Diaspora Literature - A Testimony of Realism

Diaspora Literature involves an idea of a homeland, a place from where the displacement occurs and narratives of harsh journeys undertaken on account of economic compulsions. Basically Diaspora is a minority community living in exile. The Oxford English Dictionary 1989 Edition (second) traces the etymology of the word 'Diaspora' back to its Greek root and to its appearance in the Old Testament (Deut: 28:25) as such it references. God's intentions for the people of Israel to be dispersed across the world. The Oxford English Dictionary here commences with the Judic History, mentioning only two types of dispersal: The "Jews living dispersed among the gentiles after the captivity" and The Jewish Christians residing outside the Palestine. The dispersal (initially) signifies the location of a fluid human autonomous space involving a complex set of negotiation and exchange between the nostalgia and desire for the Homeland and the making of a new home, adapting to the power, relationships between the minority and majority, being spokes persons for minority rights and their people back home and significantly transacting the Contact Zone - a space changed with the possibility of multiple challenges.

People migrating to another country in exile home

Living peacefully immaterially but losing home

Birth of Diaspora Literature

However, the 1993 Edition of Shorter Oxford's definition of Diaspora can be found. While still insisting on capitalization of the first letter, 'Diaspora' now also refers to 'anybody of people living outside their traditional homeland.

In the tradition of indo-Christian the fall of Satan from the heaven and humankind's separation from the Garden of Eden, metaphorically the separation from God constitute diasporic situations. Etymologically, 'Diaspora' with its connotative political weight is drawn from Greek meaning to disperse and signifies a voluntary or forcible movement of the people from the homeland into new regions." (Pp.68-69)

Under Colonialism, 'Diaspora' is a multifarious movement which involves-

oThe temporary of permanent movement of Europeans all over the world, leading to Colonial settlement. Consequen's, consequently the ensuing economic exploitation of the settled areas necessitated large amount of labor that could not be fulfilled by local populace. This leads to:
oThe Diaspora resulting from the enslavement of Africans and their relocation to places like the British colonies. After slavery was out lawed the continued demand for workers created indenturement labor. This produces:
oLarge bodies of the people from poor areas of India, China and other to the West Indies, Malaya Fiji. Eastern and Southern Africa, etc. (see-http://www.postcolonialweb.com)

William Sarfan points out that the term Diaspora can be applied to expatriate minority communities whose members share some of the common characteristics given hereunder:

1.They or their ancestor have been dispersed from a special original 'centre' or two or more 'peripheral' of foreign regions;
2.They retain a collective memory, vision or myth about their original homeland-its physical location, history and achievements;
3.They believe they are not- and perhaps cannot be- fully accepted by their lost society and therefore feel partly alienated and insulted from it;
4.They regard their ancestral homeland as their, true, ideal home and as the place to which they or their descendents would (or should) eventually return- when conditions are appropriate;
5.They believe they should collectively, be committed to the maintenance or restoration of their homeland and its safety and prosperity; and
6.They continue to relate, personally and vicariously, to that homeland in one way or another, and their ethno- communal consciousness and solidarity are importantly defined by the existence of such a relationship ;( Safren Willam cited in Satendra Nandan: 'Diasporic Consciousness' Interrogative Post-Colonial: Column Theory, Text and Context, Editors: Harish Trivedi and Meenakshi Mukherjee; Indian Institute of Advanced Studies 1996, p.53)

There lies a difficulty in coming to terms with diaspora, and as such it introduces conceptual categories to display the variety of meanings the word invokes. Robin Cohen classifies Diaspora as:

1. Victim Diasporas
2. Labour Diasporas
3. Imperial Diasporas
4. Trade Diasporas
5. Homeland Diasporas
6. Cultural Diasporas

The author finds a common element in all forms of Diaspora; these are people who live outside their 'natal (or imagined natal) territories' (ix) and recognize that their traditional homelands are reflected deeply in the languages they speak, religion they adopt, and cultures they produce. Each of the categories of Diasporas underline a particular cause of migration usually associated with particular groups of people. So for example, the Africans through their experience of slavery have been noted to be victims of extremely aggressive transmigrational policies. (Cohen)
Though in the age of technological advancement which has made the traveling easier and the distance shorter so the term Diaspora has lost its original connotation, yet simultaneously it has also emerged in another form healthier than the former. At first, it is concerned with human beings attached to the homelands. Their sense of yearning for the homeland, a curious attachment to its traditions, religions and languages give birth to diasporic literature which is primarily concerned with the individual's or community's attachment to the homeland. The migrant arrives 'unstuck from more than land' (Rushdie). he runs from pillar to post crossing the boundries of time, memory and History carrying 'bundles and boxes' always with them with the vision and dreams of returning homeland as and when likes and finds fit to return. Although, it is an axiomatic truth that his dreams are futile and it wouldn't be possible to return to the homeland is 'metaphorical' (Hall). the longing for the homeland is countered by the desire to belong to the new home, so the migrant remains a creature of the edge, 'the peripheral man' (Rushdie). According to Naipaul the Indians are well aware that their journey to Trinidad 'had been final' (Andse Dentseh,) but these tensions and throes remain a recurring theme in the Diasporic Literature.

Diaspora

1.Forced 2.Voluntary

Indian Diaspora can be classified into two kinds:

1. Forced Migration to Africa, Fiji or the Caribbean on account of slavery or indentured labour in the 18th or 19th century.

2.Voluntary Migration to U.S.A., U.K., Germany, France or other European countries for the sake of professional or academic purposes.

