Free Essays on American Culture

1) How much can you learn about â€Å"melting pot† ? Why has the USA been called â€Å"melting pot† ? - â€Å"Melting pot† is a place for mixing races, religions, languages, customs, etc. On the another word, â€Å"melting pot† is a place where people from many different countries all over the world come to live in. - The United Sates has often been called â€Å"melting pot† because its citizens are immigrants who came to the USA from many different countries all over the world and become one people with a common culture and a common loyaty. The immigrants come to the USA and bring with them their languages, religions, traditions, customs from their homeland so it is said that the USA is the nation of immigrants. Every immigrant can find his place in the USA because of its varieties of climate, geography, people, culture, languages, religions, personalities and lifestyles. The USA has a greater diversity of racial, ethnic, cultural and religions group than any other nations in the world. 2) What are traditional American values ? How do these values affect the Americans characters ? * What are traditional American values ? There are six basic traditional American values which is grouped in three pairs : 1. Individual freedom and Self - reliance. 2. Equality of opportunity and Competition. 3. Material wealth and Work hard. There is a mutual relation in each pair of values : - For their individual freedom, Americans have to be self-reliant, and on the contrary, because they are self-reliant, they have their individual freedom. - For equality of opportunity, Americans have to accept competition, and on the contrary, because they are ready to accept competition, they have equality of opportunity. - For their material wealth, Americans have to work hard, and because of their working hard, they have their material wealth . * How do those values affect the Americans characters ? - Americans believe that all people maybe not equal i... Free Essays on American Culture Free Essays on American Culture 1) How much can you learn about â€Å"melting pot† ? Why has the USA been called â€Å"melting pot† ? - â€Å"Melting pot† is a place for mixing races, religions, languages, customs, etc. On the another word, â€Å"melting pot† is a place where people from many different countries all over the world come to live in. - The United Sates has often been called â€Å"melting pot† because its citizens are immigrants who came to the USA from many different countries all over the world and become one people with a common culture and a common loyaty. The immigrants come to the USA and bring with them their languages, religions, traditions, customs from their homeland so it is said that the USA is the nation of immigrants. Every immigrant can find his place in the USA because of its varieties of climate, geography, people, culture, languages, religions, personalities and lifestyles. The USA has a greater diversity of racial, ethnic, cultural and religions group than any other nations in the world. 2) What are traditional American values ? How do these values affect the Americans characters ? * What are traditional American values ? There are six basic traditional American values which is grouped in three pairs : 1. Individual freedom and Self - reliance. 2. Equality of opportunity and Competition. 3. Material wealth and Work hard. There is a mutual relation in each pair of values : - For their individual freedom, Americans have to be self-reliant, and on the contrary, because they are self-reliant, they have their individual freedom. - For equality of opportunity, Americans have to accept competition, and on the contrary, because they are ready to accept competition, they have equality of opportunity. - For their material wealth, Americans have to work hard, and because of their working hard, they have their material wealth . * How do those values affect the Americans characters ? - Americans believe that all people maybe not equal i... Free Essays on American Culture â€Å"American Culture† . All the choices we make reveal something about our personality, surrounding and our upbringing influences these choices. The way we speak, dress, the food we eat, the music we listen to tells allot about us and how we came to be. Everywhere we look in America we can see different cultural signs. It’s really amazing how we can tell the difference between an American person, and a non American just by looking at them; and between people from different parts of our own country. I think the most significant cultural sign in modern day America is that this year in the state of California, there were hundreds of political candidates running for the governor of California. It illustrates what kind of country we are and that we like diversity and choice and how in the end decisions will be based on introspection. It shows that we are capable of levity even in the midst of a serious campaign. It speaks to the cultural intelligence that is America. I believe that now in the 21st Century the media is responsible for influencing much of our culture. We are saturated with television advertisement. During television commercial brakes we are bombarded with brand new products that are coming out. One of the reason they do that is because they want people to come and spend money in their stores. The three essays illustrated a common perception of American life. The common theme among them is how we as American’slive to work, and we are always trying to invent something else and come out with something new. Bill Bryson, in his what’s cooking essay wrote Walter Scott saw that all the restaurants were closing down at 8 p.m., he decide to load a wagon with sandwiches and park it outside the offices of the Providence Journal, since he had no competition his business was doing well. Soon after this lunch wagons began appearing all over....

