Friday, March 13, 2020
HOW DOES GAME THEORY USE RATIONAL BEHAVIOUR AND APPLY IT TO POKER Essay Example
HOW DOES GAME THEORY USE RATIONAL BEHAVIOUR AND APPLY IT TO POKER Essay Example HOW DOES GAME THEORY USE RATIONAL BEHAVIOUR AND APPLY IT TO POKER Essay HOW DOES GAME THEORY USE RATIONAL BEHAVIOUR AND APPLY IT TO POKER Essay Introduction Game theory is the consequence of a mix between economic sciences and mathematics which is now widely used in all of the societal scientific disciplines. Game theory efforts to accurately predict behavioral actions in certain scenarios when the picks of others can besides hold an adding factor, ensuing in being able to determine the best scheme to derive a competitory border. Game theory is based on the rational side of human ââ¬Ëplayers every bit good as non-human ( computing machines, machines, animate beings ) Game theory has been traced back to 1713, but it was most perceptibly accepted as an economic theory in 1928, when a book by John Von Neumann was published, Von Neumann went on to utilize his Game theory when making the Atom and H bombs, the theory has since undergone some alterations, in 1950 a mathematician, John Nash found a simpler solution for deriving the equilibrium, subsequently being named the ââ¬Å"Nash equilibriumâ⬠which is still evident in today s reading of the theory. The theory has already been used in dramatic and life altering determination devising ( Von Neumann s ââ¬Ëbomb as mentioned ) so with farther research into the theory it can go on to be used as the footing to maintain happening the competitory border. Purposes and Aims The purpose of my research is to derive unequivocal consequences as to how ( if at all ) game theory can utilize rational rational behavior and use it to poker to enable a individual ( s ) to derive a competitory border. Evaluate rational Game theory Examine how rational behavior is calculated How to Measure rational fire hook schemes. Examine if the game of fire hook is rational Literature Review Game Theory theoretical accounts in Poker There is already a significant sum of literature that provide an penetration into Game theory in fire hook, most of which all have a beliing position on each others work, Jason Swanson more late in 2005 said in a study entitled Game Theory and Poker, [ April, 23rd, 2005 ] that he had come up with a theoretical account that would be understood by all, even with small or no mathematical background, he concentrated on the impression that all participants would at some point in the game usage a ââ¬Ëbluffing technique and it was at this minute in clip that the opposing participant ( utilizing the Swanson attack ) could derive a competitory border. In Jason Swansons theoretical account he uses what he calls ââ¬Å"one card pokerâ⬠where the deck merely consist of three cards ; an one, a deuce and a three, it is merely played by two people ( one of which will be chosen to be the ââ¬Å"dealerâ⬠) Swanson so goes on the prejudice of chance, after each individual has been covering a card they can either look into or turn up ( no rises are allowed ) He gives this illustration ââ¬Å"The trader has the deuce and can crush merely a bluff. The opener has bet $ 100 into a $ 200 pot, giving him 2-to-1 on a bluff. We might hence believe that the trader should name twice and fold one time. Or, in other words, the trader should name with his deuce with chance 2/3â⬠[ Game Theory and Poker, Swanson, 2005. Pg2 ] Staying with mathematical theoretical accounts of Game theory in fire hook. Taken from Tim Harfords book, The Logic of Life, chapter two, Las Vegas. Arguably the most celebrated character, the male parent of Game theory if you will, John Von Neumann ( mentioned before ) Having outshone his opposite number at the University of Princeton, Albert Einstein in the 1940 s 50 s, Von Neumann was ready to intergrate Mathematical theoretical accounts with the rational behavior displayed from worlds in Economics to make an account of fire hook, a scheme to win. Von Neumann realised that fire hook was a game of secrets and misrepresentation, but, by utilizing his theoretical account would do both factors work in one participants favour, Von Neumann accounted for the bluff and the contrary bluff, something that no other theoretician has been able to cite. Von Neumann s theoretical account ; ââ¬Å"Player I to take the stake size B as an arbitrary nonnegative figure depending on x. Beting 0 is tantamount to look intoing. Newman s consequence may be summarizedas follows. An optimum scheme for Player I is to look into if 1/7 lt ; x lt ; 4/7, to wager B if ten = 1- ( 12/7 ) ( 2+B ) -2 for x gt ; 4/7, andt O stake B if x = ( 4/7 ) ( 2+3B ) ( 2+B ) -3 for x lt ; 1/7. An optimum scheme for Player II is to name a stake of B if y gt ; 1- ( 12/7 ) ( 2+B ) -1. The value is 1/7.