Book Review On Life Along The Silk Road History Essay

Book Review On Life Along The Silk Road History Essay The book that I had been given for review is LIFE ALONG THE SILK ROAD. The book offers a glimpse into the character and characters of the Eastern Silk road between AD 750 and 1000. The author of the book Susan Whitfield is the director of the British Library sponsored Dunhuang project, which makes a remarkable collection of Ancient Silk Road manuscripts including those acquired by legendary explorer Sir Auel Stein, available on the internet. Her knowledge of this treasure trove of primary material shows throughout the book. She has written extensively about china and therefore is in a good position to give an account of the all the details regarding the network of roads and paths crossing central Asia and concentrates on the 8th to 10th centuries A.D. The author has an extensive research on the Mongolian Empire and middle kingdom. She has travelled to central Asia several times and has written this novel as reflection of the stories of the Silk Road. She has dedicated the book to prof.Edward Schafer whom she credits for literary excavation of this historic trade route. This book Life along the Silk Road gives a rich account of the varied history of the Silk Road. It is a good read for people with special interest in history. The book recounts the stories, the lives of ten individuals who lived along the Silk Road in different era. The tale of ten different individuals a merchant, a soldier, a horseman, a monk, a nun among others, all form a different walk of life. The author has tried to reconstruct the history of the route through the personal experiences of these characters. The region covered in the book corresponds to modern day eastern Uzbekistan, western China, Mongolia, south to the Himalayas and including Tibet. Today that region is largely occupied by Turkic peoples, mainly the Uighur, as well as Chinese colonists and is more Islamic than not. In the time period covered by the book it was more Indo-European in character, mainly Buddhist, and a great deal more cosmopolitan, with many towns and cities home to Turks, Indians, Chinese, Tibetans, and Mongolians as well as followers of Manicheism, Zoroastrianism, Nestorian Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and shamanism. Many Silk Road towns, once some of the most populous cities in the world, now have largely been reclaimed by the desert sands due to a decline in population and a drop in the water table, a land now rich in archaeology but vulnerable to thieves looking for artifacts to sell on the black market. The major source of information for this book and indeed much of the scholarship done on this region and era comes from the over forty thousand documents uncovered in a Buddhist cave complex outside Dunhuang, now in Gansu province, China. Sealed up in the eleventh century, it was uncovered by accident in 1900. Though many of these precious scrolls, paintings, and sculptures have been lost since then for various reasons (and others tainted by the existence of forgeries), more than enough remained; the importance of the Dunhuang documents cannot be overstated. A whole field of study, Dunhuangology, grew up around the study of the documents. Not only were there many Buddhist texts, but as paper was rare and often recycled (and once Buddhist scripture was written on paper it was considered nearly blasphemous to destroy at that point), many non-Buddhist writings were preserved, unique in providing glimpses into the lives of everyday people. First chapter of the book was the most informative and wide ranging. It takes reader back in 2nd century and helps in understanding what events took place for which during the mid 8th century when the silk route was as its peak. In this chapter reader learns that there was not one Silk road but multiple paths and that also it was not only silk that was traded along it, horses, salt, wool, jade were also major trade items. The distances covered by the merchants around 3000 miles was indeed a challenge for them. Though Silk Road was of major important for centuries by the end of 10th century trade became increasingly maritime in nature. Following the introduction chapter, author begins to tell tale of ten individuals. The author diligently combines information from texts and archaeological discoveries with her own imagination in order to describe her characters and their families and acquaintances to discuss events in which they participated or which they observed and to indicate their feelings and thoughts. Each tale is full of information about material life that is detail of clothing, eating habits and other details gives the reader a feel for the place and time. The stories along with the numerous pictures present in this book give the reader and insightful into the life of ordinary men and women on the Silk Road era. Following the lives and stories of the Merchant, the Soldier, the Monk, the Courtesan, and others, Susan Whitfield brings the dramatic history of pre-Islamic central Asia down to a human scale, describing the battles of conquest and trade with the details of everyday life. One significant point that can be grasped from the book is the history of Central Asia over this period characterized by a complex succession of power struggles. The lives of ten individuals in this book were greatly affected by the rise and fall of Chinese, Tibetan, Uighur, Arab, and the other powers (such as autonomous city-states like Samarkand) that continually fought for control of the eastern Silk Road. when an empire was not defeated on the battlefield it could collapse or fall into chaos due to serious internal disturbances, such as a 755 rebellion led by a general of the Chinese army against the Tang dynasty and when earlier that same year the Tibetan emperor was murdered during a revolt by his ministers. From the 11th century onwards the culture of the region changed and the Road declined as Islamic culture overtook Chinese influence and the sea route grew in importance. With the rise in sea explorations, overland trade routes became sea routes with Marcopolo set sail to trade the Indians, who were renowned for the spices, textiles and ivory products. Towns near present day Afghanistan saw abandoned villages and the trade declined. The author of the book has presented history in a vivacious manner. At some pages reader may feel elated by a time machine: one hears the sounds, smells the smells and hears the multilingual crowds in the capital of Changan or the various desert posts. The major quality of the book is that it is written not only from Chinese point of view but also contains ample information about the people of central Asia. It is not important to have knowledge about the history of china in order savor the stories in the book. Small and fine details about different characters in the books give the reader a feel as if one is itself present there. The wealth of historical data present in the book which one would like to read in one sitting is an inhuman undertaking given the sheer joy and shock of all the little anecdotes, background facts and human insights. For a student like me it is easy to understand history through understanding the lives of the people who lived there and then instead of going through the tedious information regarding the places and dates of battles and monarchial successions. Traditional histories are normally about who won the battle where. But after having read this book I can fittingly say that the author has conscientiously tried to accommodate people like me by showing Central and Eastern Asias history during the prime days of the Silk Road through a series of brief vignettes representing the lives of various types of people who lived then. I found the writing style of the author quite stiff and solid but the technique she used to present the glorious history is quite effective and fascinating. Her depiction of the Silk Road through her unique style drew me in with everyday detail from the period. She presented the greater historical details, like Chinese dynastic changes and which nations gained superiority a t what time, into a context I could understand and enjoy reading. Apart from the above mentioned qualities there are some problems in the book as well though relatively minor is nature. First of all it should be stated at the outset that this book is, in fact, generally unsuitable as a resource for scholars or teachers, for it is in essence a work of historical fiction. While the book may indeed offer the reader images of life along the Silk Road, it cannot be considered an accurate scholarly resource, since it does not make clear to the reader what is imaginative and what is not. Secondly then trouble with names and terminology emerges almost from the outset, after stating that she will employ k rather than q in Turkic terms and names (i.e., Kocho rather than Qocho), since that will make them more accessible to English speakers, the author then informs the reader that she will use Beshbaliq (not Beshbalik, as one would expect) for the city known in Chinese sources as Beiting, this certainly makes understanding more difficult. Thirdly as one would expect in a book intended for the general market, this work contains neither annotation nor a bibliography, although it does offer suggestions for further reading (pp. 226-29). The book has numerous illustrations, including color and black-and-white photographs, and maps. It also has a Table of Rulers, 739-960 (pp. 230-31) that containsfor no clear reason other than much of it has been taken directly (and not without the introduction of errors) from one of Whitfields sources (6)Frankish and Byzantine monarchs as well as those of the Islamic world, China, Tibet, the Turks and Uighurs. There is an index of subjects and proper names as well. In the end I ill just like to conclude by saying that for the general reader, this book may well serve as an engaging and lively evocation of its subject. For the scholar, teacher, or serious student, however, its problems are sufficiently great as to limit its utility.

