Food in Afghanistan :: essays research papers

Food in different countries can be very interesting. There are many different practices and preparations for different styles of food. In Afghanistan, everything is repaired by the woman. This is due to the fact that in their country, women are of a lesser value then men. This is all changing as the country is being reborn after that unfortunate incident involving Asamu Bin Laden. In Afghanistan, Afghans are under Islamic laws and controlled in all aspects of life. Most of them are divided into clans and groups who follow centuries-old customs and religious practices. For Afghans, Shab-Barat is a time for them to give bread and sweets, such as Halvah, to the poor. They do this to honor their god Allah. Also, they light off fireworks in his name. Before sitting down and enjoying a meal in Afghanistan, you may find yourself preying to their god and thanking them for your meal, relative to what most families do here in America. So far that I have read, Afghans usually use their fingers or some sort of sharp object to pick up their food and eat it. I know it sounds barbaric, but I can see how it would be hard to be civilized in that country. Being under the rule that they were and then being bombed. Life in Afghanistan must be low quality as of now. Afghanistan lately has been trying to establish a government and fix their broken culture which needs heavy mending. Afghan Chicken Recipe Amount  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Measurement  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ingredient  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Preparation Method 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  large  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  cloves garlic  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1/2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  teaspoon  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  salt  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  cups  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  plain whole-milk yogurt  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  tablespoons  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  juice and pulp of 1 large lemon  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1/2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  teaspoon  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  cracked black pepper  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  large  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  whole chicken breasts  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  about 2 pounds Long, slow marinating in garlicky yogurt tenderizes, moistens and adds deep flavor, so you end up with skinless grilled chicken that's as delicious as it is nutritionally correct. Serve with soft pita or Arab flatbread and fresh yogurt. Put the salt in a wide, shallow non-reactive bowl with the garlic and mash them together until you have paste. Add yogurt, lemon and pepper. Skin the chicken breasts, remove all visible fat and separate the halves. Bend each backward to break the bones so the pieces win lie flat.

Essay --

Some resources needed to become a record label owner consist of, a â€Å"go to guy or girl† for graphic design, merchandise printers, a talent manager. Some common sense things that would professional in this career might be: moderate typing skills and a lot of patience. A great way to catch people’s attention is a logo. A professional looking logo is always worth how ever much it is priced or quoted by the graphic designer you choose to use. There are many so don’t think your choices are limited. I personally know 10 off the top of my head, including myself. But for the best work, it’s sometimes better to have someone else do your graphic design work, as it’s not burdening you on your other jobs you need to look into for your label. Usually graphic designers are common with mostly all of the social media sites out there. The main sites that I’ve seen graphic designers on, include: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, and usually their own site recommended by someone on any of the above social media sites. That guy would most likely be doing all of your merchandise for your label, or bands as well. Merchandise (aka. merch) printer/distributors’, is a great thing to have when you’re a record label owner. Especially if your designer does a great job that wants people to spend their money on your merch. A great thing to look for in a merch printer/distributor, is by looking into their previous customers. Seeing if they had any problems, or any setbacks, or just problems with being unprepared. Finding someone who already has a flat rate is great because their flat rate can give you the number you’re looking for when saving your money or purchasing your printed merch. Being able to tell a good band apart from a mediocre, not really... ...ught as a threat. Other labels don’t really enjoy competition, especially when your label takes a band that they wanted to sign to their label. Another great way to get attention is promotional pages on Facebook, Twitter, and other sites that have a smaller fan base, but want attention to their small time bands. When using promotional pages you always try to get â€Å"Likes† on your Facebook, because usually that’s one of the first thing a band looks for when looking for a label. Then it’s professional qualities. Activity on the page, maturity, and so on. Say for example, my label partner and I have discussed that no other label this close to their inception looks this professional AND can provide what we can for our bands. That includes discounted designs, music videos, lyric videos (typography videos), promotion, and many more things â€Å"Afflicted Records† can provide.

