The Olmec Royal Compound at La Venta

The Olmec Royal Compound at La Venta: La Venta was a great Olmec city which thrived in the present-day Mexican State of Tabasco from around 1000 to 400 B.C. The city was built on a ridge, and on top of that ridge are several important buildings and complexes. Taken together, these make up the â€Å"Royal Compound† of La Venta, an extremely important ceremonial site. The Olmec Civilization: The Olmec culture is the earliest of the great Mesoamerican civilizations and is considered by many to be the mother culture of later peoples such as the Maya and the Aztecs. The Olmecs are associated with several archaeological sites, but two of their cities are considered more important than the others: San Lorenzo and La Venta. Both of these city names are modern, as the original names of these cities have been lost. The Olmecs had a complex cosmos and religion.a including a pantheon of several gods. They also had long-distance trade routes and were extremely talented artists and sculptors. With the fall of La Venta around 400 B.C. the Olmec culture collapsed, succeeded by the epi-Olmec. La Venta: La Venta was the greatest city of its day. Although there were other cultures in Mesoamerica at the time La Venta was at its apex, no other city could compare in size, influence or grandeur. A powerful ruling class could command thousands of workers for public works tasks, such as bringing huge blocks of stone many miles to be carved at Olmec workshops in the city. Priests managed the communications between this world and the supernatural planes of the gods and many thousands of common people labored in the farms and rivers to feed the growing empire. At its height, La Venta was home to thousands of people and directly controlled an area of around 200 hectares – its influence reached much further. The Great Pyramid – Complex C: La Venta is dominated by Complex C, also called the Great Pyramid. Complex C is a conical construction, made of clay, which was once a more clearly defined pyramid. It stands about 30 meters (100 feet) high and has a diameter of about 120 meters (400 feet) It is man-made of nearly 100,000 cubic meters (3.5 million cubic feet) of earth, which must have taken thousands of man-hours to accomplish, and it is the highest point of La Venta. Unfortunately, part of the top of the mound was destroyed by nearby oil operations in the 1960’s. The Olmec considered mountains sacred, and since there are no mountains nearby, it is thought by some researchers that Complex C was created to stand-in for a sacred mountain in religious ceremonies. Four stelae located at the base of the mound, with â€Å"mountain faces† on them, seem to bear out this theory (Grove). Complex A: Complex A, located at the base of the Great Pyramid to the north, is one of the most important Olmec sites ever discovered. Complex A was a religious and ceremonial complex and served as a royal necropolis as well. Complex A is home to a series of small mounds and walls, but it is what is underground that is most interesting. Five massive offerings have been found in Complex A: these are large pits which were dug out and then filled with stones, colored clay and mosaics. Many smaller offerings have been found as well, including figurines, celts, masks, jewelry and other Olmec treasures given to the gods. Five tombs have been found in the complex, and although the bodies of the occupants decomposed long ago, important objects have been found there. To the north, Complex A was guarded by three colossal heads, and several sculptures and stelae of note have been found in the complex. Complex B: To the south of the Great Pyramid, Complex B is a large plaza (referred to as Plaza B) and a series of four smaller mounds. This airy, open area was most likely a place for the Olmec people to gather to witness ceremonies that took place on or near the pyramid. Several noteworthy sculptures were found in Complex B, including a colossal head and three Olmec-style sculpted thrones. The Stirling Acropolis: The Stirling Acropolis is a massive earthen platform which dominates the eastern side of Complex B. On top are two small, circular mounds and two long, parallel mounds that some believe may be an early ballcourt. Many fragments of broken statues and monuments as well as a drainage system and basalt columns have been found in the acropolis, leading to speculation that it may have once been the royal palace where the ruler of La Venta and his family resided. It is named for American archaeologist Matthew Stirling (1896-1975) who did a great deal of important work at La Venta. Importance of the La Venta Royal Compound: The Royal Compound of La Venta is the most important section of one of the four most important Olmec sites located and excavated to date. The discoveries made there - in particular at Complex A - have changed the way we see the Ancient Olmec culture. The Olmec civilization, in turn, is very important to the study of Mesoamerican cultures. The Olmec civilization is important in that it developed independently: in the region, there are no major cultures that came before them to influence their religion, culture, etc. Societies like the Olmec, which developed on their own, are referred to as pristine civilizations and there are very few of them. There may yet be even more discoveries to make in the royal compound. Magnetometer readings of Complex C indicate there is something in there, but it has not yet been excavated. Other digs in the area may reveal more sculptures or offerings. The royal compound may yet have secrets to divulge. Sources: Coe, Michael D and Rex Koontz. Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs. 6th Edition. New York: Thames and Hudson, 2008 Diehl, Richard A. The Olmecs: Americas First Civilization. London: Thames and Hudson, 2004. Grove, David C. Cerros Sagradas Olmecas. Trans. Elisa Ramirez. Arqueologà ­a Mexicana Vol XV - Num. 87 (Sept-Oct 2007). P. 30-35. Miller, Mary and Karl Taube. An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya. New York: Thames Hudson, 1993. Gonzalez Tauck, Rebecca B. El Complejo A: La Venta, Tabasco Arqueologà ­a Mexicana Vol XV - Num. 87 (Sept-Oct 2007). p. 49-54.