Light in August Essay

William Faulkner’s celebrated novel Light in August says the tale of an orphan Joe Christmas, who has an unknown or doubtful ancestry who considers himself to be part-black. The novel includes excellent themes that involve issues of gender, race, community and religion. The capture of the racist identity and the portrayal of Calvinistic religion are the main features of the novel. Light in August is one of the best works of William Faulkner. The story starts with Lena Grove, a helpless pregnant girl (from Alabama) who set out of her house in search of her unborn baby’s father Lucas Burch. Lucas Burch had actually escaped from Lena so that he need not bear the burden of fatherhood. Lena’s hunting for Lucas Burch make her reach another man with the same name Byron Bunch. He was a simple man who makes friendship with Lena and later falls in love with her. Byron was kindhearted and provided Lena with home and security that the actual Byron Bunch (the child’s father) could not provide. After that we can see Byron narrating his feelings for Lena to the former Presbyterian minister Rev. Gail Hightower who was pushed to withdraw from his ministry as his wife committed suicide. In the middle of this strange story between Lena Grove and Lucas Burch, there appears Joe Christmas the roommate of Lucas Burch. He was an orphan working in the planing mill like Byron Bunch. The word ‘Christmas’ was added to his name as it was on the day of Christmas that he reached the orphanage. Christmas was also not sure about his ancestry as he wandered across in search of his lineage; a voyage for self-discovery. Christmas’ journey led him to Jefferson, Mississippi where he falls in a dangerous relation with Joanna Burden spinsterish civil rights activist. This affair led him to grave destruction. The most interesting theme of Light in August is the Southern issue with racial identity. Joe is mistreated and humiliated as people suspect that he has a black ancestry. They never him the way they treat white people (Dondlinger, 98-125). We can find in Light in August that majority of the characters are influenced by the notion of race disparity. For example, Joanna Burden, Joe Christmas, Doc Hines, Nathaniel Burde and lastly Percy Grimm are some or the other way influenced by the concept of race (Towner, 45-65). Some of the characters become victims of the senseless racial classification and suffer. Others who are out of this threat believe that there is nothing wrong in treating blacks inhumanly on the basis of racial difference. Racial discrimination is quite acceptable for them (Dondlinger, 98-125). For example The Jefferson sheriff, Watt Kennedy appears to be a decent man. However we can see him punishing a randomly chosen black person in an unwanted investigation (appeared unwanted at first). Similarly several other characters are found to be under the grip of the notion of race. Gender also plays a crucial role in the novel Light in August. Male-female identity and relations is an important topic. For example, we can find Joe being hostile to women. Lena’s baby’s father Lucas Burch also ran away from his pregnant wife; he was also fleeing away from women. Byron Bunch also did not have any plans to marry and was living a lonely life till Lena comes. He was adjusting his life in such a way that he could continue living alone. Rev. Gail Hightower also do not have a good fellowship with women as he led his wife to suicide. Another character Joanna Burden does not even marry. However we can find that the author never attempts to contrast the lonely life of these unfortunate characters with any happy or satisfied normal family or love relationships until the novel reaches the last chapter. We can see that the marriage of Hines and McEachern was also not a happy one. Moreover the Armstids also do not appear to have any love among them. Finally it appears to come to a happy end when Byron Bunch moves away with Lena Grove. But disappointment suddenly comes in she refuses him to share her bed. That relation also seems to be failure. The only relationship that appears to be happy is the relationship of the furniture dealer and his wife. They only had a relationship that had any trace of happiness or satisfaction.

