| Papers [1-14] of 14 | Search results on "POLYNESIAN SEAFARING CULTURE": |
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Polynesian Seafaring Culture, 2002.
A paper discussing the history of Polynesian seafaring and how it is being re-integrated into current Hawaiian-Polynesian cultural practice.
2,866 words (approx. 11.5 pages), 11 sources, MLA, $ 85.95
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Abstract
This paper defines and discusses this unique culture of sailing the oceans and examines the history of this practice. It explores how the skills and heritage of these seafaring people, that laid dormant for generations, is experiencing a revival amid the Polynesians of today, giving them pride and purpose in the ancient arts and culture of their ancestors.
From the Paper
"The Pacific Ocean is the earth?s largest geographic feature, occupying more than one third the surface of the globe, an area greater than all the landmasses put together. The some 25,000 islands, roughly 1.6 million square kilometers, are scattered about a sea area of more than 88 million square kilometers, stretching 16,000 kilometers along the equator and 15,000 kilometers from the Bering Strait to the Antarctic Circle (Kiste 1991). More than one half of the world?s islands are found in the Pacific Ocean. These islands comprise an area known as Polynesia, which means ?many islands,? and is geographically the largest of the Pacific?s cultural areas, with distances between the island groups the greatest (Kiste 1991). An imaginary triangle from Hawaii in the north to the southeast at Easter Island then to New Zealand in the southwest defines Polynesia. The Pacific Ocean is so vast that even with some 25,000 islands dotting its waters, the majority of the area is empty. In fact, if Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, had missed Guam in 1521, he would have believed that there was no human inhabitants in the entire region (Kiste 1991). Today, ?the combined exclusive economic zones of the countries in the region is approximately 30 million square kilometers, an area almost the size of Africa or three times the size of the continental United States? (Zurick 1995)."
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Polynesian Culture, 2005.
A discussion of the historical and cultural development of the Maori ta moko.
1,684 words (approx. 6.7 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 54.95
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Abstract
The paper examines some of the basic cultural forces that drove the original ta moko designs. The writer further discusses its recent resurgence among modern Maori. It explains the highly ritualized process of traditional ta moko incisions. The paper suggests that the use of ta moko among the Maori can be explained in terms of a need to establish a strong cultural marker.
From the Paper
"The Maori Ta Moko: Historical and Cultural Development
Few cultural practices possess the immediate recognition and visual authority of the Maori ta moko. The ta moko is the unique and elaborate body tattoos that Maori traditionally receive. Both men and women receive the tattoos, notably on their faces where the intricate patterns can be quite striking and even intimidating."
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The Chumash: Seafarers of Southern California, 2007.
A study of the Chumash, a seafaring Native American tribe of Southern California and their possible connection with ancient Polynesian seafarers.
1,760 words (approx. 7.0 pages), 10 sources, APA, $ 56.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the Native American tribe of Southern California, the Chumash, one of the few New World peoples who regularly navigated the ocean. The paper points out that they built plank canoes, unlike most other North American native tribes whose canoes were of an unsophisticated hollowed-out tree trunk design. Only Polynesian seafarers from the distant South Pacific were thought to use similar plank boats to explore and colonize the various islands of the Pacific over a thousand or more years ago. The paper draws a possible connection between the two peoples according to both linguistic and archaeological evidence. From a purely linguistic standpoint, the Chumash word for plank canoe, "tomolo", may be derived from the Polynesian word "tumu-raa'au", referring to the wooden plank boats used by Polynesian explorers. The paper concludes that these findings regarding the Chumash wood plank canoe may open the door to seeing Native American culture in a whole new light, and even call into question old orthodoxies about migration patterns.
From the Paper
"Due to the vast size of the area that eventually became known as California, there were at one time or another dozens of small Native American tribes who inhabited the region, differing widely in language, culture and lifestyle, due to the great variety of environmental conditions they found themselves in (desert, mountain, seacoast, etc.) The Chumash are a Native American tribe who historically made their home along the southern coastal regions of California, stretching roughly from the vicinity of what is now Santa Barbara in the north down to Ventura in the south, but (to a lesser degree) even extending as far south as what is now Malibu ("Chumash.") They also lived on the three largest of the Channel Islands: Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel. The Channel Islands, located about 20 miles off the coast near present day Santa Barbara, are the largest offshore islands on the West Coast of North America ("Channel Islands.") This offshore presence was unique to the Chumash among California Indian tribes and will have a central place in the subsequent examination of their seafaring abilities and possible trans-Pacific origins."
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"Seafarer" and the "Wanderer", 2001.
