Bible About Muhammad Essays - Prophets Of Islam, Prophecy

Bible About Muhammad "Say: 'Do you see whether this message be from Allah (God Almighty), and yet you reject it, and a witness from among the Children of Israel bore witness of one like him.' " (the Holy Quran 46:10) Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, The subject of this evening's talk - "What the Bible says about Muhammad" will no doubt come as a surprise to many of you because the speaker is a Muslim. How does it come about that a Muslim happens to be expounding prophecies from the Jewish and Christian Scriptures? As a young man, about 30 years ago, I attended a series of religious lectures by a Christian theologian, a certain Rev. Hiten, at the "Theater Royal", Durban in South Africa. Pope or Kissinger?: This Reverend gentleman was expounding Biblical prophecies. He went on to prove that the Christian Bible foretold the rise of Soviet Russia, and the Last Days. At one stage he went to the extent of proving that his Holy Book did not leave even the Pope out of its predictions. He expatiated vigorously in order to convince his audience that the Beast 666 mentioned in The Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, was the Pope, who was the Vicar of Christ on earth. Christian scholars are ingenious and indefatigable in their efforts to prove their case. Rev. Hiten's lectures led me to ask that if the Bible foretold so many things - not even excluding the "Pope" and "Israel", - then surely it must have something to say about the greatest benefactor of mankind, prophet Muhammad, may the peace of Allah be upon him. As a youngster I set out to search for an answer. I met priest after priest, attended lectures, and read everything that I could lay my hands relating to the fields of Bible prophecies. Tonight I'm going to narrate to you one of these interviews with a Dominee of the Dutch Reformed Church. Lucky Thirteen : I was invited to the Transvaal (South Africa) to deliver a talk on the occasion of the birthday of the prophet Muhammad. Knowing that in that province of the Republic, the Afrikaans language is widely spoken, even by my own people, I felt that I ought to acquire a smattering of this language so as to feel a little "at home" with the people. I opened the telephone directory and began phoning the Afrikaans-speaking Churches. I indicated my purpose to the priests that I was interested in having a dialogue with them, but they all refused my request with "plausible" excuses. No. 13 was my lucky number. The thirteenth call brought me pleasure and relief. A Dominee Van Heerden ("Dominee" is the Afrikaans equivalent of "priest") agreed to meet me at his home on the Saturday afternoon that I was to leave for Transvaal. He received me on his verandah with a friendly welcome. He said if I did not mind, he would like his father-in- law from the Free State, a 70 year old man, to join us in the discussion. I did not mind. The three of us settled down in the Dominee's library. Why Nothing? I posed the question: "What does the Bible say about Muhammad?" Without hesitation he answered: "Nothing!" I asked: "Why nothing? According to your interpretation the Bible has so many things to say about the rise of Soviet Russia and about the Last Days and even about the Pope of the Roman Catholics?" He said: "Yes, but there was nothing about Muhammad!" I asked again: "Why nothing? Surely this man Muhammad who had been responsible for the bringing into being a world-wide community of millions of believers who, on his authority, believe in: the miraculous birth of Jesus, that Jesus is the Messiah, that he gave life to the dead by God's permission, and that he healed those born blind and the lepers by God's permission. Surely this book (the Bible) must have something to say about this great leader of men who spoke so well of Jesus and his mother Mary?" The old man from the Free State replied: "My son, I have been reading the Bible for the past 50 years, and if there was any mention of him, I would have known it." Not One by Name! I inquired: "According to you, are there not hundreds of prophecies regarding the coming of Jesus in the Old Testament." The Dominee interjected: "Not hundreds, but thousands!" I said: "I am not going to dispute the thousand and one

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant essays

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant essays "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant tells the Biblical story of Dinah, the only daughter in Jacob's family of four wives and twelve sons. Told from Dinah's perspective, the book details lives of women and the importance of the 'red tent' at that time. It teach us timeless lessons of life, love and suffering of woman. The novel begins with the stories of Dinah's mothers, the four wives of Jacob: Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilbah. Although Leah is Dinah's birth mother, all four teach her lessons and share their gifts. With their help and insight, Dinah grows into a strong, capable woman. Through the novel, we grow with Dinah from her childhood in Mesopotamia through puberty, when she is then entered into 'the red tent,' and well of into her adulthood from Cannan to Egypt. Throughout her journey, we learn how 'the red tent' is constantly looked upon for encouragement, solace, and comfort. It is where a woman goes once a month during their periods, where they have babies, where they dwell in illness and most importantly, where they tell stories, passing on wisdom and spinning collective memories. With a heart full of advice and wisdom, Dinah matures from a simple-minded young girl to a valiant independent woman. Each of her mothers taught her something different: Rachel taught her to help pregnant women deliver children, Leah taught her to weave and be strong, Bilbah taught her patience and Zilpha taught her to honor the Gods. Fertility and childbirth were central women's role in a society at the time of 'the red tent'. A woman's value was determined to a great extent by the number of children she bore, particularly by the number of male children. Jacob, Dinah's father did not seem to have much of role in her life at all. He barely recognizes her and she is not a part of the measure of his worth that his sons are. For most of her brothers, Dinah was just another woman in the tents, just another to serve the man. She had a spe...