The Sociology of the Hunger Games Essay - 1026 Words

In a not-too-distant, some 74 years, into the future the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 13 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games; these children are referred to as tributes (Collins, 2008). The Games are meant to be viewed as entertainment, but every citizen knows their purpose, as brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts. The televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eradicate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. The main character†¦show more content†¦It is not said but possibly assumed that this was done to keep the district from rising up together. In order for the government to justify the Hunger Games, it keeps its minor districts in a constant state or poverty, requiring the childre n to take food rations in return for having their name entered in the lottery. Each ration counts your name once and if your name is called, you must enter the Games and fight your fellow district members to the death (2008). These acts while claiming they promote courage, honor, and determination in its citizens and participants do nothing more but enforce the submissiveness and loyalty of the society. Through both of these things, the American values of activity and work and efficiency and practicality (2003) are the only ones that survive to our grandchildren’s generation. That is unless you find racism and group superiority to be a valid type of value. It does not seem that in any state that education, democracy, equality, progress, or freedom (2003) are even thought of let alone key to the running of the society. 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Who Was the Inventor of the iPod

On October 23, 2001, Apple Computers publicly introduced its portable music digital player the iPod. Created under project codename Dulcimer, the iPod was announced several months after the release of iTunes, a program that converted audio CDs into compressed digital audio files and allowed users to organize their digital music collection. The iPod turned out to be one of Apples most successful and popular products. More importantly, it helped enable the company to return to dominance in an industry where it had been losing ground to competitors. And while Steve Jobs has largely been credited with the iPod and the companys subsequent turnaround, it was another employee who is considered to be the father of the iPod.   Who Invented the iPod? Tony Fadell was a former employee of General Magic and Phillips who wanted to invent a better MP3 player. After being turned down by RealNetworks and Phillips, Fadell found support for his project with Apple. He was hired by Apple Computers in 2001 as an independent contractor to lead a team of 30 people to develop the new MP3 player. Fadell partnered with a company called PortalPlayer who had been working on their own MP3 player to design the software for the new Apple music player. Within eight months, Tony Fadells team and PortalPlayer completed a prototype iPod. Apple polished the user interface, adding the famous scroll wheel. In a Wired magazine article titled Inside Look at Birth of the iPod, former senior manager  Ben Knauss at PortalPlayer revealed that Fadell was familiar with PortalPlayers reference designs for a couple of MP3 players, including one about the size of a cigarette packet. And though the design was unfinished, several prototypes had been built and Fadell recognized the designs potential. Jonathan Ive, Senior Vice President of Industrial Design at Apple Computers, took over after Fadells team had finished their contract and kept perfecting the iPod itself. iPod Products The success of the iPod led to several new and upgraded versions of the wildly popular portable music player. In 2004, Apple introduced the iPod Mini — a smaller, more portable music player that featured a 138x110 LCD screen and an easy-to-use interface with click wheel to scroll through playlists and options.In 2005, Steve Jobs debuted the smallest iPod model, called the iPod Shuffle. It was the first iPod to  use faster and more durable flash memory to store music files.  The iPod Mini was replaced in late 2005 by the iPod Nano, which also featured flash memory. Later generations offered a color LCD screen.In 2007, Apple released the sixth-generation iPod, called the iPod Classic, which featured a thinner, metallic design, improved battery life, and  up to 36 hours of music playback and six hours of video playback.  In 2007, Apple also released the iPod Touch, the first iPod product with a touch screen interface similar to the iPhone. Besides playing music, users can play videos, snap photos, and play video games. Fun Facts Apparently, Fadell is quite a character. He was once asked where he would be in life if hed grown up before computers were invented. Fadells response was In jail.What was the first song played using iTunes, Apples proprietary software? It was a house-music dance tune called Groovejet (If This Aint Love).The first generation iPods had scroll wheels that physically rotated. Post-2003 iPods (third generation) have touch-sensitive wheels. Fourth generation (2004) iPods have buttons integrated onto the wheel.The iPods wheel technology can measure changes in position greater than 1/1,000th of an inch. Sources Kahney, Leander. Inside Look at Birth of the iPod. Wired, July 21, 2004. McCracken, Harry. Before iPod and Nest: Fast Company’s 1998 Tony Fadell profile. Fast Company, June 4, 2016.