Malcolm X Essays (1413 words) - African-American Muslims

Malcolm X Malcolm X, a civil rights leader in the 1960's believed that blacks and whites should be segregated. He also believed that white man was evil and were trying to brainwash all blacks and that Martin Luther King's "non-violent protests" weren't working and that violence was needed for change. Malcolm X's life was a life with a lot of conflict and violence in it. Malcolm X was born under the name of Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska in 1925. His father was a baptist minister and an outspoken follower of Marcus Garvey, the black nationalist leader of the 1920s who preached that all blacks should leave the US and go back to Africa. While Malcolm's father was away and Malcolm's mother was pregnant with Malcolm, a group of KKK members came to their house and told Mrs. Little to send out her husband. She came out of the house and stood where all the KKK could see that she was pregnant and told them that Mr. Little was in Milwaukee preaching. The KKK, disappointed, shouted threats and told them to leave town. After this they broke every window in the Little's home and left. When Mr. Little came home and heard what happened, he decided to move as soon a Malcolm was born to Lansing, Michigan. Here was where Malcolm's father died at the hand of the Black Legion (X 4-! 13). After Malcolm's father's death, his mother who had to take care of eight children and endure threats from the KKK, suffered a nervous breakdown. As a result, Malcolm and his siblings were taken by the welfare department. Malcolm was later enrolled in a reform school and did very well grade wise. He was the best student in his class and wanted to become a lawyer. When the school heads heard about this, they sent a person to talk to Malcolm. This person told and convinced Malcolm that he was black and that he could never become a lawyer because of it. As a result, he dropped out of after the eighth grade and moved to Boston, Massachusetts where he worked several different jobs. Soon, Malcolm became associated in a gang and sold and used drugs, and was involved in many other criminal activities. His gang "career" ended when he got into some trouble due to a bet with the gang leader. Since the gang wanted Malcolm killed, Malcolm hid for a while. Soon, Malcolm decid! ed to rob a house which he heard had a lot of valuables in it. Soon one night, he robbed the house, but was caught later. Malcolm was charged with burglary and sent to prison for a maximum of eight years of which he served six. This was a turning point in Malcolm's life. While in prison, Malcolm educated himself and became interested in the teachings of Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm spent his time in jail educating himself and learning more about the Nation of Islam (later known as the Black Muslims). Their belief, which was contrary to Martin Luther King Jr.'s, mainly to was to segregated whites and blacks. The Nation of Islam wanted to establish a separate Afro-American homeland in the U.S. and believed that the white person is "the Devil" who wanted to enslave all non-whites. The Nation of Islam also strictly followed the Islamic belief. When Malcolm was released from prison after in 1952, he joined a temple in Detroit, and took the name Malcolm X. He took the name X because his present last name was the last name of the slave master who freed their slave and since the slave didn't know who their ancestors were, and therefore didn't know their real last name, they often took up the last name of their master. Many Muslims kept the name "X" because in math, "X" is represented as an unknown variable like their real last name. A person was to keep the name "X" until God himself gave them a "holy name"(Encarta 2). Soon after his release from jail, Malcolm worked for his oldest brother who managed a furniture store. While working, he also gave many speeches, and went "fishing"(fishing is when someone stands out on a sidewalk and hand

Problem Set Two-MBA 503

Problem Set Two-MBA 503 9-17. Jack Hammer invests in a stock that will pay dividends of $2.00 at the end of the first year; $2.20 at the end of the second year; and $2.40 at the end of the third year. Also, he believes that at the end of the third year he will be able to sell the stock for $33. What is the present value of all future benefits if a discount rate of 11 percent is applied? (Round all values to two places to the right of the decimal point.)PV=[2(1/(1+.11)^1]+[2.2(1/(1+.11)^2]+[2.4(1/(1+.11)^3]+[33(1/(1+.11)^3]PV=2.22+1.28+.98+13.50PV=17.989.22 Your rich godfather has offered you a choice of one of the three following alternatives: $10,000 now; $2,000 a year for eight years; or $24,000 at the end of eight years.a. Assuming you could earn 11 percent annually, which alternative should you choose?b. If you could earn 12 percent annually, would you still choose the same alternative?a. Choice 11st year$10,000*1.11=11,1002ndpyramid film company, dayton, ohioyear$11,100*1.11=12,3213rd year$12,321*1.11= 13, 676.314th year$13,676.31*1.11=15,180.705th year$15,180.70*1.11=16850.586th year$16,850.58*1.11=18,704.157th year$18,704.15*1.11=20,761.608th year$20,761.60*1.11=23,045.38Choice 21st year$2,0002nd year$2,000+($2000*1.11)=42203rd