Ancient Greek Theatre | Lysistrata

Ancient Greek Theatre | Lysistrata Ancient Greek theatre has been a fascination to millions of people across the centuries. Theatre is one of the most important innovations of the Greek civilization. Ancient Greek theatre which began as a religious ceremony eventually became as expressed by Cohen a mixture of myth, legend, philosophy, social commentary, poetry, dance, music, public participation, and visual splendor (as cited in Phillips, 2000). The well known playwrights Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes and others have contributed largely in the teachings of nobleness, morality, courage, and patriotism throughout time. Many of the stories written Oedipus, Medea, Antigone etc. have endured the passage of time. Moreover, audiences contribution was crucial in ancient Greek theatre because poets success and recognition as good representatives of the Greek culture and civilization largely depended on the audiences negative/positive feedback. From the Antiquity, the role of Greek theatre has not altered. It wa s and still is used to be entertaining, frivolous, and instructional. Greek theaters were located in outdoor spaces which were known as amphitheaters. The amphitheater was purposely chosen by the Greeks to hold these venues not only because they preferred being outdoors but also because they used the construction methods available in their time period to create the most useful and efficient space possible to be used in producing the type of entertainment that was popular in their culture as stated by John Holloway (2010). Greek theatre consisted of four major components: the Orchestra which was the circular dancing floor where the chorus would sing, dance, and act together with the actors, Theatron which was the viewing place, Skene which was the tent or the decorated building behind the stage, and Parados which was the passageways used by the chorus, actors, and audience as entrances and exits to the amphitheater (as shown in figure 1). Figure 1 Greek Theatre Note. This figure is retreived from http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/ search?q=cache:v9_sNzGD5hsJ:www.slideshare.net Nevertheless, ancient Greek theatre cannot be demonstrated without shedding the light on Athens. Athens was a Greek city-state identified for its political, military, and cultural power. Athens was considered the center of Greek culture and theatre. Greek theatre originally initiated with Athens festivals. Athens had four festivals for worshipping the god of fertility and wine Dionysus who was the son of the god Zeus and the mortal Semele. The Athenians celebrated their annual fertility four tribal festivals known as Festival of the Wine Jugs and Old Dionysia in March with a whole week of public wine drinking and phallus, penis worshipping religious orgy (Cohen,n.d.;Phillips, 2000). The religious rites for these festivals eventually took the shape of poetry that later developed to become plays. Greek plays and drama started as an entertaining event that developed to become a powerful medium of communicating ideas. Theatre played an important role in the ancient Greek civilization because it was reflecting the flaws and values of the Greek culture. It mainly focused on solving the human conflicts and problems of the day but with a supernatural element (god or goddess). The theatre that focused on exposing societys flaws benefited the audience who would learn from them. It should be noted here that the body language used in the Greek theatre played an important role in delivering the message to the spectators. As said by Heins-Uwe Haus (1995), We feel obliged to visualize the events of the play, if we want to grasp something of the spirit and the roots of the dramatic heritage of Sophocles. It was this fusion of the artistic and the political, the formal and the philosophical, that made this experience unique. Therefore, the people in Greece were on intimate relations with th e body where they used body language as a major part of the Greek drama. After scrutinizing the Greek drama, it becomes obvious that gods in Greek society were viewed in human terms. For instance, gods can have emotions of sadness, happiness, and emotions of love; they can hold grudges, and can fight with each other. The gods in Greek plays were, like humans, uncertain of their destiny. Additionally, humanity was strongly concerned in ancient Greek drama where humans were elevated from animals. Human harmony depended on the interaction between human and divine forces where peace would be endangered if disharmony existed (Tripod members, 2004). Figure 2. Theatre Masks Note. Retrieved from http://www.crystalinks.com/greektheater.html Greek plays consisted of two major types: tragedy and comedy. The two masks, in figure 2, symbolize both the comedy and tragedy aspects of the Greek Theatre. These two masks that represent duality were worn in ancient Greece during the golden age, around 500 300 BC. With respect to tragedy, it was expressed by Aristotle as: an imitation of an important and complete action, which has a specific length, written in an embellished language, with its separate parts set in order and not randomly, in active and not narrative form, tending through