Unkrainian-American Folklore Essays - Europe, Ukrainian Studies

Unkrainian-American Folklore Purposes of Ukrainian-American Folklore The relatively large Ukrainian community in the United States has many traditions and customs, most of which stem from a feeling of Ukrainian nationalism. As Ukraine was being overtaken by Russia, Ukrainians were immigrating by the thousands to the US. Ukrainians moving to the new world were leaving behind a disappearing culture and moving to a completely different land. Immigrants were proud of their heritage, and many of the traditions that were started in America exist to preserve this heritage and to pass it on to future generations. The Ukrainian Boy Scouting program is one such tradition. Ukrainians in America started this program in the early 1900's to train their young to return to Ukraine and drive the Russians out. This began as resistance to Russian rule over Ukraine. All boys and girls participate in this intermittently throughout the year, starting at age seven and continuing for life. Ukrainian Boy Scouts is very different from the typical American view of Boy Scouts, in that it involves a more rigorous wilderness-training program. This is because the program was essentially started as a military training program, and although it exists now only for fun and tradition, many of the subjects and ideas taught to the youths remain the same. People who are involved in the program put their children through it, as an attempt to preserve Ukrainian culture. When Ukrainians turn eighteen they become counselors, and at age thirty-five they become seniors and run the program. This program, along with a handful of similar programs, was started for various reasons. To begin with, Ukrainian youths had trouble adjusting to American society. ?They (Ukrainian youth programs) are helping to solve some of the social problems of the ?second generation' that does not seem to be able to find its way into American society or does not feel at home there.? Ukrainian youths were out of place in America with no sense of identity, and these programs made the adjustment less difficult. These programs also serve to maintain youth interest in Ukrainian heritage. ?The adults are perplexed at the indifference of the American-born youth to such worthy institutions (Ukrainian-American organizations).? The youth programs involve American-born Ukrainians at a young age, insuring that they will grow up to preserve Ukrainian heritage and culture. A third reason for these programs is that, at the time of their creation, the Ukrainian community in America was divided into two groups. ?One of them represented independent Ukrainian nationalism and the other, being stimulated by funds from Russia, was pro-Russian.? The nationalist group was responsible for these programs. In addition to the other functions, they started these programs to compete with the pro-Russian faction and ensure the survival of Ukrainian culture. These programs exist today to ensure the future of Ukrainian culture, essentially serving the same function it always has. The Red Flower is a traditional Ukrainian song. It also comes from Ukraine's history with Russia, and although it is sung in Ukrainian, The chorus goes as follows in English: Down in the valley A flower wilted And our sacred country Went to ruins The flower in the song is a metaphor for Ukraine, and when Russia took control of Ukraine, the ?flower wilted?. This is a somber song, which is sung at serious gatherings such as funerals or church. It is also sung often during the Boy Scouts training, to teach the young to sing it. Clearly this song serves as a source of nationalism, because the words remind those who hear it of Ukraine's sad past. The song also reminds Ukrainians of why it is important to preserve their culture, to restore Ukraine to glory. The Hopak is a traditional Ukrainian dance, which is performed frequently by Ukrainians in America. Outsiders often refer it to as the ?Russian Dance?, but it is actually a Ukrainian dance. The dancer is a man wearing leather boots, loose fitting red silk pants, and a white shirt with colored embroidering down the middle. His hair is shaved to the scalp except for a small circle on the top of his head, where the hair is about half a foot long. He squats down low, and kicks his feet out with his body upright and his arms folded.

The Eastern Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum)

