people in war have no choice of their companions, that it pushes them together in survival. Similarly in the Hunger Games , the friendships that Katniss makes with both Rue and are forged out of necessity and need rather than sentiment. Rue and Katniss team up as they both have valuable skills assets that the other would like to utilise to their advantage such as when Rue manages to take a weapon unnoticed using the trees. In many ways, an alliance with Rue is an alliance to District 11 which Katniss can use to her benefit. Peter and Katniss act as if they are lovers in a ploy for the audience as a means to survive as seen when Katniss receives a note from Haymitch asking ‘You call that a kiss? ’. The sarcastic tone makes Katniss realise that the ploy will be futile as if Haymitch is doubtful then others will be too. Both texts show that although they may not have been friends in normal circumstances, war has pushed them together and this has attributed to them surviving. Symbols are also used in both texts to represent the protagonists’ hope and survival. For example, the shoehorn in Shoe Horn Sonata is first seen when the girls are in the water and Bridie uses it to wake Sheila up and prevent her from drowning. In this scene, it a metaphorical and representative an object of survival and the will to live. As the play goes on, the shoehorn symbolises family for Bridie and sacrifice for Sheila but in the end it unites the girls and demonstrates that not only did they survive the war, they survived the effects of the war as well. Caramel is another symbol of survival. It was the only luxury the girls had during the camp and ‘it had to last till the end of the war’. The caramel was even important enough that it was written into the girls’ wills. This conveys to the audience that the girls clung to the hope that they would eventually be released from the prison camp. On the other hand, in Hunger Games, the mockingbird pin was not only Katniss’s link to her district, but a symbol of her love for her father as well as her survival. The pin is a representation of a creature with a spirit of her own. By breaking free of the Capitol’s control this show that the Capitol does not have complete control of the districts. Katniss, like the mockingjay, has escaped from the Capitol’s clutches which is why the pin symbolises her survival and spirit. The photographs shown during interview in Shoe Horn Sonata support the dialogue and give the audience a visual representation of what the girls went through during the camp. In scene 7, you see visuals of what the prisoners looked like during the camp. They are emaciated, haggard and impoverish. The effects of the imprisonment of the innocent is clearly highlighted during these photographs. The stark black and white photos depicting the harrowing effects of mistreatment of innocents evokes sympathy towards the prisoners from the viewer and loathing for their captors. In contrast, within the Hunger Games, the film is seen as whirs and jolts with sharply edited scenes intercutting from perspective to perspective which represents Katniss’s inner turmoil and her agitation which accompanies those new changes. Her life is unpredictable and this is shown as the camera shakes around representing the sudden changes in her life and well as extreme long shots used to give the audience a general impression of the places she goes. Little detail can be seen in these scenes which corresponds to the insignificance of these places to Katniss. The audience witnesses the consequences of these changes but to everyone else, they are unable to see this because of the defensive stoic mask she wears. In conclusion, the protagonists in Shoe Horn Sonata and the Hunger Games have survived horrors unimaginable to us and through distinctively visual techniques such as , photographs, cinematic techniques and symbols, we are able to grasp a small idea of what they have endured on their journey. Therefore, thus despite common circumstances being the catalyst for friendship in times of war, strife and horror they are able to triumph over their circumstances because of the sustenance that this unexpected friendship provides them.