pity and fear to the catharsis of passions. The word tragedy was derived from the words Tragos meaning goat and ode meaning song. The reason behind this vague origin had to do with two possibilities: the first which was related to the choruses who were dressed in lion-skins of goats, and the second which was linked to the prize for best song that was a goat. Ancient Greek tragedy mainly depended on stories of myth or history but with varied interpretations of events. It mainly focused on psychological and ethical attributes of characters instead of physical and sociological ones. Tragedy was dominated by the works and innovations of three well-known playwrights: Aeschylus (525-456 B.C.) who was known for his tragic trilogy the Oresteia which enlarge the possibilities for dramatics through the com munication between two characters in his plays. Aeschylus made use of a third character; however, Sophocles (496-406 B.C.) was the one who actually began it. The latter was known for his trilogy Oedipus Rex where his plays decreased the job of the chorus in Greek drama in order to enhance the interaction between characters and the progress of the character itself. The third tragedian was Euripides (480-406 B.C.) who indicated the ultimate form of drama and employed a more naturalistic and human aspects in his plays. An example of tragedy can be the famous speech of Macbeth (Tripod members, 2004): Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day, To the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Lifes but a walking shadow; a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more: It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing. With respect to comedy, the word comedy was derived from Comoi which was the name of a god meaning amusement and entertainment. It was usually based on a happy idea that used exaggerated, ridiculous, and sensual pleasures; for instance, a peace with a power or sex strike to stop war. Comedy plays commented and criticized contemporary society, politics, literature and Peloponnesian War. Two playwrights were famous in this domain: Aristophanes (448-380 B.C.) and Menander (342-292 B.C.). Comedy was not as popular as tragedy at first. However, the popularity of Comedy was accompanied with the diminishing of the popularity of tragedy which highly represented the role of theatre. Therefore, tragedy was at its peak in Greek society when the society was at its height whereas comedy (a means for decreasing frustrations) was at its peak during the decline of Greek government. A good example of comedy can be a funny tale about a strong woman Lysistrata who led a female union to stop the war in Greece. This play, written by Aristophanes, can be a good demonstration of the role of women in ancient Greek time. Women, in this play, were revealed as deceiving, mischievous, strong, smart, cunning, and as being leaders. Lysistratas cunning was shown through her great plan of refusing sex by the wives to their husbands. She knew that by refusing sex, peace would be gained since men would not be able to resist this situation. Moreover, what revealed the cleverness of women was when they took over the Akropolis. Lysistrata was able to give a speech on how to run the government and was capable of changing the situations that she didnt like; she was a true clever leader. For instance, Lysistrata mentioned: If we sat around at home all made up, and walked past them wearing only our see-through underwear and with our pubes plucked in a neat triangle, and our husbands got hard and hankered to ball us, but we didnt go near them and kept away, theyd sue for peace, and pretty quick, you can count on that! (as cited in Gruber-Miller, 1987). Also, Lysistrata said: The older women are assigned that part: while were working out our agreement down here, theyll occupy the Akropolis, pretending to be up there for a sacrifice (as cited in Gruber-Miller, 1987). The Warriors in Lysistrata said (Tripod members, 2004): First Speaker: For through mans heart there runs in flood A natural and noble taste for blood Second Speaker: To form a ring and fight Third Speaker: To cut off heads at sight All in Unison: It is our right! Youth Come, listen now to the good old days when children, strange to tell, were seen not heard, led a simple life, in short were brought up well. Although women were not permitted to engage in ancient Greek plays or even to be with the audience, women made their own festivals in order to gather and discuss their issues with each other. Women played an important role in the Greek society; it was like what people nowadays in our society say behind a great man there is a woman. It was the same case where behind every hero there was a woman. Greek theatre spread its cultural influences to Egypt, the Middle East, Rome, and then the whole world. This indicates how much the Greek theatre has influenced our modern theater. Without ancient theater, the form of entertainment nowadays may not have existed. As indicated by Rebekah Martin (2006):Without the influences of Dionysus festivals and Greek drama, Shakespeare would have no foundation, and Andrew Lloyd Webber would be out of a job. Therefore, the roots of drama have affected everything from radio drama to modern cinema.