According to Amitava Ghose-'the Indian Diaspora is one of the most important demographic dislocation of Modern Times'(Ghosh,) and each day is growing and assuming the form of representative of a significant force in global culture. If we take the Markand Paranjpe, we will find two distinct phases of Diaspora, these are called the visitor Diaspora and Settler Diaspora much similar to Maxwell's 'Invader' and 'Settler' Colonialist.

The first Diaspora consisted of dispriveledged and subaltern classes forced alienation was a one way ticket to a distant diasporic settlement. As, in the days of yore, the return to Homeland was next to impossible due to lack of proper means of transportation, economic deficiency, and vast distances so the physical distance became a psychological alienation, and the homeland became the sacred icon in the diasporic imagination of the authors also.

But the second Diaspora was the result of man's choice and inclination towards the material gains, professional and business interests. It is particularly the representation of privilege and access to contemporary advanced technology and communication. Here, no dearth of money or means is visible rather economic and life style advantages are facilitated by the multiple visas and frequent flyer utilities. Therefore, Vijay Mishra is correct when he finds V S Naipaul as the founding father of old diaspora but it is also not wrong to see Salman Rushdie as the representative of Modern (second) Diaspora V S Naipaul remarkably portrays the search for the roots in his 'A House for Mr. Biswas:

"to have lived without even attempting to lay claim to one's portion of the earth; to have lived and died as one has been born, unnecessary and accommodated.(Naipaul,14) similarly Mohan Biswas's peregrination over the next 35 years, he was to be a wanderer with no place to call his own'(ibid. 40)

In the same manner, Rushdie's Midnight Children and Shame are the novels of leave taking... from the country of his birth (India) and from that second country (Pakistan) where he tried, half-heartedly to settle and couldn't." (Aizaz Ahmad, 135)

Here the critique of Paranjape generates the debate of competing forms of writing: Diaspora or domiciled -those who stayed back home and importantly a competitive space for the right to construct the homeland, so he points out the possibility of harm by 'usurping the space which native self- representations are striving to find in the International Literary Market place and that they may 'contribute to the Colonization of the Indian psyche by pondering to Western tastes which prefer to see India in a negative light.' The works of various authors like Kuketu Mehta, Amitava Ghosh, Tabish, Khair, Agha Shahid Ali, Sonali Bose, Salman Rushdie confirm a hybridity between diasporic and domiciled consciousness. They are National, not Nationalistic inclusive not parochial, respecting the local while being ecumenical, celebrating human values and Indian pluralism as a vital 'worldliness'. (Ashcraft, 31-56)

The diasporian authors engage in cultural transmission that is equitably exchanged in the manner of translating a map of reality for multiple readerships. Besides, they are equipped with bundles of memories and articulate an amalgam of global and national strands that embody real and imagined experience. Suketu Mehta is advocate of idea of home is not a consumable entity. He says:
You cannot go home by eating certain foods, by replaying its films on your T.V. screens. At some point you have to live there again."(Mehta, 13)

So his novel Maximum City is the delineation of real lives, habits, cares, customs, traditions, dreams and gloominess of Metro life on the edge, in an act of morphing Mumbai through the unmaking of Bombay. It is also true, therefore, that diasporic writing is full of feelings of alienation, loving for homeland dispersed and dejection, a double identification with original homeland and adopted country, crisis of identity, mythnic memory and the protest against discrimination is the adopted country. An Autonomous space becomes permanent which non- Diasporas fail to fill. M K Gandhi, the first one to realize the value of syncretic solutions' hence he never asked for a pure homeland for Indians in South Socio-cultural space and so Sudhir Kumar confirms Gandhi as the first practitioner of diasporic hybridity. Gandhi considered all discriminations of high and low, small or great, Hindu or Muslim or Christian or Sikh but found them 'All were alike the children of Mother India.'

Diasporic writings are to some extent about the business of finding new Angles to enter reality; the distance, geographical and cultural enables new structures of feeling. The hybridity is subversive. It resists cultural authoritarianism and challenges official truths."(Ahmad Aizaz, In Theory: Classes, Nations, Literatures; OUP, 1992,p.126) one of the most relevant aspect of diasporic writing is that it forces, interrogates and challenges the authoritative voices of time (History). The Shadow Line of Amitav Ghosh has the impulse when the Indian States were complicit in the programmes after Indira Gandhi's assassination. The author elaborates the truth in the book when he says:

"In India there is a drill associated with civil disturbances, a curfew is declared, paramilitary units are deployed; in extreme cares, the army monarchs to the stricken areas. No city in India is better equipped to perform this drill than New Delhi, with its high security apparatus."(Amitava Ghosh, 51)

The writers of Diaspora are the global paradigm shift, since the challenges of Postmodernism to overreaching narratives of power relations to silence the voices of the dispossessed; these marginal voices have gained ascendance and even found a current status of privilege. These shifts suggest:

"That it is from those who have suffered the sentence of history-subjugation, domination, Diaspora, displacement- that we learn our most enduring lessons for living and thinking."(Bhabha, 172)

The novels of Amitav Ghosh especially the hungry tide in which the character Kanai Dutt is cast together "with chance circumstance with a Cetologist from the US, Priya Roy studying fresh water Dalphines, The Oracaella Brebirostris. The multiple histories of the Sunderbans became alive when the diaries of Marxist school teacher Nirmal came to light. He withdraws from the romance of political activism and came to settle with his wife Nilima in Lucibari and the relation between them is exemplified in the pragmatism of Nilima:

"You live in a dream world- a haze of poetry

Such passages of the novel points towards the metaphorical distinctions between the centre and margins, made narrative and little histories the well knows gods and the gods of small things. In the novels of Ghosh an assault of unarmed settlers Morich Jhapi, in order to evict them forcively is carried out by gangsters hired by states. They had been "assembling around the island... they burnt the settlers, hearts, they sank their boats, they lay waste their fields."(ibid)

Similarly there are a number of novels by South Asian and British Writers on the theme of partition a blatant reality in the global history. Partition was the most traumatic experience of division of hearts and communities. Similarly, Ice Candy Man comprises 32 chapters and provides a peep into the cataclysmic events in turmoil on the sub continent during partition, the spread of communal riots between the Hindu and Sikhs on the one side and the Muslim on the other. The Muslims were attached at a village Pirpindo and the Hindus were massacred at Lahore. It was partition only that became the cause of the biggest bloodshed and brutal holocaust in annals of mankind. Lenny on eight years child narrates the chain of events on the basis of her memory. How she learns from her elders and how she beholds the picture of divided India by her own eyes in the warp and woof of the novel. There is a fine blend of longing and belonging of multiplicity of perspectives and pointed nostalgia of mirth and sadness and of Sufism and Bhakti is epitomized in the work of Aga Shahid Ali. Similarly the novels of Rahi Masoom Raja (in Hindi) narrate woeful tale of partition, the foul play of politicians, the devastated form of the nation and its people after partition and longing for the home that has been:

"Jinse hum choot gaye Aab vo jahan kaise hai
Shakh-e-gulkaise hai, khushbu ke mahak kaise hai
Ay saba too to udhar hi se gujarti hai
Pattaron vale vo insane, vo behis dar-o-bam
Vo makee kaise hai, sheeshe ke makan kaise hai.

(Sheeshe Ke Maka Vale ,173)
("To which we hav'een left adrift how are those worlds
How the branch of flower is, how the mansion of fragrance is.
O,wind! You do pass from there
How are my foot-prints in that lane
Those stony people, those tedious houses
How are those residents and how are those glass houses.)

Most of the major novels of South Asia are replete with the diasporic consciousness which is nothing but the witness of the all the happenings of social realities, longings and feeling of belonging. Train To Pakistan, The Dark Dancer, Azadi, Ice Candy Man, A Bend In The Ganges, Twice Born, Midnight's Children, Sunlight on A Broken Column, Twice Dead, The Rope and Ashes and Petals all these novels abound in the same tragic tale of woe and strife from different angles. Most of the fictions of South Asian Countries are written in the background of post- colonial times and the same South Asian countries were under the colonial rules of the English. After a long battle of independence when those countries were liberated, other bolt from the blue of partition happened. This theme became whys and wherefores of the most of South Asian novels and the popularity of it will prognosticate its golden future.

References:

1.(Cohen Robin, Global Diasporas- An Introduction. London: UC L Press, 1997)
2.Rushdie: Picador, Rupa, 1983.
3.Safren Willam cited in Satendra Nandan: 'Diasporic Consciousness' Interrogative Post-Colonial: Column Theory, Text and Context, Editors: Harish Trivedi and Meenakshi Mukherjee; Indian Institute of Advanced Studies 1996, p.53)
4.Stuart Hall, 'Cultural Identity and Diaspora in Patric White and Laura Christmas, eds, Colonial Discourses and Post-Colonial Theory: A Reader, New York: Columbia University Press, 1994,p.401)
5.(Rushdie: Shame Picader, Rupa, 1983, p.283).
6.(An Area of Darkness London: Andse Dentseh, 1964,p. 31)
7.(Ghosh, Amitava : 'The Diaspora in Indian Culture' in The Imam and The Indian Ravi Dayal and Permanent Books, Delhi : 2002,p.243)
8.(Naipaul, V S, A House for Mr. Biswas Penguin, 1969,p.14)
9.Aizaz Ahmad 'In Theory: Classes Nations, Literatures, O.U.P.1992, and p.135)
10.(Ashcraft. Bill. And Pal Ahluwalia, Edward Said: The Paradox of Identity Routledge,London & New York 1999,p.31-56 )
11.(Mehta, Suketu, Maximum City Viking, Penguin, 2004, p. 13)
12.(Amitava Ghosh, The Ghost of Mrs. Gandhi in The Imam and The Indian , Ravi Dayal, New Delhi, 2002,p.51
13.(Bhabha, Homi, The Location of Culture, Lodon, 1994,)
14.(Ghosh, Amitav,The Hungry Tide Delhi:Ravi Dayal Pub.2004)
15.Dr. Rahi Masoom Raza, Sheeshe Ke Maka Vale. ed. Kunvar Pal Singh, Delhi: Vani Pub.2001,)

Great Price for $31.11 Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World

Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World Review

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Curse Tablets and Binding Spells from the Ancient World Overview

In the ancient Greco-Roman world, it was common practice to curse or bind an enemy or rival by writing an incantation on a tablet and dedicating it to a god or spirit. These curses or binding spells, commonly called defixiones were intended to bring other people under the power and control of those who commissioned them. More than a thousand such texts, written between the 5th Century B.C.E. and the 5th Century C.E., have been discovered from North Africa to England, and from Syria to Spain. Extending into every aspect of ancient life--athletic and theatrical competitions, judicial proceedings, love affairs, business rivalries, and the recovery of stolen property--they shed light on a new dimension of classical study previously inaccessible. Here, for the first time, these texts have been translated into English with a substantial translator's introduction revealing the cultural, social, and historical context for the texts. This book will interest historians, classicists, scholars of religion, and those concerned with ancient magic.