Peptidylarginine Deiminase and Neurodegenerative Diseases

Peptidylarginine Deiminase and Neurodegenerative Diseases Abbreviations AD: Alzheimers disease CNS: Central nervous system GFAP: Glial fibrillary acidic protein NFT: Neurofibrillary tangles MAP2: Microtubule-associated protein 2 MBP: Myelin basic protein Nef3: Neurofilament 3 PAD: Peptidylarginine deiminase RT-PCR: Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction SP: Senile plaque Introduction Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimers disease and Multiple Sclerosis, are a group of progressive conditions, which affect a persons learning abilities and the day-to-day routine management. Citrullination/deiminasion is a process describing the enzymatic involvement in conversion of arginine residues into citrulline in target proteins. Here, is a review, entailing the main features of the peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD) enzyme family, with a view on its history, presence and future in neurodegenerative disorders. Background The amino acid Citrulline was firstly mentioned in 1955 (Smith and Young), and the citrullination process of L-arginine conversion to L-citrulline was firstly described in 1958 (Rogers and Simmonds).Citrullination is a posttranslational process, and also results in a 1Da decrease in size, due to an hydrolytic reaction (Vossenaar et al., 2003; Gyorgy et al., 2006; van Venrooji and Pruijn, 2003). However, it was only in 1977 when peptidylarginine deiminases, the enzymes that are responsible to the citrulline modification, were firstly described (Rogers et al.). Alzheimers disease: GFAP, an astrocyte-specific marker protein, is involved in the progression of Alzheimers disease via PAD2 citrullination. The increase of PAD2 can be seen in the hippocampi of AD patients. GFAP and vimentin citrullination was also identified by using a 2D gel electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Activation of PAD occurs upon a mass influx of Ca2+, and therefore an increase in citrullinated proteins (Keller et al., 2000; Maccioni et al., 2001). The PAD family consists of five known members (1-4 6), each is present in a different area in the human body. PAD2 and PAD4 area of activity is the central nervous system (CNS), although PAD2 in larger amounts than PAD4 (Kubilus and Baden, 1983; Watanabe et al., 1988; Terakawa et al., 1991). Yet, the role of the different PADs is still largely understood. PAD3 was found in the root sheaths of hair follicles, as part of the citrullination process of keratinisation (Kanno et al., 2000). PAD4 was found in human myeloid leukemia HL-60 cells, and later in peripheral blood granulocytes (Nakashima et al., 1999; Asaga et al., 2001). PAD2 and PAD4 are also present in the myelin sheath. In fact, hyper-citrullination of myelin basic protein (MBP) is now known to result in myelin sheath loss in multiple sclerosis patients (Moscarello et al., 1994; Wood et al., 2008; Musse et al., 2008). Moreover, PAD4 is also involved in histone deimination in brain tissues of such patients (Mastronardi et al., 2006). Following immunocytochemical studies, PAD2 have been detected in glial cells and astrocytes (Asaga and Ishigami, 2000; Vincent et al., 1992; Asaga and Ishigami, 2001), microglial cells (Vincent et al., 1992; Asaga et al, 2002), oligodendrocytes (Akiyama et al., 1999), and Schwann cells (Keilhoff et al., 2008). Furthermore, during hypoxic insult (Asaga and Ishigami, 2000) and during kainic acid administration (Asaga and Ishigami, 2001; Asaga et al., 2002), neurodegenerative regions shown to have PAD2 activity and deimination of various proteins. These findings suggest that PAD2 plays an important role in protein citrullination in neurodegeneration.  Senile plaques (SPs) and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) are the two main forms of protein aggregation, and therefore responsible for neuronal death in AD (Katzman, 1986; Smith, 1998). They are mainly found in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, when levels of PAD2 were detected to be more than threefold higher in the hippocampus than in the cortex of rat brains (Asaga and Ishigami, 2000). A study by Ishigami et al. (2005) was set to evaluate the involvement of protein citrullination in AD patients brains, and identified two citrullinated proteins- GFAP and vimentin, by using a two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. It went on to identify also a citrullinated MBP, again in the hippocampus region of the AD patients. Multiple sclerosis: Higher rates of citrullinated MBP were found in the CNS of MS patients than in the CNS of healthy adults (Mastronardi et al., 2006; Nicholas and Whitaker, 2002; Raijmakers et al., 2005). However, similar levels of citrullination have been observed in children under the age of 4. An indication that citrullination is involved in the development of mature myelin (Moscarello et al., 1994; Wood et al., 1996). Due to known increased citrullination, PAD2 and PAD4 rates in myelin from normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) of seven MS patients were examined, and were found to be significantly higher compared to NAWM from six control individuals, using immunoblots with PAD2 and PAD4-specific antibodies (Wood et al., 2008). The anti-citrulline antibody- F95, was also used in the same manner, resulting in the same outcome (Nicholas et al., 2004). The study by Wood et al. (2008) also discovered that PAD2 can citrullinate 18 out of 19 arginine residues, whereas PAD4 can only citrullinate 15 out of 19 arginine residues localised in MBP. It has been found and reported that MPB deimination increases its