This paper examines four common parallels between the two poems.
920 words (approx. 3.7 pages), 0 sources, $ 32.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the similarities between "The Seafarer" and "The Wanderer" and finds that they both share the moral that life is ephemeral, heavy emphasis is placed on Christian ideals and the main characters encounter physical and psychological hardships.
From the Paper
"In "The Seafarer," the moral is contained in the second half of the poem. In the first half, the seafarer?s voyage at sea is depicted. It was very difficult, full of danger and hardships. Nevertheless, through the journey, the seafarer learns that life is transitory, the theme of the poem. This idea is expressed in lines sixty four through sixty seven, "Thus the joys of God are fervent with life, where life itself fades quickly into the earth. The wealth of the world neither reaches to heaven nor remains." The structure of "The Wanderer" is similar to ?The Seafarer?. The poet first described the wanderer's travels, also very difficult and filled with adversity and misfortunes. From his venture at sea, the wanderer also learns that life is ephemeral. In lines eighty through eighty eight the poet conveys this idea, "The proudest of warriors now lie by the wall: some of them war destroyed; to some the old wolf dealt out death. Thus the maker of men lays waste this earth, crushing our callow mirth and the work of old giants stands withered and still.""
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"The Seafarer" and "The Wanderer", 2002.
A comparison of two of the most well-known examples of Anglo-Saxon poetry.
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 31.95
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Abstract
Both of these poems from ancient Anglo - Saxon origin, with no known authors, are examined in this paper. The following elements are compared tone, imagery, and theme. Even though the circumstances the main character faces within each poem is unique, many parallels can be drawn.
From the Paper
"The tone of each poem begins with Pagan elements and is ended by interjections of Christianity. In ?The Seafarer,? the first third of the poem does not mention God and instead focuses on the isolation of the main character. Also, a Pagan funeral pyre is included in the poem (line 114), and the Pagan values of pride and glorification after death are praised during the beginning of the poem. Several Christian elements offset this Pagan tone. A clear Christian interjection occurs when the poet writes ?A man must conquer pride, not kill it? (line 109) because this statement was against Anglo-Saxon belief. In addition, the lines ?Fate is stronger and God mightier than any man?s mind? (lines 115-116) and ?Praise the Holy Grace of Him who honored us? (lines 122-123) do not fit well with the rest of the poem which focuses more on the glory of man and his individual accomplishments. A similar pattern in tone is evident in ?The Wanderer.? From the lines ?He claspeth his dear lord again, head on knee, hand on knee, loyally laying, pledging his liege in days long past? (lines 36-38) it is clear to the reader that the main character feels much more of an allegiance to his lord than to God. The Pagan concept of fate (line 54) reinforces the lack of Christianity in the poem. However, in the last few lines of the poem, ?And happy the man who seeketh for mercy from his heavenly Father, our fortress and strength? (lines 107-108), a Christian concept is introduced which disrupts the Pagan tone of the poem. ?The Seafarer? and ?The Wanderer? have similar shifts in tone which attempt to Christianize otherwise Pagan poems."
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Indonesia, 2004.
Provides an insight into the contemporary culture of Indonesia.
914 words (approx. 3.7 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 32.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses how Indonesian culture is an amalgam of the traditions of many civilizations and religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Southeast Asian, Polynesian, Chinese, Arabic, and Dutch. It looks at how, since the country achieved its independence from the Dutch colonialist rule in 1945, the Indonesian culture has been influenced by the political and economic conditions prevailing in the country. It also examines some notable Indonesian customs, as well as the psychographics of the Indonesian people.
From the Paper
"Although most Indonesians are Muslim, there are various ethnic divisions that make the country a multi-cultural country. For example 45% of the population is Javanese, while 14% are Sudanese 14%, 7% Madurese, and 8% ?coastal Malays.?(Forbes, 2003) There is also a marked rural/ urban division, with the urbanized middle class influenced by the Western culture but also bitter at the perceived ?betrayal? by institutions such as the IMF (perceived to be controlled by the US) at not having helped the country out of its predicament at the time of a major economic crisis in 1997. The attitude is a reflection of the ?collectivism? of the Indonesian people."
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Richard Henry Dana: "Two Years Before the Mast", 1996.