Continuities and Chnages of Labor Systems in Africa Essay

Many attempts have been made around the world at reforming current legal systems in search of a better one. As the amount of crime rises worldwide, people are constantly on the lookout for new and improved ways to fight it, and prevent it. Three such attempts involving attempts to change legal systems have been discussed the last half of this course. The change from the system put in place when a country was under colonization, as in Kilamanjaro, and Papa New Guinea. An attempt to revert to the historically cultural ways of dealing with conflict, as in China and India. In addition, an attempt by the more modern industrialized societies to become more attuned to the people with whom they are trying to help, as in Japan, and Santa Anna. By studying these examples and implementing one of them, almost any kind of stagnant legal system can attempt to change for the better. Many countries were colonized throughout the history of the world, by more dominant countries. These colonizing countries often only wanted the newly acquired country for the land, resources, or the labor they could offer. Often these colonizers brought into the new country their style of government and law, neglecting the native people. Many times, this new system caused many of the problems in the colonized country. Two examples of a country being colonized and the subsequent changes that occurred once the colonizers left are in Kilamanjaro and in Papa New Guinea. Kilamanjaro was colonized first by the Germans in the mid 1880’s, and then by the British during WWI, and finally gained independence in 1961 (Tanzania). Each country brought with it their own system of government and law, and attempted to impose these on the people of Kilamanjaro. To the native people, land is extremely important, and often the cause of many conflicts. There are two different types of farmland on the mountain, a high one and a low one, and coffee is the dominant cash crop. Since there isn’t enough prime farming land for everybody, a system of patriarchal lineage developed where the male would give his existing compound to his oldest son, and move somewhere else inviting his youngest so to live with him, and have the farm upon his death. If there was a middle son, he was forced to operate independently. As the population continues to grow rapidly, inevitably, stress has begun to compound this system; there just isn’t enough land for all the people. This led to many conflicts arising over who actually owns land, since it was essential to the survival of the people. Historically the chief was the most important people in Kilamanjaro, as he is responsible for several districts over an area. Chiefs controlled the long distance profitable trade, received half of the cattle fro the wars, could at any time call on his people to help do anything such as build a fence, and sometimes even received an extra child from his people to use as another worker. These chiefs were often fair people, they believed in not squeezing the poor but taxing the rich. They wanted to help the poor, and create a mutuality situation between them and the rich. When it came to conflict resolution chiefs were able to settle disputes, but often didn’t, as many people tried to keep the dispute with in their own family or lineage. They went to the elders instead and sought their advice. A case would go to the chiefs only if deemed necessary by the elders. Under the German period of occupation, this system was altered. They insisted on recognizing the customary law and ruling through the chiefs. However they didn’t really let the chiefs have any power. The Germans took over the long distance trade, wiped out warfare, and stripped from the chiefs their whole base of their power. The chiefs whole basis of power under this system was the fact the Germans recognized them as powerful. Things changed however under the British system. The British saw themselves as more advanced, and thus wanted to civilize the Africans, and help them to create a better system. What they created was a system of duality, where they used traditional law for minor infractions, and British law for the serious crimes. This again takes the power out of the traditional cultural ways of solving disputes, and places it in the colonizers. The Germans took over economically, and the British, while still taking over economically they changed the whole cultural system as well. The British sought to understand the true customary laws of the Africans, and to write them down as a means of reference for settling disputes, a practice which for centuries was never done, yet the locals always managed to solve disputes. They implemented a system of modern British laws, including imposing a statute of limitations on cases. This contradicted with the customary way the Africans dealt with things in the law. The British also wanted to systemize the law, emphasize the rule of the law, and impose their own decisions on local problems. The British also formed a duel court system, one for whites and another for Africans, as an attempt at allowing the locals to retain some form of their historical past. Overall, the British system was naive and morally based, not the way the Africans traditionally operated. Their system, of viewing everything as static and unchanging was too radical for the indigenous people to comprehend. Their whole existence has been based on the cultural laws of their people, and the implementation of those laws as elders, or chiefs saw fit. The local laws were multidimensional and could be seen in different context by the natives at different times, with the British wanting to write everything down and operate from this system of written law, the system changed and the ability of the customary law to change with the times change to. Another example of a colonizing situation was in New Guinea, where it was recently colonized by Europeans. As