susceptibility to degradation by proteinases, which are elevated around active plaques and in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (Cuzner and Davison, 1973; Einstein et al., 1972; Richards and Cuzner, 1978). It has been also reported that macrophages and reactive astrocytes are able to produce the proteinase cathepsin D (Allen and McKeown, 1979; Prineas and Wright, 1978). Cathepsin D then produces peptides that contain the immuno-dominant epitopes of MBP, located in the CSF of MS patients (Whitaker, 1977; Whitaker and Granum, 1980). It was then discovered that different MBP strains, containing greater amounts of citrulline per mole of MBP than their counterparts were digested at a much faster rate by cathepsin D (Pritzker et al., 2000). An explanation for this discovery by Pritzker et al. can be explained by the three-dimensional atomic structure of the human MBP they created. The stru cture showed a clear correlation between the open conformation of the atomic structure and the higher rate of citrullination in-site, which allows cathepsin D a better access to Phe-Phe linkages in MBP, and so an increased digestion of citrullinated MBP. Current perspectives In addition to MBP, GFAP also have shown to be citrullinated in MS. In a study by Nicholas et al. (2004), GFAP citrullination rate in both the NAWM and lesions of patients with SPMS was compared with the white matter of control brain tissue, and was found to be in higher amounts. The findings were obtained using GFAP anti-citrulline antibodies (such as P95) and confocal microscopy. On an extended study by Nicholas et al. (2004), using dual staining wit GFAP anti-citrulline antibodies, it was found that lesions taken from nine MS patients were highly citrullinated compared to white matter taken from six healthy control individuals. Western blotting has also confirmed that the majority of the deimination occurred in GFAP. PAD4 is enable to translocate from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, due to its ability to carry a functional nuclear localisation signal (Nakashima et al., 2002). PAD4 modification can also affect nuclear proteins, histones H2A, H3 and H4, and nucleophosmin/B23 (Hagiwara et al. 2002).   Deimination of histones causes change in chromatin confirmation, and therefore gene transcription gets turned off (Shimoyama et al., 2010). In a study by Cuthbert et al. PAD4 was found to inhibit transcription of estrogen-responsive genes in MCF-7 cells. Levels of PAD4 in MCF-7 cells were shown to rise in response to estrogen, followed by deimination of the pS2 promoter by PAD4, which coincides with downregulation of this gene (Cuthbert et al. 2004). Wang et al. showed that incubation of purified substrates H3 and H4 with PAD4 in vitro generated citrullinated H3 and H4, which coincided with a dramatic reduction in H3 Arg 17 and H4 Arg 3 methylation (Wang et al. 2004). This effect was also mimicked when HL-60 granulocytes were incubated with PAD4 in vivo, in the presence of calcium ionophore. PAD4 was found to be elevated in NAWM from 17 patients with MS, compared to 9 control subjects (Mastronardi et al. 2006). This was shown by fractionation of these samples into membrane-containing, non-microsomal, and nuclear fractions, followed by quantitation of the amount of PAD 1-4 antibody binding. The nuclear fraction contained a 3.5-fold increase in the level of PAD4 in patients with MS compared to controls. Through western blot analysis using anti-PAD4 antibody, this was attributable to increased PAD4 in the MS NAWM. Using an antibody against citrullinated proteins, this increase in PAD4 was found to be accompanied by an increase in citrullinated proteins in brain tissue taken from patients with MS, whereby strong nuclear labeling in NAWM from MS patients was seen compared to controls (Mastronardi et al. 2006). This increase in PAD4 was also accompanied by an increase in nuclear histone H3 citrullination, as shown by immunostaining of MS and control tissue with an antibody against citrullinated protein, which revealed strong nuclear staining of cells in the MS white matter. These findings were confirmed by western blot analysis, which showed a gre at abundance of citrullinated H3 in MS NAWM, with only traces in white matter from controls. This citrullination of histones greatly affects the chromatin structure and function, as deimination of arginine residues of histones decreases their positive charge, which compromises its ability to interact with DNA and possibly resulting in apoptosis of affected cells (Moscarello et al. 2007; Wang et al. 2004). It is not known whether excess citrullination is a primary or a secondary event to the inflammatory process in MS or whether the regulation of PAD isoforms may be part of the genetic susceptibility to MS. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the PAD4 gene, also associated with the autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis, increase mRNA stability, suggesting that this could result in greater PAD4 protein expression and hence increased citrullination of proteins (Suzuki et al. 2003). Increased PAD2 protein expression in human astrocytes in vitro has also been reported in response to inc reased intracellular calcium levels when cells were subjected to elevated pressure or in response to hypoxia (Bhattacharya et al. 2006a, b; Sambandam et al. 2004). A number of pathological processes, including excitotoxicity, occur in the CNS of patients with MS, which would lead to raised intracellular calcium ions in neurons and glia (Shideman et al. 2006; Smith 2007). Large numbers of activated macrophages are present in inflammatory demyelinating