History of Cities and their Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

History of Cities and their Architecture - Essay Example Philip Johnson developed one of the chairs for his collection. Mies van der Rohe designed Barcelona Pavilion, which was developed from German Pavilion, during international exposition that was in Barcelona Spain. It was constructed with the aim of demonstrating modern movement of architecture of the world (Curtis, 2008). The building was originally named a Germany pavilion, as it was the expression of Germany after the First World War to indicate the culture of the country that is still rooted in the classical history. The pavilion was built with an aim of hosting King Alphonso XIII of Spain and officials from Germany during the time of exposition (Curtis, 2008). As compared to other buildings at the exposition, Mies understood that work he did as just a building and he did not aim in housing art or any sculpture. The building was just designed to place tranquility and escape from exposition, which was then to transform the pavilion into an inhabitable statue. By raising the pavilion on a plinth in conjunction with the narrow profile of the site, the Barcelona Pavilion has a low horizontal orientation that is accentuated by the low flat roof that appears to float over both the interior as well as the exterior. The furniture of the building also exhibits the duality of modernism and classicism. The now iconic Barcelona chair and ottoman were designed specifically for the Barcelona Pavilion. The Barcelona building served as a reception place for the King and Queen of Spain. After the exhibition in which the pavilion intended was closed, the resembling of the pavilion was in 1930. As time went, the pavilion became a key point not only to Mies but also to other architectures that operated in the 20th century. In 1980, there was setting of project by Oriol Bohigas who was the head of planning department to ensure that there was

Good Writing Essay Example for Free

Good Writing Essay You know it when you see it. It is not that hard to tell whether a piece of writing is good or bad, you just have to read it. And it is pretty important to be able to discern the difference, if you ask me. But things get more challenging if you have to explain why it is good. You might be called upon to write a report at school or you may fancy communicating your ideas online via a blog. And, of course, a well written CV with no spelling or grammatical mistakes is essential if you want a new job. Writing skills are an important part of communication and they have to be developed, since it is used in many areas of our daily life. Good writing allows you to communicate your message with clarity and ease to a far larger audience than through face-to-face or telephone conversations. If you want to write well†¦ read, read, and then read some more. Read good writing. Read bad writing. Learn to know the difference. Note for simplicity of style: noun, verb, object; noun, verb, object. It worked for Hemingway, who often said that his ultimate goal was to create the perfect sentence. Read some Hemingway, and not just his novels, but some of his early newspaper writing. Theres never been better news and feature writing, ever. When you read the works of these and other fine writers, notice the simplicity of their language and how they vary their sentence structure and length. Some sentences number two or three words; others run an entire paragraph. There are countless tips on writing well, but I leave you with this one: read first, then write. –Bill Reed Therefore, you need to take into account the next steps to produce good writing (in no particular order): 1. Clarity and focus: in good writing, everything makes sense and readers don’t get lost or have to reread passages to figure out what’s going on. Focused writing sticks with the plot or core idea without running off on too many tangents. 2. Organization: a well-organized piece of writing is not only clear, it’s presented in a way that is logical and aesthetically pleasing. You can tell non-linear stories or place your thesis at the end of an essay and get away with it as long as your scenes or ideas are well ordered. 3. Ideas and themes: is the topic of your paper relevant? Does your story come complete with themes? Can the reader visualize your poem? For a piece of writing to be considered well crafted, it has to contain clearly identifiable ideas and themes. 4. Voice: this is what sets you apart from all other writers. It’s your unique way of stringing words together, formulating ideas, and relating scenes or images to the reader. 5. Language (word choice): we writers can never underestimate or fail to appreciate our most valuable tools — words. Good writing includes smart word choices and well-crafted sentences. 6. Grammar and style: many writers would wish this one away, but for a piece of writing to be considered good (let alone great), it has to follow the rules of grammar (and break those rules only when there’s a good reason). Style is also important in ensuring that a piece of writing is clear and consistent. Make sure you keep a grammar book and style guide handy. 7. Credibility or believability: nothing says bad writing like getting the facts wrong or misrepresenting oneself. In fiction, the story must be believable (even if it’s impossible), and in nonfiction, accurate research can make or break a writer. 8. Thought-provoking or emotionally inspiring: perhaps the most important quality of good writing is how the reader responds to it. Does she come away with a fresh perspective and new ideas? Does he close the cover with tears in his eyes or a sense of victory? How readers react to your work will fully determine your success as a writer. 9. Sentence Fluency that is smooth and expressive: Fluent sentences are easy to understand and fun to read with expression. 10. Use transitional expressions to help readers understand where your message is going. Common transitional expressions include therefore, consequently, however, then, first, next, and although. To have a good writing not only is necessary to not make mistakes, but to follow some steps to enrich the work. And to achieve that, you need to have qualities in terms of patience and organization. In other words, a good writing is a complicated process that takes time. But if you follow the guidelines that are set out it will be easy and successful. For that reason, is very important to practice writing. [ 1 ]. Peha, Steve. Looking for Quality in Student Writing. Teaching That Makes Sense. 2003 . [ 2 ]. Writing Skills. SkillsYouNeed. 2012 . [ 3 ]. Reed, Bill. Developing Good Writing Skills. Academic Tips. 2008 . [ 4 ]. Donovan, Melissa. Eight Characteristics of Good Writing. Writing Forward. 2012 .