Strategic Thinking for Wal-Mart business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic Thinking for Wal-Mart business - Essay Example According to Altier (1991, p.21), â€Å"to survive in tomorrow’s increasingly competitive world, companies are going to adopt a modus operandi that is coming to be known as strategic thinking.† Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is one of those successful industries that are using strategic thinking to achieve competitive advantage within the retailing industry. According to a retail consultant Patricia Pao, â€Å"in successful retailing, it’s usually 10% of a great idea and 90% execution, but at Wal-Mart 90% goes into strategic thinking and just 10% execution at the store level† (cited in Gogoi, n.d.). The main thrust of this paper is to examine and analyze the role and impact of strategic thinking for the competitive options of Wal-Mart. 2.0 Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Wal-Mart is one of the successful retailers in terms of sales volume, revenue, and market share. This 40-year old company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962, and it dominated the local market of the United Stat es and other countries. Wal-Mart began to trade in the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol NYSE: WMT and became one of the most reliable stocks because its investment risk is not alarming. The business is operating globally, and its top competitors include Target Corporation, Costco Wholesale, and Carrefour. Wal-Mart net sales in 2008 ($373.8), 2009 ($401.1) and 2010 ($405.0) are growing at lower rates, and its return on investment (ROI) is not changing nor growing at 19.3% (Walmart 2010 Annual Report, n.d.a). These figures only indicate that Wal-Mart’s performance in the past years is struggling caused by ineffective plans and techniques. Aside from internal defects, the sluggish growth can also be attributed to external elements such as intense competition (local & international) and economic instability caused by recession. As Wal-Mart’s life cycle gets into the maturity stage, the number of powerful competitors has increased because the rate of sales an d profits are high; however, the overall growth of the industry is at a very slow-paced manner. Cost at this level is lesser because of expansion and scale economies, but promotional activities need to be uplifted to make customers more knowledgeable about the product and service offerings. In fact, Wal-Mart executives have doubled their advertising expenses this year just to reach a broad group of consumers (Martin, 2011). Furthermore, Wal-Mart has experienced the most intense competition, which in turn has lowered its sales and market share. However, it remained as the world’s largest corporation based on the Global 500 and Fortune 500 annual ranking despite poor sales and market share (DuBois, 2011). In addition, it is also recognized as the most admired company because it produced a wide variety of product and services, highest-quality service to customers, and offered the lowest prices of retail goods. â€Å"CEO Bill Simon has freely admitted to Wal-Mart’s misste ps in the past, which included prematurely removing profitable products, overly aggressive rollbacks, and poor relationships with merchants† (Sun, 2010). Thus, to regain its market share and high record sales, executives have concentrated on seeking and developing new approaches through strategic thinking. They go back to the basic, but this time they are more observant to their environment and turn into an out-of-the box thinker. They have gathered as much

Bestseller Lists Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Bestseller Lists - Assignment Example In the two classes, there is no monopoly of authors in the top 20. More so, authors are either in one category or the other (Rodgers 11). It implies that no author writes in both categories but only specialize in one type. Additionally, there is no monopoly of authors in year 2015 in the combined e-books fiction and print. Every week different books sell at different rates and as such no book is consistently leading the charts. Fiction books involve writing of imaginative narratives. As such, there exist no monopoly of writers between the years 1950 to 1959 (U.S Accounting Office, 15). In most years, different authors appear in the top 10 with only few or none that were present in past years. In the non-fiction category, individual books and authors appear in continuous years. The guide for better homes seems to do good as it looks for large parts between 1950 and 1959. Between the years 1904 and 1909, Barr McCutcheon is an author that is constantly in the top 10 bestsellers (Cader, 16). More so, more authors appear regularly in the list but with different

Bacteria Beware. Iotron technology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bacteria Beware. Iotron technology - Assignment Example Its key use will be to capitalize on the heightened food safety awareness. For the past two decades, trays of products have been rolling along a system of an hourglass conveyor into an electron beam accelerator. The products are swept from all the sides to kill pathogens using a series of rapid fire electrons. After several minutes, the products rollout sterilized. The electron beam accelerator will make use of radiation energy; however, this should not wary people that irradiated foods will become radioactive. It is not the case. Iotron technology was established in Ottawa by atomic Energy of Canada Limited. Lloyd Scott is the man after all this discoveries. In the late 1950s, he sold his construction business and bought the irradiation unit from AECL and took it to B.C more than two decades ago. Scott made use of this technology to sterilize medical products and further enhance the color of gemstones. After a period, Iotron took the advantage of the rising use of irradiation and purchased the technology. In addition, they were quick to patent the outright. After AECL program was sold off by Ottawa in the early 2000s, Scott too sold the other businesses he owned so as to keep Iotron alive. Recently, Iotron launched a facility in Indiana whose purpose was to serve the United States agricultural hub. Foods such as lettuce and meats are approved for irradiation.