sites within MS lesions. Since these cells contain PAD enzymes and there is increased cell death due to raised intracellular calcium ions, this would lead to activation of PAD enzymes when released from dying cells (Bhattacharya et al. 2006a). Thus myelin proteins may be citrullinated both intracellularly, during myelin degradation following phagocytosis, as well as extracellularly, following release of PAD enzymes from dying cells. In addition, significant hypomethylation of the PAD2 promoter has also been found to occur in MS NAWM compared to controls, which may lead to increased PAD2 expression and subsequent increase in citrullination, as hypomethylation leads to increased gene transcription (M astronardi et al. 2007). Future perspectives Conclusion In the last 60 years since it was firstly mentioned, the research area of PADs have made a tremendous leap and came about with many important discoveries regarding the mechanisms and pathologies concerning PADs. However, it still seems to be largely unknown and have many possible routes of research. Especially when considering the wide localisation of the PADs throughout the human body. Such areas of research may ask after the origins of the calcium influx to the brain tissues, and the timing of that physiological event; how may the rate of calcium influx affect the rate of neurodegeneration; what would prove to be the most effective PAD-inhibitor treatment, etc. However, looking at the milestones along the research of PADs, it does seem that the right questions are being asked, and that the available/emerging technologies are suitable for this research. References Smith, D. G. and Young, E. G. J. Biol. Chem., 217, 845 (1955). Rogers GE, Simmonds DH. Content of citrulline and other amino acids in a protein of hair follicles. Nature. 1958; 182(4629):186-7. [PubMed: 13566234] Vossenaar ER, Zendman AJ, van Venrooij WJ, Pruijn GJ. PAD, a growing family of citrullinating enzymes: genes, features and involvement in disease. Bioessays. 2003; 25(11):1106-18. [PubMed: 14579251] Gyorgy B, Tà ³th E, Tarcsa E, Falus A, Buzà ¡s EI. Citrullination: a posttranslational modification in health and disease. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2006; 38(10):1662-77. [PubMed: 16730216] Van Venrooij WJ, Pruijn GJ. Citrullination: a small change for a protein with great consequences for rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Res. 2000; 2(4):249-51. [PubMed: 11094435] Rogers GE, Harding HW, Llewellyn-Smith IJ. The origin of citrulline-containing proteins in the hair follicle and the chemical nature of trichohyalin, an intracellular precursor. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1977; 495(1):159-75. [PubMed: 410454] Keller, J.N., Hanni, K.B., Markesbery, W.R. Impaired proteasome function in Alzheimers disease. J Neurochem. 2000; 75:436-439. Maccioni R. B., Muà ±oz J. P. Barbeito L. The molecular bases of Alzheimers disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Arch Med Res. 32, 367-381 (2001).   Ã‚  

Analysis of Setting in Young Goodman Brown Essay -- Book Reviews Natha

An analysis of the setting in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" In the story of "Young Goodman Brown" setting plays an important role. It provides symbolism to certain events and provokes emotions amongst the characters, especially those of Goodman Brown. The story of "Young Goodman Brown" is that of a man on an adventure to feed his curiosity and to visit the dark side of his Puritan town. Once he arrives at the destination of his adventure, he realizes that many of his elders have followed in the paths of evil and that holiness and innocence has been vanquished from his once thought to be holy Puritan town. The central idea of "Young Goodman Brown," is the conflict in Goodman Brown between joining the devil and remaining "good." It is a very difficult journey for Brown, as he travels through the woods, all the while thinking of the "good" things (like his wife Faith) he would be leaving behind. This internal conflict ultimately destroys the Young Goodman Brown and creates a new man. At the beginning of the story Goodman Brown sets out on his journey at sunset; to set out at sunset is symbolizing darkness, which in turn symbolizes evil, which begins the setting for the story of "Young Goodman Brown." As Brown is leaving he kisses his wife, Faith, goodbye; the name Faith is intentionally used to symbolize the faith in god that they both share and also what Brown is leaving behind to go on his journey. Brown's wife, Faith, is also wearing pink ribbons in her hair, which give the impression that she is an innocent godly woman. Right before Brown leaves on his journey Faith says, "pr'y thee, put off your journey until sunrise." (309). This is showing that sunrise is a more pleasant and peaceful time to go on a jou... ...ed by the devil tempting Brown to join the dark side. The way in which the devil lures Brown is by convincing him that his relatives and town's people have already crossed over to the dark side and denied their faith. The struggle that Brown is now facing is whether to follow is relatives and town's people or to follow his faith in god and deny the devil, that is Brown's internal conflict. These internal and external conflicts are what turned Brown into a dynamic character by the end of the story. Instead of believing and trusting that his relatives and friends are godly, he now knows that they have all been tempted by the devil and many have crossed over to the dark side; he went from being trusting to skeptical of his friends and his faith. Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Young Goodmam Brown", The Story and Its Writer, 4th ed. Ed. Ann Charters. Boston:

The Chinese Wedding Day

Chinese Marriage Custom 1. The Proposal. The process starts with an elaborate marriage and acceptance. This process was placed in the hand of go-between, who acted as a buffer between two parties. The important parties in proposal and betrothal negotiations were the parents of the bride and groom, rather than the bride and the groom. When the boy’s parents identified a future bride, they would send the go-between to present gifts to the girl’s parents and to express their feelings about the match. If the proposal was well-received, the go-between would obtain the date and hour of the girl’s birth recorded on a formal document.The groom’s family would place this document on the ancestral altar for three days. If no suspicious omens, e. g. quarrels between the parents or a loss of property, took place within that time, the parents would give the information to an astrological expert to confirm that the young woman and their son would make a good match. If th e boy’s family found the horoscope to be favourable, they gave the boy’s birth date and birth hour to the go-between to bring to the girl’s family, who would go through the same process. Only after both outcomes were favourable, the two families will arrange to meet.Finally after discussion, each family evaluated the other in terms of appearance, education, character, and social status. If both were satisfied they would proceed to the betrothal. 2. The Betrothal. First both parents exchanged family credentials as tokens of intention. Then, after extensive bargaining, the two families would arrive at the amount of money and goods that would make up the gift to the girl’s family. After presenting engagement tokens, the go-between would ask the bride’s family to choose among several wedding dates suggested by the boy’s family and also set a date for presenting betrothal gifts.The boy’s family presented betrothal gifts of money and signif icant items such as tea, â€Å"Dragon (male) and Phoenix (female)† bridal cakes, pairs of male and female poultry, sweetmeats and sugar, wine and tobacco, accompanied by an itemized statement of these gifts. Tea was such a primary part of these gifts in some areas that they were known collectively as cha-li, that is, â€Å"tea presents. † The girl’s family reciprocated with gifts of food and clothing. It was customary for the girl’s family to distribute the bridal cakes they received from the boy’s family to friends and relatives as a form of announcement and invitation to the wedding feast.The boy’s family’s gifts acknowledged the parents’ efforts in accepting the girl, and by accepting the gifts, the girl’s family pledged her to the boy’s family. Several days after the presentation of the betrothal gifts, the girl’s family sent porters with an inventoried dowry to the boy’s house. The dowry consist ed of practical items, including a chamber pot, filled for the occasion with fruit and strings of coins. This procession gave the girl’s family the opportunity to display both their social status and their love for their daughter, and wealthy parents often included serving girls to attend their daughter in her new home.The betrothal generally lasted for a year or two, although the betrothal would last until the children had grown to marriageable age. 3. Before The Wedding. In preparation for her departure, the future bride retreated from the ordinary routine and lived in seclusion in a separate part of the house with her closest friends. During this moment, the young women sang and mourning the bride’s separation from her family and vowing in front of the go-between and as well as the groom’s family and the girl’s parents.Since this sleep-over often took place in the cock loft, the bride’s emergence on her wedding day is sometimes referred to as â €Å"coming of the cock loft†. The preparation on the part of the groom involving the installation the bed on the day before the wedding. A man or women with many children and living mates, were selected to install a newly purchased bed. After the bed was in place, children were invited onto the bed as an omen of fertility. For the same reason, the bed was scattered with red dates, oranges, lotus seeds, peanuts, pomegranates and other fruits. 4. The Wedding Day.At dawn on her wedding day (or the night before), the bride bathed in water infused with pumelo, a variety of grapefruit, to cleanse her of evil influences. A ‘good luck woman’ attended the bridal preparations. She spoke auspicious words while dressing the bride’s hair in the style of a married woman. After the hair is styled, the bride emerged from her retreat. She was carried to the main hall on the back of the ‘good luck’ woman or her most senior sister-in-law. There she donned a jack et and skirt and stepped into a pair of red shoes, placed in the center of a sieve.The bride’s face was covered with either a red silk veil or a ‘curtain’ of tassels or beads that hung from the bridal Phoenix crown. (The photo below was taken at the mock wedding at a prior year’s Chinese Summer Festival. After completing her wedding preparations, the bride bowed to her parents and to the ancestral tablets and awaited the arrival of the bridal procession from the groom’s house. Dressed in a long gown, red shoes and a red silk sash with a silk ball on his shoulder, the groom knelt at the family altar while his father placed a cap decorated with cypress leaves on his head.The groom bowed first before the tablets of Heaven and Earth and his ancestors, then to his parents and the assembled family members. His father removed the silk ball