America the Philosophical :: Philosophy Science Papers

America the Philosophical Although convention dictates that America is an unphilosophical sort of country, fonder of Super Bowls than supervenience, the development of philosophy away from Socratic strategies that presume eternal right answers to the classical philosophical problems suggests a second look is in order. This is particularly true if one accepts many of the notions currently in the air about "post-modern" or "post-analytic" philosophy — that its roots lie in classical rhetoric and pragmatism, or that its notion of truth holds the latter to be what issues from the most wide-open sort of informed deliberation possible. In that case, it begins to seem as if America is to philosophy as Italy is to art, or Norway to skiing: a perfectly designed environment for the practice. This, at least, is the provocation intended by this paper. America the Philosophical? It sounds like Canada the Exhibitionist or France the Unassuming: a mental miscue, a delusional academic tic, a Dead-On-Arrival body emitting gases of pure intellectual wish-fulfillment. Everyone knows that Americans don't take philosophy seriously, don't know much about it, don't pay any attention to it, and couldn't name a contemporary academic philosopher if their passports depended on it. As historian Richard Hofstadter drily observed in his Pulitzer-Prize-winning Anti-Intellectualism in American Life (1962), "In the United States the play of the mind is perhaps the only form of play not looked upon with the most tender indulgence." But if the title phenomenon of Hofstadter's classic indeed boasts "a long, historical background," the peculiar attitude directed at philosophy softens that hostility by increasing the dosage of unfamiliarity or contempt. Philosophy often seems sufficiently unthreatening to the practical on-the-go American that Arthur Schlesinger's stinging old charge — that on these shores, "Anti-intellectualism has long been the anti-Semitism of the businessman" — feels overwrought. The American middle manager confronted with a devoted philosophy type is most likely to recycle the old cliche, "What are you going to do, open a philosophy store?", and leave it at that. If, of course, the information has been accurately downloaded. Tell your middlebrow seatmate on an commuter flight that you're "in philosophy" and the reply is likely to be, "Oh, that's great. My niece is in psychology too." The infrequent philosophy blips on America's media screens suggest that philosophy doesn't quite register on the American psyche with the gravitas professionals in the field might like. According to the Macy's window of American gossip, the New York Post’s "Page Six," model emeritus Lauren Hutton regards Camille Paglia, the media's 15-minute joy-toy of the `80s, as "the greatest living American philosopher.

Lifes Lessons in The Once and Future King :: Once and Future King Essays

Life's Lessons in The Once and Future King "The best thing for being sad," replied Merlyn, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honor trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then -- to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing, which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn." Throughout The Once and Future King, Wart learns many lessons in some unlikely places. Young Wart is the adopted son of a nobleman when he meets Merlyn, a magician, who takes him on many adventures, turning him into several different animals and teaching him skills, both mental and physical. Wart learns to treat people with respect and kindness. Soon after, Wart pulls a magical sword from a stone, which proves him the rightful king of England. Merlyn, who knew this from the start, advises Wart-now called Arthur- on how to be a good king. What Arthur really wants to do is end the chaos that passes for law in his country. He wants his men-the knights of the round table- to help defenseless people and prevent the rich and strong from simply dominating everyone. Many young knights love the chivalrous idea and admire Arthur. Arthur's wife Guenever has an affair with one of Arthur's best knights, Lancelot. Since he is a just king, Arthur feels obligated to persecute them for adultery and treason. This went along with Mordred's plan to upset the court and, since he was the only son of Arthur (not with Guenever however), to become King of England. Lancelot kills Gareth, Gaheris, and Agravaine, all knights of the Roundtable. Mordred convinces a surviving knight, Gawaine that Lancelot killed them out of his own hatred of England. Life's Lessons in The Once and Future King :: Once and Future King Essays Life's Lessons in The Once and Future King "The best thing for being sad," replied Merlyn, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honor trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then -- to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing, which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn." Throughout The Once and Future King, Wart learns many lessons in some unlikely places. Young Wart is the adopted son of a nobleman when he meets Merlyn, a magician, who takes him on many adventures, turning him into several different animals and teaching him skills, both mental and physical. Wart learns to treat people with respect and kindness. Soon after, Wart pulls a magical sword from a stone, which proves him the rightful king of England. Merlyn, who knew this from the start, advises Wart-now called Arthur- on how to be a good king. What Arthur really wants to do is end the chaos that passes for law in his country. He wants his men-the knights of the round table- to help defenseless people and prevent the rich and strong from simply dominating everyone. Many young knights love the chivalrous idea and admire Arthur. Arthur's wife Guenever has an affair with one of Arthur's best knights, Lancelot. Since he is a just king, Arthur feels obligated to persecute them for adultery and treason. This went along with Mordred's plan to upset the court and, since he was the only son of Arthur (not with Guenever however), to become King of England. Lancelot kills Gareth, Gaheris, and Agravaine, all knights of the Roundtable. Mordred convinces a surviving knight, Gawaine that Lancelot killed them out of his own hatred of England.