â⬠[ hypertext transfer protocol: //www.math.ucla.edu/~tom/papers/poker2.pdf, 1992 ] In the above theoretical account Von Neumann concentrated to a great extent on the thought that all participants will ââ¬Å"bluffâ⬠( deceive ) so Player I s first move will state the opposing participant alot about the strength of the manus that participant I has got, so the rational opposing participant will presume his manus and come up with 1- 7/12, But, all the piece participant II is playing along with the contrary bluff and will lose. Rational Choice Theory Rational pick theory assumes human behavior is guided by instrumental ground. Consequently, persons ever choose what they believe to be the best agencies to accomplish their given terminals. Therefore, they are usually regarded as maximising public-service corporation, the currency for everything they cherish ( for illustration: money, a long life, moral criterions ) . As the modern preparation of much older descriptions of rational behavior, Rational pick theory belongs to the foundational theory of economic sciences. Over the last decennaries it has besides become progressively prevailing in other societal scientific disciplines. Rational pick theory adopts methodological individuality ; it conceives of societal state of affairss or corporate behaviors as the sole consequence of single actions. However, rational pick theory is non merely applied to single worlds it can besides be attributed to big companies. Gary Becker won the nobel award in 1992 for his enforcement of rational pick theory in his book ââ¬Å"The Economics of Lifeâ⬠he narrowed rational behavior into two premises Completeness ; where all actions can be ranked in order of penchant -Transitivity ; the impression that is A1 is preferred to A2 but A2 is preferred to A3 so A1 is preferred to A3 Both the premises and the behavioral anticipations of rational pick theory have sparked unfavorable judgment from a figure of professionals in Social Sciences. Some people have developed theoretical accounts of delimited reason, which hope to be more psychologically plausible without wholly abandoning the thought that ground underlies decision-making procedures. For a long clip, a popular strain of review was a deficiency of empirical footing, but experimental economic sciences and experimental game theory have mostly changed that review ( although they have added other reviews, chiefly by showing some human behavior that systematically deviates from rational pick theory ) . Early reviews of the rational pick attack in political scientific discipline for illustration, argued that the rational pick theoreticians could non explicate why people voted, much less do more sophisticated statements about political behavior. Research Design My research design will be dwelling of intermixing all of the bing cognition on game theory every bit good as my new and advanced thoughts. I will be chiefly be concentrating on whether or non Game theory can demo the game of fire hook to be a rational competition. The game of fire hook is a game that can be played in any milieus and the sum of wages ( the cost of playing, usually money ) can be dictated merely before drama. I will chiefly utilize the resource of the cyberspace to play online ( through the medium of a professional participant ) utilizing the guidelines set out from game theory and the game of fire hook itself. Besides, the sum of cognition already available on the topic will be used to my advantage as I will be associating a batch of my new thoughts to the secondary informations that I uncover in my research. The game of fire hook is one that is played by all ages from 18 upwards, this makes implementing a questionnaire a really feasible option and because of the diverseness of participants the replies that will be accumulated will be more accurate and realistic
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Inflation Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1