Cognitive Explanations of Depression

Cognitive Explanations of Depression The cognitive explanation of depression basically rests the idea that disorders happen because of faulty thinking. There are other explanations for depression, and other treatments. The cognitive approach assumes that behaviours are controlled by thoughts and beliefs. Therefore irrational thoughts and beliefs cause abnormal behaviours. There are many different models that help to explain how irrational thoughts can lead to depression. Examples are: Elliss ABC model This ABC three stage model was proposed by Ellis in 1962. This model claims that disorders start off with an activating event (A) for example failing an exam, which then leads to a belief (B) about why this happened. The belief can either be rational or irrational. A rational belief would be like for example I didnt prepare well enough whereas an irrational belief would be Im too stupid to pass exams. These beliefs then lead to consequences (C). According to Ellis, rational beliefs lead to healthy emotional outcomes and produce adaptive consequences like for example more revision needs to be done, whereas on the other hand irrational beliefs lead to unhealthy emotional outcomes and produce maladaptive consequences, including depression. Here is the flow chart of Elliss ABC model: Becks negative triad Beck (1963) developed a cognitive explanation for mental disorders, but focussed it on depression. He believed that individuals who are depressed feel as they do due to their thinking being biased towards negative interpretations of the world and lacking a perceived sense of control. Beck then identified a negative triad which was a cognitive approach of understanding depression, focusing on how negative expectations (schema) about themselves (e.g. I cant succeed at anything), the world (e.g. I must be successful to be a good person) and the future (e.g. nothing will ever change) lead to depression. Beck then claimed that negative schemas may be acquired in an individuals childhood due to a traumatic event. Experiences that might contribute to negative schemas include parental rejection, bullying at school, and the death of a sibling. People with negative schemas become prone to making logical errors in their thinking and they usually focus selectively on certai n points within a situation going on while ignoring the relevant information. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for all mental health problems including depression. CBT is based on the idea that how we think (cognition), how we feel (emotion) and how we act (behavior) all interact together. Basically, our thoughts determine our feelings and our behavior. It is the idea that patients learn how to notice negative thoughts when they have them, and then test how accurate they are. During CBT, what generally happens is: The therapist and patient identify the patients faulty cognitions. The therapist then tries to help the patient see that these faulty cognitions are not true, for example that the patient does not always fail on anything they do. Both the therapist and patient then set goals to think in a more positive perspective or adaptive ways, for example focusing on things the patient has succeeded in and trying to build on them. Even though the patient may sometimes need to glance back to past experiences, the CBT mainly focuses on the current situation. Therapists sometimes encourage their patient to keep track of a diary so that they are able to accurately record their feelings, actions and patterns. CBT differs from other depressions treatments because it focuses on specific problems for a patient and is goal orientated. Along with this cognitive behaviour treatment is educational too because therapists use structured learning experiences that teach the patient to monitor and write down their mental images and negative thoughts. Furthermore, cognitive therapy helps individuals develop alternative ways of behaving and thinking, which tries to reduce their psychological stress.