The Great Masturbator by Salvador Dalí: An Analysis

The Great Masturbator by Salvador Dalà ­: An Analysis Surrealism is defined as a 20th century art movement which represented the subconscious mind of the artist. This style of painting involved creating fantastic imagery and ideas that seemed to contradict each other. In a surrealistic work of art, the world of dream and the world of fantasy are joined in the everyday. Surrealistic work can have a very rational, along with an irrational style. The surrealistic movement was first founded by Andre Breton in his painting titled Manifesto of Surrealism. Along with Breton, many other artists who have used surrealism in their paintings have previously belonged to the Dada movement. Surrealism was practiced with the use of various forms of expression. Salvador Dali, for example, used dreamlike perceptions of space as well as dream inspired images in order to create surrealistic images. Such artists have been labeled by the name of verists because their paintings were perceived as transformations of the real world. Salvador Dalis contribution t o the surrealistic world was a paranoiac-critical method. As it is stated by Aaron Ross; The paranoiac critical method provides a window into that unknown world of unconscious, and yet does not present the danger of psychic inundation. This method was responsible for Dalis famous double images. It required the artist to perceive and paint different images within a single shape. Dali was capable of examining his own paranoiac perceptions and interpretations (Ross, 5). A perfect example which represents how many images are melted into one shape is Salvador Dalis painting titled The Great Masturbator. Through the use of surrealism, Dali was able to incorporate more than one image into one shape. The Great Masturbator was painted by Salvador Dali after he has married Gala Eluard. Nathaniel Harris, an art critic has also states that According to Dali, it [the painting] was inspired by a 19th-century picture of a woman smelling an arum lily (15). At a first glance, the  viewer might not realize how disturbing, but at the same time brilliant, the painting really is. It is very hard to interpret what The Great Masturbator is about without first taking a very close look at the painting per se. At the center of the painting, one is able to see an upside-down face. A lot of critics state that this face is that of Salvador Dali himself. From the back of the head, one is able to point out a womans head emerging. Once again, the woman is recognized as Dalis wife, Gala. The womans mouth is painted to be facing a male crotch. In addition to that, the male figure is seen only from the waist to right below his knees. As if this image was not disturbing enough, the cuts on his legs appear to be fresh and they look as if they were still bleeding. In addition to those more obvious images displayed in The Great Masturbator, the viewer will eventually be able to point out the smaller, but also very essential images. Right below the self portrait of Salvador Dali is a dead grasshopper. Just as all the other images mentioned above, the grasshopper represents Dalis great fear of insects. The viewer is also able to point out the ants which are crawling all over the grasshoppers belly. These ants are also moving upward on the upside down face. Concluding from the fact that Dali had a fear of insects, one may conclude that this represents Dalis loss of control. Finally, the images of the white lily (which is painted right below the female body), and the lions head, are understood to be representations of fertility. Along with these images, there are other images which I was not able to find any representation for. For example, towards the bottom right of the painting, the viewer is able to notice a very small figure. I believe that this is the figure of Salvador Dali who is looking at his subconscious, which in this case represents his sexual frustrations. Along with the small figure, more to the midd le bottom of the painting one is able to point out another small shape. In my opinion, this shape represents a small male figure that  is making love to a rock shaped like a woman. In my research regarding The Great Masturbator by Salvador Dali, I was not able to find any interpretation of these images. The only explanation as to why Dali has placed this image of a small man in the painting is that this might possibly be Dalis ex-best friend and Galas ex husband. Overall, the painting of The Great Masturbator is one in which Salvador Dali is able to let out his sexual frustrations as well as his inner fears. (Masters of Deception) I find the painting of The Great Masturbator to be a very disturbing, but at the same time very fascinating painting. When viewing this painting, one is able to see how graphic it really is. The feeling that this work of art gives off is that of sexual frustration and of fears which Dali held inside of him. This is clearly shown by the womans head leaning towards the male crotch. This painting also gives off a somewhat painful feeling. When the viewer is looking at the male crotch, they will automatically realize the cut off, bleeding legs. The viewer, just as Dali was, might also be disturbed by the image of the dead grasshopper as well as the ants. Because dead insects are not a pleasing sight, this image might come as a disturbance to many who view it. The Great Masturbator is a painting that is charged with energy. Even though everyone knows that there is no movement going on in the whole painting, the energy is greatly radiating. As a result, the viewer is able to imagine the wo man moving closer and closer towards males crotch, as well as the ants crawling high and higher on Dalis self portrait. Although the theme of The Great Masturbator is very essential, the mode of expression also plays a great role in the paintings context. The mode of expression in which The Great Masturbator was painted in is known as abstract. In a way, abstract art is one which resembles real form. Generally, abstract art is  understood to mean art that does not depict objects in the natural world. Instead, it uses shapes and colors in a