An Analysis Of George Gershwin s An American Folk Opera

â€Å"An American Folk Opera.† George Gershwin’s most successful piece of expansive musical drama was subtitled with this term that no musician or critic had applied to a work of musical drama before the 1935 premiere of Porgy and Bess. Much has been written about the work’s subtitle; its literal meaning, its evolution, and its implications for a changing cultural landscape. Porgy and Bess was the last in a triptych of literature and theater surrounding the character of Porgy, a crippled beggar living in Charleston’s semi-fictitious Catfish Row. Porgy, the 1925 novel written by white author DuBose Heyward, was â€Å"the original.† The novel received mixed reviews; white critics praised Heyward’s vivid descriptions of â€Å"the life of the Negro† while†¦show more content†¦Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, â€Å"From the New World† was based upon â€Å"spirituals and plantation song from the South.† Bartok’s Ten Easy Pieces for piano were heavily influenced by â€Å"folk melody [that was] a kind of inspirational motto to be developed.† Gershwin understood there to be a need for a truly American voice in music, comparable to those of the great nationalist European composers, recognizing that â€Å"The only kinds of music which endure are those which possess form in the universal sense and folk music. All else dies.† Similar to Dvorak in his ninth symphony, the idiom that Gershwin employed for his opera was that of the Negro spiritual and folk song. Before composing Porgy and Bess, Gershwin made a trek down to Charleston, South Carolina and some of its outlying island communities with the purpose of studying â€Å"rural African American† culture. It was there that he became immersed in the music of that community and it was there that he garnered his inspiration for the opera’s score. Again harkening to the traditions of the European masters, Gershwin decided against the note-for-note transcription of the songs he had heard, but rather used them as inspiration for a continuous musical narrative of folk-inspired themes. Thus, we arrive at the term â€Å"folk opera.† Gershwin’s use of African American folk material in the composition of an opera gave rise to the literal terminologyShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of the Music Industry30024 Words   |  121 Pagesjazz and world music). In mainstream music, recording and marketing are now dominated by just four `majors worldwide, one of which is the UK s own giant record company, EMI Group PLC. The other majors are Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, based in the US, and Sony BMG, a Japanese/German joint venture only created in 2004. One of EMI s major strengths is its historic catalogue of recordings — and copyrights — which includes The Beatles and many other enduring acts of the last century

The Legal Drinking Age Of The United States - 1479 Words

The legal drinking age in the United States has been argued for many decades. The current minimal legal drinking age is twenty-one but some want to lower between eighteen and twenty. The main focus of the research conducted and opinions of people are based on the minimal legal drinking age of eighteen. The research is taken from the 1970s, when the twenty-sixth Amendment was passed in the Constitution (Wagenaar, 206). It was stated that eighteen is the â€Å"age of majority†, so thirty-nine of the states changed their legal drinking age from twenty-one to eighteen. Because of issues with the lowered drinking age, Congress passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984. This act required all states to raise the legal drinking age back to twenty-one in order receive the 10 percent federal highway funds (Carpenter and Dobkin 137). By 1990, all fifty states set their minimum legal drinking age to twenty-one. Since this time, many arguments have been raised to lower it back t o eighteen. With a lower drinking age, issues for youth include health risks, easy access of alcohol, unsafe drinking environments, and the increase of fatalities. Lowering the drinking age between the ages of eighteen and twenty will increase health risks for these young adults. In this age group, brains are still developing. By consuming alcohol this young, the brain’s frontal lobe is affected because it is still in the developing stages. According to ProCon.org, â€Å"emotional regulation, planning,Show MoreRelatedThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States Essay1385 Words   |  6 Pagesbefore when they went out drinking. It is a common fact that most teenagers have had a drink of alcohol before their twenty-first birthday. Most teenagers drink regularly or in some cases, binge drink. Nobody can prevent underage drinking. When people tell a teenagers they cannot have something, it inclines them to want it even more and teenagers will go to extreme lengths to obtain it. In 1984, Congress passed the law stating the legal drinking age in the United States was twenty-one (Alcoholism)Read MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States965 Words   |  4 Pages In the United States, when a man or women turn eighteen they are considered an adult. Being eighteen, they are not acknowledged as teenagers anymore. They have more freedom and more opportunities to become independent. Some of the opportunities an eighteen years old are given are the right to vote, open bank accounts, lease their own apartment or join the military. They have equal opportunities like adults over the age of twenty-one. However, anyone between the age of eighteen through twenty areRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States1270 