Inflation - Literature review Example The markets had assumed that the debt by Euro zone was safe. This made the investors think that all members thereby making them willing to maintain debts even at low interest rates despite countries including Italy and Greece having high debt levels had backed them. After the credit crunching, the investors began being to be more skeptical about the European finances. The other unfortunate occurrence was that the European Union had no strategies in place to deal with the sudden panic. The diagram below shows some debt from Selected European countries between 2007 and 2010. Pettinger on the economics journal of October 2011, tried to analyze the Euro economic crisis critically where he applied a single currency meant that several of the solutions regarding economic problems could not be used. The most difficult task is to reduce the government borrowing levels while managing lower unemployment and economic recovery. He studied several European economies including Greece, Ireland and Portugal and found the following problems. Pettinger best-suggested solution was currency devaluation. This refers to the reduction in the value of exchange rates .This would see regaining of competitiveness, reduction of budget deficit, increase employment rates, and aid in economic recovery. Since economic recovery is the key to reduction in budget deficit. He suggested that Countries should stop the use of the Euro and maintain their own currency. Most countries agree that the renewal of the economic growth is vital in saving the Euro (Pettinger, 2012; Pg. 68). The obstacle is that the effects of steps such as having a banking union, the recently agreed rescue plan may have positive effects to the banking system but may not have any effect to raise the competitiveness in the regionââ¬â¢s economies. The second option was inflation, where the country should try to boost
Sunday, February 9, 2020
Analysis of the case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Analysis of the case study - Essay Example The worlds greatest magnificence things association, its principle compactors incorporate Estee Lauder organizations Inc, Avon, Mary kay lnc, and Revion Inc. LOreal has powerful administration, it has both top managerial staff and administration advisory group, Jean-Paul Agon, is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. It has more than 72,600 workers around the world. Has 43 creation plant overall and 146 conveyance focuses. Fiscally LOreal is stable; it is exceeding expectations all inclusive in creating and showcasing nonessential, aromas and individual consideration items. It has operation in more than 130 nations. In 2013 it reported 5.93 billion euros deals. It works 42 assembling plants all through the world, which utilize 14,000 individuals LOreal has done well in terms of creating business improvement however contention is getting the chance to be more uncommon. For representation, Està ©e Lauder and Coty are both concentrating on China. Creating contention creating markets. At same time, creating markets, for example, China are probably chilling off. In any case, LOreal has the limit acknowledge absolutely new conceivable outcomes. LOreals weakest connection is their decentralized authoritative structure; it is greatly hard to control the organization on account of such a large number of subdivisions. Next, their overall revenue is altogether lower than of their rivals, (for example, Dior, Chanel, YSL, Lancà ´m Estee Lauder in quality, and Nivea, Revlon and Vichy all in all business sector brands). Additionally, they oftentimes host to depend on third gathering retailers, which does not issue them the opportunity to control their business one hundred every penn. Notwithstanding of their solid rivalry. Lââ¬â¢Oreal does consistent statistical surveying .Also they publicize and advance items for particular target clients. Its advancement through skin care contraption Clarisonic displays its ability to meander outside broad thing orders to
Thursday, January 30, 2020
The Pizza Industry Essay Example for Free