non-representational way. Abstract art may also be defined as one which has no reference to reality. The Great Masturbator can be classified as an abstract work of art because of the way that Salvador Dali played with its context. First off, the self portrait of Salvador Dali is an abstract work in itself. When the viewer first takes a look at it, it does not necessarily resemble a head. It is only after a while; however, that he or she will be able to recognize that it is in fact, Salvador Dalis head. In addition to that, abstraction is also displayed through the woman (Dalis wife). Although she looks very realistic in the painting, the way that she is melted into Dalis head is a sign of abstract ion. The same thing can be said for the males legs which also give off the illusion of being molded into the image. In addition to that, another abstract image that the viewer might point out while observing the painting are the hanging rocks on a wire right above Dalis deformed head. I would say that this is the most abstract image because while writing this analysis, I was not able to determine what it represents. Aside from the abstraction which is obvious in The Great Masturbator, the painting is also said to be highly representational. In order to understand the theme that is incorporated into The Great Masturbator, one may first take a closer look at the painting as a whole. When a work of art is said to be representational, it is a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦type of art in which the subject is presented through the visual art elements so that the observer is reminded of actual objects (Art Fundamentals, 341). The Great Masturbator is a highly representational painting because the females hair looks like real hair, and her eyes as well as face also look like they were derived from reality. In addition to that, the male body resembles that of a real male body, and the grasshopper resembles a  grasshopper that one would see in a natural environment. Those images mentioned above and other images which I had not mentioned, such as the ants, are ones that Dali painted to represent the natural environment. It is almost as if they were taken out of reality and placed in the panting and because of that it is classified as highly re presentational. In order to express himself in an abstract, as well as highly representational manner, Salvador Dali had to use various mediums. The type of medium that Salvador Dali used while painting The Greta Masturbator was oil paints on a canvas. Concluding from my research on this type of medium, I am able to say that after Salvador Dali painted The Great Masturbator it must have taken a long time for it to dry, since oil paint tends to dry very slowly. Salvador Dali painted this work of art flat on a canvas. However, because oil paints have a thicker consistency, the whole painting has a feeling of texture. To begin painting, Dali first had to prepare the canvas. To do that, he first had to stretch the cotton fabric over a wooden frame which is also called the stretcher. Next, he had to apply gesso to make the surface more able to accept the paint. In order to paint The Great Masturbator, Dali used various types of materials. Most of the time, when an artists uses oil paints, they use a brush to apply the paint. To achieve the effect or realism combined with abstraction, Dali had to use different kinds of brushes. All those brushes must have varied in size and shape, as well as the texture that they possessed. Along with the medium used to paint The Great Masturbator, Salvador Dali used two techniques what were essential in creating his work of art. One of the major techniques applied while painting The Great Masturbator is expression. Expression is defined as The manifestation through artistic form of a thought,  emotion, or quality of meaning (Art Fundamentals, 338). Just as previously mentioned, Salvador Dali painted The Great Masturbator as a self portrait. Everything that is included in this painting was in one way or another meaningful to him. For example, the reason that Dali painted a dead grasshopper with ants crawling up to his mouth was because as a child he was said to have a great fear of insects. In addition to that, the reason that he has painted a female leaning toward a males crotch was because he thought that painting such images would relieve all the sexual frustration which he held inside. Through expression Salvador Dali has figured out what he wanted to paint. His second step was to somehow make this painting a work of art. Aside from expressionism, shading is another technique of painting that Salvador D ali used while creating The Great Masturbator. In the Art Fundamentals textbook, shading is defined as the darker value on the surface of an object that gives the illusion that a portion of it is turned away from or obscured by some source of light. A perfect example of shading would be represented by Salvador Dalis self portrait. Although the whole side of Dalis profile seems very well lit and bright, the top of his profile is significantly darker. Because his head as well as his forehead and nose are darker, the viewer is able to imagine where the source of light is coming from, in this case from the front of the painting. This casting of shadow (shading) is a technique which is very essential to a lot of artists. Salvador Dali used shading as one of his techniques in order to enhance the appearance of the painting. The pictorial field is a shape that dominates all the other shapes in a painting. It is an image which always contributes to the structure as well as the expression of the painting. Most of the time, a picture plane is situated on viewers eye level. While observing The Great  Masturbator, the viewer is able to see that there is only one surrealistic image which dominates the picture plane. This image is one of Dalis self portrait, which includes the female as well as the male figure molded into it. In this painting, the picture plane seems to dominate the whole painting. Because it is so great in size, and because it is painted as only one shape, some viewers might have a more difficult time of studying the