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout the world, the age when a child becomes an adult is at the age 18. Most people gain the right to vote, start to work for themselves, drive in certain countries. All of this being said, an additional privilege is the ability for one to be able to legally drink. The United States is one of the only countries who ´s legal drinking age is separate from the declared age of an official adult under the law. The idea of putting restrictions on a â€Å"legal† adult, makes the issue more complicatedRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States Essay1500 Words   |  6 PagesThe legal drinking age in the United States was ruled to be 21 in 1984, setting the country apart from almost all other western nations. These past 30 years have contained as much problems regarding the consumption of alcohol as one of the country’s biggest failures ever, the 18th amendment, otherwise known as prohibition. Also, the legal drinking age in the United States can be considered violation of states liberties, as the national government, albeit with good intentions, has intervened and onlyRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States2408 Words   |  10 PagesThe Legal Drinking Age The legal drinking age in the United States is 21, while in other countries the legal age ranges from 16-18. The argument in the United States is, â€Å"Should the United States lower its drinking age?† There are many sides to this argument but research has given many good points to back up both sides of the question. First issue is the difference between a teen’s brain with alcohol and an adult’s brain with alcohol. Another concern is that drinking at a younger age can help teachRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States920 Words   |  4 Pages The legal drinking age has always been a debatable topic that people argue about all the time. Alcohol has been a drug problem for the majority of our young adults all around the world. The goal is to decrease the effects of underage drinking In the United States by keeping the legal drinking law 21. Every state had the right to their own legal drinking age, therefore during the 1970 1980’s som e states had 21 while others had 18. This problem was carried over when teenagers got behindRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States1345 Words   |  6 PagesWith food, there comes a variety of cultural differences with beverages. One of the most popular drink markets in the United States is energy drinks. This industry has grown significantly in the past ten years, and many of the companies are household names, such as Red Bull, Monster, and Rockstar Energy. While they have mainstream success in the United States, many countries look down on these products because of their use of certain supplements, such as excess amounts of caffeine of taurine. SomeRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age Of The United States1783 Words   |  8 PagesPersuasive-Research Essay The legal drinking age in the United States is 21, while in other countries the legal age ranges from 16-18. The argument in the United States is â€Å"Should the United States lower its drinking age?† There are many sides to this argument but research has given many good points to back up both sides of the question. First thing is the difference between a teen’s brain with alcohol and an adult’s brain with alcohol. Another thing is drinking at a younger age can help teach culture.Read MoreThe Legal Drinking Age For The United States Government Essay1196 Words   |  5 Pagesmultiple policies that should be taken into high consideration for the United States government. However, one specific topic that needs to be addressed is the legal drinking age. As of now, the legal drinking age in America is 21. To some residents, this law is considerably reasonable. To others, having the drinking age of 21 seems unnecessary for multiple reasons. Most people would agree th at having the current drinking age allows for more responsible teens and young adults. Yet in most cases, thisRead MoreThe Legal Drinking Age At The United States Of America1698 Words   |  7 Pagesthe legal age to drink alcoholic beverages in the United States of America. Some otherwise intelligent people want to lower the legal drinking age to eighteen rather than keep it at twenty-one, the current federally mandated drinking age. In Time Magazine Mary Cary, author of Time to Lower the Drinking Age, puts forth the position that lowering the drinking age would actually be beneficial to society. Though lowering the drinking age to eighteen may lead to solutions to underage drinking, many

The Global Crisis and Equity Market-Free-Samples for Students

Questions: 1.What was the main cause of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and why it has spread Internationally? Do you believe that it could have been prevented? 2.One of the tools Australia and many other Countries have used to fight the recession trends was to cut cash rates. The Reserve Bank of Australia has itself cut the cash rate from 6.75% in January 2008 to 2% in January 2016. Why do you believe central banks all over the world are using this tool to fight the recession in their Economies? 