was the case with the Africans, New Guinea was a farming community, and thus, viewed land as an important commodity. They have a traditional system of â€Å"Big Man† government, no chiefs just several big men who represent the power and authority in the area. They emphasized self-help, and negotiation in their resolving conflicts, but also used the threat of fighting, and the actual fights themselves as a means of resolution. New Guinea differs from Africa in that the Europeans attempted to be less intrusive into their way of life. They patrolled the areas where the people lived, erasing the system of contacts that had been developed among the people. They tried not to be heavy handed but at the same time ruined the connections made between the people that was essential for their resolving disputes. Warfare was looked down upon, and thus the traditional way of resolving disputes was radically erased from the land. Even though the Europeans were trying to be fair and let the traditional system work, they didn’t understand it. They didn’t realize that these conflicts and connections were crucial to the traditional system and was needed for it to be able to operate. These two examples show the problems that colonizers have with trying to impose modernization on a society as remote and backwards as these. They have existed for centuries by their own terms, why should they change now. Legal systems change for reasons other than a dominating colonizing power forcing them to. In China for example, there has long been a history of mediation as a means of settling disputes. This history of mediation was based on the Confucianism, an ideology that emphasizes harmony and respect for one another, along with a hierarchy in all the cosmos, meaning that it emphasized people respecting and getting along with one another, even when settling disputes. It also emphasized that certain people were indeed higher in stature than others were. Mediation under this system placed a strong emphasis on the ritual, and ceremony of settling disputes. Each party in the process has a particular role, and each party is expected to perform in that role. This concept was based on the Li, or the philosophical principle that called for respect and social form. This type of mediation allowed people to save face, and not to publicly admit to wrongdoing. Once the conflict was settled, the issues surrounding the original debate were never discussed again and the party’s left happy with the sense of community restored. This traditional system worked well to preserve the community of the in the traditional sense of the Chinese culture. When communism came into power this system of mediation was preserved, however, slightly altered. It became known as â€Å"comrades court,† which involved many people with anyone having the ability to mediate. This was a very tight association between social mediation and political ideology. It was an extreme form of exclusive mediation, as Greenhouse would have categorized it. It consisted of the political ideology being very influential, and no longer just trying to deal with the interests of the parties involved. Its goal was to educate the population in the beliefs of the government, and resolve the conflicts as quickly and efficiently as possible. Like the old system the face to face part of the process was still in use, however, one didn’t know who would end up getting involved in the mediation process, and often the people feared that the government would get involved and punish them severely, possibly even by death. For this reason many people were afraid of the system and opted not to use it as readily as they had the traditional. With the opening up of China to outside influences, the system has lightly changed as well, although it is nowhere near, where it was before communism. It is still used as the first means of resolving conflicts, however, the vast majority of these cases are being dealt with on the localized level, causing many to feel more at ease with the situation. These local mediation communities are still under heavy control of the communist party, as the â€Å"judges† are often placed there by the party itself. Disputes since the rise of communism have been classified into two categories, those involving ordinary citizens, and those involving crimes against the state. It is where the crime is directed against the state that the process of mediation is pretty much thrown out and the accused is severely punished, prompting the fear of the public. Within both systems, mediation plays a major role, as does the bias against the use of law as a means of resolving disputes. This has led to the widespread acceptance of the mediation system under communist regime even though it differs from the traditional form of mediation. A major difference between the two systems is the way they each look at the conflict itself. In the traditional early period, conflict was seen as unavoidable, and they worked to ensure there wouldn’t be future conflicts. In the communist period, they tend to see conflict as important and productive and don’t attempt to appease all the parties involved in a dispute upon settling it. The major difference however, as it is in most other aspects of Chinese life, is the involvement of the state. In traditional times the state was never involved, maybe occasionally, nowadays the state plays a major role, often squashing any of the traditional characteristics of the system. The state wants its influence to be recognized, its voice to be heard, where as in the past it used to be the voice of the people that was most important, and led to the resolutions lasting and everyone being satisfied by them. The process now, while it may be inexpensive and not involving the courts, is very intrusive into peoples lives, and imposes political values on the people who bring their cases to mediation. Is it better then the traditional sense? I don’t know if it is