painting as a whole. Being that the picture plane is so large in size, it takes over the appearance of the whole painting. Speaking from my own experience, I was able to conclude that while studying this work of art; it was not till much later on that I realized what its backgro und consisted of. Another method of painting that Salvador Dali used while creating The Great Masturbator was illusionism. Illusionism is defined as the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦imitation of visual reality created on the flat surface of the picture by the use of perspective and light-and-dark shading (Art fundamentals, 338). Illusionism, also known as the trompe loeil effect is a technique which in the case of this painting is intertwined with chiaroscuro. Just as chiaroscuro, illusionism gives an effect of reality. However, illusionism shows a sense of reality through not only the distribution, but also by the shading of light and dark. The Great Masturbator is a perfect example of an illusionary work of art. As I previously mentioned, in order to learn more about the painting, one must take their time to study it. This surrealistic work of art created by Salvador Dali is one which holds many hidden images. When the viewer first looks at this painting, he/she will most likely not know what it is about. To some who observe it, the painting at the first glance may give off an illusion of a woman. However, Dalis sel f portrait, as well as all the other images in this painting, are so well intertwined with each other, that it is very hard to distinguish them without first taking a hard look at the whole piece. As a result, The Great  Masturbator might fool the observers eye into thinking that it sees an object, which in reality is not there. In contrast to that, the image may also create an illusion of hidden images which are waiting to be discovered by the viewer. Push-pull color is another method used by Salvador Dali which can also create the illusion of fooling the eye. The Push-pull effect is a method used by artists which represents two or more colors that alternate places with each other. For example, a person may see two images, green and orange. At first, the green image may look like it is closer than then the orange image. However, all of the sudden, the image fools the eye and the orange color appears closer, and vice versa. In The Great Masturbator, such a push-pull color effect is obvious. First off, the image in the picture plane is much brighter then the background of the painting. However, when one takes a closer look, he or she will realize that involuntarily, the two colors keep on changing place by moving back and forth. Because of the color synchronization, the viewer will be able to recognize that push-pull color effect. In addition to the push-pull color effect, the dominant areas in The Great Masturbator play a very symbolic role. The areas in The Great Masturbator that play a dominant role are the same areas which the viewer is able to see in the picture plane. First and foremost, the most obvious area that plays a dominant role in the painting is the upper body of the female. The factors that contribute to the dominance of this specific area, is that when a viewer looks at this painting, they will automatically see the female. This is because she is the most recognizable shape in the painting. In addition to that, her hair color also stands out, and automatically brings the readers attention. Another dominant area in the painting would be Salvador Dalis self portrait. The reason for this image not to be the most dominant is because it is not as clearly  identified as the woman. Another reason is that Dalis self portrait is upside down, and it takes a while for the viewer to recognize it. In addition to that, the third dominant image in this painting is the grasshopper, which is followed by the image of a m ales lower body. On the other hand, the negative areas painted in The Great Masturbator are the horizon, as well as the two tiny male figures in the background. They are classified as negative space in the painting because they are just there in order to fill the space between the subject and the rest of the canvas. The negative and the positive spaces are combined by the shading and brightening up of the canvas where it was appropriate. The Great Masturbator is painted with approximate symmetry. Stated in the Art Fundamentals book is that approximate symmetry is the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦use of similar imagery on either side of a central axis. The visual material on one side may resemble that on the other but is varied to prevent visual monotony. The Great Masturbator is a great example of a work of art which employs approximate symmetry. First off, Salvador Dalis self portrait shows his profile; however, the face is upside down and as a result, his nose is pointing toward the floor. Also, on the same side of the canvas, right above Dalis head, one is able to notice the rocks that are hanging on a wire. On the other side of the canvas, however, the viewer is able to see the upper-half of the womans body leaning towards the male crotch. In conclusion, one is able to realize that Dalis self portrait (which is painted with his nose down), balances out with the female on the other side of the canvas leaning toward the male. Al so, if one were to draw a vertical line down the middle of the canvas, the grasshopper would be split on both sides of the line. In addition to that, the two small figures in the back are also situated so that they will keep the symmetry on both sides of the canvas. Although the whole painting may not have been  painted exactly symmetrical, every shape and image balances one another, and because of that approximate symmetry is achieved. Obviously, The Great Masturbator would not exist today if it were not for the line which has made it. A persons eyes see boundaries of objects in terms of lines. Also, we have been taught to draw using line, shape and form. Lines are a very essential part of creating a good work of art. When used correctly, lines can symbolize various feelings. The first type of line which is visible in The Great