Critical review of true account of author's seafaring life in early 19th Cent.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 1 source, $ 47.95
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From the Paper
"This study will examine the account of the seafaring life of the early 19th century as described in all its tawdry and terrifying detail by Richard Henry Dana, Jr. in Two Years Before The Mast. The argument of the study will be that Dana in this book, for the discerning reader of his time as well as of ours, almost single-handedly destroyed the romantic notions of the sailor's life which had prevailed previously. One critic in the Introduction by Thomas Philbrick explains:
[R]eaders [must] surrender their 'false fancies' of maritime life and . . . realize 'what a dreadful doom is this of the common mariner, trained as he must be to habits which he can never hope to change, and reduced to a degradation which we must hope he has lost sense of. He is a slave of the worst kind, for his toil is a..."
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Tahitian Tattoos, 2006.
A discussion regarding the history of tattoos.
1,868 words (approx. 7.5 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 59.95
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Abstract
This paper reviews and discusses the origin of tattoos. According to the paper, the history of tattoos dates back some five thousand years. The paper reports that the earliest inhabitants of Tahiti were Polynesians and it is believed that it was these Polynesians that brought the art of tattooing to the Islands. According to the paper, this art form was used to express personality and family identity.
From the Paper
"The earliest inhabitants of Tahiti were Polynesians who came there from Asia centuries ago. The first European to the island was British sea captain Samuel Wallis in 1767, who claimed it for Britain, followed a year later by French navigator Louis Antoine de Bougainville, who claimed it for France (Tahiti 1996). It became a French protectorate in 1842, a French colony in 1880, and in 1946, France declared Tahiti and the other islands of French Polynesia to be French overseas territory. Today it remains under French rule (Tahiti 1996)."
"No one knows for certain, but it is most likely that the art of Polynesian tattooing was brought to the islands by the migrant population from Asia. Because there was no written language in Polynesian culture, this art form was sued to express personality and family identity (History 2006). Tattoos were used to indicate an individual's status in society, such as sexual maturity, genealogy and rank within society, thus the majority of all ancient Polynesians were tattooed (History 2006). "
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Traditional Cultures, 2006.
An examination of traditional cultures before widespread westernization, including a review of the anthropological literature.
1,642 words (approx. 6.6 pages), 7 sources, APA, $ 53.95
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Abstract
This paper looks at how the early cultures that populated the nascent Western World were all unique. It looks at how proximity, difficulty and a mastery of seafaring technology allowed for a transfusion of cultures over the years, most predominantly through Christianization. It attempts to show how long before the age of Westernization, traditional western cultures blossomed, spreading as far away as Africa and the middle west and providing the basis for culture that would one day spread far and wide with traditions like Halloween and the "middle earth" that captivated Tolkien, Hollywood and eventually the world.
From the Paper
"Unlike their northern neighbors, the Scandinavians were not aquatic warriors; they were village-oriented farmers, fishermen, and hunters. They operated on a very local level, but were forced to establish lines of communication with other villages to establish lines of defense against the attacking Vikings. Together, the "northmen" established a large defense fleet called the ledung to protect themselves from the invaders, preserving not only their little villages, but also their families, fish, lands, and game. The Norse mythology pervaded the Scandinavian culture, an orally purported religion that claimed no divine text, but instead was a collection of tales that asserted the earth was a flat disc in which the gods lived in the center, separated from the humans by a rainbow, the Bifrost bridge."
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The New World, 2002.
Discusses the expansion of Western Europe across the Atlantic Ocean during the 15th-17th centuries.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 16 sources, $ 63.95
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Abstract
Expansion of Western Europe across the Atlantic Ocean during 15th-17th centuries. Impact of voyages of discovery, conquests and settlement up to the indigenous peoples and cultures. Transforming the economies and societies. Views of the principal European seafaring powers. Portuguese explorations. Implications and effects of Columbus' discovery of the Americas. Spanish conquests.
From the Paper
"ORIGINS OF THE ATLANTIC WORLD
This essay examines the factors which led to the expansion of Western Europe through and across the Atlantic Ocean during the 15th through early 17th centuries, the nature of the new 'world' thus created and the impact of European voyages of discovery, conquests and settlement upon the indigenous peoples and cultures involved and in transforming the economies, societies and outlook of the principal European seafaring powers.
Preconditions for Atlantic Expansion
Medieval Mindset. Europeans at the beginning of the 15th century had a very limited and highly distorted view of regions beyond the Continent itself and the Near East from which the major Western religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam sprang.
According to Phillips, the Atlantic Ocean was regarded as a "sea ..."
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Sebald's "Vertigo": The Odyssey Without a Homecoming, 2008.
An analysis of W.G. Sebald's novel "Vertigo."