Qi Plan Part II Form Madison Community Hosital - 1208 Words

QI PLAN PART II JEANA BARNES HCS 589 PROFESSOR SANDBERG July 6, 2015 QI PLAN PART II – FORM MADISON COMMUNITY HOSITAL (FMCH) Focusing on improving quality service and managing care at Fort Madison Community Hospital is something they are striving to do daily. Managers also have to take in account of looking at information technology and its applications. Using these they find benchmarking and milestones. By discovering the benchmarking it will allow Fort Madison Community Hospital to better manage quality improvement so that it will be for effective daily. QI Methods Improving service in healthcare organizations by using methods that are helpful in the QI process can be challenging. There are several methods they can†¦show more content†¦Some cons of Sigma Six is that it doesn’t always provided useful skills for as far as prevention tools. Another downfall is that it can lead to overspending. Another method used by various and many organizations is product improvement. Product production improvement is preferred by improving the product more and the product will produce more. There are several quality factors that lead to patient satisfaction while patients are looking for improvements. By health care organizations such as Madison Hospital keeping up with improving their services and providing one step above their competition is key to keep patient satisfaction rates up. One advantage of using product improvement is showering customers the hospital cares about the services provided while considering their customers (or patients in this case). In addition, health care quality services also require other areas that need improvements. Such as staff training, continuing education, updating technology, and plenty more. All of these require many resources not only for improvements but for financial resources as well. Improvement on these can be a little more challenging to impr ove at any health care services. Another method known for improvement is called people-based improvement. This method provided many advantages. This method is extremely beneficial because it will include everyone from managers all the way down to the customers. People-based method

Scarlette Letter Essay Example For Students

Scarlette Letter Essay OTHER ELEMENTSSETTINGThere are two ways to talk about setting in The Scarlet Letter. One way is to look at the meaning or emotional overtones of specific places. A second and broader way is to examine the whole Puritan world in which Hawthorne has set his novel. Not just the time and place, Boston in the 1640s, but the values and beliefs that define Puritan society. THE MARKET-PLACE AND THE FOREST Far and away the most important scenes in The Scarlet Letter take place in two locations, the market-place and the forest. These are presented to us as very different places, reflecting very different human aspirations. The market-place is public. It lies at the very heart of the tiny enclave of civilization the Puritans have managed to carve out of the vast, untouched continent. The market-place contains both the church and the scaffold- institutions of law and religion. It is where criminals like Hester are punished, where penitents like Dimmesdale confess, and where men put on the faces they wear for the world. The forest, on the other hand, is dark and secret. It is where people come to let loose and be themselves. The forest track leads away from the settlement out into the wilderness where all signs of civilization vanish. The forest track is precisely the escape route from the dictates of law and religion to the promised land to the west where men can breathe free. The market-place and the forest are symbols of the choice that confronts the major characters in the novel. The choice is not as simple as it seems. For all its restraints, the market-place is safer and warmer than the forest. And you cant get into so much trouble there. In the heart of the settlement, there is the comfort of values that are shared, of laws that are laid down and respected. Above all, there is the comfort of people who care. The open air of the forest is exhilarating, but cold. Nothing is known in the wilderness, everything is up for grabs. There is no one around to stop you from goi ng to the devil. And when you do, he is right there waiting for you. THE PURITAN WORLD Surely the setting of The Scarlet Letter- the stern, joyless world of Puritan New England- is one of the grimmest on record. It is all gloom and doom. If the sun ever shines, we hardly notice. The whole place seems shrouded in black. A question comes to mind as we read the novel. Why did Hawthorne choose this dark world for his masterpiece? Perhaps we can tackle that question by asking another one. Why did Hawthorne reject the contemporary scene? Even if he chose to ignore the richly suggestive American settings of the 1820s and 30s, (the Erie Canal, for instance, or the Alamo), he had first-hand material to draw on in his own life and career. Part of the answer, of course, is that Hawthorne could write about the contemporary scene. He did write about it in The Custom House. But what he could write was comedy. The pathetic old Salemites who worked for