or not, it is very similar, but much like the rest of China the government sought more control in the everyday affairs of the people, and that is what is happening. A similar situation occurred in India, where there existed a complex system of conflict resolution, but upon the government wanting to modernize the country, most was thrown out. India is also another country that has been colonized, and draws a lot of its government from the British. However, once colonization ended for them, the newly free government had to decide whether or not to revert to the traditional practices of the Jati, or attempt to bring Indian law into the 21st century. Many of the hierarchy of society at the time India was granted freedom were legal professionals from the British days. They wanted to implement a British style of legal system, mainly for their own material gains, as they would be the ones who would be called on as lawyers, and judges. Many people within India opposed this system, seeing it as the culture of the oppressor. They sought to eradicate this system from their country completely. However, as the years of colonization passed the British system gradually became fused with features of the local tradition, especially the local courts system. It became less of an oppressive system and more of a working one. Today the British system has become domesticated to the Indian ways of doing things and a hybrid system has developed. It no longer seems so alien to so many Indians. This example is similar to the Chinese example as the governments of each country are trying to deal with change. In China when the communists took over they only wanted to slightly alter the existing system of mediation, while in India when the British left, the new government only wanted to slightly change the existing system. In both cases, little change was made, only enough to take into consideration the new ideologies of the new government. There is however, a strong backlash against the British system in terms of how it deals with marriage law, but I am choosing not to discuss this issue because it is abstract from the points that I am trying to make. Legal systems also change as they are deemed to be unresponsive, and to out of touch, a is the case in many of the industrialized societies of today. Two examples exist of how changes in the way police are conducting their trade has led to improvements within the society, Japan, and Santa Ana California. The Japanese have made their police much more visible, and eadily available to the public, when compared to the typical American city. This has led to them being much more accepted by the Japanese public than the American police are by our public. They have, for a long time now, abandoned the motorized form of policing in a car, and have instead opted for foot patrols. This brings the actual officer out onto the street, and gets him more involved in the affairs of the people, enabling him to be better capable of stopping trouble before it starts. The whole emphasis on the way the Japanese police has been placed in their continuing efforts to integrate with the community. A system of Kuban’s has been developed as a place in the community where a small number of officers are stationed. There are several Koban through out Japan, as they are the basis for the policing process. These Koban have various connections with various community groups and organization, further placing the public behind the police. Similarly, in Santa Anna California, a new system has been adopted to better integrate the police force with the people they are trying to serve. During the racially tensed 1960’s the police department in the city became very out of touch with the needs of the people in Santa Anna. Police officers began to see themselves as the only form of law, and began to enact their own brand of justice. Public opinion of the department went down, as did the relationship between the department and the public. The city therefore hired a new chief whom implemented several new community oriented policies all aimed at trying to restore the trust of the public. He divided the city into four grids’ and flooded each with police officers, in an attempt to make the police more accessible to the public, and their concerns. He also hired several new citizens to act as officers, without the official tag of being police officers. They handled many of the mundane tasks of police work, which freed up more officers to be out in the public, exposing themselves, and attempting to prevent crime. Due to the large foreign speaking population, he also hired several citizens who could speak the languages of the people, thus making the department more accessible to those who previously have been closed out due to language barriers. Buildings were set up as a neighborhood control center for the police, but also lent it to many community functions. These buildings, which were very similar to the Koban in Japan, were an attempt to invite the public in and welcome them into the police world. As in Japan, the public was welcomed in and encouraged to make complaints, give information about possible criminal activity, or just sit down and get to know the officers. All of this was done in an attempt to win over the public, and make them feel more comfortable with the police department. It is very similar to the way the Japanese system is set up in that they both work from the grassroots level, using the human resources approach rather than an authoritative system, and the strong desire to integrate with the community, and make them feel more comfortable with the police. As I have demonstrated, changes have taken place in legal systems around the world, some for the better and some not. However, they all end up, in one way or another to reflect the belief that traditional methods are best. Without any inclusion of traditional methods law itself wouldn’t be able to be applied to masses of people.