from the sash and placed it on top of the bridal sedan chair. Next is the process to obtain the bride. The firecracker s start to play, the loud gong and also drums marked the starting process. The groom starts the procession led by the kids as a sign of his future kid. The groom would to the bride’s house to fetch her, taking with him the bridal chair, which was completely covered with red satin and fresh flowers.On arriving at the bride’s house, the groom’s party was met by the bride’s friends, who would not ‘surrender ’the bride until they were satisfied by red packets of money, ang pau from the groom’s representative. This was the occasion of much good-natured haggling before the two parties could reach an agreement. In some cases, the groom would take dinner with the bride’s family, and receive a pair of chopsticks and two wine goblets wrapped in red paper, symbolic of his receiving the joy of the family in the person of their daughter. In some regions, he would be offered sweet longan tea, two hard-boiled eggs in syrup and transparent nood les.Another variation was the groom’s partaking of soup with a soft-boiled egg, the yolk of which he was expected to break, arguably symbolic of breaking the bride’s ties with her family. The ‘good luck woman’ or a dajin, employed by the bride’s family to look after the bride, carried the bride on her back to the chair. Another bridesmaid might shield the bride with a parasol while a third tossed rice at the sedan chair. Sometimes the bride was borne out in a wooden ‘cage’ with her feet padlocked –; presumably a remnant from rougher times with extremely reluctant brides.A sieve, shai-tse, which would strain out evil, and a metallic mirror, king, which would reflect light, were suspended at the rear of the bride’s sedan to protect her from evil influence. The bride might also attach a special mirror to her garment, which she would not remove until she was safely seated upon the marriage bed. Firecrackers were set off to fri ghten away evil spirits as the bride departed in the sedan chair. The physical movement symbolized the transfer of the bride from her parent’s family to her husband’s. Great care was taken to ensure that no inauspicious influence would affect the marriage.The female attendants who escorted the bride to her new home were chosen with particular care that the horoscope animals of their birth years were compatible with that of the bridegroom. The sedan chair itself was heavily curtained to prevent the bride from inadvertently glimpsing an unlucky sight, e. g. a widow, a well, or even a cat. Attendants scattered grain or beans, symbols of fertility, before her. Once again, firecrackers were set off just before the procession arrived. A red mat was placed before the sedan chair for the bride lest her feet touch the bare earth as she dismounted.The entire household would be waiting to receive her. The bride was required to step over a saddle or a lit stove to cross the thresh old, since the words for â€Å"saddle† and â€Å"tranquillity† sounds the same and the fire would cast out of evil influences. An attendant might immediately place a heap of rice in a sieve over or near the bride. If the bride did not wear a lucky mirror, one might be used at this time to flash light upon the bride. In some regions, a grain measure and a string of of copper coins were laid out as talismans of prosperity.After these rituals took place, the groom could finally raise the red scarf and view the bride’s face. 5. The Wedding Day. In contrast to the elaborate preparations, the wedding ceremony itself was simple. The bride and groom were conducted to the family altar, where they paid homage to Heaven and Earth, the family ancestors and the Kitchen God, Tsao-Chun. Tea, generally with two lotus seeds or two red dates in the cup, was offered to the groom’s parents. Then the bride and groom bowed to each other. This completed the marriage eremony, ex cept in some regions, where both also drank wine from the same goblet, ate sugar moulded in the form of a rooster, and partook of the wedding dinner together. Immediately after the ceremony, the couple were led to the bridal chamber, where both sat on the bed. In some areas, honey and wine were poured into two goblets linked by a red thread. The bride and groom took a few sips and then exchanged cups and drank it down. On the day of the wedding (and sometimes for the next three days), the bed chamber was open to visitors, who were given to teasing the young couple with ribald remarks.Generally, separate wedding feasts were given by the parents of the bride and the groom for their respective friends and families. Even at the feast, men and women sat separately. There could be a single feast for each or a series of feasts over several days. However, the most important feast was that given the groom’s family on the day of the wedding. It was generally considered as public recogn ition of the union. On the day after the wedding,  the bride awoke early to attend honor the ancestors at dawn. It was only then that she was then formally introduced to the groom’s relatives and friends.As she knelt before each of the older relatives, she received a small gift. The bride’s parents-in-law gave her a title according to her husband’s seniority in the family hierarchy. On the day after the wedding,  the bride awoke early to attend honor the ancestors at dawn. It was only then that she was then formally introduced to the groom’s relatives and friends. As she knelt before each of the older relatives, she received a small gift. The bride’s parents-in-law gave her a title according to her husband’s seniority in the family hierarchy.

