Nian, the Chinese Spring or New Years Day Festival

Nian, the Chinese Spring or New Years Day Festival The Spring Festival is the grandest festival for the Chinese. The Spring Festival is also called Nian, but who knows the term, Nian, was once the name of a furious monster that lived on human beings in the ancient time. How the festival has some relationship with the monster lies in a story about the origin and development of the Spring Festival. The legend says, long ago, there was a monster called Nian. It was born to be very ugly and ferocious, which looked like either dragons or unicorns. On the first and the 15th of each lunar month, the monster would come down from the mountains to hunt people. So people were very much afraid of it and locked their doors early before sunset on the days of its coming. There lived an old wise man in a village. He thought it was the panic in people that made the monster so bold and furious. Thus the old man asked people to organize together and to conquer the monster by means of beating drums and gongs, burning bamboo, and lighting fireworks for the purpose of making large noises to threaten the hateful monster. When he told people about the idea, everybody agreed on it. On a moonless and freezing cold night, the monster, Nian, appeared again. The moment it opened its mouth to people, burst out the frightening noises and fire made by people, and wherever the monster went, it was forced to back off by the terrible noises. The monster couldnt stop running until he fell down with exhaustion. Then people jumped up and killed the evil monster. Savage as the monster was, he lost in the end under the efforts from the cooperation of people. Since then, people have kept the tradition by beating drums and gongs, and lighting fireworks at the coldest day in winter to drive the imagined monsters away and to celebrate the victory over it. Today, Nian refers to the New Years Day or the Spring Festival. People often say Guo Nian, which means live the festival. Furthermore, Nian also means the year. For example, the Chinese often greet each other by saying Xin Nian Hao, which means Happy New Year! Xin means new and Hao means good.

Eleanor Roosevelt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Eleanor Roosevelt - Essay Example Eleanor Roosevelt had contrasting kinds of relationship with her father and mother that shaped her independent and caring identity. Elliott Roosevelt had quite successful brothers, with whom he had differences with. Elliott, instead of establishing himself in any particular profession (Wills 80), became more of a drunkard though, and because of this, his older brothers eventually banished the former to Virginia because they thought being apart from his family would change him (Youngs 46). Despite his physical separation from his family, Elliott loved his daughter, Eleanor, so much that he sent her letters, and Eleanor loved him dearly in return (Youngs 45). Before he left for Virginia, he even painted a picture for her (Youngs 45). Elliott’s relationship with his daughter developed Eleanor’s strong sense of independence and compassion. For instance, in terms of independence, Elliott wanted his daughter to â€Å"love the outdoors as he did† (Youngs 48). The outdoo rs symbolizes freedom and independence. Furthermore, Elliott wanted his daughter to be as gentle as he was. ... relationship with her mother had been strained, but their relationship, however different from her father’s, helped her to focus more on inward development than physical looks. Anna did not seem to like that Eleanor was her opposite in terms of looks and interests, and she even told her once: â€Å"You're so plain that you have really nothing to do except be good† (Wills 80). Anna’s stern treatment and criticism of her daughter might be one of the reasons that Eleanor shied away from the public limelight, even when married already to FDR. Nevertheless, Eleanor Roosevelt’s introvert nature might also have helped her develop herself more intellectually and socially, but in a more social-interest-oriented way. Eleanor Roosevelt bloomed as a student, where her school life and experiences improved her self-esteem and enhanced her independent personality. Eleanor studied at Allenwood, an exclusive-for-girls school near London. Marie Souvestre was the headmistres s of Allenswood Academy, and she motivated Eleanor to become more active in school and civic duties. Youngs depicts Eleanor in her intellectual growth as she realized, that, in school, â€Å"she did not have to strain to win attention; she simply had to be herself† because in an academic environment, people were similar to her in interests and aspirations because they were â€Å"more interested in ideas than social conventions† (65). Souvestre helped Eleanor find her mission in life- to be of service to others. Eleanor excelled in school and participated in community activities. When Eleanor went back to New York in 1902, she volunteered at the Rivington Street Settlement House on the Lower East Side, where she served as one of the teachers of the immigrant poor’s children (Wills 81). Hence, her education

Human Resource Management - Learning Assignment

Human Resource Management - Learning - Assignment Example In order to understand these new needs, and fit the support systems to the business context, HR professionals need to be part of the planning process right from the start. The strategy that a company adopts has to be deliverable, and the contribution of HR can make sure that the whole organization is geared up to match strategic objectives, using tools like rewards systems, orientation programs, working time arrangements and many others. If strategic planning and HR are separate, then a gap can develop which hampers progress towards corporate objectives. If HR is involved in strategic planning then employees can be sure that details such as the terms of their contracts and the working arrangements in their teams have been put together in alignment with company objectives. There is consistency across the board when points of debate or contention arise, and employees are less likely to be caught between conflicting messages. HR can serve as a useful channel for information to flow from the very top of the organization to the very bottom, and across the whole width of different departments or sections. The organization is therefore bonded together more fully. This means employee views are heard and their concerns can be fed into all processes at all stages. Sensitive processes like down-sizing are likely to run much more smoothly and fairly when HR considerations have been included in the planning stage. Management directives and core corporate values are much more likely to be adopted if HR has influenced their formation and implement ation (Williams, 2010). 3 What do you think are the risks involved (to HR and the organization as a whole) if HR does not make this a priority and instead remains a purely task-oriented department mostly administrative in nature? If HR remains a task-oriented department it will more than likely find itself in

Editing and Conclusion Writing Essay Example for Free

Editing and Conclusion Writing Essay Initial Conclusion: As my report states, you will not always you’re entire life have to devote yourselves to cleening up the enviroment in order to make a differance to the World. Therefore, we should all put more enargy in to re cycling. Its made a difference in my house because we useto have more trash then we do now since we re cycle.   Also, seperating is good. I hope you enjoyed reading my paper on re cycling. THE END 🙂 Revised Conclusion: As can be seen in the aforementioned discussion, it is not necessarily to entirely devote one’s self to cleaning the environment in order to make a difference in the world. It is only necessary to develop environmental friendly habits such as recycling one’s trash. The benefits of recycling are not only limited to having cleaner surroundings but also extends to the maintenance of a cleaner and healthier environment.