3.Why do you believe Australia cares so much about what is happening in China? What is the connection to the Australian Economy? Answers: 1.The Global Financial crisis that started from July 2007 had fully explored in 2008. The main driving factor for the financial crisis was credit crunch happened in housing market. During this time, the US investors lose their confidence. The US economy suffered with a liquidity crisis as resulted from reduced value of sub-prime mortgages. To counter the crisis US government injected a considerable amount of money in the financial sector. In September 2008, the crisis took a disastrous form as the stock market crashed and high volatility is observed globally (Treeck 2014). Not only investors but also the consumers lose their confidence and restrict their choices. The Global Financial Crisis originated in the US housing market. The homeowners in US had withdrawn their subprime loans because it becomes difficult for them to repay the mortgages. With declining price of houses, they find themselves in huge debt. There is large number of loan defaulters that put banks and financial institution in trouble. The valuation of land decreases as compared to the valuation when loans are given (Paulson 2013). Banks suffered from a liquidity crisis. Following the housing bubble burst lending or receiving loan became extremely difficult. The liquidity crisis in the economy is known as credit crunch. United State is one of largest economy in the world. It maintains economic relation with many other nations worldwide. The financial crisis in US spread internationally and countries went through a recessionary crisis. There were foreign banks that bought US collateralized debt. In times of financial crisis in part of these loans were transformed into collateral debt obligations. The financial institutions across the world participated in the debt transactions. For example, many European and British banks had exposed to the mortgage loans. With increasing loan defaulters in US theses banks suffered a huge money loss (Bekaert et al. 2014). The banking system in US is connected internationally. In the phase of losing money banks limit their lending to others. When banks restricted lending to each other there occurred a supply shortage of funds and firms and consumers and firms find it difficult to lend money from banks. The reduced supply of money was responsible for a declining aggreg ate demand (Helleiner 2014). As a result, countries those were not directly related to subprime mortgages in US housing market suffered from the crisis. US maintain a trade relation with many other countries. The recession in US caused a fall in their import demand. This affected the export demand of nations and exporting countries contracted with recession in US. The reduced volume of global trade makes the financial crisis a global phenomenon. The crisis in financial sector reduced the confidence of firms and consumers resulting in a global crisis. The global stock market was severely affected by the financial crisis (zmen and Ya?ar 2016). Declining share price means lower wealth and reduced confidence leads to lower growth. The Global Financial Crisis in 2008 could have been prevented if Federal Reserve did not ignore the early signs and take active steps at the beginning of the crisis. The lending indicators first signaled trouble in November 2006. Then the commerce department reported a drop in home permits by 28 percent. However, then Fed did not believe that housing price could fall. Fed then remained optimistic and believed on the strength of domestic economy to counter housing price slump (Godlewski 2014). If government intervenes at the early stage then U.S. and rest of world could be saved from the crisis. 2.Bank rate is the interest rate that central bank charges to the commercial bank on borrowed fund. The Bank rate in Australia and New Zealand is knows as official cash rate. This is an effective tool used by the central bank to control money supply in the economy. Banks and financial institution are made for settling inter-bank transfer of funds and the transaction rate for the cash are determined through buying and selling of bonds and government securities through money market operation (Mian and Sufi 2015). Recession is defined as a declining phase of economy characterized with a significant downturn in all economic activity. During recession, the economic suffers from a decline in its Gross domestic Product, slowdown of general price level or inflation, low wages of workers and rise in the unemployment rate. When the declining phase continued for at least six months, it is termed as recession. Persistent recession for one year or more put the economy in steady depression (Cynamon and Fazzari 2015). Therefore, it is important for nations to combat recession before taking the forms of depression. The policy makers to revive the economy use expansionary fiscal and monetary policy. The expansionary monetary policy aims at increasing the money supply. A reduction in the Bank rate or Cash rate is the most effective tool to achieve this goal. When central bank reduces the bank rate then it becomes easier for commercial banks to borrow money. With ease of borrowing, the supply of loan able fund increases. The increased supply of funds reduces the interest rate that investors have to pay for borrowed money from the commercial banks (Juselius et al. 2016). Therefore, a decrease in cash rate encourages investors to borrow more funds. The productive investment increases output and expands demand. There is another channel for interest rate to affect the aggregate demand. The lower interest rate discourages household for saving and increase their consumption spending. This increases aggregate output. This can be evaluated using the framework IS-LM. Figure 1: Effect of a reduction in cash rate (Source: as created by Author) The LM curve reflects the effect the monetary policy. When the central bank reduces cash rate, the available money