Igor Stravinsky Essays - Igor Stravinsky, , Term Papers

Igor Stravinsky As a composer, Igor Stravinsky knew many conductors. Later, he wrote an essay about them. What could he write about them? What would your typical composer have to say about conductors? Surprisingly, when Stravinsky wrote about conductors he became very critical. Sarcasm and mockery permeate throughout the passage when he discusses them. Stravinsky uses a few schemes to convince his reader of the conductor's insignificance. First, the language Stravinsky uses in his passage is very caustic. In a few places, he goes beyond his arguments into simple denunciations and attacks on the conductors. "The conductor is encouraged to impose a purely egotistical, false, and arbitrary authority, and that he is accorded a position out of all proportion to his real value in the musical, as opposed to the music-business, community," he says in one of such places. It is obvious that Stravinsky holds a personal grudge against the conductors; being a musician, he must have come across them many times. He says, "conducting, like politics, rarely attracts original minds." Stravinsky uses the word "original" in a different way than it is normally used. In English, "original" means first, or new. In Russian, however, to call a person original means to say that he is smart, that he comes with resourceful ideas. Since Stravinsky was Russian, that is what he probably meant. Therefore in his first sentence, Stravinsky say! s that, more or less, almost all conductors are stupid. The whole passage is more of an insult to all conductors, rather than an informative text. Secondly, Stravinsky uses comparisons to politicians in order condemn the conductors. "Conducting, like politics, rarely attracts original minds ? His [the conductor's] first skill has to be power politics," he says in the first paragraph. Politicians are always thought to be corrupt, dishonest, and insidious. In fact, politician is a word that is always associated with something evil. This method of attacking is effective, though primitive; there is a bit of politics in practically every job. Furthermore, Stravinsky fails to note exactly how a conductor is similar to a politician, apart from saying that conducting, like politics, is not a profession for the exact and standardized disciplines. In another quote, he compares the effect of the public on the conductor's ego to the effect the sun has on a tropical weed. Again, this is based more on emotion than cold logic; yet, it manages to convince the reader that conducting is not a profession to be admired. It is clear that St! ravinsky is not appealing to the logic of the reader, but to his emotions. Another strategy Stravinsky uses is sarcasm. He shows a quote naming a conductor to be a "titan of the podium, and is such very nearly the worst obstacle to genuine music making." Furthermore, he names the conductors to be "great," and he discusses the "cult of the great conductor." These names, as opposed to his entire passage, are ironic. After spending an entire passage criticizing conductors and their so--called "greatness," praising them seems satiric. As we have seen from his language and comparisons, it is part of Stravinsky's strategy to undermine the conductors in any way he can, and sarcasm fits well into his plan. The sarcasm is an effective way of criticizing the conductors: Stravinsky even finishes the essay with it in his last sentence "If you are unable to listen to the music, you watch the corybantics, and if you are able, you had better not go to the concert." Most of Stravinsky's argument is based on the fact that people mistake the conductors gestures for the meaning of the music, and place more emphasis on the conductors looks rather than the way he makes music sound. This makes the people think the conductor is "great" while the conductor is actually unfit for his role. This is part of a human tendency to "judge a book by its cover," to formulate an opinion based on what something appears to be, while a closer examination may reveal something different.

Subconscious vs. Unconscious

Subconscious vs. Unconscious Subconscious vs. Unconscious Subconscious vs. Unconscious By Mark Nichol The distinction between subconscious and unconscious is a subtle one. The noun subconscious refers to the mind’s activities just beneath consciousness, and the part of the mind devoted to such activities. The unconscious, by contrast, is the part of the mind that exerts a strong influence on behavior but is not noticed by one’s consciousness. And what does consciousness mean, anyway? Conscious is ultimately from the Latin verb conscire, meaning â€Å"be aware† or â€Å"know,† and consciousness refers to the state of awareness or knowledge. The terms are used both in the conventional sense of being in a conscious state- not asleep or unconscious- and in the spiritual sense of being aware of more than just one’s basic physical existence, of being attuned to something greater than what is immediately apparent. Unconscious, too, has two disparate meanings: If one is asleep or one’s mind has been affected by medication or injury so that one is unaware of one’s surroundings, one is said to be unconscious. But one can also be described as unconscious when one behaves in a manner that is not self-reflective or that demonstrates an obliviousness to one’s environment, as when a person acts rudely without seeming to recognize the unfortunate behavior or mindlessly damages or pollutes. The root of the terms is scire, meaning â€Å"know†; it is, as you may have guessed, also the source of science. Other terms that derive from this root include conscience, which refers to the part of your mind that serves as a moral compass, and self-conscious, which originally referred neutrally to self-awareness but now can connote acting in a deliberate manner but usually refers to a preoccupation with how one is perceived by others, generally because of insecurity. Semiconscious means â€Å"only partially awake or aware,† and preconscious is a psychoanalytical term that refers to a thought or idea that one is not conscious of but that can be recalled without hesitation because one does not repress or resist the thought. Conscient, meanwhile, is a rare variant of conscious. The adjective unsconscionable pertains to a lack of regard for one’s conscience and therefore of regard for other people or for things in offensive or oppressive behavior; its antonym, conscionable, is obsolete. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Examples of Passive Voice (And How To Fix Them)10 Techniques for More Precise WritingThe Difference Between "Shade" and "Shadow"

Differentiating for Learning Profile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Differentiating for Learning Profile - Essay Example Also, other ways include verbalizing the content, creating logical understanding, kinesthetic understanding, interpersonal understanding, intrapersonal understanding and, finally, naturalizing the content (Mulligan, 2005). These are just some of the broad ways students can be grouped in classes. With regards to students who understand the content through creating rhythms, educators should encourage them to sing what they are taught or create a beat about the content (Mulligan, 2005). Also, creating cheers, jingles and humming sounds will enable a student to remember what he or she was taught. Students who understand what they are taught through verbalizing the content could be encouraged to read it, spell the content, write it and listen to content. Students who, on the other hand, understand the content through visualizing it should be offered graphic organizers, color codes, videos or charts in order to understand the content fully. Students who kinesthetically understand things sh ould be encouraged to role-play the content (Mulligan, 2005). This is through assuming that the student is, in fact, the content being discussed. Finally, a student who understands the content through naturalizing it should label the content. They should also categorize the content and identify it (Mulligan, 2005). ... Others speak English as a second language while some may be talented and gifted. Still others might struggle with mental, physical, emotional or behavioral challenges. It is, therefore, vital to plan a classroom that can incorporate all these types of students (Rose & Meyer, 2006). In order for educators to create a classroom that incorporates all types of students, it is essential for them to use interactive whiteboards in their classrooms. Interactive whiteboards are specially designed to engage a broad variety of learners in the learning process. Interactive whiteboards support all of the three principles and philosophies of universal learning (Rose & Meyer, 2006). Interactive whiteboards offer teachers or educators numerous ways of presenting information, to their students, using interactive images, text, video files and sound and, hence, engage a wide range of learners. Students or learners can use the same elements of the product to reveal their understanding of the content. To uch-sensitive boards particularly offer numerous options for interacting with displayed content, including finger, pen tool and other object (Rose & Meyer, 2006). Furthermore, interactive whiteboards captivate students of the digital age. This is because interactive whiteboards increase a student’s time and access to digital resources. This technique ensures that students, no matter the duration of the lesson, understand everything that is taught. This is because it offers all the techniques that diverse students use in understanding (Rose & Meyer, 2006). Furthermore, interactive whiteboards will assist students understand matters even better as it used all the techniques of teaching. Question 3 Educators recognize