Ultrasound ? Quick Project :: essays research papers

Ultrasound – Quick Project Ultrasounds are sound waves with frequency beyond the human limits, therefore humans are unable to hear them. It even travels at exactly the same speed as sound in any medium. Humans can hear sound within the frequency range of about 20 to 20,000 Hz, so any sound above 20 kHz is ultrasound. Ultrasound or ultrasonography is a medical imaging technique that uses high frequency sound waves and their echoes. The technique is similar to the echolocation used by bats, whales and dolphins, as well as SONAR used by submarines. Ultrasound has very high frequency vibrations and can be used to clean things. Really dirty teeth can be cleaned superbly in this way. Really delicate mechanisms, such as in antique clocks and watches, can also be safely cleaned. Ultrasound for scanning is the most popular medical use. This is safer than using X-rays. Unborn babies can be seen by moving an ultrasonic transmitter across the mother’s stomach. The sound waves will be projected from the transmitter and the waves are able to travel from one part of the human being to the other. As it hits a tissue or an organ, some waves reflects and gives of echos which can build up a picture on the TV screen. The shorter the wavelength is, the finer the detail of the picture is. Its use in scanning goes far beyond pregnancies. Many other parts of the body are analysed using it (bladder gallstones, the heart, etc.). Ultrasound can even check airplane wings for cracks that would be invisible on the surface. Ships use SONAR to determine the depth of water they are in. Ultrasound is used here because they have a higher frequency and this allows it to penetrate further. However, the disadvantage is that it might scare the fishes away as it would be too noisy for them.