King Pakal of Palenque

King Pakal of Palenque Kinich Jahahb Pakal (Resplendent Shield) was ruler of the Maya city of Palenque from 615 A.D. to his death in 683. He is usually known simply as Pakal or Pakal I to differentiate him from later rulers of that name. When he came to the throne of Palenque, it was an embattled, destroyed city, but during his long and steady reign it became the most powerful city-state in the western Maya lands. When he died, he was buried in a glorious tomb in the Temple of the Inscriptions in Palenque: his funeral mask and finely carved sarcophagus lid, priceless pieces of Maya art, are only two of the many wonders found in his crypt. Pakals Lineage Pakal, who ordered the construction of his own tomb, painstakingly detailed his royal lineage and deeds in finely carved glyphs in the Temple of the Inscriptions and elsewhere in Palenque. Pakal was born on March 23, 603; his mother Sak Kuk was of the Palenque royal family, and his father Kan Mo Hix came from a family of lesser nobility. Pakals great-grandmother, Yohl Iknal, ruled Palenque from 583-604. When Yohl Iknal died, her two sons, Ajen Yohl Mat and Janahb Pakal I, shared ruling duties until both died at different times in 612 A.D. Janahb Pakal was the father of Sak Kuk, mother of the future King Pakal. Pakals Chaotic Childhood Young Pakal grew up in difficult times. Before he was even born, Palenque was locked in a struggle with the powerful Kaan dynasty, which was based in Calakmul. In 599, Palenque was attacked by Kaan allies from Santa Elena and the Palenque rulers were forced to flee the city. In 611, the Kaan dynasty attacked Palenque again. This time, the city was destroyed and the leadership once again forced into exile. The Palenque rulers set themselves up at Tortuguero in 612 under the leadership of Ik Muuy Mawaan I, but a breakaway group, led by Pakals parents, returned to Palenque. Pakal himself was crowned by his mothers hand on July 26, 615 A.D. He was barely twelve years old. His parents served as regents to the young king and as trusted advisors until they passed away decades later (his mother in 640 and his father in 642). A Time of Violence Pakal was a steady ruler but his time as king was far from peaceful. The Kaan dynasty had not forgotten about Palenque, and the rival exile faction at Tortuguero made frequent war upon Pakals people as well. On June 1, 644, Bahlam Ajaw, ruler of the rival faction at Tortuguero, ordered an attack on the town of Ux Te Kuh. The town, birthplace of Pakals wife Ix Tzak-bu Ajaw, was allied with Palenque: the lords of Tortuguero would attack the same town a second time in 655. In 649, Tortuguero attacked Moyoop and Coyalcalco, also Palenque allies. In 659, Pakal took the initiative and ordered an invasion of the Kaan allies at Pomona and Santa Elena. The warriors of Palenque were victorious and returned home with the leaders of Pomona and Santa Elena as well as a dignitary of some sort from Piedras Negras, also an ally of Calakmul. The three foreign leaders were ceremoniously sacrificed to the god Kawill. This great victory gave Pakal and his people some breathing room, although his reign w ould never be completely peaceful. He of the Five Houses of the Terraced Building Pakal not only solidified and extended Palenques influence, he also expanded the city itself. Many great buildings were improved, built or begun during Pakals reign. Sometime around 650 A.D., Pakal ordered the expansion of the so-called Palace. He ordered aqueducts (some of which still work) as well as the expansion of buildings A,B,C and E of the palace complex. For this construction he was remembered with the title   He of the Five Houses of the Terraced Building Building E was built as a monument to his forebears and Building C features a hieroglyphic stairway which glorifies the campaign of 659 A.D. and the prisoners which were taken. The so-called Forgotten Temple was built to house the remains of Pakals parents. Pakal also ordered the construction of Temple 13, home of the tomb of the Red Queen, generally believed to be Ix Tzak-bu Ajaw, Pakals wife. Most importantly, Pakal ordered the construction of his own tomb: the Temple of the Inscriptions. Pakals Line In 626 A.D., Pakals soon-to-be wife Ix Tzak-bu Ajaw arrived at Palenque from the city of Ux Te Kuh. Pakal would have several children, including his heir and successor, Kinich Kan Bahlam. His line would rule Palenque for decades until the city was abandoned sometime after 799 A.D., which is the date of the last known inscription at the city. At least two of his descendants adopted the name Pakal as part of their royal titles, indicating the high regard the citizens of Palenque held him even long after his death. Pakals Tomb Pakal died on July 31, 683 and was entombed in the Temple of the Inscriptions. Fortunately, his tomb was never discovered by looters but was instead excavated by archaeologists under the direction of Dr. Alberto Ruz Lhuiller in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Pakals body was entombed deep in the temple, down some stairways which were later sealed off. His burial chamber features nine warrior figures painted on the walls, representing the nine levels of the afterlife. His crypt contains many glyphs describing his line and accomplishments. His great carved stone sarcophagus lid is one of the marvels of Mesoamerican art: it shows Pakal being reborn as the god Unen-Kawill. Inside the crypt were the crumbling remains of Pakals body and many treasures, including Pakals jade funeral mask, another priceless piece of Maya art.    Legacy of King Pakal In a sense, Pakal continued to govern Palenque long after his death. Pakals son Kinich Kan Bahlam ordered his fathers likeness carved into stone tablets as if he were leading certain ceremonies. Pakals grandson Kinich Ahkal Mo Nahb ordered an image of Pakal carved into a throne on Temple Twenty-one of Palenque. To the Maya of Palenque, Pakal was a great leader whose long realm was a time of expansion of tribute and influence, even if it was marked by frequent wars and battles with neighboring city-states. Pakals greatest legacy, however, is undoubtedly to historians. Pakals tomb was a treasure trove about the ancient Maya; archaeologist Eduardo Matos Moctezuma considers it one of the six most important archaeological finds of all time. The many glyphs and in the Temple of the Inscriptions are among the only surviving written records of the Maya. Sources: Bernal Romero, Guillermo. Kinich Jahahb Pakal (Resplandente Escudo Ave-Janahb) (603-683 d.C) Arqueologà ­a Mexicana XIX-110 (July-August 2011) 40-45. Matos Moctezuma, Eduardo. Grandes Hallazgos de la Arqueologà ­a: De la Muerte a la Inmortalidad. Mexico: Tiempo de Memoria Tus Quets, 2013. McKillop, Heather. New York: Norton, 2004.