Free My Antonia Essays: Female Roles :: My Antonia Essays

Female Roles in My Antonia "THERE was a curious social situation in black hawk. All the young men felt the attraction of the fine, well-set-up country girls who had come to town to earn a living, and, in nearly every case, to help their fathers struggle out of debt, or to make it possible for the younger children of the family to go to school." (Page 127) This was the way of life for most girls around the 1920s. The book My Antonia by Willa Cather, Refreshingly creates female roles and strong personalities. Frances Harling, Molly Gardner, And Lena Lingard are excellent examples of such women. Frances Harling is one of the vast examples of what a strong woman can be. She is very responsible. She takes care of her father's business when he goes out of town, and on Sundays she would go to the office just to read the mail. Frances is very talented. She could play the piano with out a light and talk to her mother at the same time. Frances also was one of the most dependable people in town. If any one had a wedding she would bring a present. If there was a funeral she would be there to help console them. You could always count on her to be there. Molly Gardner had a strong personality. Molly would show her personality by the way she presented herself. Jim the narrator said "Mrs. Gardener was admittedly the best-dressed woman in Black Hawk, drove the best horse, and had a smart trap and a little wh ite-and-gold sleigh."(Page 117) Molly liked to have the best meterial goods in the town, and she liked to show them off. Mollys personality was the reason that her husband’s and her business did so well. Jim also said "†¦he knew that without her he would hardly be more that a clerk in some other man’s hotel."(Page 122) Molly would also go on all the business trips because she was the smarter one between her and her husband. Lena Lingard was not one of the most respected people in town, but she wanted to improve herself. She wanted to get away from the farm she thought the work on the farm was endless. Lena had left the farm at a young age to become a seamstress and study under Mrs. Tomas, a well known dress-maker in town.

The Arab Conquest of the Central Asia Essay -- History, Muslim Populat

The Arab Conquest of the Central Asia was a significant event which impacted on the whole region at the beginning of the eighth century. Abu Ja’far Muhammad al-Tabari was one of the historians who described this conquest for the Muslim population later in ninth century by using different accounts (p. 16). His text is useful for the evaluation of Qutayba’s conquests of Central Asia and can be compared with the same century’s Persian historian al-Baladhuri (p. 11) and his description of the Arab Conquest. This excerpt can be regarded as relevant to the Silk Roads Survey due to the fact that it reflects in detail all aspects of past events, and emphasizes their historical importance. Firstly, the author refers to accounts from various sources (p.16) and describes in detail what happened during the seizure of Sogda. Secondly, when al-Tabari narrates about the events occurred in this region he uses direct quotations of the Arab conquerors and Sogdian defenders. For instance, when Sogdians asked Fergana kings for the support (p.17) al-Tabari demonstrates the full reflection of things happ...