Masturbator is the contour line. A contour line is the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦line that defines the outermost limits of an object or a drawn or painted shape. It indicates an edge that also may be defined by the extremities of darks, lights, textures, and colors (Art Fundamentals, 76). Such lines are shown through the whole painting. Contour lines are also present in Dalis self portraits wrinkles, as well as in the stand that the male figure is painted on. Another form of lines which are present in the painting are the cross contour lines. Those lines are defined as lines that cross and define the s urface between the edges of shapes or objects. An example of cross contour lines is shown on the grasshoppers wings. Another example of a type of line that one can point out from the painting is the implied line. An implied line is a line that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦dims, fades, stops, and/or disappears (Art Fundamentals, 76). Implied lines can be seen in Dalis hair on eyelashes as well as on his whole self portrait. Implied lines can also be seen disappearing after they have outlined the womans shoulder, as well as from the stem of the calla lily. In addition to line, shape also plays a very important part in the representation of a work of art. Shape is a two dimensional space which is usually defined by a line, or another. Artists may decide to use basic shapes, or they may want to choose to use a different type of shape. The shapes they use may be representational, or nonrepresentational. The shapes that play a key role in The Great Masturbator are known as biomorphic shapes. Biomorphic shapes are ones that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦resemble the freely developed curves found in live organisms. Such shape is apparent in almost the whole painting. Starting from Salvador Dalis profile, and including the stand on which the male is standing as well as the two small people figures. He reason that these shapes classify as biomorphic is because although they do not represent anything in real life, when painted as something, they will morph and transform into an object or a person figure which one would see in everyday life. In addition to the biomorphic shape, objective shape is also present in this painting. An objective shape is one that is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦based as nearly as possible, on physical actuality or optical perception (Art Fundamentals, 76). Objective shapes tend to appear very natural or real. An example of an objective shape would be the female as well as the male figure present in the painting. In addition to that, the grasshopper would also qualify as an objective shape. Through those shapes Dali was able to create an illusion of wonder, but at the same time, reality and consciousness. Value is related to the degree of light and dark. One may experience the feeling of value when they get to see a solar eclipse or the sunset. Through value, one is able to distinguish many shapes as well as sizes. One example of value that the viewer may notice in The Great Masturbator would be chiaroscuro. The Great Masturbator is known for the rich chiaroscuro incorporated in the painting. In simpler terms, chiaroscuro can be defined as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the distribution of light and dark in a picture (Art Fundamentals, 327). Through this technique Dali was able to create an illusion of three dimensionality. In addition to that, chiaroscuro makes all the images, as well as the painting as a whole, look alive. Although the  images are painted on a flat canvas using shading done by chiaroscuro, they seem to look alive. While observing the painting, the viewer will have the illusion of the objects being in motion. Because most of the painting is melted together to form one image, the v iewer might only glance at that image and realize how alive it appears. This perception of movement and liveliness can be created through chiaroscuro. Value also serves a great role while speaking about texture and volume. While looking at the painting, one may conclude that the darker texture (the negative space), is the one which exhibits a rough and deep texture. The observer may conclude that the lighter texture (positive space), appears to be softer to the touch; therefore shallower. One may conclude this by taking a looking at the value of the positive and negative space. The negative space is darker, and therefore seems rougher and deeper. The positive space, on the other hand, seems to have lighter value in it; therefore, one may conclude that it may by softer and shallower. Texture is the tactile quality of visual expression. Texture can qualified as real or implied. It is created by using other elements such as value, line, and color. One type of texture which one the observer will be able to point out in The Great Masturbator is accent. Accent is a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦texture which places an emphasis to elements of composition that makes them attract more attention then other features that surround or are close to them. (Art Fundamentals, 134). Accent texture may be achieved by a adding a brighter color, a darker tone, or by any other means in which a difference is exposed. In other words, Salvador Dalis self portrait is an example of accent. It distinguishes itself with a brighter color then any other image on the painting. Accent texture serves as a great addition to the overall painting. First off, it makes the  whole painting very shiny and bright. In addition to that, the bright color in contrast wit the dark color, gives off a very smooth (light) v ersus rough (dark) feeling. Color is the most universally appreciated element (Art Fundamentals, 149). Color surrounds everyone. Everywhere we go, we are always in contact with color, and from time to time, we are being introduced to new colors. The Great Masturbator, for example, is a work of art that is very rich with many different colors. This painting by Salvador Dali contains a mixture of warm and cool colors. For example, the head which symbolizes a self portrait of Dali is