Famous Kentuckian Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Famous Kentuckian Paper - Essay Example Young Harlan followed the footsteps of his father and entered politics. It was in the age of seventeen that he was offered the position of adjutant general of Kentucky. He opposed this idea by citing his age, however in autumn he was appointed the governor. It was a demanding position for Harlan, but keeping in mind his age he was only paid $250 annually. This contract formed the basis of his political career (John Harlan). After winning the elections, Harlan was working as a country judge before the start of the Civil War. Harlan won the election for the country judge on the Know Nothing ticket, which was a Native party who was enjoying their esteem from the time span between downfall of the Whig Party and the rise of the Republican Party. Despite of the fact that it was a slave state, Harlan was a part of the Union at the time of the War. It was at that time that Harlan joined the American troops as lieutenant Colonel. He left the army in the year 1863 at the time of his fatherâ₠¬â„¢s death. He was assigned the position of Attorney General of Kentucky in the year 1864, and also supported George McClellan’s campaign against Abraham Lincoln in the same year in which the Presidential Elections were being held. In 1876 he led the Kentuckian delegation at a convention after Benjamin Bristow (his law partner) ran to be nominated for the presidential elections. The presidential elections of the year 1876 were same as the year 2000 i.e. they were fiercely contested. As a result of the election of 1876 an electoral commission came into being. Hayes was declared the winner of the elections after which he appointed a commission to figure out that which of the two Louisiana governments was more lawful than the other. Harlan was an active member of one of these two Louisiana governments. The Louisiana commission appointed came with the result that the Democrats formed a more lawful government in Louisiana. The problem with the result of the Commission was that th e board responsible for certifying the electoral victory of Hayes also announced the result of the Louisiana’s contest declaring the Republican as the winners. During his career as a Justice he struggled to remain dedicated in winning the civil rights for the colored population and tried to enforce social equality among the population. He also worked for getting regulation of the giant industry that emerged in that century. Harlan had abiding faith on the judicial system and the Federal Government that they would equally spread the economic opportunities in the country, without any racial discrimination. His characteristic made him stand out from his colleagues and gave him his separate identity. He opposed the drawbacks of the system on several occasions, which exposed him to several passionate and dissenting opinions. He also faced rejections from several legal scholars until the mid of the 20th century when his views gained acceptance and were considered prophetic by the c itizens. Justice David Davis resigned and became the Senator of Illinois at the time of tussle concerning the electoral commission. Hayes wanted a Southerner to be appointed to this position and Harlan perfectly fitted the position. At the age of 44 he was subsequently appointed the Justice to the court. Harlan’s legacy lies in his rebellions. He took opposing side in the Lochner v New York case, where he spent the maximum working hours for the labor class in order to eradicate the institution of slavery from

Frank Gehry Essay -- Biography Biographical Essays

Frank Gehry Quote â€Å"When everybody else is ready for the ending, I’m just ready to begin,† Frank Gehry once wrote. â€Å"It’s been the story of my life† (qtd. in Templer, 1999, pp.1) Laying the Foundation Born on 28 February 1929 in Toronto, Canada, Frank O. Goldberg entered a household with a strong Polish and Jewish heritage. Twenty years earlier, Thelma Caplanski left Poland with her parents, a couple with deep religious morals. Once they settled in Toronto, the two decided to change their last name to Caplan. The owner of a hardware store, her father was also the president of a synagogue. His wife, Frank’s grandmother, was said to have good visual abilities. Thelma would continue working with the Jewish community through a Yiddish theater and the Jewish Women’s Organization as she raised Frank. Like several of Howard Gardner’s figures, Frank was close with his mother and grandmother. Frank’s father, Irving Goldberg was born to Polish immigrants in Brooklyn, New York. He lived a hard life and had to work as a kid after his father died when he was 11. Since Irving liked to fight on the streets for money, Frank would learn these skills at a later age. Frank would later be a boxer and participated in full contact karate. When Irving moved to Canada as he moved from job to job, he met Thelma and they ultimately got married. A good student, Frank went to a Hebrew school and his best subject was math; he even spoke Yiddish (Hines, 1986). In later years, his French schooling would give him an advantage while he worked in Europe (Hines, 1986; Templer, 1999). For seven years, he worked in his grandfather’s hardware store where he began to notice the variety of supplies th... ...tions, Inc. Kandela, P. (2001). The buildings of Frank Gehry. The Lancet, 358, 677-678. Levene, R. C., et al. Frank Gehry 1991-1995. El Croquis, 74/75, 5. Temko, Allan. (1993). No Way to Build a Ballpark: and Other Irreverent Essays on Architecture. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. Templer, K. (1999, October 5). Frank Gehry. People. http://www.salon.com/people/bc/1999/10/05/gehry/print.html (2001 November 14). Frank Gehry: Architect. Guggenheim Museum. http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/gehry/biography.html (2001 November 14). Frank Gehry:Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate 1989. Complete List of Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureates 1979 – 2001 http://www.pritzkerprize.com/gehry.htm Picture Web Links: http://www.pritzkerprize.com/gehry/gehrypg.htm http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/gehry/ http://www.frank-gehry.com/projects.htm