supply increases and it causes shift the LM curve rightward from LM to LM1. Accordingly, interest rate in the economy reduces from r* to r1and output increases from Y* to Y1. This is how a reduction in the cash rate is supposed to increase the aggregate demand and output. In order to achieve this goal and combat recession central all over the world uses the tool of cash rate to fight recession in their economies. The Global Financial crisis originated in United State affect Australia and other major economies worldwide. These countries suffer a recession and government there gave attention to counteract economic downturn with unveiling fiscal and stimulatory packages. The Reserve Bank of Australia Quickly responds to the recessionary crisis by cutting cash rates. Overnight there was a cut in the official rate by 425 basis point and fall to the emergency level of 3% (Bhutta and Keys 2016). By lowering the cash rate Australia escaped from the recession during Global Financial Crisis that affects other OECD nations. With reduced cash rate, an improvement in the trends of household demand is observed. This is associated with a strong employment growth. For the last few years, RBA maintains the cash rate at the recorded low level. However, the monetary policy stimulus affect the economy less than the Central Bank actually expects. The RBA estimated cash rate to be at 3 percent, which is equal to i ts inflation target of 2.5 percent plus real rate of 1 percent. However, since 2014 the consumer price inflation in Australia has failed to reach to targeted level (Green 2016). Following great recession many advanced nations adapted an expansionary monetary policy. It was Central bank of Denmark that first implemented a negative interest rate. The central banks of several European nations and bank of Japan followed the same. The low or negative interest rate initially helped the economies to counter recession (Illes, Lombardi and Mizen 2015). However, it comes along with a distortion in the financial market and raise the risk of financial instability if funds are not used for productive investment 3.It is long sine Australia shares a good economic relation with China. Chinas growth manifests urbanization, manufacturing growth and infrastructure investment. This generates demand for building materials, manufacturing raw materials and energy demand transport and electricity. Australia was in well position to meet Chinas growing demand and provide a ready platform the manufactured goods produced in China. Since then an economic relation of mutual dependence builds and develop gradually. China today is considered Australias one of the largest trading partners making significant contribution both for export and import. Australia is in position of sixth largest trade partners of China. Almost twenty five percent of manufactured import of Australia imports from China and export 13% of thermal coal to China. The dependency of Australia is not limited to its trading relation but also in terms of investment. China is a major source of Australias foreign investment. China is the third la rgest investors of Australia with making 3% of its total investment through channel of direct foreign investment. China is keen in investing infrastructure projects in Australia (Sheng 2016). The businesses in Australia are affected from economic fluctuation in China. During Chinas economic boom, the business gain significantly. However, recently China has shifted its growth policy towards a more consumer-oriented economy. The reliance on consumerism makes the economic growth in China slower. Many Australias business is expected to derive profit from supplying their product to China. They are likely to suffer a loss from slowdown of Chinas economy. Chinas economy has severe impact on global economies but Australia is more exposed to growth decline in China than others are. A major share of Australias export (Above 28 percent) goes to China. The expanded export market and Chinas investment to Australia make the economy heavily dependent on China. The economic strength of China is one of the important determinant factors of Australias economic growth (aph.gov.au 2017). There are number of ways through which impact of Chinas economy on Australia can be evaluated. The slowing economy of China means a reduction of bilateral trade volume between China and Australia. Australia mostly exports Coal, Copper, and Gold, Cotton and Nickel ores and minerals. In the minerals category, Iron Ore dominates. However, Australia also export agricultural product to China. With a declining growth in China, the export demand from Australia declines. The sudden fall in the trade volume causes an oversupply of goods in Australia. From the supply demand framework it is evident that an excess supply of goods lower prices in the market. This is what Australia expects and cares for Chinas economic situation before taking economic decision. When domestic economy slows, then many investors in China drive out their funds from Australia. Chinas investors mostly invest in infrastructure projects in Australia. If the funds are withdrawn then Australian economy will hugely suffer. The tourism industry is likely to be affected when tourists from China reduce their spending. During Global Financial Crisis, China helps Australia a lot and prevents the economy from sinking. Chinas demand of minerals provides support to Australia and maintains economic stability of Australia (www.smh.com.au 2017). However, China protects Australia in times of Global Financial crisis; it is believed that Chinas money raises the property price in eastern region. From 