year$2,000 + (2000 * 1.11)+(2000*(1.11^2)=6684.204th year$2,000+(2000*1.11)+(2000*(1.11^2))+(2000*(1.11^3))=9419.165th year$2,000+(2000*1.11)+(2000*(1.11^2))+(2000*(1.11^3))+(2000*(1.11^4))=12455.606th year$2,000+(2000*1.11)+(2000*(1.11^2))+(2000*(1.11^3))+(2000*(1.11^4))+(2000*(1.11^5))=15825.727th year$2,000+(2000*1.11)+(2000*(1.11^2))+(2000*(1.11^3))+(2000*(1.11^4))+(2000*(1.11^5))+(2000*(1.11^6))=19566.558th year$2,000+(2000*1.11)+(2000*(1.11^2))+(2000*(1.11^3))+(2000*(1.11^4))+(2000*(1.11^5))+(2000*(1.11^6))+(2000*(1.11^7)) =23,718.87Assuming I could earn 11% a year, I would choose to receive $24, 000.00 at the end of the eight years.b. Choice 11st year$10,000*1.12=11,2002nd year$11,200*1.12=12,5443rd year$12,544*1.12=14,049.284th year$14,049.28*1.12 =15,735.195th year$15,735.19*1.12=17,623.416th year$17,623.41*1.12=19 738.227th year$19,738.22*1.12=22,106.818th year$22,106.81*1.12=24,759.63Choice 21st year$2,0002nd year$2,000+($2,000*1.12)=42403rd year$2,000+(2000*1.12)+(2000*(1.12^2))=6748.804th year$2,000+(2000*1.12)+(2000*(1.12^2))+(2000*(1.12^3))=9558.665th year$2,000+(2000*1.12)+(2000*(1.12^2))+(2000*1.12^3))+(2000*(1.12^4))=12 705.696th year$2,000+(2000*1.12)+(2000*(1.12^2))+(2000*(1.12^3))+(2000*(1.12^4))+(2000*(1.12^5))=16 230.387th year$2,000+(2000*1.12)+(2000*(1.12^2))+(2000*(1.12^3))+(2000*(1.12^4))+(2000*(1.12^5))+(2000*(1.12^6))=20 178.028th year$2,000+(2000*1.12)+(2000*(1.12^2))+(2000*(1.12^3))+(2000*(1.12^4))+(2000*(1.12^5))+(2000*(1.12^6))+(2000*(1.12^7)) =24 599.39Assuming I could earn 12% a year, I would choose to receive the $10,000.00.9.23 You need $28,974 at the end of 10 years, and your only investment outlet is an 8 percent long-term certificate of deposit (compounded annually). With the certificate of dep osit, you make an initial investment at the beginning of the first year.1. What single payment could be made at the beginning of the first year to achieve this objective?2. What amount could you pay at the end of...

Price Setting as the Art of War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Price Setting as the Art of War - Essay Example Past historical data can provide insight into the willingness of people to pay more for an item. Take for example food items such as vegetables. The prices of vegetables fluctuate a lot due to supply and demand factors. If in the past customer was willing to pay $3 for a lettuce, then the company knows that it can increase its price to that threshold in the future. Past data has to be analyzed to determine how much volume of sales was generated at higher price points. Â  It is always a smart strategy to gain insight directly from the customers. The use of surveys can help a company determine if customers are willing to pay more for a good or service. The survey has to be well designed to include questions associated with the subject. For example, you can ask a customer if he is willing to pay more if the item the company sells increases in quality. Historical sales data can also be useful because they establish purchasing patterns. Â  The prices of sporting events in different spots vary depending on the team. For example, the New York Yankees can charge higher entrance prices than the Florida Marlins due to the fact that New York is a bigger marketplace. The record of the team also influences in the pricing for sporting events. Teams with winning records can charge more than the team with losing records. I consider pricing to be the art of diplomacy. Prices are set based on set variables such as quality, value, and marketplace. Items sold in flea markets are going to be cheaper than items sold at the mall. Â  

Good or Bad Performance for Cities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Good or Bad Performance for Cities - Essay Example In several studies, graffiti was found to have the following advantages to the cities: (1) it revitalizes the city through â€Å"controlled graffiti†; (2) it is a form of community beautification by spicing up urban blight and (3) it educates the public through disseminating relevant social issues. On the other hand, graffiti has still been viewed as a form of vandalism and a crime in many societies. The City of Calgary, for example, penalizes those caught doing graffiti with a $5000 fine. It is viewed as a waste of time and resources as the city would eventually resort to cleaning and removing them. The costs of removing them are tremendous and take a financial toll to the government. The Journal Live news of graffiti report â€Å"unwelcome art attacks cost  £1m a year MORE than a million pounds is spent every year cleaning up graffiti in the North-East". In addition, prison sentences were handed to members of a gang who work on making graffiti and were found to have destr oyed â€Å"hundreds of buildings and railway bridges in their distinctive tags over eight months, giving transport operators a huge clean-up bill amounting to  £140,000†. The actions of graffiti artists are evaluated according to their specific objectives or purpose for doing their art form. Most governments have recognized the evolution of graffiti art as continuously transforming. Stowers (1997) averred that â€Å"whether or not all of the public agrees that graffiti art is good, bad, or extremely valuable is a different discussion.