How College Students Use Wikipedia for Course-Related Essay

Why then are academics so wary about the use of Wikipedia within universities? There are a number of related reasons. Before outlining them we should acknowledge that there may be differences according to academic discipline in attitudes towards Wikipedia. Speaking to academics from the natural and medical sciences over the last year, it seems that those subjects are less concerned with issues of originality of source than the arts and social sciences. It also may be [pic] and this is genuine speculation [pic] that academics in the English speaking world, where most of the academic controversy over Wikipedia use has been, are more sensitive to the source than in other parts of the world. These qualifications aside, there are definite reasons why Wikipedia use is, at the very least, contentious in universities. First, it is the product of anonymous individuals rather than known authorities, Wales is quite explicit on this: One of the fastest things we’re beginning to lose is the view of the world that there are a handful of thoughtful, intelligent people that should be broadcasting their views to everyone. And then the public is some sort of crazed rabble, easily swayed by rhetoric and so forth. Now we have to have a more nuanced understanding. Wikipedia is not necessarily anti-academic but it is anti-elitist as evidenced by the short shrift given to eminent academics in debates when they expected deference (see Keen 2007, 43[pic]4). Second, the non-proprietary nature of Wikipedia cuts against academic culture which valorises the rights of the author and publisher. Third, the anonymity of Wikipedia articles is alien to the cache of the named writer of the journal article or book. Fourth, the collaborative process challenges the norm of individual creation, prevalent in the arts and social sciences. Fifth, as intimated, Wikipedia departs from the standard mode of vetting by peer review. It is not true that articles are not reviewed. On the contrary, they are scrutinised by far more editors than for any journal. However, as the contributor is generally not an academic expert, so the reviewer is not generally an academic expert. So Wikipedia rejects academic custom in the compilation of knowledge. In addition, there are a number of what might be termed ‘learning and teaching’ issues pertaining to its use within universities. First, there is the issue of the accuracy of Teaching in Higher Education 651 Downloaded by [University of Glasgow] at 05:27 12 December 2012 Wikipedia entries, something that relates to the lack of formal expertise and peer review. Reviews of the accuracy of Wikipedia entries by formal expert(s) have actually been generally positive (for natural sciences see Giles 2005; American history Meier 2008). Despite this, the suspicion still surrounds Wikipedia that it cannot be trusted. O’Sullivan’s (2009, 119) assertion that ‘most people probably have an ambivalent attitude toward Wikipedia, thankful for its existence, using it frequently, but with reservations about its total reliability’ seems valid. Some academics would no doubt sympathise with the sardonic observation of comedian Frankie Boyle that Wikipedia entries should begin with ‘I reckon’. Second, some have questioned whether Wikipedia’s determination for studied neutrality is convincing. O’Sullivan (2010) complains that as Wikipedia only displays one voice, diversity is not incorporated and therefore articles become bland. Wales’s response is unapologetic: ‘Guilty as charged, we’re an encyclopedia’ (in Read 2006). Not that his approach to knowledge is without theory, it derives rather from his admiration for the convoluted ‘objectivist philosophy’ of Aryan Rand, the Russian e?migre? philosopher and novelist (Younkins 2007). A third learning and teaching concern is that, regardless of the reliability of Wikipedia, it is in itself an illegitimate form of research. Here the thinking would be that a student who culls Wikipedia for assignments does not understand scholarship. This consists of the consideration of various sources: a judicious sifting and ordering of knowledge, rather than lifting bite sized chunks of text that purport to capture a subject. On this Wales concurs, telling students: ‘For God sake, you’re in college; don’t cite the encyclopedia’ (in Young 2006). Some universities in the US have banned Wikipedia use, whilst others recommend a more discriminating approach (Jaschik 2007; Murley 2008). The latter is what Wales and others within Wikipedia advise: it should be used only as a starting place in academic research, a references source and a revision aid. What, however, is the evidence on Wikipedia use by students and academics at universities?

Examine the management opportunities and challenges associated with the use Of a named global vegetation system

