Roman Construction Essay Example for Free

Roman Construction Essay The most magnificent structures and works of art can probably be found in Rome. Compared to other civilizations, the Roman constructions crossed the boundaries of engineering in creating buildings, bridges and other structures out of mortars, bricks and woods. From public infrastructures to private houses, Romans were able to create a whole new ground for strong structures and as a result most of the structures that were built centuries ago can still be found to date. Although Roman contsructions were often linked to those of the Greeks, the indebtedness of Romans to contribute more in generating materials as well as techniques created a whole new different perspective in order for them to perfect and affect space-making and their architectural thinking for the purpose of longevity. It was said that most of solutions created by the Romans for constructions and discoveries of   new techniques were greatly affected by the elements in the society such as wealth and high population densities. The innovative success of the Romans in the field of construction imposed the structures for the use of the public. The development in this field engined the growth of certain political propagandas which campaigned for the creation of building in pursuit of gaining fame from it and utilize such creations for public functions (Crystal, 2008). An example of one of the greatest structure created by the Romans in the Pantheon, a temple built for honoring gods. The Pantheon stands in the center of the city of Rome. Originally, it was Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa built the structure in the 27th B.C. From an ordinary rectangular shaped classical temple supported by colonnade on all sides, it was then rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian between AD 118 and 128 creating a central space called â€Å"rotunda†. Further reconstructions were done by succeding Roman emperors. The rotunda was then rebuilt by Emperors Septimius Lucius, Septimius Severus and Caracalla making it circular shaped during the third century which then formed the main parts of the Pantheon. Agrippas original portico remained untouched and across the porch of the portico stands sixteen Corinthian columns. The dome of the Pantheon was the largest ever built. The brick archs inside the dome which stand to provide external support are not visible, but rather only seen in t he lowest part of the dome (â€Å"The Pantheon†).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The method used to construct the Pantheon remained undetermined but according to records materials such as bricks, a stone formed from volcanic dust called â€Å"tufa† as well as basalt and pumice were used to build the structure   with high quality. Pantheon is also known for its lavish interior and excellent lighting. The only souce of lighting from the builcing comes from the sun which passes from the top centre of the dome. This particular design in the Pantheon is considered as very revolutionary because it gave more emphasis on the interior design rather than the exterior part of the building. The grandiosity of Pantheon is evident through the colored marbles that is lined in the interiors, the rectangular shaped indentations cut out from the ceiling, the embellishment of bronze rosettes and moldings which later disappeared as well as a frieze of stucco decorations. The walls of the interiors are marked by seven deep recesse s which is screened by pairs of columns (â€Å"The Pantheon†).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another Roman construction that has survived the scourge of time is the Roman Coloseum. This historical arena stands between the Esquiline and Calian Hills in Rome, Italy. Also known as the Flavian Ampitheater, this served as an area for entertainment among the Romans; wild beast hunts and gladiatorial combats are among the many spectacles shown in the ampitheater. The colosseum can accommodate around 50,000 spectators and holds about 80 entrances, 4 of which are made for the emperor. The external area of the ampitheater is built out of travertines while the tufa bricks infill the interiors. Marble blocks served as the main pedestal which are held by metal pins. Unfortunately the pins were then carried out by thieves and was later on replaced with mortars. The seats for the audience are classified according to social class and gender. Better seats are gained by those members of the community who are in the higher social status. Wooden benches on the fourth tier are made for the poor.   In order to protect the crowd from the rainy or hot weather a wide colored awning known as â€Å"velarium† is stretched overhead. For nearly four centuries, gladiatorial combats and other spectacles are held in the colosseum (â€Å"Roman Colosseum†).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The aqueducts or the Roman waterway system held brought great changes in the field of engineering. It is considered to be the most advanced water system during the ancient times. Over the span of 500 years, 11 aqueducts were created that supplied the whole city of Rome. Some of the known aqueducts in Rome that maintained the flow of water during the ancient times are Aqua Appia, Aqua Novus and the Aqua Alexandrina. a combination of stones, bricks and pozzuolana, a speacial volcanic cement. The aqueducts certainly leave a distinct impression because despite the visible large arch structures, an impressive waterway system functions below the ground. It carried flowing water in areas like the valleys. The entire sytem relies mainly on slopes and gravity for the continuous flow of water to be maintained.   Once the water hits Rome, large reservoirs called â€Å"castella†, which is maintained on the highest ground held the water supply of the whole city, which could be tapped by public fountains, baths and private villas from the network provided which sometimes requires a fee (â€Å"Roman Aqueducts†).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What the Romans constructed then had greatly affected various aspects in the society and the innovations they have created set forth an example of maximizing the available resources and still be able to produce quality works that will last for generations. In general, different Roman constructions were able to supply further solutions to problems and became a standard for great infrastructure we have today. References Crystal, E. (2008). Ancient Roman Architecture. Crystal Links. Retrieved June 13, 2008 from http://www.crystalinks.com/romearchitecture.html The Pantheon. Wise Dude.   (n.d) Retrieved June 13, 2008 from  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.wisedude.com/history pantheon.htm Roman Colosseums. UNRV History. (n.d) Retrieved June 13, 2008 from http://www.unrv.com/culture/colosseum.php Roman Aqueducts. UNRV History. (n.d) Retrieved June 13, 2008 from http://www.unrv.com/culture/roman-aqueducts.php