Greek Gods

Greek Gods Zeus- The king of all the gods. The all-powerful god of thunder. His sybol is the lighting bolt Poseidon- 2nd most powerful god. King of the seas. His symbol is the horse. Hades- God of the underworld. Tricked Persephone into marriage. He doesnt have a symbol. Ares- Nobody exept Aphrodite like him. He was the god of war. He and Aphrodite were in love. Apollo- God os muxic, the sun, and manly youth. He was the brother of Artemis. His symbol is the lyre and the sun. Hermes- God of merchants. He created the roman alphabet. His symbol is the crane. Hephaestus- God of fire and blacksmiths. He was the ugliest god, but married Aphrodite, the most beautiful goddess. His symbol is fire.

Let's Play God of War Trilogy [HD], Part 50: Fire and Ice

In this episode we head to our next trial of the palace of the fates and sacrifice some sirens by burning them alive to move on to the next area. We also solve a moderately challenging icy puzzle.

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Let's Play God of War Trilogy [HD], Part 46: Icarus

After defeating the puny and pathetic Perseus, we continue our journey forward but run into a few obstacles along the way including a crumbling platform challenge and the legendary Icarus himself, except he doesn't look so legendary!

Let's Play God of War Trilogy [HD], Part 56: The Final Corridor

In this episode we take our final stretch run down a corridor filled with enemies.

Great Price for $11.55 Radiant Darkness

Radiant Darkness Review

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Radiant Darkness Overview

He smiles. "Hello."

It's a deep voice. I can feel it reverberate in my chest and echo all the way down to my toes.

I know I should leave, but I don't want to. I want to keep my senses like this forever. I'm all eye, all ear, all skin.

Persephone lives in the most gorgeous place in the world. But her mother's a goddess, as overprotective as she is powerful. Paradise has become a trap. Just when Persephone feels there's no chance of escaping the life that's been planned for her, a mysterious stranger arrives. A stranger who promises something more—something dangerous and exciting—something that spurs Persephone to make a daring choice. A choice that could destroy all she's come to love, even the earth itself.

In a land where a singing river can make you forget your very name, Persephone is forced to discover who—and what—she really is.

How to Make a Dental Clinic Look More Attractive

If you are running a dental clinic or planning to open one, you might have certain ideas in your mind on ways to make it look healthy and stress free. The location of the office is the primary factor that anyone might think upon while setting up a new clinic. The office should be spacious and well furnished. There should be a proper placement for all accessories and usable items. Talking about accessories, you might think of bringing drink ware such as coffee or tea mugs from pi kappa alpha shop. This is the most essential requirement in almost any office. The next thing to consider is the dental office design. Whatever you choose should provide a combination of usage, comfortable and fun.

The office should have a welcoming look. When a patient enters the clinic for the first time, he does not know what the doctor is capable of, but he would instantly make an opinion in his mind from the office's decor. This impression is a deep and long lasting one. The office walls should have light colors as these colors help to keep them calm. Most people get tense in a dentist's clinic. However, bright colors and art work such as hanging dentistry inspired art work may help in relieving their nerves to a great extent. These are things that attract the attention of adults and kids alike.

A waiting room in a clinic is the place where the patient spends most of his time. This place has to look lively and cheerful to lighten the mood of people waiting for their appointments. Adding toys and decorations to this room would help this cause. Placing some magazines or newspapers on the counter would be a good option. Placing a fish tank in the waiting room would also brighten the mood of the kids and add natural, somber effects to the room.

To further add a natural touch to the room, some plants could be placed in it. This helps to keep the air fresh and also adds life and color to the room. Green is undeniably a symbol of life, so adding greenery will increase the energy of the room. Besides green, other colorful plants and cut flower vases could be placed in the room. It would give a very nice feel by adding color and scent to the room.

Aside from these ways, there are other methods to make a dental office look attractive. By installing a flat screen television or a DVD player to play interesting programs, more people will become more relaxed and confident about their visit to the dentists. Besides that, this media could be used for exhibiting different ideas associated with dentistry. It can have the social awareness and advice for the protection of teeth.

While setting up a dental clinic or doing some renovations in it, keep these pointers in mind and you will surely have more patients cramming in your waiting room. These were some tricks of the trade that can help you set up a good business, and these ideas would help you build a good reputation for your clinic.

Connor R. Sullivan searched the internet for a Pi Kappa Alpha shop that sold Greek merchandise. He consulted with an dental office design specialist in order to update his exam rooms.

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Dance and the Body Politic in Northern Greece (Princeton Modern Greek Studies) Review

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Dance and the Body Politic in Northern Greece (Princeton Modern Greek Studies) Overview

Valued for their sensual and social intensity, Greek dance-events are often also problematical for participants, giving rise to struggles over position, prestige, and reputation. Here Jane Cowan explores how the politics of gender is articulated through the body at these culturally central, yet until now ethnographically neglected, celebrations in a class-divided northern Greek town. Portraying the dance-event as both a highly structured and dynamic social arena, she approaches the human body not only as a sign to be deciphered but as a site of experience and an agent of practice.

In describing the multiple ideologies of person, gender, and community that townspeople embody and explore as they dance, Cowan presents three different settings: the traditional wedding procession, the "Europeanized" formal evening dance of local civic associations, and the private party. She examines the practices of eating, drinking, talking, gifting, and dancing, and the verbal discourse through which celebrants make sense of each other's actions. Paying particular attention to points of tension and moments of misunderstanding, she analyzes in what ways these social situations pose different problems for men and women.