The Pizza Industry Essay Strengths: ? Pizza is a food item loved and consumed by majority of the people in the world. This is proved by the figures shown in the slides before. ? Pizza outlets provide good taste, quality products with qualified staff, good atmosphere and hygienic environment. Motivation level of staff stays high which make the pizzerias more prosperous. Weaknesses: ? The Pizza outlets provide less range of products and they are usually high priced except for some other reasonable alternatives. In the Indian context, except for some new variants, they focus more on Western taste instead of Eastern. Opportunities: ? New markets can be explored and new opportunities can be sought. Diversification of products can increase their market share. They can reduce their prices because of more resources. They could also incorporate other service models in their structure. Threats: ? New entrants in the market can affect their market share. ? Other local restaurants can affect their market share by providing pizzas with lower price. ? Pizza Hut â⬠¢ Founded in 1958. â⬠¢Parent Company: Yum! Brands. â⬠¢Pizza Hut ââ¬Å"Bistroâ⬠â⬠¢Pizza Hut Express and ââ¬Å"The Hutâ⬠? Place â⬠¢ 12,500 restaurants across 91 countries. â⬠¢147 stores across 35 cities in India â⬠¢Mostly in higher income zone ? Products ? Price â⬠¢ Range: 65 485 â⬠¢Coupon worldwide and gift cards in developed countries â⬠¢Pan 4 all ? Promotion â⬠¢C. H. A. M. P. S (Cleanliness, Hospitality, Accuracy, Maintenance, Product quality and Speed) â⬠¢3F? s ( Fun, Friendly and Familiar) â⬠¢ Sponsored Back to the Future II â⬠¢ MySpace Ted campaign â⬠¢ Endorsed by Lara Dutta. Pizza Hut ââ¬â BCG Matrix 1)P? Zone, from Calzone Garlic Cheese Bread 2)The Pan Pizza 3)Thin n Crispy 4)Dipping Strips ? Pizza Hut Target Markets ? Target audience is basically anyone and everyone who loves to eat pizzas. Age group of 12 to 30. Pizza has long been targeted to families, because of its ambience and the environment it offers in all its outlets. ? ? Ad Campaigns ? ? ? ? ? ? ? First Ad ââ¬â about sharing Australia ââ¬â 1980? s ââ¬Å¾Welcome Back? campaign Mexico ââ¬â The Tomato sauce dip along with the pizza The ââ¬Å¾Great Indian Treat? ââ¬Å¾Full Punjabi? Roped in Ringo Starr for the campaign Pizza hut in the iphone !!!! ? Papa Johnââ¬â¢s â⬠¢ Proven, streamlined operating system. â⬠¢World-class franchise support and business consulting ? Place â⬠¢ 3,400 restaurants worldwide â⬠¢ Papa Johns is in all 50 states of US and approximately 40 international markets. â⬠¢ High Income zone ?Products â⬠¢ 4 different size of Pizza â⬠¢24 Types of Pizza â⬠¢6 Types of Starters â⬠¢3 Types of pasta â⬠¢4 Types of Salads ? Price â⬠¢ Range: 85 ââ¬â 495 â⬠¢Offers and coupons ? Promotion â⬠¢ Online Marketing â⬠¢ B2B Mobile Marketing â⬠¢ CEO in advertisement ââ¬Å"People Are Priority Alwaysâ⬠? Dominoââ¬â¢s Pizza â⬠¢ Founded in 1960. â⬠¢ Entered India in 1996. â⬠¢8500 outlets across 55 countries. â⬠¢250 outlets in India â⬠¢USP- Quick Home delivery ? Products â⬠¢Pizza (Available in 3 sizes and various tastes) â⬠¢Garlic Bread â⬠¢Pasta â⬠¢Veg calojne â⬠¢chicken wings â⬠¢Sandwiches â⬠¢ desserts ? Price â⬠¢Price Range- Rs 35 to Rs 430. â⬠¢Barbell Strategy of Pricing â⬠¢Various combo offers ? Place â⬠¢256 outlets in India â⬠¢All major cities of India â⬠¢Located in Malls and Posh areas â⬠¢Outlets strategically placed to serve the home delivery in 30 minutes â⬠¢Four outlets in Ahmedabad â⬠¢Focus on Home delivery ? Promotion â⬠¢Initially focused their ad strategy on banners, hoardings . â⬠¢Ã¢â¬Å¾Hungry Kya campaign â⬠¢Tie up with MTNL ââ¬â Hunger Helpline â⬠¢Database based direct mailing strategy. â⬠¢Localized taste â⬠¢30 minutes home delivery. â⬠¢Online Orders. â⬠¢Advertisement by celebrities ? Domino? s Target audience ? Target Audience: ? Consumers who belong to the age group of 14 35 years ? People who love fast food and have been exposed to the western style of eating ? People who are upwardly mobile and on-the-go Ad Campaigns ? 1989 ââ¬Å¾One call does it all? Delivery in 30 minutes ? ? ââ¬Å¾Pizzamania? Chinese Pizza Fun Meal @ 45 /- ? ? â⬠¢Most popular Pizza Outlet in Ahmedabad â⬠¢ Started in 1999 in Ahmedabad â⬠¢ By Sankalp Group of Restaurants â⬠¢ Presence in Rajasthan and Gujarat â⬠¢ USP- Unlimited Buffet â⬠¢ Focus on American Taste of Pizza ? Products â⬠¢ Soups â⬠¢ Pizza (available in 3 sizes and variety of tastes) â⬠¢ Garlic Bread â⬠¢ Salad ( 34 types of salad) â⬠¢Deserts? Price â⬠¢Price for Pizza ranges from Rs 60 to Rs 335 â⬠¢ Differential pricing for Unlimited Buffet at Rs 99. â⬠¢Strategy focuses on high volume of sales at low margin. â⬠¢Various combo offers called Meal Deals ? Place â⬠¢Located in 7 cities of Gujarat and Rajasthan. â⬠¢ Total number of outlets ââ¬â 9 â⬠¢ 3 outlets in Ahmedabad. â⬠¢Located at Posh areas of cities. â⬠¢ Express outlets at Maninagar ? Promotion â⬠¢Unlimited Buffet in lunch and dinner is a big hit. â⬠¢Design your own pizza. â⬠¢Ambience based on American theme. â⬠¢Increasing the number of outlets. â⬠¢ Free home delivery. â⬠¢Kids Birthday Party Offer. â⬠¢More Variety of Food. ? One special mention from Tanzania ? Marketing through blogs http://vishalacharya. wordpress. com ? Business