Water Quality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Water Quality - Research Paper Example Different bodies set the standards for basing water quality measurements. The primary purpose for setting standards is protection of aquatic and human life. Standards The concerned organizations set different standards according to the varying uses of water (WHO 1). Environmental factors affect natural water bodies and environmental specialists work to identify sources of contamination. Many people usually associate the term â€Å"water quality† with contamination. Water quality, as a topic under discussion, is a complex subject since water cannot be separated from the ecology. The chief cause of water pollution on the globe is its use in industrial and commercial sectors of the economy. Untreated wastes from industries pose a significant threat to aquatic, as well as human life. Runoff water from agricultural activities also contaminates water. Parameters As stated earlier, standards for measuring water quality are set accordingly as uses of water vary. The intended use of wa ter, therefore, sets parameters for water quality. There is a focus on water treated for use in industries, by human beings or in the environment. Contaminants in untreated water intended for human use comprise of organic contaminants (chemical contaminants from industrial and petroleum use), inorganic contaminants (salts and metals), and microorganisms (bacteria and viruses). Water quality depends on bio network or ecology, as well as human uses of water. For example, water may be used to dispose sewage or industrial waste thereby affecting its quality (Kaul and Gautam 4). The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), established in 1970s, has set two types of standards to limit contaminants in tab water. These standards are primary, which regulate substances that are likely to harm health of people, and secondary. Secondary standards dwell on the qualities that have an effect on odor, appearance and taste. Drinking water may have low levels of contaminants which may not necessarily pose a threat to health. Municipal water systems in urban areas use water purification technology to treat water from the source before distributing for human use. The terms â€Å"hard† and â€Å"soft† water describe types of water needed for industrial or domestic use. Hard water contains minerals, for example, magnesium and calcium, which hamper effective washing abilities of soap. Soft water, on the other hand, does not have minerals and people prefer it for washing. Soft water is not healthy for human consumption since it lacks minerals needed by the body. Therefore, softening of hard water for human use is not advisable. Environmental water quality touches on surface water in oceans, rivers and lakes. The quality standards for such water vary due to flora and fauna, ecological conditions and intended human use (â€Å"Water quality targets online† 10). Toxic substances in water, needed for fishing, irrigation and industrial use, present risk to health. Plants irrigated with such water absorb toxins which get passed on along the chain as animals consume them. Toxins also have adverse effects on aquatic life. Water quality regulations set standards for protection of water, and establish provisions to guard against water contamination. Environmental scientists strive to preserve flora and fauna and focus on preservation of endangered kind and the health of people. Water quality sampling and testing There are numerous water quality indicators which shows that water quality as an area under discussion is multifaceted. Water exists in balance with the environment and, hence, experts make precise measurements of water quality on the source. Measurements of temperature, turbidity, conductivity, dissolved gases, and transparency depth (closely related to

Does Music Have Any Effects On The Brain?