The 5 Most Popular Bible Translations - What's the Difference?

There are many Bible Versions out there and it is easy to be confused by all the differences and not really know where to start. Here are the top 5 translations by unit sales for May 2011 (according to the CBA).

1. New International Version (Various Publishers) - The New International Version is commonly abbreviated NIV. It is a completely new English translation based upon the best available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. It was developed by over 100 scholars and originally published in 1973, but has been updated in 2011. The NIV is the most commonly used English Bible translation because it uses the most commonly understood language and is at a reading level that most any adult can understand (7-8 grade level). The original vision for undertaking the NIV translation was because the King James version did not connect to modern people because of the old English terms and expressions.



2. King James Version (Various Publishers) - The King James Version is commonly abbreviated KJV. It is sometimes known as the Authorized Version. It was begun by the Church of England, at the command of King James I, in 1604 and completed in 1611. The KJV is a very common English Bible translation, but has been surpassed by the NIV for many people because the KJV's language is often difficult to understand. An example would be, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Most modern readers have no idea what begotten, whosoever or believeth mean. The reading level is equivalent to a 12th Grade reading level.



3. New King James Version (Various Publishers) - The New King James Version is commonly abbreviated NKJV. The NKJV was begun in order to upgrade the language of the KJV while keeping it's poetic literary style. The full version was published in 1982. One of the biggest changes in the NKJV in comparison to the KJV is the abandonment of historic pronouns such as thou, thine and ye. Verbs were also modernized, such as "loves" instead of "loveth". Both the KJV and NKJV use later texts that were available in the 1600's, but newer versions use older texts that are considered more reliable since they were closer to original. These texts had not been discovered in King James' time. The NKJV has an 8th grade reading level, and is easier to read for a majority of people.



4. New Living Translation (Tyndale) - The New Living Translation is commonly abbreviated NLT. It was began in 1989 as a revision to the Living Bible and was first published in 1996. It is meant as an entire thought translation as opposed to some other translations which are word-for-word translations. It also tries to make the text have the same impact on modern readers as it had on the original readers. The NLT is at approximately a 6th grade reading level.



5. English Standard Version (Crossway) - The English Standard is commonly abbreviated ESV. The ESV is a revision of the Revised Standard Version (RSV). It was originally published in 2001 and updated in 2007. The translators used a similar translation philosophy as the KJV which was literal, while updating the language and changing some purported liberal translations in the RSV. They sought to understand the literal equivalent of each word, not the meaning they might have had to the original hearers. The ESV has an 8th grade reading level.

There are many Bible translations and none are perfect. Language changes and people's understanding of language changes. There are also new texts found that change slightly the understanding of certain passages or words. You have to decide for yourself what is the best version to use. Hopefully, this summary will help you make that decision.

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Hercules - 0x04 - The Underworld Part 5

Part 5 The content for this video is owned by NBC Universal

Let's Play God of War Trilogy [HD], Part 78: Hera's Garden

*** Be sure to watch in 720p enlarged/full screen window for best quality*** By killing most of the gods, Kratos has wreaked havoc across the world. In this episode he comes across Hera in her famous Garden, except maybe it's not so famous anymore.

5 Most Influential Persons in World History

Human civilization is dynamic and growing. Throughout the history of human civilization development, there are many things that happened and a lot of people involved as prominent figures in world history. There are some important and influential figures in human civilization and had a great influence in history and also until the present time.

1. Prophet Muhammad
Prophet Muhammad is the last prophet in the Islamic religion. Mohammed is the son of Abdullah Ibnu Manaf who is descendants of Hashim. He was born in this place of Mecca and he also spread the Islamic religion. As one of the messenger god, Muhammad brought down to earth Teachings and commands to worship the one god.

Prophet Muhammad, he sent a prophet by God at the age of 40 years. God revealed to him the Koran is the mankind and the jinn are not able to match it. He named him as the killer of the Prophets and praised him for the glory of conduct to use Ruqyah. Rasulluloh is the most perfect human being and the prince of the previous Prophets among the Prophets who had the position that honesty and trust to keep the main foundations of life. Prophet Muhammad dies at the age of 63 years after the struggle against the infidels and spread the religion of Islam.

2. Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton was a physicist, Mathematician, astronomer and chemist who also comes from a big British scientist. He is all history is known by various findings. Newton is also a follower of God who is very obedient. He believes that bringing people to a deeper knowledge of God, the Creator of this universe.

Newton is one of the great Greek scientists who argue that the method of experiment in science is the scientific because the ideas in the field of science must be tested and only accepted if its usefulness can be proven. Newton managed to spark a few ideas that are important for human civilization to the present, for example law of gravity, the binomial theory dab some other theory in mathematics and natural sciences.

3. Prophet Isa
History and all things related to the Prophet Jesus was a vague thing until now. This is because there are different versions of each story that claimed by the two major religions in the world. According to the version of Christian Believers, the Prophet Jesus, or who is known as Isa al-Masih the son of God who descended to earth to be a Savior for all mankind. Then Jesus died on the cross to atone for his people and then he climbed ropes.

Meanwhile, the race version of Islam, the Prophet Jesus is one of the Prophets in Islam the religion of the Children of Israel to spread the doctrine of the Oneness of God and the avoidance of error. Prophet Isa was born of Siti Maryam the virgin as a reward for obedience to the God Almighty. Narrated in this version of Jesus not die from crucifixion by those who disbelieve, but he was rescued and raised by a god.