1,564 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 0 sources, $ 51.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the novel "Vertigo" by the German writer W.G. Sebald. The author argues that the use of seafaring imagery in the "All'Estero" chapter shows that Sebald's narrator's journey across Europe intentionally parallels Odysseus' journey across the Aegean Sea. Unlike Odysseus, however, Sebald's narrator does not achieve a true homecoming, in the sense that on his return home he does not feel a connection that stabilizes himself, and he realizes that he will always feel a perpetual homelessness. The writer discusses the novel's themes of death and dissolution, disconnection with the world and disorientation, and further points out an intertextual connection between "Vertigo" and Dante's Inferno.
From the Paper
"Homecoming is a means to come to the catharsis that alienation will never abate and that Sebald will never attain a rooted sense of self amidst the chaos of the world. Order in life indicates a linear movement from one point of time to another. Sebald's narrative does not follow a linear movement from one point in time to another. Rather, Vertigo is a narrative that combines memory and history in a way that flows without the constructs of a linear time frame. The interweaving of historical figures and Sebald's narrator's own memories, all set against the reality of post-war Europe, gives the novel its tone of disillusionment."
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Jack London's "Martin Eden", 2005.
This paper analyzes Jack London's "Martin Eden", specifically the significance of the sea.
1,180 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 40.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, in Jack London's "Martin Eden", the sea, which is the central thread that binds this novel together, represents that Eden is a humble man who rises to great heights on the crest of a wave but cannot maintain or support those heights. The author points out that, throughout the book, the sea is a constant reminder of Eden's past as a seafarer who has found much success as a writer but finds that fame and fortune are not all he thought they would be; thus, he returns to the sea to commit suicide because it is the place he knows best and respects the most. The paper states that some readers might think that Eden's suicide did not fit with the rest of the book, which showed him as an extremely determined and strong individual who knew how to create the future he wanted; however, having to do "hack" writing to pay the bills, he was disillusioned with his own career and with his dreams.
From the Paper
"That is another important thread throughout the novel that ties into the element of the sea. Eden was innocent when the novel began. He was clumsy in society, his vocabulary was weak, and his social graces were nil. Yet, there was a charm about him that disappears by the end of the novel. He is no longer charming, he is passionate about his beliefs, but he has also grown beyond them intellectually. He understands more than the people he was trying so hard to impress, especially Ruth, and this realization shatters him. He discovers the woman he has put on a pedestal is really just a mere mortal, and not a very nice one at that."
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Germanic and English Language, 2004.
A discussion on the influence of the Germanic tongue on English vocabulary and grammar.
1,848 words (approx. 7.4 pages), 12 sources, MLA, $ 59.95
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Abstract
This paper focuses on how the English tongue was derived from Germanic by examining the similarities between the structure and vocabulary of Old and Middle English and German. It looks at how Anglo-Saxon was an inflected language with a structure that is still retained by modern German speakers, coupled with word gender, past participle formation and the process of compounding. It explores through a literature review of works such as "Beowulf" and the Anglo-Saxon poem "The Seafarer" how the English that we speak today essentially evolved under the influence of many languages and how the Germanic tongue was perhaps one of the most instrumental in its formation.
From the Paper
"On perusal of an Anglo-Saxon text such as Beowulf it would seem that the modern English translation uses far more words. The Germanic influence on Old English meant that it was a synthetic language structured on the inflection of nouns and adjectives for four cases in the singular and four in the plural. Through the inflection of Old English one could distinguish the job a word did in a sentence by its ending, regardless of its position. For example, the difference between the Modern English sentences, (i) the woman saw the man, and (ii) the man saw the woman is a matter of word order."
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Environmental Economics, 2007.
An analysis of the concepts raised by Jared Diamond in his article, "Easter's End."
1,561 words (approx. 6.2 pages), 3 sources, APA, $ 51.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses Jared Diamond's article relating the decline and fall of the Easter Island Polynesians, "Easter's End." The paper examines Diamond's use of the Easter Island example as a moral illustration for contemporary society and what will happen if it persists in its unmitigated consumptive habits. It discusses the points that Diamond makes and the lessons that he attempts to teach his readers.
Table of Contents:
Abstract
Overview
Point and Hypothesis
Hypothesis and Theory
Evidence
Validity of Assumptions
Policy Recommendations
Conclusions
From the Paper
"This is a different perspective then. Where Diamond is accusatory of the state and its economic model as being implicitly responsible for the environmental destruction of Easter Island, other researchers view the state and the political apparatus as an integral part of the solution. That is, where human kind and human nature deserve at least as much of the responsibility for the environmental destruction as the economic model. The primary recommendation is that economic policies founded in the principles of sustainable development should aligned with the political apparatus which governs the broader society."
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