Does Music Have Any Effects On The Brain? Music can have a very strong influence; is it strong enough to affect your brain? Music is an art of sound that expresses ideas and emotions through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and colour. The power and influence of music on individuals is a psychological process involving the human ears, body, brain, and nervous system. Besides its pleasing effects to the ears, it has been established that music can have an influence on our emotional state of being. People listen to music for different reasons and at different times. In recent years, however, a question has been raised with regards to music and its effects on the brain: Does listening to music help improve our physical and mental abilities? Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (the most popular American Poet in the 19th century, 1807-1882) wrote Music is the universal language of mankind. It brings us together as a society and unites people of different cultural backgrounds. It is a very important element which can be used for many purposes such as entertainment, sleeping aid, pain relief, relaxation tool, eliminate stress, emotional purposes, provide means of self-expression, aid develop the skills necessary at workplace, home or general environment and so much more. It is also used for special occasions such as funerals, weddings, graduations, soldiers marching off to war, sporting events, prayer, romantic dinners and parties. Music is mostly used in these types of events because it has the influence to change our atmosphere and provide us with a sense of pleasure, comfort and happiness. It also enhances teamwork skills and discipline in churches and in bands where all team members involvement and participation is required to produce a good song. Research shows that certain types of music such as classical music, yoga music or nature music creates a calming effect on us which helps reduce our heart rate. This may enable us conquer anxiety and gain self confidence. Music can help us communicate with each other when languages are different. Before the invention of mails and telephones, certain tribes use to contact each other with drumbeats. Sound travels at about 350 meters per second in dry air at 20 C (68 F) and this was quicker and efficient in getting a message across to each other in the Ancient times which required some skills and knowledge. There was a sender and a receiver who would interpret the me ssage to the Leader of the village. This was mostly practised in Africa and Asia and is still practised in some parts of the world. The drawbacks were messages could be interpreted wrongly by the receiver or conveyed wrongly by the sender which caused inconvenience. There are many uses and benefits of music which are yet to be discovered. In recent years, scientists have been astonished by the effects music has on children. Babies are mostly lulled to sleep with lullabies due to its known calming effects on the brain and body. Experiment has proven that introducing toddlers to good music genres such as classical at an early age enables them become more creative, increase their level of imagination and their ability to obtain and develop different skills in later life. During childhood we are all expected to learn nursery rhymes reason being music is known to be a kick-start to learning and known to offer long life benefits. Also as individuals we all need diversity in our lives to broaden our knowledge and develop strong relationships in life. On Sunday, 21 February 2010, one of the major British newspapers The Guardian, which has a certified average daily circulation of 358,844 copies, published an article on music and its power to shape a chil ds mind. (Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/music-has-the-power-to-shape-a-childs-mind-1905967.html).The article discusses some of the profound effects of music on the nervous system and encourages schools to make it a core subject. Schools which fail to make music a core subject are making a mistake, because it has advantages for the growing brain and would help all children, including those with dyslexia and autism, neuroscientist Professor Nina Kraus said. Professor Krauss team at North-western University in Chicago, Illinois, have shown that the nervous system responds to the acoustic properties of speech and music with sub-millisecond precision. The effectiveness with which the nervous system interprets sound patterns is linked to musical ability. Scientists have been amazed by some of effects of music can be have individuals. This has led to the establishment of a field of health care known as Music Therapy. Therapists use the benefits and positive effects of music to improve and maintain their patients emotional, physical, aesthetic, mental, social, and spiritual well being. Those who practice music therapy are finding it very useful and effective which enables them live a normal life. It is used to help patients with cancer, neurodevelopment disorders such as dementia, children with ADD and autism. A National Autistic Society spokeswoman explained how many children with autism respond well to music. It helps children in communication and interaction. It also creates a calming effect on the patients which enables them express some level of emotion. This has resulted in many patients overcoming certain illnesses. Hospitals are also beginning to use music and music therapy to help with pain management. In some hospital theatre s such as Bay Medical Center located in both Northeast Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (America), music is used to help ward off patients depression and ease muscle tension. Many patients reacted positively to especially classical music as it generated a comforting environment and calmed patients which enabled doctors progress during operations. However, it could be argued