4. Buddhist
Buddha or Siddhartha Gautama known as the first is a prince of the kingdom of Bhutan. Buddha is known as spreading Buddhist Teachings. From toddlers during Siddhartha has predicted the world would be a king who would lead the king of kings, and also there will be a great preacher (Buddha). After growing up was the prince decided to leave the palace and do wanderings, finding the meaning of life is for the safety of all mankind.

Various Buddhist Teachings documented in the form of oral and written which contains all the commands and prohibitions in the Buddhist religion. In Buddhist belief, Siddhartha said that the true way to know the Buddha is the perfect way to reach enlightenment. Four important Teachings of Buddhist spread is suffering, suffering the top, and the end result of suffering and how to overcome suffering.

5. Kong Hu-Cu
Kong Hu-Cu a great philosopher was the first Chinese developer to integrate a system of mind and confidence in Chinese people most basic. Kong Hu-Cu provides teaching individuals about the Morality and conception of a government about ways to serve the people and the command. It then became an idea embraced by the citizens of China until now.

Hu-Cu Kong often regarded as a propagator of religion, but this view is wrong. Since he is well known as secular philosophers who only teach about moral issues and politics. Two important doctrine taught by Kong Hu-Cu is love or the relationship between individuals to one another. And the second is the teaching of manners, religious and moral Teachings in the future is known as Confucianism.

Some of the above is a figure of major influence in human civilization. In addition to these figures are still many others who have a major role in world history.

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An Overview of Zeus and His Role In Ancient Greece

Zeus is where any discussion of ancient Greek deities should start. In Greek religion, Zeus represented the ultimate god and power.

An Overview of Zeus and His Role In Ancient Greece

The many gods and goddesses found in ancient Greece formed a sort of society, with the twelve (eventually 14) major deities residing on Mount Olympus. From this mythical place, the Greek pantheon looked down on the mortals and other mythical creatures, had interactions with others, and even embarked on love affairs with non-gods. The lead god of those that lived on Mount Olympus was Zeus, the Greek god of sky and thunder, as well as the ruler of Mount Olympus and the highest ranking in the pantheon.

Zeus was the youngest son of the Titans Chronos and Rhea, older gods who were overthrown during the War of the Titans. Chronos had swallowed all of Zeus's siblings, and upon winning his battle with his father, Zeus forced Chronos to disgorge the rest of his children. Some of these siblings became installed gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus, and he even married one of them, his elder sister Hera. His original wife, however, was Dione - but not much is known about this goddess-like figure. His union with Dione, according to the Iliad (by Homer) produced the Olympic goddess Aphrodite.

Zeusalso had many other children by various goddesses and consorts. With his wife Hera, he produced Ares, Hephaestus, Hebe and Eileithyia. His other offspring included Hermes (by Maia), Perseus (by Danae), Dionysus (by Semele), Apollo and Artemis (by Leto), the Muses (by Mnemosyne) and Heracles by Alcmene.

Zeus's powers were not as varied as other gods and goddesses that were his contemporaries, but they were very strong. He had the ability to force the transformation of others, mortals and even mythical creatures, and he also was able to cast thunderbolts at those who had displeased him in any way. Being the "Sky God" made him also appear as the supreme god, and his counterpart in Roman culture, Jupiter, also held this office. Olympia was the site of the biggest cult to Zeus, many people traveled there to worship all of the gods, but the games every four years were specifically dedicated to Zeus.

While Zeus was undoubtedly revered as the head of all religion in ancient Greece, many other gods and goddesses were seen as just as important to specific areas. Zeus was mostly worshiped to appease his easily angered persona, with many sacrifices held to this great god.

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Imagining Men: Ideals of Masculinity in Ancient Greek Culture (Praeger Series on the Ancient World) Review

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Imagining Men: Ideals of Masculinity in Ancient Greek Culture (Praeger Series on the Ancient World) Overview

Exploring models for masculinity as they appear in major works of Greek literature, this book combines literary, historical, and psychological insights to examine how the ancient Greeks understood the meaning of a man's life. The thoughts and actions of Achilles, Odysseus, Oedipus, and other enduring characters from Greek literature reflect the imperatives that the ancient Greeks saw as governing a man's life as he moved from childhood to adult maturity to old age. Because the Greeks believed that men (as opposed to women) were by nature the proper agents of human civilization within the larger order of the universe, examining how the Greeks thought that a man ought to live his life prompts exploration of the place of human life in a world governed by transcendent forces, nature, fate, and the gods.

While focusing on the experience of men in ancient Greece, the discussion also offers an analysis of the society in which they lived, addressing questions still vital in our own time, such as how the members of a society should govern themselves, distribute resources, form relationships with others, weigh the needs of the individual against the larger good of the community, and establish right relations with divine forces beyond their knowledge or control. Suggestions for further reading offer the reader the chance to explore the ideas in the book.

Importance of Time and Clocks

The clock is one of the most important devices of all civilization. It is simply a gadget that we use to tell the exact time of day. Its name was borrowed from a Greek term that meant the ringing of a bell. Now since clocks would make some sort of sound after every hour, it was dubbed with this name.

We are living in a civilized time that has put such a heavy importance on time. Everything is dependent on it. That is how important therefore that the clock is. Due to this importance there are clocks all around us. In a developed area you cannot walk for five minutes before you see a clock somewhere.

The clocks we have in our society today all have a common ancestor. Their common ancestor is the sun dial. It would cast the sun's shadow around its fixed centre to show us the time. The sun dial had a huge disadvantage that today's clocks do not have. It only worked during the day.