The global vegetation system that I am going to be using is the tropical rain forest. Tropical rain forests (TRF) are usually found along or near the equator. These are equatorial climates and inn these climates there are no seasons. The TRF has a very large range of species. There are a lot of tropical hardwoods here, such as mahogany, Oak, Ipe and many more. The direct use for people is to burn the wood that they cut down from the tropical rainforests. An indirect use would be to sell the wood on. There are three scales of how humans affect the TRF, small scale is shifting cultivation, on a medium scale there would be plantations and on a large scale the is deforestation. Equally there are challenges caused as a consequence of how we use it. There a number of environmental challenges that humans face. Firstly the climate here, it is hot wet and humid. These conditions make it hard for humans to live there. There can also be disease here, and pests such as spiders, snakes etc. These become a physical challenge for people to over come. The surface of the TRF can become very swampy in places, this means that it can be very hard for people to move around in the TRF. The density of the TRF is immense, it is incredible difficult for people to get into and to move about in there. Shifting cultivation has opportunities for local people. These local people will use the slash/burn method for making a clearing, here they will grow some crops (usually yams). They have hunters/gatherers who will go out and get food from the area surrounding the clearing they have made. They will live in this clearing for around 4 years, by this time the nutrients start to become depleted, this is one of the challenges that they face. Now they have to move several kilometres away and make sure that they are not in the area where they sent their hunters/gatherers. The clearing that they left will start to grow back. These people have now become part of the eco system and are challenging to become the top carnivores. The population has started to explode in these places and has significantly increased. This practise how now become less viable and there is now less opportunities for the clearings to re grow and therefore there is going to be more and more clearings made in the TRF and they wont be getting the chance to grow back. This is one of the big challenges that they will now face. Plantations are on a medium to large scale of how humans will affect the TRF. Plantations are set up by colonies (MEDC's), and multi national companies. They aim to grow the same crop over large areas of land that would have naturally grown there any way such as tea, coffee, rubber etc. A very large area has got to be cleared so that the plantations can operate. The opportunities for a plantation are huge. They can use the plantation all year round due to the climate being ideal (hot, wet, humid) and there being no seasons. They are able to exploit the forest and use it economically by selling off the crops that they produce. And as they produce a large amount they will make big profits. One big challenge that plantations face is the fact that the diversity of species has been replaced and is now a mono culture. Where there was once area of many species, they are now dominated by single crops on large areas of land. Pests and disease in a TRF are controlled, but in a plantation all the plants are the same so if a disease gets in there all the plants are going to be infected. Also the nutrient cycle is going to be affected by plantations. Growing the same crop over and over again uses the same nutrients and we get soil depletion. Plantations are a manipulation of the eco system. Deforestation has a phenomenal affect on the TFF. The tropical hardwoods have a big demand around the world and this is where they get them. They generate good income for the people who are selling them. The demand for these woods leads to a devastating affect on the TRF. The diversity of species inside the TRF is phenomenal, and this causes a big problem. In 1sqkm there may only be one mahogany tree, if this is the tree that is needed the people are not able to just go and get that one. The forest is so dense they have to pull down all the trees in that area to get to that one. This is mass clearance and has a devastating affect on the TRF. When a tree is chopped down it is going to wipe out a lot of trees in the process. As an affect of this deforestation there is going to be soil erosion. When the trees get pulled down the soil is left exposed to the elements. Afforestation is a process, which should take place after deforestation happens. This is where trees are re planted. To conclude what I have written, there is always going to be management opportunities in a tropical rain forest whether it is on a small scale or on a large scale. The affects that these opportunities have on the tropical rainforest varies. On one hand the affects can be minor as in the local moving land in shifting cultivation due to soil depletion. But the affects can also be devastating, as in deforestation where there is mass clearance and an area of the tropical rain forest is destroyed. So there are opportunities but they can come at a big cost to the environment.

