Difference Between Romanticism and Transendinlalism in American and British Writers Essay

Difference Between Romanticism and Transendinlalism in American and British Writers The expression Romantic gained currency during its own time, roughly 1780-1850. However, the Romantic era is to identify a period in which certain ideas and attitudes arose, gained the idea of intellectual achievement and became dominant. This is why , they became the dominant mode of expression. Which tells us something else about the Romantic era which expression was perhaps everything to do with them — expression in art, music, poetry, drama, literature and philosophy. Romantic ideas arose both as implicit and explicit criticisms of 18th century Enlightenment thought. For the most part, these ideas were generated by a sense of being unable to deal with the dominant ideals of the Enlightenment and of the society that produced them. Which characterized Transendinlalism very differently from that of Romanticism. The difference of Transendinlalism was that it was a literary and philosophical movement, associated with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller, asserting the existence of an ideal spiritual reality that transcends the empirical and scientific and is knowable through intuition. However, the Romantics thought differently because they that, that romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement originating in Europe in the late 18th century and characterized by a heightened interest in nature, emphasis on the individual’s expression of emotion and imagination, departure from the attitudes and forms of classicism, and rebellion against established social rules and conventions. The Romantics felt all the opinions of the Enlightment were fraught with dangerous errors and oversimplification. Romanticism may then be considered as a critique of the inadequacies of what it held to be Enlightened thought. The difference between these two eras are the British and American writers that have chosen either the path of romanticism or transendinlalism. The characteristics of Romanticism are different to those of Transendinlalism. Romanticism results in part from the libertarian and egalitarian ideals of the French Revolution, the romantic movements had in common only a revolt against the prescribed rules of classicism. The basic aims of romanticism were various: a return to nature and to the belief in the goodness of humanity; the rediscovery of the artist as a supremely individual creator; the development of nationalistic pride; and the exaltation of the senses and emotion over reason and intellect. In addition, romanticism was a philosophical revolt against rationalism. Another difference between those of Romanticism and Transendinlalism are it’s themes that it represents. One of the many themes of romanticism are dreams and visions. The most notable example of the emphasis on dreams and visions in romantic literature is Coleridge’s poems is â€Å"Kubla Khan†written in 1816, he claims to have written is during a dream while deeply asleep . While transcribing the lines from his dream, he was interrupted by a visitor, and later claimed that if this interruption had not occurred, the poem would have been much longer. The idea that a person could compose poetry while asleep was a common amongst romantics. Although critics at the time were not particularly enthusiastic about Kubla Khan. Nature had a overwhelming influence during the Romantic Era. In Kubla Khan describes the nature that he is surrounded by; † Walls and towers were raised around â€Å"twice five miles of fertile ground,† filled with beautiful gardens and forests. A â€Å"deep romantic chasm† slanted down a green hill, occasionally spewing forth a violent and powerful burst of water, so great that it flung boulders up with it â€Å"like rebounding hail. † The river ran five miles through the woods, finally sinking â€Å"in tumult to a lifeless ocean. † Amid that tumult, in the place â€Å"as holy and enchanted / As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted / By woman wailing to her demon-lover,† Kubla heard â€Å"ancestral voices† bringing prophesies of war. The pleasure-dome’s shadow floated on the waves, where the mingled sounds of the fountain and the caves could be heard. â€Å"It was a miracle of rare device,† the speaker says, â€Å"A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice! † Coleridge’s is inspired by the beauty and charmingness that nature gives them during the romantic era. Before this period of time another era had began called The Age Of Enlightenment. In the 18th century â€Å" The Enlightenment,† made this movement advocated rationality as a means to establish an authoritative system of ethics, aesthetics, and knowledge. Which then gave the transendinlalism it’s place in this movement. Transendinlalism is a literary and philosophical movement, associated with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller, asserting the existence of an ideal spiritual reality that transcends the empirical and scientific and is knowable through intuition. It is no coincidence that this movement took off just as the American literary tradition was beginning to blossom. Transcendentalism—though inspired by German and British Romanticism—was a distinctly American movement in that it was tied into notions of American individualism. In addition to the theme of American democracy, transcendentalist literature also promotes the idea of nature as divine and the human soul as inherently wise. Transcendentalism also had a political dimension, and writers such as Thoreau put their transcendentalist beliefs into action through acts of civil disobedience to the government. The nineteenth century was a volatile one, beginning with the hope and promise of democracy and the development of an American identity and moving towards mass devastation and division by the middle of the century. Slavery and the Civil War, women’s rights, growing industrialism and class division —all of these events were influential and each had a role to play in the transcendentalist movement. Transendinlalism had many themes to those of the Romantics at their time like self- wisdom. Quite simply, Transcendentalism is based on the belief that human beings have self-wisdom and may gain this knowledge or wisdom by tuning in to the ebb and flow of nature. Transcendentalism revolves around the self, specifically the betterment of the self. Where Emerson and his followers differed from earlier philosophical and religious beliefs was in the idea that human beings had natural knowledge and could connect with God directly rather than through an institution such as organized religion. Transcendentalism celebrated the self, an important step in the construction of American identity, better understood as the notion of American individualism—one of the cornerstones of American democracy. Nature played an important role in the Transcendentalist view. Nature was divine and alive with spirit; indeed, the human mind could read the truths of life in nature. To live in harmony with nature and to allow one’s deepest intuitive being to communicate with nature was a source of goodness and inspiration. In fact, writers not only celebrated America’s great landscape, but also constructed the wilderness as a type of dramatic character that illustrated moral law. The desire for an escape from the evils of society and a return to nature became a permanent convention of American literature. Transcendentalist thought emphasized individualism. Only by rejecting the irrelevant dogmas in place and searching for inner truth could one experience the deep intuition of spiritual reality. In relation, Transcendentalism is also very democratic, asserting that the powers of the individual mind and soul are equally available to all people. These powers are not dependent on wealth, gender, background, or education, but on the individual’s willingness to release their own imaginative power to realize his or her place in the Oversoul. The obvious results from Transcendentalist efforts are manifest in the intense moral enthusiasm that characterized Transcendental thinkers. Society, with its emphasis on material success, was often seen as a source of corruption. To combat this evil, many Transcendentalists were associated with such moralist groups as the anti-slavery group, the march for women’s rights, and other aid societies. Ultimately, some Transcendentalists hoped to reform society by creating an American utopia with a perfect social and political system. The Transcendentalists can be exasperatingly vague in their prescriptions for spiritual transformation, a vagueness which derives principally from their distrust of all forms of ritual and inherited religious forms. The transcendent individual is often a solitary figure, contemplating his soul (and by analogy, the soul of all humanity), and contemplating other souls through the reading of serious literature. But the central recurring theme that emerges is a return to nature, where the artifice and depravity of society cannot reach. Thus Thoreau leaves Concord and heads for Walden Pond to explore the great truths of the natural world. Thus Jones Very, in his poem â€Å"The Silent,† distinguishes between the sounds that strike the ear and those that strike the soul when one walks in the woods: ‘Tis all unheard; that Silent Voice, Whose goings forth unknown to all, Bids bending reed and bird rejoice, And fills with music Nature’s hall. And in the speechless human heart It speaks, where’er man’s feet have trod; Beyond the lips’ deceitful art, To tell of Him, the Unseen God. † Thus the similarities in the Romantic and Transendinlalism era are ver closely together. For the writers of these eras believed in different yet similar things. For example, nature was one of the similarities of both eras they had marked the world in believing that nature is something that will keep you clam and feel safe like all writers at the time believed in. For romantics believed in intellectual and artistic belief in their writing. Thus they also had many differences for reason over belief this is one of the subjects that the romantics and transcendentalist did not agreed in. During the 18th century their truly was no difference in both the romantic and Transendinlalism era. The only difference was those of the people’s writings of this period who made this era last for years.