to a range of other products ? Emerging Players ? Papa John? s Pizza Express ? ? Vieira Pizza California Pizza Kitchen Largento? s Pizza. ? ? ? California Pizza Kitchen â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ â⬠¢ A casual dining chain with 252 restaurants Signed franchise agreements with two partners It expects to open a minimum of 15 restaurants Premium restaurants targeting High End Customers It has 27 existing restaurants around the globe This Los Angeles-based chain is known for its unconventional menu items ? E-Pizza ? It will be placed in the food and entertainment business. Triangle shaped pizza kid? s meal called the E-Meal Custom line of distinguishable Mini Coopers delivering pizzas and movies ? ? ? Additional data Frequency for Pizza Deciding factor for Pizza 6% 16% 12% 10% 21% Every two weeks Once a month 51% Once two month Once three month 17% 8% 4% 8% Cost Quality of Pizza Quality of Service 47% Queue Location/proximity Brand Ambience ? Additional data Preferred Complimentary With Pizza 0% 16% 14% Ice cream Cold drink Salad 70% Other 10% 0% 21% 57% 8% Preferred Outlet 4% Pizza hut. Uncle Sams Dominos Papa jones US Pizza No specific ? Interesting Facts ? Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza EACH DAY, or about 350 slices per second. There are approximately 69,000 pizzerias in the United States. Pizzerias represent 17% of all restaurants. (Source: Food Industry News) Pizza accounts for more that 10% of all foodservice sales. (Source: Food Industry News. ) 93% of Americans eat AT LEAST one pizza per month. (Source: Bolla Wines. ) 66. 66% of Americans order pizza for a casual evening with friends. (Source: Bolla Wines. ) ? ? ? ? ? ? Interesting Facts? Each man, woman and child in America eats and average of 46 slices, (23 pounds), of pizza per year. (Source: Packaged Facts, New York. ) Italian food ranks as the most popular ethnic food in America. (Source: National Restaurant Association. ) A study done by a U. S. Department of Agriculture statistician and home economist found that in a three-day survey period, 42% of children between the ages of 6 and 11 had eaten pizza. (Source: Smithsonian Magazine. ) 94% of the population of the U. S. eats pizza. (Source: Parade Magazine. ) ? ? ? ?Link to see pizzerias around the world http://www. business. com/directory/f ood_and_beverage/restaurants_and_ foodservice/restaurant_chains/pizza/ ? References â⬠¢Industry Facts. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from Wikipedia: http://pizzaware. com/facts. htm â⬠¢Advertisements of other brands. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from Wikipedia: http://www. pmq. com/index. php â⬠¢Pizza. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from Wikipedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Pizza â⬠¢History of Pizza. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from Wikipedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/History_of_pizza â⬠¢Pizza. Retrieved August 8, 2009, from All Facebook Interview: http://www. allfacebook. com/2009/02/pizza-hut-facebook/ â⬠¢Pizza Hut from Wikipedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Pizza_Hut â⬠¢Pizza Hut Celebrates Successful Delivery to Space from space. com: http://www. space. com/news/spacestation/space_pizza_010522. html â⬠¢Papa Johnââ¬â¢s: www. papajohnsindia. com â⬠¢Pizza Hut: www. pizzahut. co. in â⬠¢Papa Johns Pizza from Wikipedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Papa_John%27s_Pizza ? References â⬠¢Industry Facts. Retrieved August 18, 2009, from Wikipedia: http://pizzaware. com/facts. htm, http://www. pizzamarketplace. com/ â⬠¢Advertisements of other brands. Retrieved August 18, 2009, from Wikipedia: http://www. franchisedirect. com/foodfranchises/pizzafranchises â⬠¢Pizza. Retrieved August 18, 2009, from Wikipedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Pizza â⬠¢Current scenario of The Pizza Industry . Retrieved August 18, 2009, from http://www. pizzatoday. com/ â⬠¢Pizza references and updates. Retrieved August 18, 2009, from http://ask. reference. com/information/Food_and_Drinks/Pizza-Industry â⬠¢Snapshot of the Pizza Industry. Retrieved August 18, 2009, from http://www. franchisedirect. com/foodfranchises/pizzafranchises/ Time to go and grab a bite !
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Statue of Liberty: A Lie? Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Essays