Reaction paper about National Museum Essay

The only time I went to National Museum was when we were required visiting and taking a photo of the manunggul jar, as part of our historic appreciation in our History subject. On July 26, 2013, my peers and I went to National Museum to see antique and prehistoric things about the early times. I feel humiliated and embarrass for not visiting a museum while I find time to go to arcade doing nonsense things. I didn’t know that there are two museums, but we were informed by the guard on duty when we went to one of these museums that there is only one museum. However, the main museum is actually the Museum of the Filipino People located in the former Department of Finance Building. And the National Museum that we know is currently called the National Gallery of Art, which is an extension of the museum. With a wage of 50.00 per head, me and my comrades were mesmerized and was amazed by the beauty of the systematize preservation of the ancient items inside the museum. We were instructed to leave our things in a room. More like a baggage room. And bring with us important things like gadgets and wallets. It is not allowed to use pen inside the galleries. However, a pencil is accepted. We were escorted by a steward which we can ask questions regarding some information about the entities inside the gallery. I was very startled when we walked by to the first gallery. The colonnade is about the Treasures of the San Diego: The Wreck Site, wherein we feel fascinated by the different survived apparatuses in San Diego. We saw their defensive weapons which included the breastplates, leather doublets, shields, and protective helmets. Also, we saw the offensive weapons for hand-to-hand combat like daggers and swords. With 27 steps in the stair, we reach the second destination. The second gallery was composed of different things in the Philippines and Southeast Asian Contacts. There, we were quenched by thirst of excitement when our eyes lay upon the manunggul jar. Because finally we were able to take a picture . End the goal in this visit. But to be able to redeem the payments, we continued the voyage. I am so captivated about the artifacts. I have also seen a pitzel and some types of kettles. It has a smooth texture. We have also seen vessels and basins. Plates from the Chinese people during the barter period were also displayed in this part  of gallery. Like the first gallery there are some armors and weapons. We saw different types of jars in their different, styles, shapes, sizes and designs which enthrall my feelings. Some paintings hung in the wall allure me. It somehow brought different charisma to me. These paintings are about the Philippine culture during the Spanish era. My eyes were magnetized by the piece of metals that later I discovered to be elements like a piece of copper, gold,lead, and silver. The different types and sizes of teeth entice me. In this part of the gallery I was able to see some portraits of voyagers and colonizers with their works like Morga and Magellan. I was stunned when I saw the different insects like butterfly, grasshoppers and lizards in their different sizes and looks. But what surprised me most is the lizard with wings, later I learned that this insect was discovered by our National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. There are also some types of crabs. Shells are also spectacled in this gallery. With 24 steps upward the stairs; we are already on the colony of our third journey. We were greeted by the astounding different objects that were conserved in the gallery. Jars- the first object who welcomed us. Different kinds of jars like Spanish jars, Siamese jars, Dragon jars, Martaban jars, Brown-glazed jars from Thailand and etc. There was this sculpture or something like a exhibit of a true-volcano in this part of gallery. I was so wow because of the artisticity of these thing. There was also a painting of how the Cagayan people catch food by hunting wild animals and fishing. I feel a little bit scared when I look at the skullcap of a Tabon woman. I sense I was back when I saw the paraphernalia during the time of gardening. I was staggered by the ships and things for the water usage hung on the wall. There were also some kinds of weapons like bow, arrow, bolos, and sharp things. I wondered for what the map when we passed by. I was amused when I later inform that you press the button, the place where the light appeared is the place where you can find jade, carnelian and glass. The great thing was the Philippines is one of the luckiest country who possesses this luxury goods. I was staggered by the architectural type of structure about the early Filipino type of habitation. Again for the third time, I saw collections of jars, plates, and bowls. There was also an exhibit of the destroyed ship. It shows how they find some things on this wrecked ship. With 24 steps we entered the fourth gallery naming Don Vicente Gallery where we have seen the dresses and clothing of  the Filipino. Their ornaments and things for beautification. We saw musical instruments like gongs, flutes, xylophones, and stringed instruments. There was also wallpapers about how the ancient Filipinos’ education. I was enchanted and was feeling excited about entering a huge exhibit of a kubo gallery . I was careful in walking because the floor is slippery. However, I still enjoyed the gallery for it reminds me that Filipino culture is still the best among all. Gallery 5 is still close because of some renovation. I received an information that gallery 5 is about the modern technology. Going to the National Museum is a experience that I would never ever forget. This place reminds me of who I am and where did I come from. This shows how the ancient people survived in the early period. How their living was and how aggressive they are when it comes to merchandising things. I feel am again baptize not as a Catholic but as proud citizen of the Philippines. This serves as the evidence that it is truly more fun in the Philippines!