My Choice for My Future Career

Name: My NGUYEN Instructor: Mr. Voeller Class: ESOL 0051 Date: April 3rd, 2012. Final draft My choice for my future career Today the economic crisis continuously affects the life of everyone in the United States, especially young adults who have just graduated from high school and prepared for independent life. So the most important question for every youngster is which career he or she wants to do with his or her life. It is important because if our choices are wrong, we will waste our money, our time, and maybe our mental and physical health.However, we might not know if the path we chose will be the correct one until later in life. Right now I am confident in my decision of becoming a pharmacist for the three reasons below. First and foremost, we must have a passion for and an interest in our career because we will work in our field every day. In this case, as a pharmacist, we must have a strong interest in health care, science and especially chemistry (Bolster, Brynildssen, Cohen , and co-writers 676). My interest in chemistry began when I was in tenth grade, the Royal Australian Chemical Institute and my school held a Chemistry Exam for all of students in my grade.My classmates and I studied and prepared a lot for this exam because we heard that the awards would be a scholarship to study abroad in Australia. However, when studying for the exam, I was actually interested in chemistry myself. So, although for this exam I only got the bronze medal but the knowledge that I gained from this experience was priceless. When I did the research for this exam, I realized that many discoveries in chemistry would be used in medicine to prevent or to cure human diseases. For example, I respected Marie Curie, the female scientist who discovered the element radium.That element is used in X-Ray to diagnose diseases; in Radiotherapy, a treatment method using in Oncology; and in Radiopharmacy, â€Å"the use of radioactive drugs for diagnostic or therapeutic purpose† (B olster, Brynildssen, Cohen, and co-writers 674). At that time I hoped that I would have many chances in the future to study more about chemistry and how it is applied in health care. In this Chemistry exam, I had a lab session so my friends and I had some hours to practice in lab with our instructor. I was excited with every lecture and lab session. I liked to practice in lab, and see the chemical reactions.I had some memorable experience in chemistry lab, such as creating a small explosion when combining some chemicals together; and burning my hand when pouring a liquid too fast. My chemistry teacher said that if I liked to study chemistry and find information about this field then I would become a chemist or a pharmacist. â€Å"Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011 Edition, Pharmacist† indicated that compounding or mixing of chemical ingredients to form medications is a part of a pharmacist’s practice. This is another reason why pharmacist is a best choice for my future career.Second, my future career choice is right because I realize that I have some qualifications that are suitable for a pharmacist. For example, from an experience of my childhood time, I knew that to become a pharmacist I must be a kind person. Furthermore, as any other health care career, I had to care for my patients as for members in my family, and to communicate well to interact with patients and co-workers. When I was six years old, I was weak and sick all the time. One time when I was hospitalized because of high fever and shortness of breath, and the medical staff in the Children Hospital influenced my dream career.They were my nurse, my doctor and my pharmacist. They did their best to help me get better. They talked to me and my parents about my disease and how to cure it. They made me feel more confident in my recovery. I cannot forger my pharmacist. She talked to me like my mother: â€Å"Honey, try to take your pills and drink more milk. You will get better and become a beautiful girl. You must be strong to study well and help any kids like you right now. † Since then, I have always thought about how and what I could do to help ill people.When playing with my sibling and my friends, I liked to play a role as a doctor. Every time my parents were ill, I was worried. I wanted to study clearly every disease that my parents had and to take care of them more closely. Whenever my school planned any field trip to nursing home, I was always the first one to raise a hand up to participate. Last but not least, I know my choice for my future career is right because I have a role model who is a pharmacist. She is a successful woman in her career and in life and is respected by almost all of my neighbors.She is Tran, a pharmacist and a professor of the College of Pharmacy in my city. I have known Mrs. Tran since I was a child, my mother used to take me to her pharmacy store together to buy medicine. One time, my father had an accident and suffered a severe back pain. This symptom became chronic and attacked my father when he worked long hours. I went to Mrs. Tran’s pharmacy with my father and I got information about a pharmacist’s job. She consulted my father how to use these drugs safely and effectively. Besides using drugs, she gave more advice and useful information to my father to relieve the pain.She talked about the right working positions to avoid backache, and also exercises like swimming and riding bicycle would be helpful for back muscles to become stronger to prevent back pain. In addition, she said that some drugs might cause stomach discomfort and should be taken with full stomach. My father got better after a few weeks using these medicines and also took her advice on trying to do these exercises. He recovered almost totally so that my father and my family appreciated Mrs. Tran a lot. Furthermore, I knew that Mrs. Tran has helped many patients in my neighbor like my father.She has held group educa tion every weekend at our community center to provide information and free medicine for poor residents. She was not only my family pharmacist but also my older friend. When I had any questions about health or medicines, she always explained clearly by an easy way and showed me how and where to get information when she was as my age. Since then, I have respected her a lot, and promised myself to study hard to become a good pharmacist like her. As time went by, when I graduated high school and prepared to choose major in college, I met her and we discussed some points about career outlooks.I was encouraged to get my dream career. Every career has its own obstacle but when I worked hard and attempt my dream career which could help people by myself, it would be worthy. Furthermore, â€Å"Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011 Edition, Pharmacist† showed that employment in my career was expected to increase faster than the average. All of these things made me decide more confide ntly. In conclusion, right now I am walking on my path to my future step by step and I am self-confident with my job because my awareness of my life goal. In a session I have attended about how to become a successful student in my College, professor Hermes T.Cervantes said, â€Å"Life was choices and you must be responsible with your choices. And to be successful in life a student should choose â€Å"the sure way† in order to â€Å"the fast way† when you got decision in any problem, especially choosing your career. † Works Cited Bolster, Carole et al: Exploring Health Care Careers. Chicago: Ferguson Publising Company, 2002. Print. Jordan, David: â€Å"Careers with the Pharmaceutical Industry†. London: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2003. Print. U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: â€Å"Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Pharmacists†. Web http://data. bls. gov/cgi-bin/print. pl/oco/ocos079. htm. March 6, 2012.