The Eastern Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum) Eastern tent caterpillars (Malacosoma americanum) may be the only insects recognized by their homes rather than their appearance. These sociable caterpillars live together in silk nests, which they build in the crotches of cherry and apple trees. Eastern tent caterpillars may be confused with gypsy moths or even fall webworm. What Do They Look Like? Eastern tent caterpillars feed on the leaves of some favorite ornamental landscape trees, making their presence a concern to most homeowners. In truth, they rarely do enough damage to kill a healthy plant, and if you want an interesting insect to observe, this is one to watch. Several hundred caterpillars reside communally in their silken tent, built in the crotch of tree branches. Models of cooperation, the eastern tent caterpillars live and work in harmony until they are ready to pupate. The caterpillars emerge in early spring. In their final instar, they reach over 2 inches long and sport visible hairs down the sides of their bodies. The dark larvae are marked with a white stripe down their backs. Broken lines of brown and yellow run along the sides, punctuated by oval spots of blue. Malacosoma americanum moths break free of their cocoons after three weeks. Like many moths, they lack bright colors and appear almost drab. A close look reveals two parallel lines of cream across wings of tan or reddish brown. Classification Kingdom - AnimaliaPhylum - ArthropodaClass - InsectaOrder - LepidopteraFamily - LasiocampidaeGenus - MalacosomaSpecies - Malacosoma americanum What DoThey Eat? Eastern tent caterpillars feed on the foliage of cherry, apple, plum, peach, and hawthorn trees. In years when Malacosoma americanum is abundant, the large number of caterpillars may defoliate their host trees entirely and then wander to less preferable plants to feed. The adult moths live just a few days and do not feed. Life Cycle Like all butterflies and moths, eastern tent caterpillars undergo complete metamorphosis with four stages: Egg - The female oviposits 200–300 eggs in late spring.Larva - Caterpillars develop in just a few weeks, but remain quiescent in the egg mass until the following spring, when new leaves appear.Pupa - The sixth instar larva spins a silken cocoon in a sheltered location, and pupates within. The pupal case is brown.Adult - Moths fly in search of mates in May and June, and live just long enough to reproduce. Special Adaptations and Defenses Larvae emerge in early spring when temperatures tend to fluctuate. The caterpillars live communally in silken tents designed to keep them warm during cool spells. The broad side of the tent faces the sun, and caterpillars may huddle together on cold or rainy days. Before each of three daily feeding excursions, the caterpillars tend to their tent, adding silk as needed. As the caterpillars grow, they add new layers to accommodate their larger size and to move away from the accumulating waste of frass.​ Eastern tent caterpillars exit en masse three times each day: before dawn, around midday, and right after sunset. As they crawl along branches and twigs in search of leaves to eat, they leave behind silk trails and pheromones. The trails mark the path to food for their fellow tentmates. Pheromone signals alert other caterpillars to not only the presence of foliage but provide information about the quality of the food on a particular branch. Like most hairy caterpillars, eastern tent larvae are thought to deter birds and other predators with their irritating bristles. When they perceive a threat, the caterpillars rear up and thrash their bodies. The community members respond to these movements by doing the same, which makes for an amusing group display to observe. The tent itself also provides cover from predators and between feedings, the caterpillars retreat to its safety to rest. Where DoEastern Tent Caterpillars Live? Eastern tent caterpillars may infest the home landscape, making tents in ornamental cherry, plum, and apple trees. Roadside stands of trees might provide suitable wild cherries and crabapples, where dozens of caterpillar tents decorate the forest edge. These early spring caterpillars require the warmth of the sun to heat their bodies, so tents would rarely, if ever, be found in shaded woodland areas. The eastern tent caterpillar lives throughout the eastern United States, to the Rocky Mountains and into southern Canada. Malacosoma americanum is a native insect of North America. Sources Eastern tent caterpillar. Texas AM University.Eastern tent caterpillar.  University of Kentucky Agriculture Department.T. D. Fitzgerald. The Tent Caterpillars.Stephen A. Marshal. ​Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity.

Indigenous person or European colonist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Indigenous person or European colonist - Essay Example It roots from an ethnocentric belief, that one culture is better than the other. It is important, though, to consider that each culture believes in things differently because of the nature of how they were brought up. With this paper, I will try to place myself as part of an indigenous group. In this manner, I will try to explain the differences in both cultures and how one group accepts and rejects other cultures and values. It is important to note that the common ground of both indigenous and colonists is the desire to maintain their own culture and beliefs. When it comes to property, indigenous people have a sense of group ownership and free land. Land is not owned by one but by the entire group. They roam around the land and gather whatever they can gather, they hunt whatever they can hunt, and bring it back to the tribe. And they share it. The roles within the community are exact and defined. Men hunt, women tend to the village. Men are protectors, women are caretakers of the vi llage. They gain additional land and property, including slaves, when they fight another tribe and win. They tend to use violence in order to increase their land, property and people. The value of their properties depends on how strong the other tribe is. The stronger the tribe they defeat, the more they value the things that they gather from that tribe. The reason for this is the loss of lives they have sacrificed in order to gain these properties. Although the European colonists have the same thirst for expansion, they have a different method of doing it. Violence is not the primary key to gather property and land. They use diplomacy, education and religion to expand their property and land. This, the indigenous people can accept and incorporate in their culture. Tribes tend to use violence, which increases the loss of their tribe with the death of their warriors and protectors. To lessen this, indigenous people can learn to use diplomacy in gaining hold of other tribes. Instead o f just going off to war, they can learn how to talk peacefully first and use wealth, power and numbers to defeat the other tribes. The same as European colonists, by which they buy off the other indigenous groups and immerse them into their society as slaves. In the sense, there is a trade-off. One main characteristic of the European colonists is their ethnocentrism. This should be rejected. European colonists believe that indigenous people are stupid, ignorant and easy to be swayed. They see indigenous people as puppets that can be swayed easily because of their lack of modernization. What they don’t understand is they have their own perspective of civilization. That’s why there is an improvement in the indigenous people’s lives. They have their own sense of civilization. They just have a different understanding of it. What is important to them may not be important to the European colonists. An example of this is the value of accessories and clothes that were m ade from animal skins. European colonists have a high value for animal skin clothes but have little value for glass beads. Indigenous people treat glass beads and other accessories because it is a sign of wealth and power for them. We remember that the daughters of tribe leaders wear more accessories and head gears than the others. This goes the same for warriors, the more body paint or accessories they have, the higher their rank is. This is the same concept as with soldiers and their medals. When trading,