Mystery, Irony, and Imagery in The Cask of Amontillado Essay -- Edgar

Missing items from Works Cited Mystery, Irony, and Imagery in The Cask of Amontillado "The Cask of Amontillado" is one of Edgar Allan Poe's greatest stories. In this story Poe introduces two central characters and unfolds a tale of horror and perversion. Montresor, the narrator, and Fortunato, one of Montresor's friends, are doomed to the fate of their actions and will pay the price for their pride and jealousy. One pays the price with his life and the other pays the price with living with regret for the rest of his life. Poe uses mystery, irony, and imagery to create a horrifying, deceptive, and perverse story. Hoping to obtain revenge, Montresor, the narrator, lures Fortunato, one of his friends, into the depths of his catacombs to be murdered. Montresor says, "The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as best I could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge"(149). This is the first line in the story, and this is why Montresor seeks revenge. There is no explanation of the insults that Montresor received, so the reader may infer that Montresor is just lying. The insults that were received could possibly be just outdoing in the business arena. Montresor might be using that excuse for his desire to kill Fortunato, because he may be killing Fortunato out of jealousy. Montresor is likely telling this story to a family member, friend, or his doctor while lying on his deathbed. Montresor says, "†¦your health is precious. You are rich, respected, admired, beloved; you are happy, as once I was. You are a man to be missed. For me it is no matter."(150). Montresor just admitted tha t he knows Fortunato is better than he. Montresor may have been under the influence of jealousy. Redd 4 There are different theories to ... ...ows the reader to interpret the end of the story by himself, which brings imagination into the picture. Why does Montresor hesitate in putting up the last stone? This makes the reader wonder if Montresor was beginning to feel guilty. At the end of the story Montresor and Fortunato talk a little. Montresor called aloud, "Fortunato!" No answer came so Montresor states, "I thrust a torch through the remaining aperture and let it fall within. There came forth only a jingling of the bells. My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so"(153). This statement leads the reader to believe that Montresor may have had a moment when his conscience begins to creep up on him. He quickly states that it is the dampness of the catacombs that makes his heart sick. Work Cited Poe, Allan, Edgar. The Cask of Amontillado (Mass Market Paperbacks, 1990)