Moll Flanders :: Moll Flanders Essays

George Eliot wrote, "It is never too late to be who you might have been." As I read those words, I was hard pressed to find another who fit them as well as Moll Flanders. Despite circumstance and luck and odds set against her at every turn, this woman refused to bow to the conventional wisdom that normally rules the downtrodden and the dispossessed. And it is in that tenacity of spirit I find Eliot's words ringing true. Moll Flanders born into a world of pad-locked doors and dark menacing corners was destined for greatness simply because she lived it. The story begins as a tale told to an orphan recovered and claimed by Hibble, a man of mystery, dark and wise. The orphan, Flora, has been retrieved by Hibble and is on a journey to America to meet a fate she does not understand. Along the way, Hibble has been instructed to read to her the diary of her mother, Moll Flanders. It is an introduction to a woman who’s soul does not come across well on the written page, but Hibble struggles along, trying to entice the young girl with the memory of an extraordinary friend and confidante. Threats and lectures begin a journey that soon intrigues the young woman on its own merit. Her mother, it would seem, was more than she ever dreamed. And it is in those pages that we find a hero of our own. Moll Flanders, born to a convicted thief, was orphaned the day she was born as the state carried out the sentence of death put upon her mother. Moll landed at the foot of the Church, learning how to read, to pray and to fend off hypocrisy and the groping hand of the priest in the bargain. Leaving the Church in an unorthodox manner, Moll bounced from home to home, finding herself too much for some and too little to ward off others. Along the way, she learned to laugh and to limp because of the kindness and cruelty that abound in our worlds. It was in the kindness that Moll found herself bound in love to an unlikely artist and it was in that union Flora was conceived.

African Penguins

The topic of my report is african penguins who are also known as black footed penguins . I chose this topic because through out my life i have seen penguins only in Antarctica which made me wander how can they survive on islands. The main characteristics are that they are 26-27 inches in height and there weight is 4-11 pounds. There back is colored black and there front is colored white which has a black stripe. They have large black beak and feet. They sound like donkeys when they communicate with each other. Another interesting haracteristics is they have pink glands above each eye and their average swimming speed is 4-12 MPH. The African Penguin are found in South Africa which is in the southern hemisphere. After penguin choose their partner for life, breeding occurs throughout the year. Although the main breeding begins in February, Nest are constructed and two eggs are laid and they incubate for 38-42 days. When the eggs hatch the parents care for the baby penguins for 8-18 weeks. African Penguins like to hunt in the nutrient rich cold water and like to eat mainly fish such as squid, anchovies and a few other things The major facts about african penguins are that they are only found in south coast of africa. There is no other place in the world where these penguins are found. There is no fixed breeding season it can happen throughout the year. The enemies of penguins are sharks,killer whales and other dangerous marine creatures. In conclusion i very much enjoyed researching about this animal because they have a lot of interesting facts that the penguins in Antarctica don't have. The most interesting fact i learned was they have pink glands above there eyes.

Essay about Enduring Self - 758 Words

Is there an enduring self? John Locke believed, the enduring self is defined by a person’s memory. With memory there is an enduring self, and without it there is no self at all. I believe there is an enduring self, but it is a little more complicated than that. Even if a person encounters a dramatic change to his/her life, they are still the same self, the same person. I believe memory is not the only factor that defines the self. Many things form this enduring self, and these things work together to form an identity, to form who you are now. These things are your memories, your experiences and your personality. You may change and grow over time as you are exposed to new experiences, but under it all you are still ....you. But is a†¦show more content†¦I am, essentially, the same person Ive always been (and my memories go back to age two ). Hopefully Ive honed the good points and dulled the bad points in the last few decades, but really ... at my core ... Im the same. I just dont think people, at their very core, change that dramatically. Someone who commits a heinous crime (intentionally, not accidentally) always has that innate potential to do it again, IMHO. At any age. Another way of looking at it is to think about cooking. Think of yourself as a base or main ingredient. The more ingriendients you add will affect the taste, consistency, color and even taste, but no matter how many other ingredients you add, the main ingredient is still ....you. Time for more on time. With this being said, there is something else Ive been curious about. It could argued that our common-sense notion of endurance through time is incorrect. That this mistaken self-conception lead us to experience the passage of time. If so, this would be illusory no? And if this enduring ‘me’ is an illusion then so is the passage of time. In other words, if the enduring ‘me’ is an illusion, then so is the passage of time. Ceasing to think of myself as an enduring subject should result in my ceasing to experience the passage of time no? Coming to think of myself as permanent should result in my coming to experience different temporal parts of myself at different moments, but no enduring self past which those moments can flow. Again,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of A Streetcar Named Desire 1702 Words   |  7 PagesPractice Essay: Emilia Kelly The two texts of Enduring Love and A Streetcar named Desire show privilege of one way of perceiving the world over the other in their conclusions. Ian McEwan’s Enduring Love, shows favour of Joe’s scientific and rational view but also demonstrates that it is flawed. Similarly, Tennessee Williams shows that realism in inevitable but is not always desirable in the play A Streetcar Names Desire. 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