The water clock came soon after the sun dial. As a matter of fact it is not known exactly when both these clocks were first invented. Let us just say that it was a long time ago. The sun dial was used to set the water clock which would then tell fairly accurate time. Yes, even through the night.

The pendulum clock brought a fresh sense of accurate timing in the world of clocks. It would rarely lose time like the water clock. It therefore became a huge success. I am sure we have all at one time or the other seen one. Many of us just know it as the grandfather clock.

The next evolution in clocks came with the electrical era. The clocks would have electric motors wound electromagnetically that would run for days. There are many forms of electrical clocks still in use today. One does not have to worry about winding them every six hours.

With the introduction of electricity into the world of clock manufacture, came even further advancements. There was the invention of the batteries. The two together led the inventors to digital clocks. These were clocks that did not need mechanically moving components. They are now the most common clocks in the outdoors of most urban places.

The alarm clock is another important development of the simple clock. You set the time that you want to wake up and it will go off at that time. There are very old models that were highly mechanical but today we have even digital ones that will wake you up to your favorite tune.

We may categorize the alarm clock with the auditory clock. A lot of people call the auditory clock the talking clock. You just press a button and it says the time out loud for you. This is very good for example when you are asleep and do not want to get up and switch on the lights.

This last one is not literally a clock. It is symbolically a clock. It is called the doomsday clock. It counts the threats to human existence in the number of minutes before the clock strikes twelve. These threats are for example the nuclear weapons we build. There will be total human annihilation when the doomsday clock strikes midnight.

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Humanities Seminar Program Summer 2012 - Homer's Odyssey

The Odyssey gives us an adventure story of a Greek hero returning to his home in Ithaca after the Trojan War. This could be a straightforward journey lasting three or four days at most. But in the Odyssey the journey is expanded into a narrative of 24 books (= ancient rolls) and over a time period of ten years. Home-coming is made into an epic theme. The epic dimensions of this journey allow the poets to incorporate a variety of folktales of heroic encounters with nymphs of divine beauty and monsters such as only an epic hero could hope to conquer. For the Greeks, the poem achieved a universality through its articulation best expressing the Greek ethos. But as the poem was transmitted into Europe its universality came to seem a sublime expression of the human experience, transcending geographical, historical or political boundaries. Science and technology have constructed for us a very different worldview than that of the Odyssey but so graphic is the Homeric imagination that the poem is as inspirational today as when it was first recorded, with an appeal to people of all cultures and ages. It can perhaps be called the most universal poem in the world even after almost three thousand years since it was first written. This four-week seminar will explore the historical, political, mythical and psychological aspects of this poem. The first lecture will concentrate on the history and archaeology relevant to the poem. These include both material conditions of Bronze Age and ...

THE NYMPH MISTRESS _A SEXY CGI FANTASY

In this HOD clip, Death-Thanos is trying to construct a letter to fellow gods who support an Over throw of the Zeus run organization THE UNIVERSAL COUNCIL when his love struck beautiful concubine Menthe shows up. I love this character as she is one of the few other ladies besides Persephone that is mentioned in folklore. Menthe tried her damnedest to ensure that Persephone does not sit on the throne in her stead, which makes for some great fireworks between the two ladies... ABOUT MENTHE: Minthe(Menthe) was a beautiful water nymph deeply in love with Hades (Pluto), the Greek God of the Underworld. One day, while Hades' wife Persephone was strolling along the river Acheron (the river of woes), she stumbled upon her husband and his mistress Menthe. Infuriated as she was, she took revenge by transforming Menthe into a herbaceous, tiny plant, with inconspicuous leaves so that she would easily be stepped upon. Pluto, however, showed mercy for Menthe and, on his try to comfort her, he endowed Menthe with an divine, aromatic scent to last forever.

What is this Thing Called Literature and Why We Study it Still

Literature as common understanding suggests is a representative body of texts admired and appreciated for its formal properties as well as its thematic concerns, which most would term vaguely as artistic or even aesthetic. If asked on the relevance of literature the response would be that the study of literature is akin to appreciating the arts.

However, in the past few decades the notion of literature has itself been called into question by progressive theoretical debates, which if anything have made it impossible to decide what literature is and should be. The point that relegates literature to a subordinate position as opposed to the other humanities like history, is the problematic term of fiction. Today after the collapse of idealism, what we have in a strange twist of events is the return of the importance of language. Perennial questions like what is truth and reality are once again thrown up, this time in the study of literature. Where philosophy and later science, its successor have dominated this field of inquiry, literature seems to be this new platform for these very old questions.

Literature in the mid 20th century moved against its detractors in calling into question all forms of knowledge, because all discourses utilize language inevitably as the main vehicle of communication. As a result, all writings from political theories to psychology are regarded simply as different species of writing and hence, come under the purview of literature. Since literary studies involves analysing writing itself, the field has widened to include other forms of writing instead of what is simply deemed as fiction. Although, the core texts of literary studies have remained traditional i.e. 'fictional' works, the methods and devices used are applied to non-fictional texts e.g. biography, journalistic writing etc.

Another point must be added in literature's recent response to sceptics and that is, since all writing must pertain to a recognisable form of expression, the question remains then, how valid is the truth content of so called non-fictional texts, when it is governed by pre-existing rules of expression? This discussion is an apt example of the fertile ground of modern literary theory, in particular, the relationship between language and experience. Instead on dwelling on these modern issues of how a discourse like literary theory evolved out of the confusion of other disciplines, perhaps a historical look at literary studies must be revived; not in a nostalgic sense, but one that provides a definable shape where the future relevance of literature can be sought.