yellow; a warm color. Same thing can be said for the female, she is also painted in warm colors. However, it is hard to tell whether or not the male is painted with worm or cool colors. A part of him can be perceived as if it was painted with warm colors. Another half, on the other hand, looks as if it was painted in cool colors. The background of The Great Masturbator, however, is a mixture of warm as well as cool colors. From the horizon, and a little more to the top, the viewer is able to see the yellow, warm, color. However, from the yellow color, and more to the top, one is able to see all the dark hues, and as a result, the hue here is classified as cool. In my opinion, the overall tonality of The Great Masturbator is tranquil and peaceful (not paying attention to the images, only color). I am able to say that because even though it is a lighter color, the yellow is overpowering the green. Simultaneous contrast happens when two different colors come into direct contact. As a result, the contrast intensifies the difference between them. Simultaneous contrast means that when a person makes a couple of white holes in a red sweater, and then lays it down on white table, we will perceive the table color different then the white hole color, even though it is the same thing. I believe that this happens because people are not used to experimenting with  color. We are used to perceive color for what it is, whether it is yellow, blue or red. However, when someone puts us through a test such as the one I mentioned above, we cannot believe that it is not the white that changed, but the background which was laid on to make us think that the color has changed. . Local color is something that we see every day. Local colors brighten our day and make us feel good. Colors are classified into three properties: Value, Hue, and Intensity. Value can be defined as the quantity of light reflected by a color. Value can be classified as chromatic value, which distinguishes the lightness and darkness of colors. The high key colors are the colors that are above middle gray. Low key colors, on the other hand, are all the colors below the middle gray. Hue is only the real name for color. In reality, it is not the color red, the color blue; it is a red hue, a blue hue and so on. Every hue exists in many other variations. Many reds have different shades; many blues have different shades, and so on. Intensity, on the other hand, refers to the quality of light in a color. Intensity distinguishes the brighter colors from the duller colors. As a matter of fact, color can actually loose its intensity. After its whole intensity has been lost, the color stays gray. However, there are a couple of ways to change a colors intensity. In order to increase a colors intensity, one must place the dull color right next to its complement. In order to decrease a colors intensity, it is required to mix the color pigments. People very often mistaken value for intensity, however, it is not the same. Symbolic color plays a great role in painting various subject matters. Symbolic color is used by an artist to represent a mood or a feeling in a given painting. Depending on a person and their origin, colors may have many different symbolic meanings. For example, the color gold is often associated with royalty. The color red, on the other hand, may have many different symbolic meanings such as alert, blood, love etc. Through the use of symbolic color, the viewer may develop a greater understanding of a certain painting. The Great Masturbator does not consist of any symbolic color that would help the viewer determine the mood or feeling of the painting. However, the colors used by Dali in painting have to be symbolic in one way or another. Just as color is needed to describe the mood or feeling of a painting, unity and harmony are essential. Unity is defined as the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦result of bringing the elements of art into the appropriate ratio to achieve a sense of oneness (Art Fundamentals, 324). Harmony, on the other hand, is the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦quality of relating the visual elements of a composition (Art Fundamentals, 32). Harmony is achieved by repetition of characteristics that are the same or similar. Harmony is one of the principles of organization which helps to produce balance. There are many ways that harmony can be incorporated in a work of art. Repetition uses the same visual effects, such as color or shading, in order to produce one dominating visual idea. Through repetition, the viewer may start to feel a harmonious relationship with the work of art that is viewed. Rhythm, on the other hand, is achieved when many of the same shapes or images are repeated. Lastly, economy distills an image to the basic essentials for its clarification or presentation. In the painting of The Great Masturbator, Salvador Dali uses the technique of rhythm. In my opinion this is a rhythmic painting because of its soft flow. When taking into consideration the foreground of the painting, the whole image consists of a continuous flow. Very soft and almost musical lines connect the images together. There is no sharp breaking or snatching of lines; they all have a perfectly finished ending. After my analysis of The Great Masturbator, I am able to state that this is one of the most brilliant works of art that I have ever studied. While taking the time to look at the painting, one cannot forget the great artist himself, Salvador Dali. His magnificent talent and imagination have awakened in me the need to learn more about him as well as his other works. Salvador Dali knew what to paint in order to make his art as well as his intelligence well known. It fascinates me how he used his life as well as feelings to paint a painting, such as The Great Masturbator, that can be so personal, but at the same time so open to interpretation. His brilliant use of abstraction, color, value, shape, as well as all the other techniques, take the breath of anyone who has ever looked at his artwork. I am also convinced that The Great Masturbator is one of his classic works by which he will always be remembered.