Hosting a dinner party for friends Essay

Ask how many guests will be coming for the dinner. Determine if any of the guests have any special food requirements like being vegetarian or any food allergies. Determine what the budget is for the dinner party. Plan the menu for the dinner; take note of serving nutritious and delicious food. Identify what dishes will be served and list all of the ingredients and the required tools for preparing the ingredients. Go to the market to purchase all the needed ingredients. Recruit help from willing family members to help in the dinner preparation. Set the theme for the dinner and buy flowers and fruits for the centerpiece. Prepare and cook the dishes for the dinner. Clean the house and make sure there is enough room for each person. During Make sure that guests are comfortably seated. Provide entertainment or keep the conversation flowing smoothly. Make sure that the food is well presented and served in order. Ample time is given for the guests to digest the food before serving the dessert. Personal necessities like going to the bathroom, flossing, washing their hands and the like are provided. After Supervise the cleaning up of the dinner table. Wash the plates and cutlery before going to bed. Left-over dishes should be stored properly. Make sure that everything is cleaned and tidied for the next day.

First Poem for You Essay

The Shakespearean sonnet â€Å"First Poem for You† has an iambic pentameter and consistent rhyme scheme. Every other line represents a true rhyme – the final accented vowels and all succeeding consonants or syllables are identical. For example the words â€Å"complete† and â€Å"neat† (Addonizio 1, 3). Every line of the poem has a basic stressed and unstressed syllable format, except the last line. The extension of the last line â€Å"but touch them, trying† implements a longer stress (14). I believe this has definite meaning to the structure of the poem. In addition, the final verse of the poem is the longest line. In relation to the word â€Å"trying†, I believe that the longer stress and length in the final line of the poem emphasizes the woman continuing to mend the relationship with her boyfriend. The theme of the poem is about love and desire, a woman who cares for her boyfriend seeks to mend the brokenness in their relationship. The title of the poem, â€Å"First Poem for You†, is simplistic and straightforward. Nevertheless, it has direct meaning and relation to the poem. There is a woman writing to her boyfriend about her feelings towards him. She likes to touch his tattoos, have sexual intercourse, yet she recognizes the pain between them and states that â€Å"such permanence is terrifying† (13). These split feelings cause a tone of ambivalence – conflicting feelings toward a person. She is touching the tattoos in complete darkness, which can help the reader understand her desire for her boyfriend yet the shame or timidity that is shared as well. Most shameful acts are done in the dark. Culture and society distinguish the pros of light vs. darkness. This poem does not directly reflect light vs. darkness (good vs. vil), but I believe the negative connotation the word darkness holds, transcends into this poem. If she was touching her boyfriend in the light the poem may have a more optimistic mood. However, darkness is usually related to death, therefore having a pessimistic mood. Furthermore, the connotation of death demonstrates a more in depth meaning of verse 11, â€Å"you’re seared to ashes†. This is a representation of the boyfriend’s death. Perhaps, he is burned alive, but I believe it refers more to him being cremated. Either meaning the reader interprets, the writer wants the reader to understand that the tattoos will remain until death. This is important because I believe the lasting of the tattoos reflect the â€Å"until death do apart† affections the woman has. This brings us back to the last phrase of the poem, â€Å"but touch them, trying†. Despite the confusing feelings, the woman wants to work through the relationship till the death of one of them. Just as the tattoos will remain till death, so will her pursuit towards her boyfriend. The tattoos have many symbolic representations that help the reader understand the feelings the woman has for her boyfriend. Water and lightening are two words that have a symbolic meaning for the poem. â€Å"Lines of lightening pulsing just above your nipple, can find, as if by instinct, the blue swirls of water on your shoulder where a serpent twists, facing a dragon† (4-7). Though symbols can have multiple meanings, the tone and theme of the poem helps to point out the specific meaning behind the relationship. The girlfriend, of the guy with the tattoos, enjoys touching the tattoos when she is unable to see the guy. She knows by heart just where the lightening is pulsing. In this case, the lightening symbolizes power of love that has a pulse, just like a person’s heartbeat; a beat that can go faster or slower depending on the situation. It is instinctive for the woman to know where every tattoo on the guy, just like in a relationship, a person may know every mark or scar on the other’s body. The woman knows that just above his shoulder are the blue swirls of water, where the water is symbolizing that the boyfriend may be pure at heart. The serpent facing the dragon symbolizes the warrior in him, and it also shows he has no fear against his enemies. When I pull you to me, until we’re spent and quiet on the sheets, I love to kiss the pictures in your skin† (Kennedy, 601), means that she pulls him closer to her while they’re laying down and falling asleep, she expresses her love and care for him until there’s no more time left in the night, until it’s all spent. To kiss the pictures in his skin simply means kissing his tattoos. â€Å"They’ll last until you’re seared to ashes; whatever persists or turns to pain between us, they will still be there† (Kennedy, 601), whatever persists†¦

Comparative Research on Cross-Cultural Families Essay