Canvas Art Essay

The subjectivity of perception makes art what it is. Art is all about perception and individuality, since everyone has a different background, experience, taste, and opinion about any artwork. To determine the extent to which perception plays a role in the development, and the existence, of the arts, it is essential to identify the knowledge issues of perception in regards to the area of knowledge. First, is perception consistent and definite? Does previous knowledge (prejudice) influence how one perceives an artwork? Is perception subjective? These questions will be explored using one all-purpose example in the arts: El Greco’s dramatic and expressionistic artworks. Firstly, perception is not universal in terms of time, as very evident with El Greco’s works. Virtually all of El Greco’s paintings were disdained by his contemporary painters and the public during his lifetime, 1541-1614. His works opposed too many aspects of Baroque style, which was popular in the 17th century. El Greco, therefore, had no followers and no audience at that time; his works were considered to be unnatural and overly-complex. However, in the 20th century, his works greatly influenced painters, leading to the birth of expressionism and cubism. For example, Pablo Picasso and Paul Cezanne studied El Greco’s structural compositions, his ability to interweave space and form, and the special effects of highlights, which were all disregarded in the 17th century. Also, Jackson Pollock, an expressionist, also followed El Greco’s expressionistic composition. Therefore, the â€Å"unnatural† and â€Å"overly-complex† features in the 17th century became the dominant characteristics of the new form of Expressionism. In general, perception is indefinite, with the ability to change over time: the time that a piece of art is created and perceived influences the way it is perceived. Also, previous knowledge and experience significantly influences perception. For instance, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, El Greco’s most famous work today was presented at the Louvre in 1838. At that time, the audience knew, ahead of time, of El Greco’s life, career, and works; therefore, there was much enthusiasm and attraction to the painting. Meanwhile, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz was also studied in art schools in the 19th century where students analyzed its composition and form. However, before the students knew the title of the artwork and its artist, they had little interest and fondness for the work. Therefore, this reveals how previous knowledge (in this case, of El Greco’s life, artistic talent and fame) affects how it is perceived. Without that knowledge, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz could have simply been an amateur’s painting. This brings up the same issue once again. Knowing that the artwork is by El Greco, one may have a positive bias to the work, hence perceiving the painting to be better than it actually is. Lastly, perception is very limited in that it is very subjective. For example, we are selective in what we perceive, ignoring certain aspects while emphasizing others. For instance, in El Greco’s El Espolio, or The Disrobing of Christ, the oppression of Christ by his cruel tormentors is believed to be artist’s intensions; such studies emphasize El Greco use of vertical and lateral space of the canvas to present this idea. However, some critics say that the subject, rather, is to satirize the situation, since Christ is looking up to Heaven while his figure is segregated from the other people and the violence. Also, there is a figure in the painting’s background that is pointing at Christ accusingly. Therefore, it is evident that in these various analyses, different aspects of the painting are emphasized. The real meaning of any artwork is, consequently, not known and cannot be proven in any way. No one sees all the details that another sees in an artwork, hence making it very subjective. This knowledge issue links with the question that cultural background influences the subjectivity and limitations of perception. My prior experience may cause myself to view an artwork in a certain way, and not another. For instance, since I am religious, I regard El Greco’s El Espolio to be a genuine presentation of the oppression of Christ by his tormentors; I do not perceive it to be a satire of his death.

Pros and Cons of Compulsory Voting

Over 20 countries have some form of compulsory voting which requires citizens to register to vote and to go to their polling place or vote on election day. With secret ballots, its not really possible to prove who has or has not voted, so this process could be more accurately called compulsory turnout because voters are required to show up at their polling place on election day. Facts About Compulsory Voting One of the most well-known compulsory voting systems is in Australia. All Australian citizens over the age of 18 (except those of unsound mind or those convicted of serious crimes) must be registered to vote and show up at their polling place on election day. Australians who do not show up are subject to fines, although those who were ill or otherwise incapable of voting on election day can have their fines waived. Compulsory voting in Australia was adopted in the state of Queensland in 1915 and subsequently adopted nationwide in 1924. With Australias compulsory voting system comes additional flexibility for the voter. Elections are held on Saturdays, absent voters can vote in any state polling place, and voters in remote areas can vote before an election at pre-poll voting centers or via mail. Voter turnout of those registered to vote in Australia was as low as 47 percent prior to the 1924 compulsory voting law. In the decades since 1924, voter turnout has hovered around 94 to 96 percent. In 1924, Australian officials felt that compulsory voting would eliminate voter apathy. However, compulsory voting now has its detractors. The Australian Electoral Commission provides some arguments in favor and against compulsory voting. Arguments in Favor Voting is a civic duty comparable to other duties citizens perform (e.g. taxation, compulsory education, or jury duty).Parliament reflects more accurately the will of the electorate.Governments must consider the total electorate in policy formulation and management.Candidates can concentrate their campaigning energies on issues, rather than encouraging voters to attend the poll.The voter isnt actually compelled to vote for anyone because voting is by secret ballot. Arguments Used Against Compulsory Voting Some suggest that it is undemocratic to force people to vote and is an infringement of liberty.The ignorant and those with little interest in politics are forced to the polls.It may increase the number of donkey votes (votes for a random candidate by people who feel that they are required to vote by law).It may increase the number of informal votes (ballot papers which are not marked according to the rules for voting).Resources must be allocated to determine whether those who failed to vote have valid and sufficient reasons. Source Compulsory Voting. Australian Electoral Commission, May 18, 2011.