Scientific Concept Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Scientific Concept Research - Essay Example The process we call recycling is the act of making used materials into other forms of materials that will benefit the end user and the environment we live in. Everyday we live on resources and produce waste after consumption. However, millions of individuals neglect these waste materials and do not realize their worth for other functions in our environment. So one question comes to our mind, why is recycling important? An old saying goes, â€Å"it’s easier said than done.† I have seen hundreds of world leaders talk about recycling, making our earth a greener place to live in etc. but they have never successfully campaigned for recycling. As soon as they newly elected officers sit on their desk, they forget about their vision and just ride along the power trip. For me, recycling is very essential to us, human beings, because it affects not only ourselves but also our future generations to come. We must preserve the beauty of our environment for our children to see as well. The thought in recycling is comparable to the thought of reincarnation in the Christian bible. As our human bodies decay and our souls depart, we are reborn into other creatures or species and form part of society in a different perspective. When we pass away, our spirit is reborn into a different being. We may be a dog, cat, or insect in the next life. Recycling does the same function through a cycle of waste to a new form of use in society. Science tries to explain the importance of recycling because our world does not have unlimited resources. By providing an alternative of producing new light from garbage, we are able to save nature and preserve it. We can compare recycling to religious practice because religion observes certain rituals and traditions to nurture their beings. Almost any church needs rituals and weekly collection (Ackerman, 1997). They collect resources and impose a â€Å"bringing back to life† of used resources such as