Analysis of Confucianism in The Analects by Yao

Analysis of Confucianism in The Analects by Yao In his book, Yao provides a detailed analysis of Confucianism. The author claims that it is hardly possible to give an account of all schools within this philosophical, religious, political and social phenomenon. The author focuses on Confucianism considering it as a religious and philosophical tradition.1 Yao does not take into account the political perspective.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of Confucianism in The Analects by Yao specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More He stresses that it is quite inappropriate to consider political perspective as it changed in accordance with development of the societies and it tended to become quite different from the original tradition.2 Thus, the author focuses on major principles of Confucianism. Notably, one of the classical texts, The Analects, can be regarded as evidence for what Yao revealed in his book as the text also provides major values and virtues.3 The readings h elped me to obtain certain understanding of what Confucianism is and what the major principles of the tradition are. In this paper, I will focus on Yao’s view on Confucianism and its representation in the human society and I will also consider the role of Confucian in the creation of Yi Jing.  As has been mentioned above, Yao focuses on religious and literary perspectives when considering Confucianism. The author notes that these perspectives are the closest to the original texts as they have not been influenced by trends that existed at different periods.4 The author is against political perspective as he stresses that people often interpreted the text to fit their political goals. Yao notes that there were two major periods in the history of Confucianism, i.e. creative and interpretative periods. The latter has been associated with lots of changes which were often due to political changes in the society. The author also notes that interpretation of ancient texts was free from bias when it came to religion and literature. People tried to remain as close to the texts as possible. They needed to make people aware of Confucian principles to make people virtuous, not to make them loyal to certain political agendas. Therefore, the author focuses on religious tradition and its major principles. The author considers the three core principles of Confucianism, i.e. heaven, earth and humans. It is necessary to note that Confucianism is based on principles of harmony and respect. According to this tradition, young people should respect older people and obey them5.Advertising Looking for essay on asian? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More People should obey laws not to escape from punishment but to seek for harmony with the universe.  Yi Jing, also referred to as The Book of Changes, can be regarded as an example of the history of Confucianism. The book includes two parts. The first part is regarde d as a primary source which was written by several sages.6 Confucius played a very special role in the creation of this book as he is thought to write the other part of the book. This book is also a representation of the history of Confucianism and Yao’s idea of the two periods.  To sum up, it is possible to note that Yao considers Confucianism from religious and literary perspectives as he claims they are free from bias. The author is against political perspective as it led to interpretations which were aimed to fit certain political agendas. It is also necessary to note that The Analects and Yi Jing can be regarded as certain evidence of Yao’s assumptions as the former reveals core principles of the tradition and the latter reveals the core values and represents the very nature and history of Confucianism. Bibliography â€Å"Confucian Analects.† Academic Brooklyn CUNY. Web. Yao, Xinzhong. An Introduction to Confucianism. New York, NY: Cambridge University Pr ess, 2000. Footnotes 1. Xinzhong Yao, An Introduction to Confucianism (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2000), 11. 2. Ibid., 7.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of Confucianism in The Analects by Yao specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More 3. â€Å"Confucian Analects,† Academic Brooklyn CUNY. 4. Xinzhong Yao, An Introduction to Confucianism (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2000), 5. 5. â€Å"Confucian Analects,† Academic Brooklyn CUNY. 6. Xinzhong Yao, An Introduction to Confucianism (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2000), 59.