Statue of Liberty: A Lie? As I sat on a park bench in the middle of Manhattan, eating a pack of stale peanut butter crackers, I couldn't keep myself from thinking about the woman I had met the day before. The lady I met seemed to be a strong woman of high morale, but after our interaction I came to the conclusion that she was living a lie. Well-known and noticeably the tallest female in the community, many people looked up to her as somewhat of a motherly figure. I'll never forget the tattoo on her ankles that partially read: â⬠¦. cries she with silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" She was a very old woman who really didn't look as old as she was. As we stood side by side, we had a long interesting debate about violence, values and where we thought the United States was headed as a nation. She kept saying how she had been around a long time and how she has personally witnessed the downfall of America; however, she seemed unemotional. Suddenly, tears began to flow down her solid face; or maybe it was rain? What bothered me the most was her body language, which spoke to me like a smart remark. At first, I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something about her struck me as being hypocritical. She told me her name was Liberty. The Statue of Liberty is a national symbol of freedom for the people in America. Many Americans interpret Lady Liberty in different ways depending on their gender, ethnic, racial background and other social factors that influence our personal opinions of the United States. After personally evaluating how Lady... ...ican values, when at the time females weren't even allowed to vote. There it is! Evidence shows that Lady Liberty is a contradiction because her message hasn't been consistent with society's beliefs. Most Americans firmly embrace the Statue of Liberty, but never stop to question its validity as a representation of America. Lady Liberty is portrayed as being an icon of America but I feel she is one of the largest unchallenged contradictions in our present society. The statue of liberty's main objective depicts America as something it is not. At times I feel angry when looking at the statue because I feel as though we are lying to ourselves by accepting a false reality. It's very unfortunate that "Americas ego" is the cause of so many deaths. Personally, I feel that until we honestly accept the truth about ourselves, we will forever be a misrepresented nation.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Period Comparison Essay
The two paintings I chose to compare are The Virgin and Child by Rogier van der Weyden (1406, Netherlandish; gallery room 207) and The Crucifixion by Francisco de Zurbaran (1627, Spanish; gallery room 215). These two paintings focus on Jesus Christ, his humanity and his divinity. I chose them because they represent Jesusââ¬â¢ fragile humanity through his infancy and death. These paintings struck me as different from the other religious art I had seen because it stresses humanity without sacrificing divinity. Weyden illustrates the beauty of humanity with a poignant portrait of The Virgin Mary breastfeeding Jesus as an infant. The sheer tenderness of this most simple and necessary bonding between the mother and the child is captured in this painting. It is a feeling that only a mother can understand but it is capable of touching everybody because everybody plays at least one of these roles throughout their lifetime. The beauty and simplicity of human nature is also contrasted with the jewels that adorn Maryââ¬â¢s robe and the velvet drape behind her. It seems to me that it implies divinity though one could also interpret that as something else. Although this was a painting for private devotion and intended to capture a beautiful moment, one can also see the dark side of human nature in this painting. Exotic and expensive jewels surround Mary and Jesus. But why jewels? Why were jewels chosen to represent the divine? Jesus spoke against material riches saying that only those rich in spirit can enter the kingdom of Heaven. Jewels can also be interpreted as money and that is of course a necessary evil. If money is the root of all evil and human nature by definition is imperfect and tends to stray towards evil, then this painting takes on a whole new meaning to me. This means that nobody, even Jesus, can be perfect if he is limited to being a mortal human being. To me, the painting goes much deeper than what is actually presented. Whether he intended to or not, Weyden created a statement of God enjoying the beauty of his humanity but also dealing with the ugliness that