Visual Art Analysis Paper Essay Example for Free

Visual Art Analysis Paper Essay Webster’s Dictionary defines Aesthetics as the branch of philosophy dealing with such notions as the beautiful, the ugly, the sublime, the comic, etc. , as applicable to the fine arts, with a view to establishing the meaning and the validity of critical judgments concerning works of art, and the principles underlying or justifying such judgments or the study of the mind and emotions in relation to the sense of beauty. The Dream of La Malinche is aesthetically pleasing despite the fact that I tend to not be attracted to Surrealism. However this artwork told a story that made me curious to find out who La Malinche really was? My first reaction to this artwork is to notice that the room that she is lying in is dark and shabby with exposed brick and a crack in the wall. Was this woman poor or was she labeled as not deserving better? Is this the aesthetically ugly side of life? Dark walls, broken woman. Yet sprawled on her hip is a beautiful church towering over a village in a fertile valley below. Aesthetically beautiful. Prosperity visible in the village and valley, and poverty in the room that La Malinche lies in. What a contrast! Denis Dutton (Aesthetic Universals), a philosopher identified seven universal traits for human See more: how to write an analysis of a research paper aesthetics. He claimed that technical artistic skills are cultivated and recognized. These skills can be admired. Though people admire art they do not expect it to keep food on their table. But it is expected to follow the rules of composition and to be identified as a certain style. Artwork will always be judged, and with few exceptions art will simulate life. Follow our experiences in life yet with a dramatic flair. Based on these traits La Malinche is beautifully orchestrated and very obviously a combination of a folk story and surrealism. Compared to other works by this artist, this particular painting tells a true story, a meaningful story that has played a part in this artist’s life. Visual Arts 3 Expression At the beginning of the 19th century, artists began to express their feelings through their art rather than through the faces painted on a canvas. The real La Malinche was thought to be a hero by some and a traitor by others. Mother of the Mestizo race and harlot to Cortez the explorer. Mexican artwork of this period tended to combine a woman with fertile land to express fertility to the viewer, so I believe this is some of what the artist was also trying to portray. I also love the symbolism between the mountains painted on her hip versus an actual mountain in Mexico named La Malinche. As I studied about Antonio Ruiz, he was referred to several times as a folk art artist besides being a surrealist. I think this art expresses his love for the history of his people and tells their story more adequately than words can express. I dare to call him a surrealist because I do not see where he is avoiding the unpleasantness of the life by wearing rose colored glasses. I feel that he is expressing the truth of the situation and the beauty that can be found amidst ugliness, accusations and tales. However Woman in World Histories Primary Sources claims the Malinche’s body is the ground supporting an unnamed village and church and her image is to invoke female Aztec deities. The metaphor is the Mexican nation is built on the groundwork of Malinche’s actions. So what expressive qualities does this painting have? The mood language is mysterious. It invokes curiosity. The dynamic state is intense and provoking. The Ideal language would be compassion, courage and fearlessness. Sensation This painting provokes a strong emotion in me. I am not sure that I would label it anger, but I feel a sense of injustice rise up inside me. I understand what the artist was trying to portray in this painting but I also know how I interpret this painting. In my interpretation I want to fight for the dignity of this woman who is treated with obvious disrespect based on the condition of Visual Arts 4 the room in which she lies while a village in a valley appears prosperous. And yet I feel an animosity toward the people who do not recognize the contribution that she made to their society or the number of lives that were probably spared. I feel the history of this story and the artist’s emotions. I feel that the woman in the bed carries a huge load on her shoulders. You can almost feel her despair and have to wonder what heart ache she carries within. Does this prosperous village in the valley sit ignorant of the sacrifices of this fearless woman? This woman instills hope and compassion and a sense of empowerment. It’s like being on an emotional rollercoaster yet the lines of this painting is also like a rollercoaster. The round mountain peaks, the curving roads and the rolling sheets over the woman. The curvy scrolls of the wrought iron bed all encompass this feeling of being on a rollercoaster. Formal Design This painting has been labeled as Surrealism. Surrealism was supposedly born from the Dada Movement. This â€Å"Dada Movement† was a banding together of artists who sought refuge from World War I in Europe. As they banded together they became like our early day protestors. Their art, poetry and music reflected their anti-war cries. After the war people wanted to get away from the intensity of darkness that so many paintings depicted and they wanted something to help them escape the everyday reality. So Surrealism became a way for them to combine dreams and fantasy with some reality. The Principles for all design are Unity, Balance, Dominance, Repetition, Rhythm, Contrast and Theme. There is a unity between the woman living in poverty and the prosperous village. Can there be prosperity without poverty? Or can there be poverty without prosperity? If the prosperous mountain were removed all this art would speak about is poverty. La Malinche would appear as a poor woman on a bed. Would you be curious about her Visual Arts 5 circumstances or would you feel compelled to look away? If La Malinche was removed from the painting you would just have a prosperous village living in a valley. A beautiful fairytale painting. Because the elements of this painting need each other and have unity, this painting has balance. The mountain on La Malinche’s hip gives this painting symmetry. It becomes almost the fulcrum of the painting. Everything balances around the central part of this painting. The mountain, the prosperity takes a dominant position in this painting which could suggest her success in rising above adversity. The rhythm in this painting would be the flow of the village across the sheets, and the flow of the sheets across the woman. There is this continuous theme flowing out from the village. The poverty, the dark room and the woman contrast with the light of the village and it’s prosperity. Each of these principals come together to form the theme of poverty and prosperity. Lightness and Dark. Realism and Surrealism. Technical Properties The Dream of La Malinche is painted on canvas with oils. If skill is truly based on the artists portrayal of his picture, than Ruiz has truly surpassed all other artists in portraying the history and story of this heroic figure. He has an incredible sense of color. And this painting reflects his own personal view on this historical figure. The lightening bolt (or crack in the wall as I call it) has depth to it. This painting does not have the usual bulkiness that you so often see in oil paintings. As an artist Antonio Ruiz is known for his draftsmanship skills. He is considered a great painter of small works and respected for his aesthetic quality. Visual Arts 6 References Dutton, D. , Aesthetic Universals Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Definition of Aesthetics

