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To Be a Box or Not to Be a Box: The Multiple Meanings of the Metaphor in Antoni Tàpies
Fernando Echarri,
Victor Echarri
Issue:
Volume 7, Issue 6, November 2019
Pages:
132-138
Received:
17 September 2019
Accepted:
5 October 2019
Published:
16 October 2019
Abstract: The reality that surrounds us throws us continuous messages that are perceived by our senses. In this perception, sight is configured as a principal sense capable of obtaining many of these messages and generating, from these perceptions, numerous thoughts, feelings and emotions. In this way, the routine of I see-thought-question- is established. The education of the gaze then becomes a matter of first order to favor the understanding of our world. Art, as a form of reality, or as an adaptation of reality, can be used as a tool to promote a different way of looking, it can be a discipline that can help to understand our reality. The following article studies the metaphor as a possible resource for the awareness of reality. An example of a metaphor, its possibility of inquiry, and discovery of meaning is the artwork Composicio amb cistella made in 1996 by Antonio Tàpies, which is part of the collection of the University of Navarra Museum. The Catalan artist uses metaphor in this sculpture trying to deceive the eye that looks at it, in an attempt to encourage participation and reflexive activation of visitors to the Museum. The conceptualization of the sculpture is specifically studied, in a synthetic way, through a philosophical approach on the aesthetic and the metaphor contributed by José Ortega y Grasset. The aim is to get support from aesthetic- philosophical which helps explore the possibilities of the metaphor as an aesthetic resource for the awareness of reality.
Abstract: The reality that surrounds us throws us continuous messages that are perceived by our senses. In this perception, sight is configured as a principal sense capable of obtaining many of these messages and generating, from these perceptions, numerous thoughts, feelings and emotions. In this way, the routine of I see-thought-question- is established. T...
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Invention of a Portable Bobbin Winder for the Ghanaian Indigenous Weaving Industry
Gbadegbe Richard Selase,
Vigbedor Divine,
Quashie Mawuli,
Bijou Asemsro
Issue:
Volume 7, Issue 6, November 2019
Pages:
139-151
Received:
11 October 2019
Accepted:
30 October 2019
Published:
7 November 2019
Abstract: Weaving consists of the interlacing of warp and weft yarns at right angles to form a fabric. Fabric is usually woven on a device known as a loom. Before weaving is carried out on the loom, the warp and weft yarns are prepared using some special devices. The warp yarns or ends are prepared using the warping mill while the weft is prepared using the bobbin winder. In Ghana, different versions of the bobbin winder exist. A cursory glance at the types of bobbins in Ghana reveal that manually operated bobbin winders used by local weavers are slow and yarns produced from them slough off very easily due to uneven tensioning during winding. Aside that, the use of automatic bobbin winders is limited to only places where there is electricity and they are too big and heavy to carry around. This study is therefore aimed at producing an efficient and portable bobbin winder to be used by students and local artisans in the field of weaving for weft preparation. The descriptive research method was employed for the study. A major finding of the study is that a number of bobbins were prepared within two minutes using the three gear train device. It is therefore recommended that more gear trains are introduced into the machine to enhance the speed and efficiency of winding.
Abstract: Weaving consists of the interlacing of warp and weft yarns at right angles to form a fabric. Fabric is usually woven on a device known as a loom. Before weaving is carried out on the loom, the warp and weft yarns are prepared using some special devices. The warp yarns or ends are prepared using the warping mill while the weft is prepared using the ...
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Narrative Level, Internal Time Consciousness and Narrative Ethics: Susan Sontag’s Narrative Art as Evinced in Death Kit
Issue:
Volume 7, Issue 6, November 2019
Pages:
152-159
Received:
19 August 2019
Accepted:
28 October 2019
Published:
8 November 2019
Abstract: Literary critics have swarmed to shower their comments—markedly diverse comments indeed—on Death Kit. Being not intended for propounding some dualistic interpretation of the novel, this essay ventures to expatiate on the novel’s narrative art manifesting itself in a trinity comprising (1) the technique of narrative level, (2) the technique of internal time consciousness, and (3) the ethic for carrying on the narration. By bringing the extradiegetic, the intradiegetic and the metadiegetic to an ultimate silence, Sontag is meant to suggest that the hero Diddy has finished freighting his death kit and is on the way to the terminal demise. It is by describing how his consciousness performs such leaps and bounds in the temporal stream that his past life repeatedly gains access to his present life and that his present life would instantaneously turn into his past life, and that his future is nonexistent at all except for its sporadic emergences as his dreamlike reverie would induce them. Such leaps and bounds of his consciousness which succeed in acquiring their definite shapes by following the temporal random driftiness have been incessantly intensifying the anguish stemming from the reminiscence of his excruciating life in the past and serve to debunk his expectation that he can restore his vitality by committing a murder in the course of his imaginary life. The falsehood inherent in his imaginary life compels him to realistically cast once more about the advisability of actually committing suicide. Moreover, narration goes in the novel in very strict compliance with an explicit ethics she imposes on herself. This serves to throw light upon Sontag’s approach towards the US government’s propaganda aimed at sanctifying the Vietnam War and the catastrophe brought to that country by American troops. In this way the moral caliber of the novel is vindicated.