1. Reference or bibliographic entry of your selected article in APA style (see example in the first assignment guidelines): Toro-Morn, M., & Sprecher, S. (2003). A cross-cultural comparison of mate preferences among university students; the united states vs. the people’s republic of china (PRC). Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 34(2), 151-170. 2. What are the aims and/or research questions of the study? The research of the cross-cultural study aims their question at comparing mate preferences of young adults in the People’s Republic of China and those young adults of the United States. This study correlates to the research done in 1998 by Goodwin, which examine the political and economic structure in a particular culture and the effect it had on relationships, in particular mate preferences. 3. What concepts or ideas did the authors want to study? How were they defined in the study? Read through the literature background or the introduction part. The article states the researchers have three concepts they wish to obtain from the study. One, within each culture analyzes gender variation in mate preferences. Second, differentiate the two cultures in which they are satisfied with gender differences in mate preferences. Third, differentiate the two cultures of the significance of diverse partner characteristics. The concepts were outlined and explain through a questionnaire to 648 university students in the United States and 735 university students in the People’s Republic of China. The United States questionnaire contained 422 females, 219 males, and 7 did not specify their gender. The People’s Republic of China questionnaire contained 343 females, 352 males, and 40 did not specify their gender. The questionnaire contained a section called â€Å"Traits Desired in a Mate.† Through the results, researchers could determine which traits were least and most important. Also the differences and similarities within each culture, including the mate preferences of women versus males within each culture. 4. Describe the participants of the study. Since you are supposed to choose an article of a cross-cultural study on families, the participants for this study should have different cultural backgrounds. What are these cultural backgrounds? What are the demographics of the participants? This study contained two different participants, our very own young adults from the United States and young adults from the People’s Republic of China. In the late 1970s, The People’s Republic of China began having social and economic reforms. Not only did they began having reforms, but these reforms stimulated the growth of social science research. Which as a result, allowed researchers to research the mate preferences of young adults in the People’s Republic of China. The People’s Republic of China is recognize as the largest country in the world. Thus, having an immense population. These people live in a country were social and historical forces play an important role in their expectations of their potential partner. In addition they live in a country were government enforces family polices. This study contain people who were currently in a university; thus their age would range from eighteen to twenty three. 5. What is the authors’ methodology? How did the authors collect their data? What are the measurements or research tools that they used? The author’s methodology is based on a method, a procedure, measurements of the procedure, and results. The author collected their data by a questionnaire given to university students in the United States and the People’s Republic of China. The measurements the researchers used were in a section on the questionnaire called â€Å"Traits Desired in a Mate† which determine what characteristics they found important in a potential mate. 6. What kind of analytical procedures did the authors use? Describe each as to how they can answer the research questions or achieve the aims of the study. The author uses three types of analytical procedures. They first gather their research by determining which of the twenty-five traits were most and least favored overall. They put this data into a table, which  portrays the importance rating for the total sample. Secondly, they compared the similarities and differences within each culture. As a result, they are able compare each culture traits that hold high or low importance and see if any of them are the same. Third, they compare the mate preferences for women and men in each culture. 7. What are their general findings and conclusions? The study concluded that participants would rather have a mate who is honest, kind, healthy, and have an energetic personality. Researchers found that participants felt that intrinsic personality traits were more important then status characteristics. Males were more entranced with attractiveness as a role in finding their mate. Well women in both culture were looking for men with earning potential and wealth. The major difference between the United States and Chinese cultures was the importance of having children to both parties. As you could imagine, it was important to the American culture and was fairly unimportant to the Chinese counterparts. 8. After the findings and conclusions, what recommendations were made by the researchers? I don’t know if there were recommendations made as much as thoughts for the future. The researchers though that the past has shaped both countries enough that what they look for in a potential mate will stay true. These differences between the two countries should still hold true, disregarding the fact that the Untied States culture is widely accepted in China. If anything they came to the conclusion that China’s one-child policy has a major effect on how the Chinese look for a mate. 9. What learning did you gain from this assignment or from reading this kind of a paper? I definitely enjoyed reading this particular article because it compared the United States culture (which is the country I lived in) to another culture, the People’s Republic of China. Through the researchers questionnaire, I was able to see the comparisons between the two cultures in their mate  preferences. I felt it was interesting to see how important social and economic factors are in other cultures.