Learning Theories Amongst Young Adults

Introduction The concept of ‘learning' has been embedded In each and every one of us from the daddy were born. Since, the beginning of man, learning has been incorporated Into our very nature whether we are conscious of It or not; from learning how to control fire to noticing how that fire provides us with warmth and security to ward of wild animals. Learning as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary is the activity or process of gaining knowledge or skill by studying, practicing, being taught, or experiencing something'.Over the years, psychologists have come up with different theories on how we learn. Marketers have taken these theories and applied them to gain a better understanding of how consumers learn and behave, in order to develop better marketing strategies to satisfy the needs and wants of consumers. This is commonly known today as consumer behavior. The rapid increases of millennial consumers over the years have Intrigued marketers to further understand and analy ses this new breed of consumers. Hence, to understand their behaviors Is to understand how they learn and process Information.There are many ways to learn and along with that, many different learning theories. In this research, I will be focusing on three mall learning theories related to young adult learning and what are the implications of these theories to marketing. Learning Theories of Young Adults & How Marketers Apply Them To analyses how young adults learn, we have to first understand the term young adult'. In actuality, there is no definition to the term; however it is widely used these days to describe an individual who lies within the transition period between the adolescence to adulthood period.The term is also typically used to better categorize his segment of individuals in researches, studies and even marketing. According to Erosion's Stages of Development, the young adult stage ranges between the ages of 18-35 years (Erikson, 1968). Due to the advancements of this ev er-changing society, learning today Is not the same as It was 20-30 years ago. The exposure to technology from an early age has altered the way these ‘dealt natives' think and process information compared to previous generations before them (Presents, 2001 Thus, the towards understanding how young adults' learn. Knowledge is perception – Socrates.Learning is no longer Just a passive assimilation of knowledge (Pigged, 1968), which is passed down from teacher to student. As Benjamin Franklin once said, â€Å"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn†. The conventional student-teacher or teach me' methods of learning can no longer be applied to the young adults of this generation. Instead, the use of a more active learning method such as cognitive learning is more relevant today. Cognitive learning is a theory that defines learning as a behavioral change based on the acquisition of information bout the environment' (Mossy, 2009).There are three main branches of cognitive learning; the iconic rote learning, vicarious learning and reasoning or analogy learning. Iconic rote learning The first area of cognitive learning we will be looking at is Iconic rote learning. Iconic rote learning is defined as learning the association between two or more concepts in absence of conditioning (Neal, Sequester, Hawkins, 2002). The essence of this concept is repetition, where the intended concept is repeated over again to engage the attention of the intended target.On the surface, this concept might seem similar to hat of the classical conditioning method which also involves repetition. However, this concept differs from classical conditioning because of the absence of a stimulus- response mechanism, a direct reinforcement or reward involved. The aim of iconic learning is Just to boost the attention and promote awareness off concept to associate its key attributes. Young adults today are faced with a â€Å"continuous partial atte ntion† syndrome, where there is an overload of information from the use of technology (Coleman, 2013).It is difficult to teach a young adult today in a classroom, specially with the use of smoothness, laptops and gadgets, while simultaneously trying to receive information from the speaker or teacher. Moreover, young adults have the tendency to be distracted by the thought of needing to check their text messages or notifications from social-media circles. This attachment to technology is the reason why the transfer of an intended information or concept, has to be extensively repeated to obtain the constant attention or awareness of the intended person, in order for learning to occur.Herbert Simon, a Nobel-winning economist rote â€Å"Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention†. Therefore, marketers who understand this theory, apply it to their marketing strategies to attract the attention of young adult consumers. Advertisers use mediums such as televis ion commercials, Youth ads, and print media