The Mass-marketing of Working Class Culture :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Mass-marketing of Working Class Culture The fads of the father are visited on the son: we've all seen how adult fads are given down to children. We've seen how cargo pants have trickled down, thanks to the Gap, Baby Gap, and Old Navy (all corporations owned by The Limited, Inc.). Cargo pants have always been a mystery to me. The attractive thing about them is storage (which I'll get to later), blandness and personal appearance. I only considered wearing cargo pants because they'd hide how chunky my thighs are. And they're beige and boring--they thus go with anything. I also don't understand this fascination with looking working-class (In a recent copy of Vogue, there were ritzy, high-priced versions of lumberjack clothing). There's absolutely nothing wrong with that and I don't want to sound like an elitist, because I'm by no means not working-class. I just wonder why this a trend, why white collar workers want to look like they work with their hands. But this fascination with storage, with having so many products presents a problem. Cargo pants were designed so workers could essentially wear their toolbox. Today's kids wearing cargo pants don't need that space for hammers and nails. To avoid acknowledging that cargo pants are a silly trend, wearers unconsciously seek to fill their pockets. As Lacan might say, empty pockets remind us of our lacks. Cargo pants only encourage the reckless. The Gap, like any other capitalist corporation, wants consumers to spend oodles of money. Providing more storage space in a pair of pants allows for children and teens to spend even more money filling them. What the Gap has done is transformed the meaning of cargo pants. It is a redefinition: today's cargo pants wearers aren't laborers, they're spenders. Isn't that a glorious thing, the Gap may ask us. It's a way of showing how the upper class has always stepped all over the lower class, taking what aspects of its culture it likes and discarding the individuals involved. We've seen this over and over, but it usually has been a race's culture that has been used while the individuals are considered meaningless by the ruling classes. This is happening again today with Latin culture. White culture takes what few things it likes (namely Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin, maybe a salsa beat, and some Tex-Mex food), and celebrates it as all Latin culture has to offer, ignoring debates about the "Latinness" of such aspects anyway.

A Study of Brand Strategy for Supermarket Industry in Hong Kong

In the growing FMCG market of Hong Kong, the concept of brand strategy for supermarkets is the most vital variable of interest to retailers. This research makes an in-depth analysis of the dimensional aspects of brand strategy for supermarket industry with additional focus on the store image which is the antecedent for store loyalty.The research extends to examining the efforts of the supermarkets in Hong Kong to assess the effectiveness of such efforts in building a brand strategy for an effective store loyalty towards their stores.The research proposes to achieve the objectives of assessing the effectiveness of the efforts of the supermarkets in building a brand strategy by a review of the available literature on the topic of study and also by conducting a social research by employing recognized research methods to present a comprehensive and analytical report on the findings of the research.The study proposes to use qualitative methods for the collection of secondary data and info rmation including a collection of a wide range of resources for a review of the literature on the topic of the study. Quantitative method in the form on an ‘Online Survey’ of the customers of supermarkets by using a well constructed questionnaire to collect their opinions on the effectiveness of the efforts of the supermarkets in building a brand strategy in the supermarket industry in Hong Kong.The study will consider various attributes that promotes the brand strategy towards the supermarkets in Hong Kong.It will be astounding for the people who visit the Asian Cities like Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok for the first time to witness the role, shopping plays in the culture of the local people in this region.Retail therapy can be considered to be a conspicuous national pastime of these regions. With the growing wealth in Asia and with the enhancement in the disposable income of the people in the continent, there are every chances that consumer based firms will emerge as the strongest sector in the coming periods.Under the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) there had been a higher influx of tourists from China which has resulted in a growth of 9.7 percent higher sales in the departmental stores as of September 2006 on a year-on-year comparison.According to a survey conducted by ACNielsen the market research firm, on 22000 global consumers, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Indonesia were included in the top 10 markets in the consumer confidence. (ACNielsen Global Consumer Confidence Report, Jan 2006)With the increased consumer activities in the retail sales it becomes important for the supermarkets to assess the shopping habits of the consumers and adjust their marketing strategies to maximize the sales growth and revenue. This is especially necessary in a large consumer market like Hong Kong.The effectiveness of the actions from the supermarkets on improving the stores loyalty, though depends largely on the consumer buying habits there are seve ral other factors that determine the store loyalty like, proximity of location of the stores, brand awareness, quality of the products, pricing and promotional offers and other consumer habits.Being a highly sensitive issue getting the store loyalty of the consumers is a tough task for the supermarkets as switching to alternative stores by the customers costs nothing to them and is also less cumbersome. This poses a great challenge to the supermarkets. In this context this research makes a detailed study into the effectiveness of the efforts of the supermarkets in building a brand strategy for establishing store loyalty among the consumers. Â