2000 to 2014, the average annual growth rate in China is recorded as 9.75%. The growth rate slows down from beginning of the present decade. In 2011 growth rate was 9.5% followed by a growth rate of 7.8 percent in 2012, 7.7 in the next year and 6.9% in 2015. The slow down resulted from the shifted attention from investment led growth and dependence on consumption based growth. The growth rate is predicted to be even slower in the next years. The poor condition of infrastructure and industries in China have affected many Asian economies including Australia. The declining growth rate in China, outflow of Capital and action of Peoples Bank of China for hedging fund together contribute to a contraction of Chinas economy (abc.net.au 2017). This creates uncertainty for the Australian economy. The financial crisis in China has spillover effects on other region and negatively affects commodity prices of any important goods in Australia. Australia mostly exports mineral resources such as iron ore, gold, copper, nickel and other resources. As the Chinas economy contracted the demand for mineral resources from China also shrinks. Australian mining sector is most vulnerable to Chinas economic slowdown. References Aph.gov.au. (2017).Australias economic relationships with China Parliament of Australia. [online] Available at: https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BriefingBook44p/China [Accessed 21 Nov. 2017]. Bekaert, G., Ehrmann, M., Fratzscher, M. and Mehl, A., 2014. The global crisis and equity market contagion.The Journal of Finance,69(6), pp.2597-2649. Bhutta, N. and Keys, B.J., 2016. Interest rates and equity extraction during the housing boom.The American Economic Review,106(7), pp.1742-1774. Cynamon, B.Z. and Fazzari, S.M., 2015. Inequality, the Great Recession and slow recovery.Cambridge Journal of Economics,40(2), pp.373-399. Godlewski, C.J., 2014. Bank loans and borrower value during the global financial crisis: Empirical evidence from France.Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money,28, pp.100-130. Green, J., 2016. Australia. InAngels without Borders: Trends and Policies Shaping Angel Investment Worldwide(pp. 163-175). Helleiner, E., 2014.The status quo crisis: Global financial governance after the 2008 meltdown. Oxford University Press. Illes, A., Lombardi, M.J. and Mizen, P., 2015. Why did bank lending rates diverge from policy rates after the financial crisis?. Juselius, M., Borio, C.E., Disyatat, P. and Drehmann, M., 2016. Monetary policy, the financial cycle and ultralow interest rates. Mian, A. and Sufi, A., 2015.House of debt: How they (and you) caused the Great Recession, and how we can prevent it from happening again. University of Chicago Press. Mulligan, M. (2017).Reserve Bank of Australia cuts official cash rate to record low 2% at May meeting. [online] The Sydney Morning Herald. Available at: https://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/reserve-bank-of-australia-cuts-official-cash-rate-to-record-low-2-at-may-meeting-20150505-ggueak.html [Accessed 21 Nov. 2017]. zmen, E. and Ya?ar, .D., 2016. Emerging market sovereign bond spreads, credit ratings and global financial crisis.Economic Modelling,59, pp.93-101. Paulson, H.M., 2013.On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System--With Original New Material on the Five Year Anniversary of the Financial Crisis. Business Plus. Radio National. (2017).The Australian economy and the low interest rate future. [online] Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/rearvision/the-australian-economy-and-the-low-interest-rate-future/6248462 [Accessed 21 Nov. 2017]. Sheng, Y., 2016.Economic Growth in China and Its Potential Impact on Australia-China Bilateral Trade(No. 25642). Treeck, T., 2014. Did inequality cause the US financial crisis?.Journal of Economic Surveys,28(3), pp.421-448.

Jane Austen Quotes Essays - Jane Austen, English People,

Jane Austen Quotes The following is from The Explicator, a subscription journal available through Herricks research databases: Jane Austen's irony is endlessly challenging to those of us who like to grasp just how an author achieves distinctiveness and who then want to tell others what we think we have found. No slight part of her ironic effect stems from her use of the free indirect style (style indirect libre), as Graham Hough,(FN1) among others, has shown. The quote below is from Studies in English Literature, another journal available through Herricks research databases: If Marianne's later walks at Cleveland do receive a faintly satirical treatment, it is not because she seeks out the nocturnal sublime, but because she cultivates it at the expense of prudence--and even then the judgment hinges on the issue of degree. After all, even the poets of sensibility contemplate the effects of rain from a distance, as when, in the Ode to Evening, William Collins takes refuge in a hut. Heres a little Jane Austen biography stolen from the Gale Group: Jane Austen was born in 1775 at Steventon, in the south of England, where her father was rector of the parish. She was the seventh of eight children in an affectionate and high-spirited family. In 1801 she moved to Bath with her father, her mother, and her only sister, Cassandra. Heres the beginning blurb from a paper available at www.megaessays.com. Unfortunately, I didnt want to pay $15 to see the whole essay. Jane Austen has attracted a great deal of critical attention in recent years. Many have spoken out about the strengths and weaknesses of her characters, particularly her heroines. Austen has been cast as both a friend and foe to the rights of women. English Essays