to create a link between the brand and its key benefits to consumers through iconic rote learning. For example, the extensive repetition and occurrences of a Cataracts advertisement, associates the brand to premium coffee.Once consumers have made the connection between Cataracts and premium coffee, consumers will cognitive processing. The presence of these commercials can even be made on digital platforms such as tablets and smoothness through downloaded APS (applications). Hence, with the right amount of exposure and occurrence, marketers will be able to capitalize on the ‘distraction' of technology to learning and use it to their advantage when marketing young adults through infiltrating popular internet mediums such as Backbone and Youth. Vicarious learning Vicarious learning, also known as observational learning (sometimes called modeling or imitation) is simple learning by observing others and copying their behavior Fletcher and Gorton, 2007). Often used in conjunction with Bandanna's social learning theory, made famous by the ‘Boob doll' experiment; considers that children learn complex social behaviors by copying the behaviors of adults. Later on, Bandeau acknowledged that learners also play an active role in the learning process by only choosing models which are consistent with their own personal beliefs and values which produce desired outcomes (Bandeau, 1989).Androgyny, also known as the study of how adults learn, was made popular by Malcolm Knowles who believed that adults are self-directed, goal-orientated and bring life experiences and knowledge to their learning experience (Knowles, 1989). Hence, it is clear that Bandanna's theory not only applies to only children but to young adults as well because they only model those who align with their own prior beliefs and knowledge, to reach a desired goal or outcome. Thus, marketers who understand these learning theories apply them to their marketin g strategies to reach young adult consumers.For instance, popular Swedish retailers H&M use David Beckman (a famous footballer and celebrity) as their brand ambassador and spokesperson for their clothing line. Young adults who identify and look to Beckman as their role model will tend to imitate him; including what he wears in this case. Analytical or reasoning learning Analytical or reasoning learning can be defined as â€Å"an inference process that allows consumers to use an existing knowledge base to understand a new situation or object† (Hawkins and Motherboards, 2010).In analytical learning, critical reasoning based on existing understanding and knowledge is used together with new information or concepts in the learning process. This is common in young adults as they incorporate life experiences and pre-existent knowledge to their learning experience, as mentioned earlier based on the androgyny study (Knowles, 1989). Simply put, this theory of learning helps young adult s use a pre-existing knowledge of something that they familiar with, to learn something that which they are not familiar with.Typically, high-involvement products involve more reasoning thinking because consumers are motivated to learn about products that they are interested Marketers who understand this theory use it to reach young adult consumers. An example of this is the purchase of high-involvement products such as smoothness. Users in Malaysia were between the ages of 25 to 34 (Enterprise News, 2011), hence falling within the young adult category (Erikson, 1968).The consumer behaviorism model suggests that a typical consumer goes through four stages before purchasing a product; recognition, searching for information, evaluation of alternatives and finally, the purchase decision (Kettle and Keller, 2012). Therefore, in the purchase of a smartened, young adults in Malaysia use analytical or reasoning learning to acquire as much information about the smartened when comparing betw een brands and prices.Hence, marketers in the smartened industry, should market their smoothness based on emphasizing on the unique specifications and restorability of price in order to gain a comparative advantage over competitor brands. If the product attributes align with a previous knowledge or experience, then the young adult will be motivated to learn more about the smartened and eventually decide to purchase it. Conclusion Young adults have become the main target market of marketers. Hence, it is critical to understand how they think, behave and learn.In this assignment I highlighted who young adult are and analyses the different cognitive approaches to learning when it comes to young adults which include; iconic rote, vicarious and analytical learning. These learning theories have a direct impact on the decision-making process of young adult consumers in purchasing items. I have also given real life examples which illustrated and describe the appropriate marketing strategies to not only reach but significantly affect and influence the way young adults purchase products.