Children spend too much time playing computer games Essay

Agree or disagree: Your job has greater happiness than your social life. With the past decades witnessing a great leap in the development of the society, we are now attaching great importance to the sense of happiness which can bring us power, arouse our enthusiasm for loving life, and help us to create a promising future. While some people consider jobs provide us with greater happiness, I bolster that our social life can achieve it better. Admittedly, our job brings happiness, as it can meet both our material and spiritual needs. We will realize our self value and social value in our work, thus meeting our spiritual needs. For example, when it comes to men like Bill Gates, charity work reaches new levels of generosity and commitment. Well-known for founding the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation while also contributing to many other causes, Gates is not only one of the wealthiest men in the world-he is also one of the most giving. I’m fully convinced by the instance that one can gain happiness from work. However, a healthy relationship with our friends is the source of happiness and harbor of our heart. Communication with friends could help us get away from the pressure in our work. When we are in blue, we can talk with our friends, thus extricating ourselves from morbid emotions and even solving problems. Besides, some group work like singing, dancing and playing basketball together help us totally relaxed. Last but not the least, by engaging in social life, we can befriend people from all walks of life. Thus, we can enlarge our social networking and have a happier life. For instance, author Michael Lewis said at a speech:† One night I was invited to a dinner, where I sat next to the wife of a big shot at a giant Wall Street investment bank, called Salomon Brothers. She more or less forced her husband to give me a job. â€Å"Then he was so happy that he got a fantastic job and wrote the book Liar’s Poke which was a hit to the country. If he did not take part in the dinner, he would never have become so successful and delightful. It is a hot issue that do you agree or disagree that your job has greater  happiness than your social life does? Admittedly, your job provides opportunities(opportunities) for you to earn money and gain high career(status). However, can we say that job gives more happiness than social life does? Perhaps not; job also brings us about the deep pressure and deprives the leisure staying with friends. Despite various perspectives people hold on this controversial topic, I, given this choice, prefer to assert that social life has happiness than job does. My point of view, involves the fundamental and deep discussion(s) as follows. In the first place, Social life brings us lots of happiness and leisure when staying with our friends. Both common sense and our experiences from our daily life inform us that friends are very familiar with us, and we can gain lots (of) happiness with them. Take me as an example, in my spare time I often invite my friend to go outdoors. We often go to the Starbucks Coffee and enjoy our hobby that she most likes mocha and(while) latte is myfavorite. There are also tens (of) tastes of cookies worthy to try. Most important, they are not very expensive. We oftensite(sit) outside, enjoying our happiness, talking to each other and playing chess. We both enjoy the leisure time and feel much happy. But how can it’s going when you doing your job, you must bear the pressure coming from high quality assignments(assignments with high quality requirements). Apparently, it’s(it is) indisputable that social life brings us more happiness. In addition, an equally essential and compelling argument that deserves people’s attention is that social life enlarges our social relationships(relationship net) net and give(s) us many chances to improve ourselves. One only need to look at that in the last vacation, I participated into a social party with my parents, just as a big dinner with different people. A brother sitting nearby me kept talking with me and was very interesting. He got to know that I was a student preparing Toefl exam and had many difficulties. And(Fortunately) he was just a teacher from New Oriental School. He gave me many instructions about the listening, speaking, reading and writing learning. Then he gave me many valuable Toefl material(s)after the dinner. I followed his advice and improved my  English. If I didn’t(did not) join the dinner, can I gain the improvement? Of course not. I felt happy not only because of the improvement of the English study but also because of the enlargement of the social relationships net(relationship net). Admittedly, it is probably true that we can achieve the money and advancement from the job. But we also experience the high pressure and complex relationship with colleagues. What’s more, if we get caught in the sophisticated relationship, wewon’t(will not) be happy any more. When the advantage and disadvantage (are) carefully examined, the more striking conclusion is apparent that social life brings us more happiness than job does. To sum up, although some people might still (be) unconvinced. But the reasons and factors I have analyzed make them more aware of the dimensions under discussions. There is little doubt that more and more people realize that social life has more happiness. The lecture and the passage give contradictory opinions on the topic of the function of â€Å"great houses† of Chaco Canyon. The passage explains that there are three competing theories about their function, while the lecture provides several counterarguments to this view. First, the professor challenges the idea expressed in the reading passage that the great structure purely for people to live. He argues that it is impossible for the structure to be residential although it looks like the later American apartment from outside. Because the house is so great that it could be capacity of more than a hundred families, while only around ten fireplaces have been found, which means it couldn’t serve so many people for their daily cooking. Second, the passage suggests that the Chaco structures were used for grain storage while the lecture says that no trace of spilled maize or containers have been found, so they could not been used to store food. This is where the speaker disagrees with the write Finally the lecture apparently refutes the point illustrated in the passage that the house was for ceremonies. According to the professor, there are lots of materials besides broken pots have been found, such as sands, stones, even construction tools, which provides good evidence that the pots may be the leftover from the meals of the construction worker, and which further proved that the house may be not used for ceremonies