Uncle Sam lent themselves not at all to the tr agic work he had in mind. Perhaps if Hawthorne reached back to Salem in the 1600s, he would find more figures invested with the same dark and dusky grandeur, more men and women who would speak as directly to his creative imagination. The Puritan world of the mid-17th century apparently gave Hawthorne something he badly needed- people who lived their lives to the full instead of snoring them away. In the pages of The Scarlet Letter, the Puritans emerge from the shadows of an earlier time, broad shouldered, ruddy cheeked, firm of step, and direct of speech. They were a stern people, of course, and repressive. They probably put the lid on more natural human impulses and emotions than any society before or since. But just for that reason, emotions boiled over, passions a novelist could seize at red heat. More important, the Puritans had a moral vitality never again found on the American scene. For a writer like Hawthorne, intrigued with the subject of conscience, here were people with c onscience to spare. Whatever their faults, the Puritans at least knew the difference between right and wrong. And that was the sensibility Hawthorne was after. THEMESLAW VS. NATURE We live in a permissive society. By and large, the law only bothers us when we bother the other guy. There is no law to tell us what to wear, how to think, or whom to love. In Puritan New England, life was vastly different. There, laws covered just about every aspect of life. Not surprisingly, human nature revelled against such strict supervision. Certain impulses and emotions, passion foremost among them, would not be denied. In the love of Hester and Dimmesdale, Hawthorne tells the story of one such rebellion. In a very real sense, the lovers are criminals. Their passion is a violation of the rigid Puritan civil and religious code. As wild as the forest which shelters it, the love of Hester and Dimmesdale asks us to weigh the justice of societys laws against the claims of human nature; that is, against men and womens most deeply felt desires and needs. THE INDIVIDUAL VS. SOCIETY The individual vs. society. Law vs. nature. These are really just different terms for the same basic conflict. Hawthorne is a Romantic writer with a Romantic subject: a rebel who refuses to conform to societys code. Most of us instinctively side with the rebel, the nonconformist. But society in this novel has a good deal to be said for it. It has assurance, dignity, strength. We can argue that Hester is right in her assertion that fulfillment and love are worth fighting for. And we can argue, with just as much validity, that society is right in its joyless insistence that adultery is a crime deserving of punishment. SIN AND REDEMPTION Hawthorne, as a descendant of Puritans of the deepest dye, is the heir to a strong tradition of sin. Puritan theology began with the thoroughgoing conviction of sin. After Adams fall, every man and woman was thought to be born an awful and vile sinner, who could be redeemed o nly by Gods grace (not by good deeds or by any actions which lay within human control). Now, Hawthorne is a 19th-century man of enlightenment. He is not a Puritan. Nevertheless, he is, morally speaking, something of a chip off the old block. As a writer, he is utterly immersed in sin, in the wages of sin, in the long odds on redeeming sin. The Scarlet Letter is a study of the effects of sin on the hearts and minds of Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth. In every case, the effect is devastating. Once these characters stumble into evil, they flounder about as if in a morass. Sin changes the sinners. It darkens their vision and weakens the spirits defenses against further temptation. And yet, sin also pays some unexpected dividends. Sin strengthens Hester. It humanizes Dimmesdale. Hawthorne, departing from his Puritan ancestors, considers the possibility that sin may be a maturing force. If sin is an encompassing shadow in the The Scarlet Letter, redemption is, at best, a fitfully sh immering light. Chillingworth never seeks redemption at all. Hester looks for it in good works, and fails to find it. Dimmesdale alone undergoes the necessary change of heart to find a doubtful peace. THE HEART VS. THE HEAD Is there really a war waging inside us between our emotions and our reason? Hawthorne thinks so, and hes pretty sure which side he wants to win. The heart leads Hester and Dimmesdale astray, but the intellect- untempered by feeling, mercy, humanity- thoroughly damns Chillingworth. Hawthorne comes down on the side of the heart. THE PUBLIC AND THE PRIVATE SELF Hawthornes Puritan New England is a world which encourages duplicity. So much is forbidden that almost everyone has something to hide. Hawthornes characters walk around in daylight with pious and sober expressions on their faces. But once they get home at night and lock the door, they pull out their secret thoughts and gloat over them like misers delighting in a hidden stash of gold. SYMBOLISMLets talk a litt le bit about what a symbol is. The common definition says that a symbol is a sign or token of something. A lion, for instance, is a symbol of courage. The bald eagle is a symbol of America. A white bridal gown is (or used to be) a symbol of purity. We take symbols like these pretty much for granted. They are a part of our everyday experience. In literature, matters are a little more complicated. Literary symbols usually dont have instantly recognizable meanings. Rather they take their meanings from the works of which they are a part. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne gives us a symbol, a red letter A whose meaning has to be deciphered. What does the scarlet letter mean? It is a question repeated by almost every character in the novel who is confronted with the blatant red token and who has to deal with it: by Hester herself, as she sits in prison, decorating the emblem with golden thread; by Reverend Wilson, who addresses the crowd at the scaffold with such terrifying references to t he scarlet A that it seems to glow red with hellfire; by Pearl, who asks about the letter so often that she threatens to drive her mother (and all of us) mad. The symbols meaning is hard to pin down because it is no passive piece of cloth, but a highly active agent. The scarlet letter provokes hostile feelings in the citizens of Boston, who shun Hester and insult her as something tainted and vile. Societys response to the letter, in turn, affects Hester. On the surface, she becomes a patient and penitential figure. She looks like someone seeking to live down the sin that the scarlet letter represents. But beneath the surface, rebellion is brewing. Societys insults make Hester angry and bitter. She becomes a scornful critic of her world. Hester takes the letter to herself. She becomes in fact the renegade she is labeled. Hester breaks free of conventional ideas and, as we see in the forest scene, she opposes Puritan truths with some devastating truths of her own. The point Hawthorne is making is that our lives are inevitably shaped by our past actions and by the signs of those actions- be they medals or badges of infamy- which we wear. Symbols like the scarlet letter shape our perceptions and our temperaments. They determine the kind of people we become. Over the years, the scarlet letter and its wearer blend into one. The letter, whatever it means, is the summation of Hesters life. But a letter is a remarkably ambiguous symbol. It can stand for any word beginning with A. Does the A stand for Adulteress, surely the intention of the magistrates who imposed it in the first place? Does it stand for Able in recognition of Hesters devotion as a nurse? Does it even mean Angel, with the consequent suggestion that Hester has risen above the society which condemned her? There is danger and excitement in the uncertainty. If we knew for sure that the A stood for Adulteress, we would have Hester neatly pegged. We would know we were supposed to condemn her. But Hawthorne is not content to let the matter rest at that. He asks us to look at Hester from other, very different, viewpoints. We are never altogether sure whether we should condemn Hester or admire her. STRUCTUREThe Scarlet Letter began life as a short story. (Hawthorne was advised to expand it into a novel, which he did.) In many respects, it retains the characteristics of a short story. The Scarlet Letter has the tightness and the economy we generally associate with the shorter fictional form. Hawthornes novel has only one plot. There are no subplots- no secondary love stories, for instance, such as you find in the novels of Jane Austen. It also has only one setting: Boston in the 1640s. Although Pearl and Hester eventually sail off to Europe, the reader is not invited to follow them there. The Scarlet Letter has only four main characters: Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and Pearl. All the other characters are really part of the historical tapestry against which the action takes place. Per haps most important of all, The Scarlet Letter has one predominating mood. For this, the lighting is largely responsible. We move in a world of darkness which is relieved only occasionally by a ray of light. (The darkness sets in early, with the beadles presence obscuring the sunshine in Chapter 2. It continues to the end of the novel, with the legend on Hesters tombstone: so somber and relieved only by one ever-glowing point of light, gloomier than the shadow.) Since Hawthornes novel is such a spare and unified work, it is curious that readers disagree about its heart or structural center. Some critics believe that the heart of the books structure is the scaffold, or penitential platform, to which Dimmesdale finally brings himself to stand by Hesters side. According to this view, the scaffold scenes alternate with the pivotal forest scenes, where the lovers confront the critical choice of escape from society or return to it. But no less an authority than Henry James (the novelists novelist and the acknowledged master of form in American fiction) disagrees. James dismisses the forest scenes- and indeed, any of the scenes where Hester plays a major part- as secondary. The Scarlet Letter, James says, is no love story. It is the story of retribution. And its center is the relationship between Dimmesdale and Chillingworth, the guilty lover and the sinister husband whose sole purpose is to keep that guilt alive. Stem Cell Essay