Madagascar :: History

Madagascar â€Å"Great Red Island† Background Information Government Formal Name: Republic of Madagascar DTA code: MA Government Type: Republic Legal System: based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction. Foreign Relations: Good relations with many countries, especially France, and the western countries of Africa. Holidays: Jan. 1 - New Year’s Day May 1 - Workers Day May 24- OAU Day June 26- Independence Day Nov 1 - All Saints Day Dec 25- Christmas Dec 30- Republic Day History The Malagasy are of mixed Malayo-Indonesian and African-Arab ancestry. Indonesians are believed to have migrated to the island about B.C.E. 700. Archaeologists have found human remains dating back 2000 years. Madagascar was a favorite base for sea pirates in the 1600’s and 1700’s, including the famous Captain Kidd. The French made the island a protectorate in 1885, and then in 1894-95 ended the monarchy. In 1908 a colonial administration was set up, to which the Comoro Islands were attached. In World War II the British occupied Madagascar, which retained its ties to France. Madagascar became an independent member of the community in 1960. Economy Rated 10th poorest country in the world. Madagascar faces problems of chronic malnutrition and severe loss of forest cover accompanied by erosion. Agriculture Provides almost 80% of exports, 16% of cultivated land is irrigated. Major crops include, coffee, vanilla, sugar cane, cloves, rice, bananas, peanuts; wide spread cattle raising; also extensive fishing. Exports and Imports Major exports are coffee, vanilla, cloves, and sugar. Main markets are France, USA, Germany, and Japan. Major Imports are capital goods, oil, and consumer goods. Main suppliers are France, Japan, and Germany. Culture Society There are some 20 ethnic groups of which principal ones are the Central Highlanders of mixed Arab, African, MalayoIndonsian ancestry. Other groups include, Comorans, French, and IndoPakistanis. The estimated population as of July 2000 was 15,506,472 Language Languages are Malagasy and French. Religion About 55% hold indigenous beliefs, 40% Christian, and 5% Muslim Currency One Malagasy Franc equals one US dollar Geography Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean Area: Slightly less than double the size of Arizona Climate: Tropical along coast, arid in the south Natural Resources: Graphite, Coal, Tar, Stones. Natural Hazards : Periodic Cyclones Ports: 15 major ports Airports: 105 Major Cities and Points of Interest Capital: Antananarivo The city is built on a Y shaped granite mountain surrounded by rice fields. Madagascar :: History Madagascar â€Å"Great Red Island† Background Information Government Formal Name: Republic of Madagascar DTA code: MA Government Type: Republic Legal System: based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction. Foreign Relations: Good relations with many countries, especially France, and the western countries of Africa. Holidays: Jan. 1 - New Year’s Day May 1 - Workers Day May 24- OAU Day June 26- Independence Day Nov 1 - All Saints Day Dec 25- Christmas Dec 30- Republic Day History The Malagasy are of mixed Malayo-Indonesian and African-Arab ancestry. Indonesians are believed to have migrated to the island about B.C.E. 700. Archaeologists have found human remains dating back 2000 years. Madagascar was a favorite base for sea pirates in the 1600’s and 1700’s, including the famous Captain Kidd. The French made the island a protectorate in 1885, and then in 1894-95 ended the monarchy. In 1908 a colonial administration was set up, to which the Comoro Islands were attached. In World War II the British occupied Madagascar, which retained its ties to France. Madagascar became an independent member of the community in 1960. Economy Rated 10th poorest country in the world. Madagascar faces problems of chronic malnutrition and severe loss of forest cover accompanied by erosion. Agriculture Provides almost 80% of exports, 16% of cultivated land is irrigated. Major crops include, coffee, vanilla, sugar cane, cloves, rice, bananas, peanuts; wide spread cattle raising; also extensive fishing. Exports and Imports Major exports are coffee, vanilla, cloves, and sugar. Main markets are France, USA, Germany, and Japan. Major Imports are capital goods, oil, and consumer goods. Main suppliers are France, Japan, and Germany. Culture Society There are some 20 ethnic groups of which principal ones are the Central Highlanders of mixed Arab, African, MalayoIndonsian ancestry. Other groups include, Comorans, French, and IndoPakistanis. The estimated population as of July 2000 was 15,506,472 Language Languages are Malagasy and French. Religion About 55% hold indigenous beliefs, 40% Christian, and 5% Muslim Currency One Malagasy Franc equals one US dollar Geography Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean Area: Slightly less than double the size of Arizona Climate: Tropical along coast, arid in the south Natural Resources: Graphite, Coal, Tar, Stones. Natural Hazards : Periodic Cyclones Ports: 15 major ports Airports: 105 Major Cities and Points of Interest Capital: Antananarivo The city is built on a Y shaped granite mountain surrounded by rice fields.