The State of Despair in American Beauty Essay -- American Beauty Films

The State of Despair in American Beauty In life, everyone must make choices. Choices give an individual the freedom to decide upon the path to which they will follow. Since it’s beginnings, the film making industry has focused on showing the direct relationship between the choices that people make and the resulting consequences they must face. In the movie American Beauty, the character of Lester Burnham must make many important choices that could either lead to his ultimate happiness, or draw him further into his despair. In the movie American Beauty, it is evident that Lester Burnham is in a state of despair. Lester’s dull and monotonous voice introduces the audience to his daily routine of life. When Lester declares plain and simply, â€Å"This is my neighborhood, this is my street, this is my life,† he exposes the lifelessness and unhappiness to which he has become accustomed. The hopeless tone that Lester has set continues when he cynically comments, â€Å"jerking off in the shower will be the high point of my day.† He realizes his family life is no better when he becomes aware that both his disdainful wife and his troubled daughter consider him â€Å"a gigantic loser.† It is easy to recognize and understand Lester’s disheartenment through analysis and symbolic car scene. In this scene, Lester sits slouched down in the back seat with a look of emptiness while his daughter Jane sits up front, next to his wife Caroline who is driving the car. The symbolism is shown through Carolyn driving the car, as she drives the family (especially Lester). She has evolved into the decision-maker, and leader of the Burnham family. Sitting in the backseat, Lester avoids further conflict with his wife, leading him to become an even unhappier and more desperate person. It is understandable why Lester feels like a sedated visitor in his own life. It is also easy to empathize with Lester when he states that he feels â€Å"in many ways already dead.† For Lester, his life at work is nothing better than his life at home. After fourteen years on the job, Lester is asked by an efficiency expert at work to write a memo justifying his position. This requires making the first of several choices, which will ultimately affect his future happiness. Should he justify his job and continue to provide for his family or choose freedom and a new life? To answer this question the audience must examine... ....† This is the first time in the movie in which it is apparent that he wants to know his own family and is just working out how to go about doing it. But it also allows Lester to be happy, happy for Jane to experience the â€Å"best thing he once had† a true loving relationship with Carolyn. Lester finds himself not sad that he is now missing that loving relationship, but happy that he got the chance to experience it at one point. By the end of the movie, Lester actually seems sincerely happy in his thoughts, in his mind and in his life. This is the happiness that he has been searching for all along. The discovery of happiness and the extinction of despair are two of the greatest feats known to humans. Everyone chooses which of the two will ultimately rule their life, but sometimes life itself can get in the way. Lester Burnham is a man with limits, a man without the freedom to know himself, but with the ability to overcome these boundaries. Throughout this movie Lester is taken down a path to which hedonism is the roadblock and morality is the hidden passage. For some the choice will never be able to be made, but to Lester, life was much too beautiful to ignore the possibilities.