comes along. The jewels represent humanity because even though they are beautiful and marvelous on the outside, beneath they cannot escape the evil that is. For the jewels it isà the greed and the bloodshed and everything else money represents that seems to stain itââ¬â¢s beauty. For man, it is the amazing and marvelous things we can create that are also stained with the atrocities that we are capable of. Obviously there is more to this painting than meets the eye but there is something interesting in the way the two are positioned. Mary, with her breast exposed preparing to feed her son means that Jesus is still in his infancy. Infants are very helpless and vulnerable, but Jesus appears to be sitting upright, albeit with support. The look in his eyes gives a feeling of intelligence and wisdom while at the same time they are still doe-eyed and innocent. However, the most interesting point is the position of the infantââ¬â¢s arms. He sits upright with his hands almost offering a blessing. A similar pose can be seen in Rembrandtââ¬â¢s Christ Healing the Sick. The other painting that captured my thoughts was one by Francisco de Zurbaran. Even though it was painted over a century later in a different part of Europe, the two paintings seem to intertwine to deliver a strong message. This painting, which is considered Zurbaranââ¬â¢s lost masterpiece, is a massive painting designed originally for a church, the church of Dominican of San Pablo el Real in Seville. It dwarfs Weydenââ¬â¢s tiny Virgin and Child. These seemingly opposite paintings oddly enough have so many similarities. They both portray Jesus in fragile states yet this differs from the first because it deals with Christââ¬â¢s death. The picture is a somber one with depth that is so life like, it was often mistaken for sculpture when viewed from far away. It portrays Jesus hanging from the cross. He is in the classic position with nails driven through his palms. There are no other objects in the background; it is just Jesus, his cross and a mysterious source of light. According to the background history of the painting, the light suggests divinity. Both paintings have symbols for divinity but are radically contrasted at the same time. Christ is left on the cross, alone and tortured whereas the first is the comfort of infancy. The Crucifixion, in all its great size and beauty reflects what a huge, momentous event Jesusââ¬â¢ death really was. The Crucifixion does contrast the first painting because instead of intricateà poses and fine jewels, it is just simply death. The painting is so good because it is something so simple and raw that it is beyond words. No words can capture the sorrow and the pain of that very moment like Zubrbaran can with his brush. It stands profound and intimidating. It draws upon our experience and our knowledge of death. We are there, we are seeing the fault and the evil of humanity. ââ¬Å"We have killed our creator,â⬠Zurbaran seems to say. He seems to be screaming it in your ear while at the same time we are enveloped by a deafening silence. It is enough to put you in awe of what humanity is. It seems to put us in the same state of mind early man must have been in when looking upon the dark, infinite sky above. The light source is another interesting and debatable point. It seems to bring a source of comfort, if any could be found. It is a single light in a presumably infinite dark and it illuminates the empty corpse of God. If life is death and life is beautiful, it seems that the death of the Lord can be seen as a beautiful thing. God came to live amongst his creation, to teach and to spread the word. In his death however, he created something of much more impact than he ever accomplished in his own lifetime. That leads me in to another point. In his death, that single light source could be just the start, a spark or a flame that would spread like wildfire, spreading the love of God everywhere. It could be represented as not only the death of Christ, but the birth of Christianity. In conclusion, these two paintings seem to go hand in hand. They are completely opposite paintings that tie into each other and almost seem to tell a story. Of course it could be argued that these two paintings have nothing at all in common except for the subject. But it doesnââ¬â¢t really matter what part of the world they are from or what period in history they lived in. What matters is that they saw something, felt something so strong and so profound that they captured it to be acknowledged by all.