Jane Austen’s Portrayal of Darcy in Pride and Prejudice Essay

Mr Darcy is, in a single word, our hero. He is everything we should hate, in fact everything Lizzy does hate, but also everything we find irresistible. He is both interesting and enigmatic and his appeal stems from the fact that to understand him you have to delve down deeper. Jane Austen’s success in portraying him well is due to her style of writing. She teases, giving only snips of information. To put together a character you must build up what you know- which usually isn’t much. What is also engaging about her portrayal of Darcy is that we initially only see him through Lizzy’s prejudiced eyes. Darcy’s negative points are focused on and it’s only really on completion of the novel that you realise he isn’t who he is thought to be. This is very clever on Jane Austen’s part as the reader is always left wanting more. We are first introduced to Darcy in Chapter Three. Mr Bingley is first introduced- he is â€Å"good looking† and has â€Å"unaffected manners†. Also he has fine sisters with a â€Å"decided air†. However all this cannot help but pale in comparison when his friend is brought to the attention of the room. He grabs attention with â€Å"his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien†. It is also swiftly reported that he has ten thousand a year- making him a very eligible catch for any young woman (especially any of the five Bennet girls). However, within the same praising paragraph, another side is exposed. People are disgusted with his manners, â€Å"He was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above being pleased†. Here Jane Austen is already doing what she does best. Darcy has overshadowed his companions but he isn’t allowed his glory as the follow up is less than pleasing. This leads us to believe that Darcy is not blessed with his friends virtues- pleasantness and joy- but is fact vain and arrogant. Jane Austen starts us down a particular way of thinking and I believe it is a deliberate attempt to deceive us. It makes Darcy’s true nature all the more surprising. Ten he is overheard to have called Lizzy â€Å"tolerable† which is a despicable crime as she is our heroine and the one we feel closest to. Another shrewd move by Austen- first impression always last. Which is ironic because Darcy later talks of how fragile his good opinion is. What we know of Darcy now will constantly affect what we later discover. In Chapter Five Darcy’s behaviour is brought up in Lizzy’s conversation with Charlotte Lucas. This is most probably the topic of conversation for every lady present at the ball and it shows that Darcy is definitely a man to be talked about.. Only once we have formed an opinion of Darcy does Austin make it known that he find something very lovely in â€Å"the beautiful expression of her dark eyes†. However he puts down his feelings because she has not the suitable means to ever be anything to him. Once more Darcy’s pride and vanity surpasses what could have been a great virtue- affection for our heroine. It is obvious he likes her- he offer’s to dance with her although he gets no pleasure out of it- but his reserve and pride means his true, sensitive nature is covered up. Also we must remember that her portrayal of Darcy would have been affected by the period. Many criticise Darcy’s detachment from open feelings and his aloofness toward Lizzy but at this time formality was required of gentlemen. It may seem now that his attitude is rude and hostile but declarations of passion were not commonplace. Men of this time had to have absolute self-control. Which makes Bingley’s behaviour all the more pleasing and Darcy’s behaviour all the more surprising. Bingley is not at all formal but generous, open and very hospitable whereas Darcy, his closest companion, is still holding back. It surprising the reader that some of Bingley’s kindness hasnà ¢â‚¬â„¢t rubbed off on Darcy. Something which gives a hint of Darcy’s true nature is his attitude toward Miss Bingley. She has the same social standing as he and is the type of woman he was brought up to marry. She is also aware of the fact that Lizzy is , bluntly speaking, of a much lower social standing than he should marry. However he is not at all drawn into nastiness by her verbal attacks on others- â€Å"He listened to her with perfect indifference†. He lacks a cruel streak but is simply honest, if somewhat lacking in