that music can be an addiction and if not constantly played to these patients could cause further depression in some cases. Scientist have conducted further research and found that music with a strong beat can stimulate brainwaves to resonate in sync with the beat, with faster beats bringing sharper concentration and more alert thinking to the listener. Slower music genre such as classical helps promote a relaxed and meditative state (source: http://www.brainskills.co.uk/MusicTherapy.html ). Over the years scientist have been looking at some other benefits music can offer. Athletes such as cyclist and marathon runners are known to find music very useful during training sessions. Most of these athletes consider music as a motivation and a relaxation tool which helps prepare the body and mind for a lengthy workout. There are believes that fast music can help athletes train faster and better during training, leading to a good workout. To determine the actual effects of music on the performance of athletes, Scientists at St. Scholastica College in Duluth, Minnesota conducted a test with six men and five women on a 15 minute treadmill at 5.5 mile per hour on each runner. The runners were categorised into a group of three. Group1 and 2 consisted of two males and two females and group 3 consisted of two males and one female. Group 1 were made to listen to a fast pace beat, group 2 were made to listen a slow beat and group 3 listened to no music. This was observed for 15 minutes and in the study, it was discovered that group 1 burned 10 extra calories over 15 minutes, an extra 40 calories per hour. This may seem a small gain but if practised constantly over just three hours a week, you may be capable of burning an extra 2 pounds of fat in the course of a year. This will help towards the individuals stamina and be of great advantage to his/her mental health. This research also suggested that music if combined with appropriate imagery can have either a calming effect on the individual during physical training which helps improve the cardiovascular system by maintaining adequate circulation of oxygenated blood around the vascular network of the body. However, there is no firm evidence that suggest that the tranquilising effects of music can promote better performances when athletes listen to the music before performing. The research, however, implies that listening to music during training sessions can certainly improve workout quality. (Effect of Up-Beat Mus ic on Endurance Performance, Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, volume 27(5), Supplement, #853, p. S151, 1995 and The Impact of Music and Imagery on Physical Performance and Arousal: Studies of Coordination and Endurance, Journal of Sport Behaviour, volume 15(1), pages. 21-33, 1992) Music is mostly divided into genres and subgenres. Some of the main genres are Rock/Pop, Jazz, Hip hop, World, Nostalgia, Blues, Country, Easy Listening, Folk, Ethnic, Metal and other subgenres. Classical music is one of the oldest genres encircling a broad era from roughly 1750s to date (source: http://www.musiclessonsonline.co.uk/ClassicalMusic.html ). It has inspired and influenced other genres such as hip hop and RB. It is accepted by nearly every generation ever since its establishment. Researchers have come across some rather amazing benefits of classical music. It holds one of the largest listeners due to its calming effects which aid the mind and its ability to inspire its listeners. Amongst the results it was found that classical music has the ability to reduce crime. British Transport Police supplied classical music into London Underground stations in 2004 in some of the areas most dangerous neighbourhoods. After playing the music for six months, robberies were cut by 33 percent, staff assaults decreased by 25 percent and vandalism went down 37 percent. This was not the first time classical music had been used in preventing crime. In 2001, police in West Palm Beach, Florida installed a CD player and speakers on an abandoned building in a crime-ridden neighbourhood. After playing classical music mostly Mozart, Bach and Beethoven 24 hours a day for about three months, shootings, thefts, loiterers and drug deals decreased. (Source: http://hypography.com/forums/music-studies/14554-help-me-describe-why-music-education-5.html ) It was also discovered that if you walk into a store thats playing classical music you are likely to spend more. It is used as an instrument to get you to purchase more items, as consumer advocate and columnist Brian Vaszily entertainingly explains in How Stores are secretly using music to lure their customers. Music can help shape customers time perception, lower sales resistance and increase willingness to spend, says James Kellaris, a marketing professor at the University of Cincinnati. The complexity of classical music makes your brain work harder, causing it to overcompensate and make you feel like youve been in the store for less time than you actually have. Meanwhile, the music can make it more difficult for shoppers to use critical thinking in deciding whether to buy a product. The end result is spending more time in the store, buying more, and spending more money. (Source: http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/10/05/how_classical_music_can_reduce_crime_benefit_your_mood_and_ increase_your_spending.htm) All these events reveal that music can control our brains and has the capability to change our live style and behavioural patterns. Scientists wanted to prove scientifically how listening to a song helps develop the brain. Several experiments were conducted to find out which side of the brain is activated and improved when we listen to music. Mozarts music and baroque music, with a 60 beats per minute beat pattern, activates the left and right brain. The simultaneous left and right brain action maximizes learning and