Should Downloading Music Be Illegal.

Response to text- Why You Should Pay For Music by John Sheldrick Dear John, I read your article and I have some comments about it I would like to acknowledge about it: Firstly when you mention that you advocate a culture in which people actually want to spend money on music, but I actually think we should advocate a culture where everybody listens to music and not just the ones who have a computer and and a bank account, I believe that music should be a right and not a privilege and everybody should want to willingly listen to music.Then you argue that people value music but they don’t value it in the sense that they will willingly fork over $1 for a song, I have more than 2 thousand songs in my library, that is equal to 2 thousand dollars and I really don't have that extra money to spend and people usually don't like to spend their money on things they can get for free. I would much rather use that money to buy something else and if we had to pay for every single song we woul d like to listen to our music library would be much smaller and we could not enjoy music as much as we enjoy it when we have a large variety of it.For the consumer, music is not a product or a service. They pay for physical copies of music such as CD's, they pay for music sheets or for subscriptions to music services, but they don't pay for a song by itself. After that you state that artists now have no money to keep recording music and have to go on tours to get the money. I do agree that some artist that are not yet discovered should get support from their fans so they could keep recording music, but aren't musicians supposed to be doing music because its their passion?They are not supposed to go into the business because they want money and fame even though I don't see the artist at the top of the charts starving to death. Music is about passion and the ones who are recording music are supposed to want to bring their music to all kinds of people so they can enjoy it and the music ian is supposed to be satisfied with that and not be crushed because they are not the cover of a magazine. I also think that tours are a great thing, why listen to a record when you can go out and the real human behind the voice live and enjoy it more closely.It's clear that everybody thinks music should be free, because it's going to sell everywhere else. Why should the music industry care whether the money comes from a tour with $100 in profits or the exact same amount is brought in from CD purchases? In the end, it doesn't matter, money is still coming in and can be used to record more music. Then you talk about how music labels are closing because the lack of money they are getting but I actually think that record labels are trying to turn music into gold, music recording labels are getting a large cut of the artists money and are overcharging.The artist who are not yet discovered cant record a good album because the labels are asking for absurd quantities of money which the art ist cant pay, so the label closes and the vicious circle starts again elsewhere. I think labels should spend more time developing the artists because they would have a stake in them that extended beyond their recorded music. There is no possible way anyone could seriously work in music and be looking for money and a the same time state that they truly care about the musicians.In conclusion I think that we do need to support our artists, but that could be done a million ways other than paying an overpriced dollar for a song. With the internet now how can we be surprised when people now expect to get their music online for free? The internet file sharing and the advantages we now have in technology I see no way to make the clock turned back and force people to start paying again. So the business has to get creative and evolve away from the sale of recorded music and start receiving money in other ways.