Girl Power Essay

Sensitivity analysis helps to test the sensitivity of the optimum solution with respect to changes of the coefficients in the objective function, coefficients in the constraints inequalities, or the constant terms in the constraints. For Example in the case study discussed: The actual selling prices (or market values) of the two products may vary from time to time. Over what ranges can these prices change without affecting the optimality of the present solution? Will the present solution remain the optimum solution if the amount of raw materials, production time, or storage space is suddenly changed because of shortages, machine failures, or other events? The amount of each type of resources needed to produce one unit of each type of product can be either increased or decreased slightly. Will such changes affect the optimal solution ? The Input or Arrival Process †¢The input process is usually called the arrival process. †¢Arrivals are called customers. †¢We assume that no more than one arrival can occur at a given instant. †¢If more than one arrival can occur at a given instant, we say that bulk arrivals are allowed. †¢Models in which arrivals are drawn from a small population are called finite source models. †¢If a customer arrives but fails to enter the system, we say that the customer has balked The Output or Service Process †¢To describe the output process of a queuing system, we usually specify a probability distribution – the service time distribution – which governs a customer’s service time. †¢We study two arrangements of servers: servers in parallel and servers in series. †¢Servers are in parallel if all servers provide the same type of service and a customer needs only pass through one server to complete service. †¢Servers are in series if a customer must pass through several servers before completing service. Queue Discipline †¢The queue discipline describes the method used to determine the order in  which customers are served. †¢The most common queue discipline is the FCFS discipline (first come, first served), in which customers are served in the order of their arrival. †¢Under the LCFS discipline (last come, first served), the most recent arrivals are the first to enter service. †¢If the next customer to enter service is randomly chosen from those customers waiting for service it is referred to as the SIRO discipline (service in random order). †¢Finally we consider priority queuing disciplines. †¢A priority discipline classifies each arrival into one of several categories. †¢Each category is then given a priority level, and within each priority level, customers enter service on a FCFS basis.

A Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift - 1795 Words

Have you ever thought about eating an infant to ease your economic hardship? You’re not the only one! Jonathan Swift wrote an entire pamphlet about it (satirically, of course). Satire has the ability to point out societal inadequacy and ridicule political policies in a way that is humorous in its absurdity while masking its true intent. In A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift, the author’s use of exaggeration and irony to draw attention to the meaningless lives of the Irish people to English rule not only gives his work a wider audience but also serves as a furtherment of Swift’s typical derisiveness. A Modest Proposal comments on the harm caused by the Declaratory Act of 1720, an act that allowed Great Britain’s parliament to legislate†¦show more content†¦When reading metaphysical poetry, the reader is trained to think thoroughly about what was offered in the piece and the author’s true intent. In keeping with this style, Swift assured that the reader would look deeper into his work than the surface meaning. While lacing his work with an old, familiar style Swift injected his own unique flair in his pamphlet as well. In A Modest Proposal, paragraphs frequently start with sympathetic, almost dreamlike, idealizations and end, metaphorically, with a knife to the gut. Swift entices the reader with his sympathetic voice then delivers such biting wit the reader is stunned and taken aback. Swift uses redirection to intentionally separate his main points to reinforce his ideas and send readers back to his most important viewpoints. Swift uses the end of the pamphlet to restate all previous notions. This gives the reader not only a refresher but another chance to analyze the true meaning. A Modest Proposal is obviously a satirical work, but it’s Swift’s use of satire that makes his work effective, primarily his combination of political and societal satire leaving none of the intended audience unscathed. Swif t agrees with the bourgeoisie class so vehemently that it becomes noticeably sarcastic. He maintains the calm demeanor of the narrator making the faked emotions cold and insincere. Swift states, â€Å"†¦ that horridShow MoreRelatedA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift Essay836 Words   |  4 PagesIn Jonathan Swift’s â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, we are exposed to the timeless issue of homelessness and the state’s role in their social welfare. Swift was a fervent Irish patriot who was disgusted by the flourishing trend of beggars and hungry children that flooded the streets of his beloved country. This topic is relatable as this is a social issue that plagues many countries in the present age. Swift presents a satirical argument in which he proposes Ireland adopt the horrific practices of eating theirRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1647 Words   |  7 PagesSatire in â€Å"A Modest Proposal† and Different Articles Jonathan Swift, author of â€Å"A Modest Proposal,† tries to present different ideas in order to change the situation of Ireland. Through his proposal, he is able to get people’s attention, and the way he uses satire throughout the article made his argument more successful. He wrote this essay to show how ignored and bad the state of Ireland and its social classes are. In â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, Swift effectively uses rhetorical exaggeration to expressRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift982 Words   |  4 Pages Jonathan Swift, author of â€Å"A Modest Proposal,† tries to present different ideas in order to change the situation of Ireland. Through his proposal, he is able to get his point across. He wrote this essay to show how undeveloped and bad the state of Ireland is and the social classes. In â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, Swift effectively uses insincerity, sarcasm, and rhetorical exaggeration to reveal his annoyance of politicians, papists, and overall citizens of poverty-stricken Ireland in the late seventeenthRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift813 Words   |  4 PagesJonathan Swift, author of the satirical piece â€Å"A Modest Proposal,† organized an outrageous proposal to the people of Ireland. In this pamphlet, Swift offered his personal views on how to overcome Ireland’s issue of overpopulation and poverty. By raising nationwide attention, Swift plan to shock the readers by emphasizing the idea of cannibalism as a way to deal with Irelandâ€℠¢s problems. Swift’s technique of audience, tone, and pathos help determine the advantages and disadvantages of â€Å"A Model Proposal†Read MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1333 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"A modest proposal† by Jonathan Swift is an essay, which was written to elaborate the poverty of people in Ireland. Where poor viewed as having an absence of worth in the public eye, playing no essential part in more noteworthy else s benefit of the people. Swift uses situational irony in this essay which also represented a work of satire. By definition situational irony happens when the final outcome is opposing to what was expected. Basically his proposal was for poor children roaming around theRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift860 Words   |  4 PagesI was informed to read â€Å"A Modest Proposal† by Jonathan Swift as an assignment for creating annotated bibliographies, I began to develop an interest on how Swift came about the matte r of his request into rebuilding Ireland s economy and way of life. I believed that Swift added cannibalizing children to the subject matter to give his proposal a more profound and eye-opening effect, but my readings further piqued my interests on the topic. As a result, I researched Jonathan Swift’s motives and styleRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1057 Words   |  5 Pages A Modest Proposal â€Å"A Modest Proposal†, written in 1979 by Jonathan Swift, is a fascinating sardonic, overwhelming hyperbole. He explores the miserable fate of poverty-striven Irish whose struggle in vain in an effort to feed their huge emaciated families. In the essay, Swift advocates that the penurious Irish should sell their babies to the rich ladies and gentlemen and obtain monetary power required to ease their economic predicaments. The straight-faced parody that features predominantly in theRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1340 Words   |  6 PagesA Modest Proposal was written in the year 1729 by the famous satirist Jonathan Swift. In his work he outlines the pros of eating unwanted children of Ireland for economical benefits in a time of great poverty. While the reader can obviously discard the idea of eating children, in his proposal, in a roundabout way, Swift speaks to hard pressing issues of the time. The state of Ireland is well described by Swift in this piece. He speaks of woman who â€Å"instead of being able to work for their honestRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift1032 Words   |  5 PagesJonathan Swift’s satirical pamphlet, A Modest Proposal, as a way to ironically find a way For the CommonWealth of Ireland to benefit from the starving children. He proposes the idea that an unwanted child should be fattened up then feed to landlords or have their meat sold in the market. In turn curing the nation’s problem of overpopulation and contribute to the economic well-being of the nation. Swift’s satire exploits the fundamental human function of eating. The need to eat is a driving humanRead MoreA Modest Proposal By Jonathan Swift784 Words   |  4 Pagesstatistics that should receive a monetary value. This emotionally detached view of humans led to Swift employing Petty as a model for the proposer in his satirical essay â€Å"A Modest Proposal.à ¢â‚¬  After years of submitting proposals to ameliorate Ireland’s issues, Swift finally attacked the ruling caste and Petty for their treatment of and apathy toward the suffering of the Irish. In Jonathan Swift’s essay â€Å"A Modest Proposal,† Swift’s employment of the proposer’s employment of dehumanizing, emotionally detached