Neurophysiological and Evolutionary Theories of Learning Essay

In the study of learning, learning theories are categorized into paradigms or schools of thought based on viewpoints shared by scientists that provide a framework for research. Three of the major paradigms of learning theories include the cognitive paradigm, the neurophysiological paradigm and the evolutionary paradigm. The first paradigm is referred to as cognitive because theorists place their emphasis on the cognitive nature of learning. According to Hergenhahn and Olson (2005), the second paradigm is called neurophysiological because it attempts to isolate the mental and physiological correlates of things such as learning, perception, thinking and intelligence. The third paradigm is termed evolutionary because theorists attempt to explain learning processes based on an organism’s evolutionary history. DiscussionThere are several theorists whose ideas are predominately cognitive. Theses theorists include the Gestalt psychologists Kurt Lewin and Kurt Koffka, as well as Jean Piaget, Edward Chace Tolman, and Albert Bandura. Wertheimer, Kohler and Lewin were founders of the Gestalt movement. According to Hergenhahn and Olson (2005), Gestalt theorists believed that â€Å"we experience the world in meaningful wholes and do not see isolated stimuli but stimuli gathered together into meaningful configurations† (p. 264). Kurt Lewin proposed a field theory of human motivation. He believed that behavior and cognitive processes are determined by various psychological facts that a person is consciously experiencing. The psychological facts are interdependent and any change in one can affect all the others, therefore influencing our behavior. Kurt Koffka, another Gestaltist falling under the cognitive paradigm defined the law of Pragnanz in Gestalt Theory. The law of Pragnanz states that, â€Å"all mental events tend toward completeness, simplicity, and meaningfulness† (Hergenhahn and Olson, 2005, p. 473). Followers of Gestalt theory used this law as a guiding principle when studying learning. Another cognitive theorist was Jean Piaget. Jean Piaget contributed several theories including intelligence, schemata, assimilation and accommodation, and interiorization. According to his theory of intelligence, â€Å"intelligence  is any act that creates optimal conditions for the organism’s survival under the existing circumstances† (Hergenhahn and Olson, 2005 p. 295). Intelligence effects how one adapts to the ever-changing environment. In Piaget’s schemata theory a person’s schema is a cognitive structure that allows a person to act and respond to the environment. A schema can be either overt or covert behavior. The theory of assimilation explains how a person can respond to the environment using existing cognitive structures. The theory of accommodation explains how an organism adapts to the environment by modifying cognitive structures. Piaget’s concept of interiorization is described by Hergenhahn and Olson (2005) as â€Å"the gradual decreased dependence on the physical environment and the increased utilization of cognitive structures† (p. 299). Through this process, organisms can respond to more complex situations by thinking about them. Edward Chace Tolman’s ideas were also predominately cognitive. He believed that organisms develop a mental picture of the environment which he referred to as a cognitive map. The cognitive map develops when mental expectations are confirmed by experience. When an organism is faced with a problem, it utilizes the cognitive map and chooses the best solution requiring the least amount of work according to Tolman’s principle of least effort that will result in satisfaction. Albert Bandura, another cognitive theorist suggested that behavior is learned through observation. He theorized that learning is influenced by four processes. The first process, the attentional process, involves the observer attending to the model. The second process is called the retentional process. This process involves the observer retaining the information gained from the observation by storing it cognitively. The third process is the behavioral production process which requires the learner to have the physical capabilities or behavioral abilities to perform what is learned. The final process, the motivational process provides incentives that motivate the learner to actually perform what has been learned. Bandura also theorized that people’s behavior is also determined by reciprocal determinism. Hergenhahn and Olson (2005) summarize Bandura’s concept of reciprocal determinism by stating that, â€Å"behavior, the environment, and  people (and their beliefs) all interact† (p. 349). Falling under the neurophysiological paradigm is the theorist Donald Olding Hebb. Some of his theories included that of restricted environments, enriched environments, cell assemblies, phase sequences, and sensory deprivation. In Hebb’s theory of restricted environments, Hergenhahn and Olson (2005), explain that if an environment lacks stimulation or experience, it can have a negative impact on the growth and development of nervous system. A restrictive environment can disrupt normal intellectual and perceptual development. In contrast, an enriched environment full of stimulation and experience can enhance development. Hebb also believed that â€Å"each environmental object we experience stimulates a complex pattern of neurons called cell assemblies† (Hergenhahn and Olson, 2005, p. 379). The cell assemblies provide the basis of a thought. When cell assemblies become interconnected they form phase sequences. Phase sequences allow us to have streams of thoughts. According to Hergenhahn and Olson (2005), â€Å"Hebb concluded in his theories that â€Å"not only is sensory information necessary for proper neurophysiological development, but it is also necessary for the maintenance of normal functioning† (p. 384). When an organisms experience sensory deprivation, severe cognitive disorientation, stress and fear can occur. Hebb believed that the environment had a direct effect on mental and physiological processes which influenced behavior and learning. The final paradigm is the evolutionary paradigm. Attempting to explain the learning process using evolutionary principles was the theorist Robert C. Bolles. Hergenhahn and Olson (2005) state that Bolles believed that â€Å"learning involved the development of expectancies† (p. 425). Expectancies are when an organism learns that one event leads to another. Bolles believed that organisms had innate predispositions for behavior and that motivation restricts response flexibility. Hergenhahn and Olson (2005) explain that an organism’s natural reaction in a situation may make it difficult to learn a new response. Using the niche argument, â€Å"Bolles argued that an understanding of learning must be accompanied by an understanding of the evolutionary history of the organism† (Hergenhahn and Olson, (2005), p. 427). According this argument, organisms have to learn certain behaviors that they are  predispositioned for and not learn others depending on their niche and how they fit in the big picture. This can determine whether the organism is successful or not in adapting to its environment. Conclusion Although learning theorist in the various paradigms have attempted to explain learning and its processes, many questions are still unanswered. One of these questions is how does learning vary as a function of maturation? If learning occurs differently in different stages it would be beneficial to conduct research on how maturation affects the learning process. The information yielded from such research could be very beneficial in regards to education. Another unanswered question is how does learning vary as a function of species? If some organisms have the biological ability to learn certain behaviors and some do not, how can research involving different species be beneficial? If psychologists want to learn more about the learning process in humans, they should study humans rather than making generalizations across species. Other questions that remain unanswered involve learning and personality characteristics, learning as a function of the total environment, learning and associations, as well as learning and instinctive behavior. It is imperative that more research be conducted in an attempt to answer these questions about learning to give people a greater comprehension of learning. The more knowledge we have about the learning process and what affects it, the better we will be at making learning successful. References: Hergenhahn, B.R., & Olson, M. (2005). An Introduction to Theories of Learning. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.