Abstract: Literary critics have swarmed to shower their comments—markedly diverse comments indeed—on Death Kit. Being not intended for propounding some dualistic interpretation of the novel, this essay ventures to expatiate on the novel’s narrative art manifesting itself in a trinity comprising (1) the technique of narrative level, (2) the technique of inter...
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Comparison of "Material Sense" and “Mono No Aware" Between Chinese and Japanese Modern Heavy Color Paintings from the Perspective of Cultural Anthropology
Issue:
Volume 7, Issue 6, November 2019
Pages:
160-164
Received:
4 July 2019
Accepted:
7 November 2019
Published:
19 November 2019
Abstract: "Material sense" and "mono no aware" are respectively an important concept in the traditional aesthetic consciousness of China and Japan. "Material sense" embodies the Chinese aesthetic concept and philosophical thinking, rational consciousness, and pays attention to the unity of reason and reason. On the basis of China's "material sense" concept, Japan has injected its own cultural temperament to develop a “mono no aware" concept. "Aware" indicates that Japanese aesthetic concepts are related to direct feelings and perceptual knowledge, attaching importance to people's emotional attitudes and highlighting sadness. The commonality between the two is that the emotion is triggered by the image, and then it is empathized with the object to achieve the aesthetic experience of the scene. Material sense and mono no aware are both psychological feelings of natural aesthetic taste, reflections and reactions to emotions. The difference between the two is that the connotation of material sense is greater than the connotation of mono no aware. Material sense is the concentration of various emotions. Although mono no aware also expresses multiple emotions, it is still full of sadness. The focus of mono no aware is placed on the "sorrowful beauty". Compared with material sense, mono no aware is more sentimental, sly and quiet. This article will use the “material sense" and “mono no aware" views as the foothold to analyze the similarities and differences between Chinese and Japanese modern heavy color paintings on their respective aesthetic pursuits.
Abstract: "Material sense" and "mono no aware" are respectively an important concept in the traditional aesthetic consciousness of China and Japan. "Material sense" embodies the Chinese aesthetic concept and philosophical thinking, rational consciousness, and pays attention to the unity of reason and reason. On the basis of China's "material sense" concept, ...
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A Linguo-Cultural Approach to the Integration of Hip-hop Culture with Chinese Culture---Taking Rap Music as an Example
Zhanghong Xu,
Xiaolin Liu
Issue:
Volume 7, Issue 6, November 2019
Pages:
165-171
Received:
8 November 2019
Accepted:
27 November 2019
Published:
6 December 2019
Abstract: Cultural integration is an inevitable trend of the development of cultural globalization. With the rapid development of mass media and frequent communication among people from various cultural backgrounds, hip-hop culture with its exotic musical form and its unique themes, interacts with other cultures by confronting, adapting and integrating different worldviews and lifestyles. This paper attempts to explore how the hip-hop culture (rap music in particular), which originated from American-African people, realized cultural integration in China, and what manifestations this integration had. Drawing on Cultural Acculturation Theory and making detailed textual analysis, we found that the integration of rap music with Chinese culture takes three approaches, i.e., transmission, localization and adaptation, and transformation. The integration mainly manifests itself in four aspects: form of lyrics, content of lyrics, language use of rap and dress-up of rappers, all of which are illustrated with concrete examples. Further discussions reveal that hip-hop culture is largely accepted by the majority of Chinese teenagers, for it is constantly mitigating and even discarding the violent and negative characteristics during the integration with China’s mainstream values. This study is believed to shed light on the nature of cultural integration, musical integration in particular, and to convince people that taking advantage of hip-hop culture critically to inject new vitality into Chinese traditional culture will promote the further development of Chinese culture in new era.
Abstract: Cultural integration is an inevitable trend of the development of cultural globalization. With the rapid development of mass media and frequent communication among people from various cultural backgrounds, hip-hop culture with its exotic musical form and its unique themes, interacts with other cultures by confronting, adapting and integrating diffe...