retention of information. Reading activates the left brain while the music activates the right brain. Also, activities which engage both sides of the brain at the same time, such as playing an instrument or singing, causes the brain to be more capable of processing information. According to The Center for New Discoveries in Learning, learning potential can be increased a minimum of five times by using this 60 beats per minute music. For example, the ancient Greeks sang their dramas because they understood how music could help them remember more easily. A renowned Bulgarian psychologist, Dr. George Lozanov, designed a way to teach foreign languages in a fraction of the normal learning time. Using his system, students could learn up to one half of the vocabulary and phrases for the whole school term (which amounts to almost 1,000 words or phrases) in one day. Along with this, the average retention rate of his students was 92%. Dr. Lozanovs system involved using certain classical music pieces from the baroque period which have around a 60 beats per minute pattern. He has proven that foreign languages can be learned with 85-100% efficiency in only thirty days by using these baroque pieces. His students had a recall accuracy rate of almost 100% even after not re viewing the material for four years. Music has also been used by Doctors to heal the human mind and also cure diseases. It has been used as a means of overcoming depression and reducing chronic pain. Music can be described as a tool used to capture and transmit emotions. One of the advantages of music is its ability to achieve more than one objective at a time. Elevating music can divert the mind and revive the soul. Sad and soulful music can offer solace, encourage and support psychological work and set free emotions. When exposed to the worlds dilemmas, some depend on drugs and others relate to music to help overcome these obstacles. Some of these dilemmas can lead to Depression which reduces the activities that occur in our brains and obstructs the minds capability to arrange and carry out responsibilities. The lack of the neurotransmitter and Serotonin leads to a depressed state of mind. It has been discovered by scientist that listening to music could help reduce chronic pain and depression by a quarter (http://www .sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060524123803.htm). People react to music in different ways. Singing and dancing to your favourite music is known to help increase the flow of serotonin in the brain by bringing about pleasure and excitement to the individual. I was greatly astonished by some of the experiments and discoveries mostly carried out by scientists, therapist and authors involving this topic. This influenced me to create a questionnaire to discover how music influences its listeners and what music genre generates the most effects. This is a summary table of the research questionnaire I created and handed out to a sample audience of fifty. To obtain varied and reliable results I decided on a 50 percent male audience and 50 percent female. i.e. Every bar in this graph is out of a 100%. This is because I designed my questionnaire so people could tick many answers for a particular question. I then counted the number of people who listened to music for entertainment purposes out of number of audience I have and multiplied it by 100%. This enabled me convert all my figures into percentage. I decided on a 50 sample audience as it is large enough to obtain varied results, to help structure my graph and in order not to obtain decimal figures when converting to percentage. This was prepared to achieve reliable results. The data also indicates that 46 (92%) of the sample audience listen to more than 1 type of music. This proves that music is universal and its effects are not limited to one genre of music. As seen in the graph 82% of my sample audience listened to music for entertainment purposes. This proves that music provides stimulation and entertainment at the most fundamental level. 60% of my sample audience listened to music to help eliminate stress. This shows that music helps takes your mind temporally away from problems and it has the effect of eliminating tension from the mind. 30% of my audience listen to music for emotional purposes. This proves that music can help provide solace to its listeners. Four of my sample audience listened to music whilst studying and two suggested it helped improve their grades at school. Finally one person suggested it helped them gain confidence. My questionnaire also generated a link between music for entertainment purposes and stress elevation. Majority of my sample audience who listened to music for entertainment purposes also suggested it helped in eliminating stress. As shown in figure 2 above, modern music genres such as Hip hop and Rock/Pop is the most listened to probably due to its relatable lyrics. An analysis of the data by age groups also shows that 71% of the under 18s age group listen to music for entertainment purposes. 