Mind Travel

Mind Travel Free Online Research Papers Jamaica Kincaid’s â€Å"What I Have Been Doing Lately† and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s â€Å"Kubla Khan† by comparison seem to share a similar theme. The narrators in both stories take the reader with them as they travel through a realm of delusion. Both authors give a depiction of a dream using vivid imagery, in which they both tell his or her story from a first-person point of view, giving the reader a fantastical description of the landscape. One of the most noticeable elements in kincaid’s short story is that of reality versus fantasy. The story begins with the narrator in bed, which perhaps implies that the story is a capricious dream. There are many details in this short story that depicts this idea. The narrator gives many descriptions that support this idea such as, the narrator describes how the landscape changes as the narrator passes through it and includes the detail that years passed as the narrator waited on the banks of the body of water. The narrator tells the reader of â€Å"Looking at the horizon again, I saw a lone figure coming toward me, but I wasn’t frightened because I was sure it was my mother† (244). The narrator discovered that the figure was a woman, and not the narrator’s mother. The woman said â€Å"’it’s you. Just look at that. It’s you’† (244). Although the woman recognized the narrator, the narrator did not recognize her. The woman asked, â€Å"’ and what have you been doing lately?’† (244). The narrator contemplated on how to answer the question and comes up with several different answers including, â€Å"I could have said,† â€Å"’I have been praying not to grow any taller’† (244), which implies that the narrator is tall. One answer in which the narrator contemplates finally tells the gender of the narrator, â€Å"I could have said,† â€Å"’ I have been listening carefully to my mother’s words, so as to make a good imitation of a dutiful daughter’† (244); this statement concludes to the reader that the narrator is a woman. Rather than answer the woman’s question using one of these answers she has conjured up in her mind, the narrator decides to tell the woman her story from the beginning, in which starts in the bed. The narrator essentially covers the same story twice: first when the recounted events ostensibly happen to the narrator and then when she answers the woman who asks her what it is she has been doing lately. However, the story does not place any of the events that take place within any specific time periods or national boundaries. The story carries the reader through diverse terrain, which may in fact exist only within a dream. In comparison, the narrator in Coleridge’s poem takes the reader on a drug-induced trip through Paradise in a dream. Referring to Paradise as Xanadu the narrator speaks of In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. (1-5) This passage imparts that the narrator is describing a place he has imagined in his mind, a place that he has imagined in a state of euphoria. In the next passage the narrator uses vivid imagery to describe to the reader the landscape surrounding him: So twice five miles of fertile ground With walls and towers were girdled round: And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills, Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree; And here were forests ancient as the hills, Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.(6-11) Furthermore the speaker is repeating the contrasting images of the â€Å"sunny pleasure-dome†, and the â€Å"caves of ice† (36). The speaker gives his evaluation of the phenomenon depicted in the preceding lines; he terms it as a â€Å"miracle† (35), an unexpected event of a super- natural kind, and, at the same time, as based upon a very strange kind of design or plan â€Å"of rare device† (35). The poem contrasts a man-made, earthly paradise, which proves unable to resist demonic forces and is destined to be destroyed, with a true form of Paradise. The contradiction comes in the â€Å"sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice.† Because light is associated with heat, and ice with winter and death, this contradiction is both mystical and confounding. By using this fantastic image, the dome becomes once again a prison of nature, where the dome is warm, yet amidst the frigid caverns that lay beyond it or even as a part of it. From this point on, the pleas ure dome becomes a point of nostalgia for the speaker, and will be a point of reference to describe the extraordinary and ultimately unobtainable in the real world. In comparison both narrators speak of the beautiful landscape that surrounds them, however using vivid imagery they also describe dark places perhaps even demonic places that they visited in their dreams. In a sense the reader of Kincaid’s short story and Coleridge’s poem might get the impression that both authors are describing Heaven and Hell here on Earth. Both narrators’ language reflects a detachment from bizarre events in which they tell in a reportorial fashion. In the same way both authors use symbols and allegory to depict to the reader a fantastical dream. In Kincaid’s short story and Coleridge’s poem it is hard for the reader to pinpoint a specific theme, each tell a tale of supernatural events and describe mystical landscapes in which gives the reader a clear vision of surreal happenings. I have concluded that the only theme for both the story and the poem is that each author is describing a whimsical dream. In both the story and poem ea ch author take the reader on a journey through their imagination. Kincaid , Jamaica. â€Å"What I Have Been Doing Lately.† Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed, Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River Pearson, 2007. 243-245. Coleridge, Taylor, Samuel. â€Å"Kubla Khan.† Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River Pearson, 2007. 767-768. Research Papers on "Mind Travel"The Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsHip-Hop is ArtHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementStandardized TestingComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionWhere Wild and West MeetCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionThe Spring and Autumn