Poetry from Other Cultures Essay

Poets who were born in Britain don’t usually write about slavery or how important water is to them. Many poets who are not originally into a traditional English culture use English in many different ways. Night of the scorpion, Limbo and Sacrifice all seem like they are poems that have been written to represent beliefs or a way of life. They have all got rhythms and beats and some even use nursery rhymes or chants as a basis for the poem. Language is extremely important to some people especially poets. Sometimes you can see by looking at a poem that it is not written in Standard English. At the beginning of Night of The Scorpion, a child is talking about how it remembers the night when its mother was stung by a scorpion. The child mentions â€Å"Ten hours of steady rain has driven him to crawl beneath a sack of rice†. Here, the child is describing the scorpion and the reason for its arrival. The child points out that the scorpion â€Å"parted with its poison† which literally means that the scorpion has stung someone. Throughout the poem, the scorpion is described as an evil being; â€Å"The flask of diabolic tail in the dark room† shows this. When the mother was stung, the villagers are described as â€Å"swarming flies†. This may mean they were running to help the mother or running away from the scorpion. The villagers chant the name of god to the mother, chanting the name of god in some cultures, is said to bring luck or hope to the person they are chanting for. In the poem it also states that the villagers used torches and lanterns to try and find the scorpion. As the villagers moved around with the torches and lanterns, the scorpion left shadows on the â€Å"mud baked walls†. The villagers could not find the scorpion so they started to make a â€Å"clicking† noise to try and draw the scorpion towards them. In one part of the poem, it mentions that the scorpion was controlling the poison that was inside the child’s mother. â€Å"With every movement the scorpion made, his poison moved around the mothers blood†. The villagers seem to believe that the scorpion controls the poison that is inside the mother so they think that if they capture the scorpion, the poison inside the mother will also stop moving. They state that they want to stop the scorpion on line 18, â€Å"May he sit still†. After line 18, a series of sentences are started with the word â€Å"may†. In Standard English, this word usually introduces a polite request. The villagers all sat round whilst the mother laid there. It is described that there is a look of understanding on all of the people’s faces, which shows that they are supporting the mother, hoping she will be fine. In some cultures it is believed that if you catch the scorpion that has poisoned someone, the victim will recover. This may be why the villagers were so keen to capture the creature. The poet then describes how everyone is trying to help the child’s mother recover. â€Å"My father, sceptic, rationalist, trying every curse and blessing, powder, mixture, herb and hybrid. He even poured a little paraffin wax upon the bitten toe and put a match to it†. â€Å"I watched the flame feeding on my mother† this is one of the most effective quotes in this poem as it’s dramatic and metaphorical. Again, the poet describes how people are trying to help the child’s mother by writing; â€Å"I watched a holy man perform his rites to tame the poison with an incantation†. The p poet gives the effect that the poison has been inside the mother for a long time by saying; â€Å"After twenty hours, it lost its sting† The last three lines of the poem have had a large amount of thought go into them, as it’s unusual to normally end a poem like this. The poem Limbo, tells the story of slavery in a rhyming, rhythmic dance. It is ambiguous and complex. There are two main narratives running in parallel; the actions of the dance and the history of a people – which is being enacted. Going down under the limbo stick is likened to the slaves going down into the hold of the ship, which carries them into slavery. In Roman Catholic tradition, Limbo is a place to which the souls of people go, if they are not good enough for heaven but not bad enough for hell, between this is Limbo. It has come to mean an unpleasant place or a state of mind or body from which it is difficult to escape. The story of slavery told in the poem is very easy to follow, yet full of detail and action. The poem has a very strong beat, suggesting the dance it describes. The rest of the poem tells a story enacted in a dance. These lines are greatly rhythmic and almost every syllable is stressed, until the very last line, where the rhythm is broken, suggesting the finish of the dance and the end of the narrative. This poem is suited to a dramatic performance – there is the dancing under the limbo stick and the acting out the voyage into slavery. The poem can be chanted or sung with a rhythmic beat to give the best effect. The poem refers to a â€Å"drummer† which may be suitable. The poem is laid out on the page in a very peculiar fashion; this is related to the poem being chant like. Parts of the poem are echoed or at least rhyming in a repetitive way to suggest that this may not be any song or dance, but one of an â€Å"African† like culture. From the start of the poem, it seems pessimistic, but as you read on towards the end of the poem, it gradually stats to change into an optimistic look onto what will happen. â€Å"The music is saving me† could mean that the songs of their cultures were what gave them hope or the fact that the drummer was beating a rhythmic beat was what got them to carry on. The first line of sacrifice is an unusual line to start with because describing a goat having a knife dragged across its neck isn’t the sort of image you would want to convey for the opening sentence. The person’s point of view throughout the poem seemed to switch between two characters, a young boy and a goat being sacrificed. â€Å"Two spadefuls of dirt will cover me up forever† & â€Å"I can feel its point on my throat†. Many cultures bless their house or have some kind of ceremony once the house is built. Also, there are still some cultures today that sacrifice animals to their â€Å"gods†. â€Å"We stand in a tight circle around the animal to be sacrificed† this short sentence is a great example of this. It seems that the child in question seems to dislike the idea of animals being sacrificed. â€Å"The heat and the smell of the blood make me dizzy†. Again, there is a whole paragraph describing just how the animal in question is sacrificed. The writer of the poem has made a strange choice by putting both children and the theme of sacrificing together, as usually a poet would not normally do this. â€Å"The children are fascinated by the tableau†. Here, a drama convention is used. A tableau is a still image that can be used at the beginning, during or at the end of a piece of drama. Again, the idea of ceremonies are used; â€Å"A white bearded man chants something holy†. â€Å"The cameras click.† This short sentence sounds wrong when put into context with the theme of the poem. The idea of people taking pictures of an animal that has just been sacrificed is disgusting. The ending of the poem is unusual because it seems that it is from the boy’s point of view because it describes the house as an unnecessary killing. â€Å"We are not laying the foundations of a house but another dachau.† A Dachau is a Nazi concentration camp where thousands of Jews were exterminated.