91% of the 18-21 age group that is 10 out of 11 people also listened to music for entertainment purposes. Of the 22 years and above age group, 17 out of 31 representing 55% listened to music to help eliminate stress. An analysis on gender shows that out of 25 females the influence of music is high amongst 5 representing 20% of the sample audience, 6 of them (25%) found the influence of music to be low. However, majority of them that is 12 (48%) indicated the effects of music to be medium. Out of 25 people in the male group, 5 representing 20% found the effects of music to be high and 12 representing 48% found it to be medium. This shows that music on an average has a medium effect on both male and female. Of the unemployed group of 4, three indicated the effects of music to be low. This may suggest that they need more than just music to entertain them and relieve stress. Writers mostly consisting of neurologist have published several books on the subject of music and its effects on the brain. Musicophilia is a highly recommended book, a New York Times bestseller. Written by Oliver Sacks (Author) and published by Picador on the 2nd of November 2007. It has been awarded one of the Best Books of 2007 by the Washington Post and the editors of Amazon.com. According to Oliver Sacks, Music can move us to the heights or depths of emotion. It can persuade us to buy something, or remind us of our first date. It can lift us out of depression when nothing else can. It can get us dancing. But the power of music occupies more areas of our brain than language does humans are a musical species. In this book Oliver Sacks tells interesting tales of individuals affected with the worse case of neurological conditions but are perfectly capable of memorising and composing songs on the piano. This has in effect changed the way we view the human brain. In Musicophilia, he cautiously explores the influence of music through the individual experiences of patients suffering from Parkinsons disease, Alzheimers or amnesia, stroke and many more. It also involves musicians, performers and normal individuals who have been greatly affected by music. There are also scenarios of people struck by lightning and are suddenly motivated to become pianist, to an entire group of children with Williams syndrome who are hyper musical right from birth. Oliver Sacks scientifically explains why music is at times haunting, memorable and irresistible. The extraordinary neural robustness of music is also brought out in the following letter I was sent, about a well-known pianist. The pianist is now 88 and has lost language but he plays every day. When the Mozart is read, he points back and ahead well in advance of the repeats. Two years ago he recorded a complete four-hand repertoire of Mozart that he had recorded in the 1950s (Page 336). Whiles his language has began to fail him, I love his recent playing and conception even more than the earlier recording a colleague stated. Another letter was written to Oliver by one man briefly explaining how his wife was diagnosed with a brain disorder but still plays the piano on a daily basis. Although my wife has Alzheimers diagnosed at least seven years ago-the essential person miraculously remainsShe plays piano several hours daily, very well. Her present ambition is to memorize the Schumann A-minor Piano Concerto (Page 337). Alzheimers is a progressive and fatal brain disease. Alzheimers destroys brain cells, causing memory loss and problems with thinking and behaviour severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. Alzheimers gets worse over time, and it is fatal. Today it is the seventh-leading cause of death in the United States. Alzheimers disease accounts for 50 to 80 percent of dementia cases. And yet this woman who is, in most other spheres, grossly forgetful and disabled memorises plays full songs on the piano. Music can survive the most devastating brain damage. A herpes infection left Clive Wearing, a musicologist and musician, with a memory span of no more than a few seconds. His entire life form was overturned. But, confronted with a piece of music, he would first insist he had never played it before and then play it flawlessly. The process of making the music overcame his handicap. His wife wrote to Sacks of Clives at-homeness in music . . . where he transcends amnesia and finds continuum. Or there is the case of Tony Cicoria, a man struck by lightning in a telephone box. A few weeks later, he was overcome by an insatiable desire to listen to piano music. He bought CDs and sheet music and began to resurrect his childhood piano lessons. Then, involuntarily, he began to compose music in his head. A torrent of notes came, he said, from heaven. Cicoria now lives in music. Oliver Sacks concentrates on stories written or told by the victim or the victims relative rather than theory; he does not come to a definite conclusion about music in his book but our intuition is reinforced by elaborate analysis of particular situations. Music genres such as hip hop, rock and pop has been known to help promote crime. Violence, racism, homophobic behaviours or sexist lyrics in much of todays popular music could have an impact on impressionable young people who are just developing a sense. Numerous studies indicate that a preference for heavy metal music may be a significant marker for alienation, substance abuse, psychiatric disorders, suicide risk, sex-role stereotyping or risk-taking behaviours during adolescence. (Source: American Academy of Pediatrics, 1999) In conclusion music is a very powerful tool that creates a connection to the human soul, body and mind. As shown in my work music is used to entertain, as therapy in hospitals to relieve stress, help in communication, express emotions, enhance concentration and maintain alertness and vigilance. It is also used in stores to promote sales and to motivate the workers.

Leda and the Swan Analysis Essay -- essays research papers

In William Butler Yeats poem â€Å"Leda and the Swan†, he uses the fourteen lines of the traditional sonnet form in a radical, modernist style. He calls up a series of unforgettable, bizarre images of an immediate physical event using abstract descriptions in brief language. Through structure and language Yeats is able to paint a powerful sexual image to his readers without directly giving the meaning of the poem. â€Å"Leda and the Swan† is a violent, sexually explicit poem with its plain diction, rhythmic vigor, and allusions to mystical ideas about the universe, the relationship of human and divine, and the cycles of history. It can be seen as a poem about the way a single event is to be understood as part of a larger scheme; the result of the god’s assault on Leda is the birth of Helen of Troy...