Sunday, January 5, 2020
Hochdeutsch - How Germans Came to Speak One Language
Like many countries, Germany contains numerous dialects or even languages within its different states and regions. And just as many Scandinavians claim, the Danes canââ¬â¢t even understand their own language, many Germans have had similar experiences. When you are from Schleswig-Holstein and visit a small village in deep Bavaria, it is more than likely that you will not understand what the indigenous people are trying to tell you. The reason is that a lot of what we now call dialects actually derive from separate languages. And the circumstance that Germans have one fundamentally uniform written language is a big help in our communication. There actually is one man we have to thank for that circumstance: Martin Luther. One Bible for All Believers ââ¬â One Language for Everyone As you will know, Luther kicked off the Reformation in Germany, making him one of the central figures of the movement in the whole of Europe. One of the focal points of his clerical belief as opposed to the classic Catholic view was that every participant of a church service should be able to understand what the priest read or quoted from the Bible. Up to that point, Catholic services were usually held in Latin, a language most of the people (especially people who didnt belong to the upper class) did not understand. In protest against widespread corruption within the Catholic Church, Luther drafted ninety-five theses that named many of the wrongdoings Luther had identified. They were translated into understandable German and spread all over the German territories. This is usually seen as the trigger of the Reformation movement. Luther was declared an outlaw, and only the patchwork fabric of the German territories provided an environment in which he could hide and live relatively safe ly. He then began to translate the New Testament into German. To be more specific: He translated the Latin original into a mixture of East Central German (his own language) and Upper German dialects. His goal was to keep the text as comprehensible as possible. His choice put speakers of Northern German dialects at a disadvantage, but it seems that this was, language-wise, a general tendency at the time. The ââ¬Å"Lutherbibelâ⬠wasnââ¬â¢t the first German Bible. There had been others, none of which could create as much of a fuss, and all of which had been forbidden by the Catholic Church. The reach of Lutherââ¬â¢s Bible also benefited from the rapidly expatiating printing presses. Martin Luther had to mediate between translating the ââ¬Å"Word of Godâ⬠(a highly delicate task) and translating it into a language everyone could grasp. The key to his success was that he stuck to spoken language, which he changed where he deemed it necessary in order to maintain high readability. Luther himself saidà that he was trying to write ââ¬Å"living German.â⬠Lutherââ¬â¢s German But the importance of the translated bible for the German language rested more in the marketing aspects of the work. The immense reach of the book made it a standardizing factor. Just as we still use some of Shakespeareââ¬â¢s invented words when we speak English, German speakers still use some of Lutherââ¬â¢s creations. The fundamental secret of the success of Lutherââ¬â¢s language was the length of the clerical controversies his arguments and translations sparked. His opponents soon felt forced to argue in the language that he composed to counter his statements. Exactly because the disputes went so deep and took so long, Lutherââ¬â¢s German was dragged all over Germany, making it a common ground for everyone to communicate in. Lutherââ¬â¢s German became the single model for the tradition of ââ¬Å"Hochdeutschâ⬠(High German).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)