The study of literature is the study of modes of communication. The texts that are analysed and discussed are literary texts. It can include any writing of stylistic merit and works that contribute to the body of human knowledge. The aim of which is to use this method of inquiry in other fields. I have just outlined a position of literary studies that seems novel but in truth, it is an older attitude.

The study of literature did not exist in the way we know it today. In some ways, it is a very modern discipline, but it can also be said to be one of the oldest disciplines. If we allow ourselves to include the oral tradition of the ancient world, where poets studied the methods of narrating 'stories', we understand there is a formal method to those ancient works. These poets had 'formalised' techniques in the form of rhythms and refrains, which were learnt and subsequently, performed. The fact that the earliest poets understood devices and techniques is evidence of literary methods. A modern may still make this association that the study of literature is connected to the act of performance in all its manifestations. Indeed, a craftsman must learn the tools of the trade to understand and preserve a tradition, which scholars, in the case of ancient Greece have attributed to Homer, but in the modern day context the study of literature has lost that affinity for creating artistic products. Studying literature does not necessarily result in the production of great literature (whatever that may be).

Literature in the ancient world was inextricably bounded up with social life. We know for instance that poetry was part of religious ritual, rites and collective history. In other words, literature had a social function in the ancient world whose dominant form was poetry, which communicated to the community various aspects of its tradition and history. But what purpose does it serve to our present age, when we can read history from books and learn about the world around us through the media? The answer to this question lies in the way we should receive and look at writings. To explain this I will touch on the academic heritage of literature.

The study of literature was embedded in another related discipline called rhetoric, which in its scope covered a range of topics that to the modern may be shocking. These include philosophy, grammar, history and literary writing. Although in the contemporary context it has acquired a derisive status as being 'empty' and persuasive rather than sincere, the ancient and medieval world regarded it as a discipline that encompasses a range of issues.

Central to rhetoric is the study of language akin to our modern day literary studies. If we move ahead to the Renaissance era rhetorical studies expanded into the area of studying the styles and forms of classical authors, including the ideas from Plato to Aristotle in the original Greek. This pivotal moment in Western history is what we define as the Renaissance and the approach is what is called humanism. In the curriculum of universities in Europe in the 14th and 15 the centuries, we have what is called studia humanitatis, the study of grammar, poetry, moral philosophy and history. Interestingly, professional rhetoricians considered these areas under the compass of rhetoric. Rhetoricians who specialised in the study of language whether for its use in political speeches or philosophy saw the importance of the mastery of style. Herein lies a very important point, the rhetoricians saw in language the capacity and potential of knowledge. In other words, knowledge and language are inextricably bounded up together. The world becomes the very words we use to describe it. This may sound very postmodern but its roots are arguably founded on an earlier tradition. Though those scholars believed they were discovering new things out there, they were in fact discovering newer forms of writing.

The key point here is that literary studies is embedded in areas which one may not associate it with. Rhetoric was not the study of highly ornate speech, something similar to the charge against literature. Instead, it covered a broad spectrum of interests. Of course rhetoric and literature are different but the resemblance is striking. The common denominator between both fields is the analysis of language. This does not involve cataloguing types of writing but it goes further into developing ideas from them. The impact of such an endeavour can be seen in the Renaissance period of the Western world. Language and the world of ideas are interdependent components and not mutually exclusive. When we say ideas, we mean all forms of knowledge, from politics to psychology. In the ancient world, the stoics for instance understood logic from language. Language thus is the basis of knowing and the study of which becomes of paramount importance for the development of thought in the respective fields of knowledge.

A separate branch then evolved from rhetoric, philology. This branch is involved in the study of the use of language and the root derivations of meanings from words. An important fact here again like rhetoric, it is the study of writings from politics, philosophy, scientific treatises etc. The eclectic selection of texts included in the study of philology produced sometimes astonishing individuals like, Friedrich Nietzsche, arguably the most influential philosopher on the 20th century who was a trained philologist. This shows the relationship between the analysis of language and ideas. I am not suggesting that literature is philosophy or politics, but on the contrary I am suggesting that literature informs other disciplines.

Today, in the study of English Literature, the analysis of language is what is studied, applied and researched. This is something that contemporary philosophy and theoretical perspectives are engaged with. Literature then is the study of human experiences as much as intellectual ideas of a period, civilization and culture. It then becomes apparent, that literature is derived from older academic disciplines of rhetoric and philology whose traditions are embodied in Literature. It is also pivotal for those studying other disciplines to understand a literary approach, which entails the analysis of language itself. When we compare this with the prevalent modern day stereotype of literature as a noble and elegant way to use up one's time, we find a disparity between what the discipline offers and how it is regarded. For those still grappling with the significance of literature, it can best be understood as a meta-discipline whose application in other fields I believe is indispensable to the progress of human thought and development.

If we sum up the perspectives offered here in this modest piece, we find that literature includes any form of writing in its purview and it is studied for the purpose of evaluating stylistic innovations and accumulating a body of knowledge from writings. There is a third coordinate that I have failed to mention and that is the manner of reading the text. A text is never literary but is made literary by a reader. The study of literature is not a simple accumulation of devices and facts but it shapes our way of interpreting the world. Literary methods provide a fresh and creative way of looking at the world which is at once imaginative and disciplined. It is this strange marriage of the rational and irrational that proves to be challenging to those who embark on this journey. Moreover, what better approach can we be armed with in facing the realities of this world than with a paradoxical attitude.

Mohamed Jeeshan G.R http://www.idle-eye.com