subtlety. What he doesn’t lack is modesty- especially where Mr Wickham is concerned. In Chapter Eighteen the pair dance and they discuss Wickham briefly. Darcy could have told Lizzy everything, recommending himself over Wickham and earning points. However he didn’t take advantage of the situation, preferring to wait until Chapter Thirty Seven when he writes to Lizzy. His proposal could have been a very successful event had his pride not stepped in and dwelt on the i nferiority of her family. There was a sense that great passion and feeling was behind the offer but again Austen degrades him using his incredible weakness- his pride. But even that doesn’t cushion him from the wound of her rejection. We feel maybe Darcy is human after all. His letter is what clinches this suspicion. This is raw Darcy- but even this is restrained. It is also very open and could turn the whole plot around. The proud man at Netherfield, who could well prove Wickham’s account of him, has not gone totally but is much reduced. He is still vaguely proud and reserved- â€Å"I write without any intention of paining you or humbling myself†- but he has lost the requirement he felt to be discrete about Wickham. He feels comfortable enough with Lizzy to be honest. This firmly suggests that his feelings are true as we know how little he discloses to anyone. Even this letter ends with a blessing, so even after rejection he is not the ogre he appears to be. I think Jane Austen had him write the letter immediately after he is rejected to prove that he has been humbled, looking at himself with the criticism Lizzy had of him. It makes us think better of him but we still struggle, as Lizzys does, with how he usually appears- so haughty and conceited. Austen doesn’t clear him of all charges which is clever as it adds more to the story if Darcy stays a little mysterious. Towards the end we are able to get a fuller picture of Darcy. When Lizzy goes to Pemberly with her aunt and uncle she gets her first, first-hand account of Darcy she has really had. His housekeeper, with no reason to lie, talks easily of his good-nature and thoughtfulness towards others. It surprises Lizzy but she doesn’t dismiss the idea- the letter has rattled her- and the reader’s- firm opinion of his hateful character. When she meets Darcy out walking he leads on from this description by politely addressing her relatives., inviting her uncle to fish with him and of course asking, most humbly, if he may introduce his sister to Lizzy. Here he is in his own territory and has no need to put up a front so he relaxes and becomes very amiable. In the next chapter we meet his sister and we know at once that Wickham has been lying as she is shy, gentle and unassuming. I think at this point Lizzy is feeling real shame for her presumptions and maybe after seeing Pemberly and Georgiana, slight regret in her total dismissal of Darcy. He has done more than enough to clear his name. Despite this he is kinder still when he learns of Lizzy’s family’s disgrace concerning Lydia’s elopement. Darcy could have turned away- it would have probably been in his best interests if he hadn’t got involved but his love for our heroine means he will do whatever it takes to ease her suffering. And he even has the grace and modesty to let Mr Gardiner take the credit for the money he laid down for the marriage. Here Austen does nothing to make his good deed bad- this time he is without fault She is allowing us to see Darcy in his rightful form. And coupled with his active role in preventing Wickham from marrying Georgiana we see he is truly a gentleman. His second proposal is certainly the best image we have of him- and rightly so. He is warm and compassionate, acknowledging his beastly behaviour, explaining it and apologising for it. I think Austen intends us to believe Lizzy is what Darcy needed to check his pride and overcome his shyness. Which makes the coupling all the more perfect. What is so good about Jane Austen’s portrayal of Darcy is that he is exactly what Lizzy needed in a husband. He is quick and can match her wit- smiling when she gets the better of him. They fit together perfectly, complementing all the best qualities in each other. Throughout the novel Jane Austen uses the character of Darcy and develops it in all the best ways. He maintains an air of mystery throughout until the end where we are all pleased with the result. Beautifully done.