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Some Language Features in Italian Opera Librettos of XVII-XVIII Centuries
Issue:
Volume 7, Issue 6, November 2019
Pages:
172-178
Received:
19 November 2019
Accepted:
6 December 2019
Published:
11 December 2019
Abstract: The article examines the language used in some Italian opera librettos in XVII- XVIII centuries. The analysis was carried out with the support of two software tools: an automatic translator from Florentine vernacular language to modern Italian language, created by the author, and a software tool, available on internet, helping to find common phrases while comparing two texts. It is well known that from the outset of opera, the librettists mainly used the Florentine vernacular language, considered by poets and scholars as a model of beauty and balance. At the same time the language used in opera librettos follow some other basic rules described in more details in this article. The poetical structures and, sometimes, the choice of the language itself demonstrates that poetry used in librettos was also influenced by the music. Opera’s role in the society distinguished librettos from works of literature. Operas became very popular among several social classes and at the same time became an economical resource for many theaters in the Italian peninsula, while the literature had eventually less economic impact. This sometimes could have changed the language of librettos, adapting it to the needs of emergent social classes like the merchants, the economic status of whom significantly improved from XIV century. The author shows that, even if several features of librettos were changing along centuries, their language was almost always related with the language of literature. Even if writing a libretto sometimes was dictated by compromises with the market of operas and the requests of audience, nevertheless, librettos can be considered as a part of the Italian literature.
Abstract: The article examines the language used in some Italian opera librettos in XVII- XVIII centuries. The analysis was carried out with the support of two software tools: an automatic translator from Florentine vernacular language to modern Italian language, created by the author, and a software tool, available on internet, helping to find common phrase...
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The Influence of Task-based Language Teaching on Speaking Skill of EFL Students with Intrinsic Motivation
Afria Nita,
Yenni Rozimela,
Ratmanida
Issue:
Volume 7, Issue 6, November 2019
Pages:
179-184
Received:
14 November 2019
Accepted:
6 December 2019
Published:
18 December 2019
Abstract: In teaching speaking, EFL students should be taught by a method that offers speaking practice and motivates them to speak intrinsically. Task-Based Language Teaching is one of teaching methods that uses authentic or real world tasks in teaching which can motivate students to speak English. This study aimed to investigate the influence of Task-Based Language Teaching on speaking skill of EFL students with intrinsic motivation. This study was a quantitative study which used quasi-experimental design. This study was conducted in one of Public Senior High School in Padang, West Sumatera, Indonesia. The sample involved one experimental and control class which consisted of 72 students which were chosen by cluster random sampling technique. The experimental class was taught by using Task-Based Language Teaching and the control class was taught by using Conventional Teaching. The data were collected through post test and questionnaire. The post test was used to find out the speaking skill of EFL students with intrinsic motivation and the questionnaire was used to determine the students’ type of motivation. Then, the data were analyzed by using t-test formula with the significance alpha 0.05. The result of the analysis indicated that the value of tobserved was 3.510 which was higher than the value of ttable that was 1.705. Thus, it means that the EFL students with intrinsic motivation who were taught by using Task-Based Language Teaching had better speaking skill than those who were taught by using Conventional Teaching. In conclusion, Task-Based Language Teaching gave significant effect on speaking skill of EFL students with intrinsic motivation.
Abstract: In teaching speaking, EFL students should be taught by a method that offers speaking practice and motivates them to speak intrinsically. Task-Based Language Teaching is one of teaching methods that uses authentic or real world tasks in teaching which can motivate students to speak English. This study aimed to investigate the influence of Task-Based...
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A Study of Readers’ Power to Reconstruct Characters’ Relationship in Harry Potter’s Fan Fiction Eclipse
Issue:
Volume 7, Issue 6, November 2019
Pages:
185-190
Received:
2 December 2019
Accepted:
16 December 2019
Published:
24 December 2019
Abstract: In the age of what Henry Jenkins calls “convergence culture” [17] characterized by the development of new media, fan-based products, including fan fiction writing, cannot escape from scholars’ eyes. As one of the best-sellers in the past two decades, Harry Potter series has earned countless devoting fans around the world, and its fan fiction, with its quantity and quality, has expanded its influence outside the fan community. Many attentions have been put on the producers and the consumers, but the fan-authored texts themselves have been constantly unnoticed. This paper is to explore the power of readers in reconstructing characters’ relationship by a close textual analysis on Harry Potter and its fan fiction Eclipse from the aspect of narrative skill. By examining how internal and zero focalization are used in the Harry Potter canon and its fanon, it is clear that readers are able to justify the reconstructed relationship in the process of fan fiction writing. It turns out that fan fiction is not as “meaningless” as people might think; it can serves as a tool for fans to heal and educate themselves, and add more color and vitality to the world of literature by providing various interpretations to the source text.
Abstract: In the age of what Henry Jenkins calls “convergence culture” [17] characterized by the development of new media, fan-based products, including fan fiction writing, cannot escape from scholars’ eyes. As one of the best-sellers in the past two decades, Harry Potter series has earned countless devoting fans around the world, and its fan fiction, with ...
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