Its a case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Its a case study - Essay Example In the consumer marketing segment, the company has given a guarantee to its customers saying that it would supply any item in any preferred color for five years continuously. So even if a single customer buys a particular product of a particular color, the company is forced to produce that particular product even if it is for a single customer in order to keep up its promise and at the same time safeguard its reputation. The company has got a process based production system which also has certain demerits. The main problem with the process based production system is that two or more jobs undertaken by the production department may come to the same department at the same time. And there is obviously no possibility that the department can work on the same jobs simultaneously. Hence on of the jobs has to be kept waiting. As Focus Plastics Plc., is involved in large scale production, the process based system of production may result in several jobs that may be kept waiting in various departments at different stages. Thus , it is nothing more than a mere waste of time when a major portion of production time actually comprises the time in which jobs are needed to wait for getting processes in different departments and at various stages. Another disadvantage with this kind of production system is that it requires greater employee skill, more employees training, more number of supervisors and complex produc tion control. If we consider the manufacturing system that is being followed by Focus Plastics Plc., it can be noticed that the company has got 24 large injection-moulding machines of different ages. Such machines would definitely need a person with good expertise and at the same time proper amount of training to handle such machines which actually is an expensive task for any organization. Problem 4: The company is also lacking in planning. It was quoted that it had to produce a huge amount of pasta strainers in a particular color which resulted in entire rescheduling along with a waste of one hour's production. This is because of over anticipation of the customers' demand. Problem 5: The company has also got a serious inventory problem. There has been a rapid increase in the inventory of the company over the past 10 years which is evident from the following ratios which are based on the financial information of the company. The major mistake that the company is committing is that it is producing the goods anticipating the customers' demands. But anticipations may or may not be right all the time. If the anticipation is less than the acute value, then the company may lead in to loss of sales. In this case the anticipation is more than the actual value and hence it is resulting in piling up of inventory. Actually, increase in the level of inventory may lead to the product getting outdated because of ageing. Increased inventory may also result in blocking of the working capital and thereby resulting in reduced cash flows. Though Focus Plastic Plc. has considered inventory as a

Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 9

Psychology - Essay Example Thailand has remained a model for organic farming. Many Thai companies are boasting of chemical free products today. Thailand’s Buddhist Asok movement helps to build organic farms and is a monk led movement, which has brought a change within the monk living style too. â€Å"Additionally, while several mainstream Thai monks are millionaires, Asok monks are not allowed to own any property and lay members living inside the community make no money. But everyone receives free food, lodging, and medical care, and students receive free education† http://www.newfarm.org/columns/Jason/2003/0303/thai_asok.shtml Thailand is feeding the world with many organic products other than the rice and in recent years this had been its valuable offering towards environment and it still remains the largest rice exporter in the world. Green Net has rendered yeomen service to organic revolution with its organising farm and trading activities. â€Å"Through more than 7-year experiences, Green Net believes that the main challenge for Third World organic movement is how to organise fair trade at national and international level which would truly benefit small-scale organic producers in a sustainable manner,† Alfoldic (2000, p.664). Organic marketing called Lemon Farms are spreading all over Thailand. Initially, it had not been easy to find customers. â€Å"It has proved difficult to get customers to pay more for generic products although there are some signs this is changing. For instance initial efforts to market organic fruits and vegetables in Thailand, ran into stiff marketing resistence† Charter (1999, p.347). â€Å"There are many doors into the organic community. Some folks come in through their alternative lifestyle. Some come desperately seeking ways to save their farms. Some are merely attracted by high organic soybean and dairy prices†. The Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) has been spreading

Essenital skills for an excellent career Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Essenital skills for an excellent career - Essay Example Poor conflict resolution skills may lead to team work breakdown, self dislike, wasting of talent and lack of motivation among others. However, conflicts are not a curse; they are a blessing if harnessed by skilled handling and solving. When conflict is handled and solved effectively, it is a promising tool in enhancing professional growth. For example, effective conflict resolution leads to increased understanding, group cohesion, and self-knowledge. The way conflict is handled differentiates between positive and negative outcomes. The article analyzes five styles proposed by Kenneth Thomas and Ralph Kilmann in the 1970s, from which they developed Thomas-Kilmann conflict model instrument (TKI). The KTI model styles are based on the intensity of the conflict. They include; competitive, collaborative, compromising, accommodating, and avoiding. The article teaches readers to take positive approaches to conflict resolution. For this to succeed in workplace, courteous and non-confrontational discussions where no individual is attacked should be employed. This way, conflict will become an event for growth rather than an attack. Manktelow, James and Amy Carlson. â€Å"Conflict Resolution: Resolving Conflict Rationally and Effectively.† Mind Tools. 1996-2013. 23 March, 2013.

Greek history reading analyze in comparing character of Helen in two Essay

Greek history reading analyze in comparing character of Helen in two reading - Essay Example In this account, Helen is portrayed as a victim of circumstances who had no choice but to go with Paris and succumb to his every whim and demand in order to save her life. In the poem we see Helen "dressed herself in fine silvery linens and came out of her bedroom crying softly" when she heard of Menelaus' attack on Sparta clearly illustrating she had no alternative but to wait and see what the aftermath of the war will bring for her future. Later, talking to Paris's father, she says, "death should have been a sweeter evil to me" explaining that she should have taken her own life than yield to Paris's seizure. She incriminates herself by calling herself a "shameless bitch" for yielding to his demands. Furthermore, she is seen as very embarrassed to have had her family find her in a situation which she apparently had no choice. There are several colors to Helen's character that are portrayed in Homer's Iliad. She calls herself a "hateful wife" when she thinks of Menelaus winning her away from Paris. On Paris's return and eventual defeat in the Trojan War, Helen reproofs him by telling him he should have been killed by Menelaus, a "real hero" In the Iliad, Helen is represented as a prey plucked from her serene life with her husband and taken away by Paris to be subjected to subservience despite her many objections. She is shown to have compassion, guilt, love and even acceptance in the way she lives her life in Paris's kingdom awaiting her end. However, in Helen a play by Euripides, the playwright puts the theory that Helen was a victim of circumstances down and has something else to say. Helen is sought by Menelaus, a grieving husband, who wants to bring her to justice by killing her following the rumors that she went to Paris willingly and was not abducted after all. Hecuba, Paris's mother describes Helen as a woman who "captivates you with longing", "destroys cities" and "sets homes aflame". While Helen defends herself saying that she was bought and sold for her beauty and has been blameless even attempting to run away, Hecuba negates this by saying she should have hung herself if she was so desperate to get out. Helen states she was kept as a wife by her new husband "in defiance of the Trojans" and Hecuba negates that as well. She is characterized as a vicious and calculating woman who Hecuba states "saw my son in the splendor of gold" and "looked forward to a deluge of extravagance" while Helen says she grieves the death of the Trojans. This is a total contradiction to what the Homer states in the Iliad. Essentially, Helen has been depicted as the cause of the war between the Trojans and the Greeks whatever the truth may or may not have been. Homer too has treated Helen as a cause of war but also as a helpless victim of her celebrated beauty. There could be any number of reasons why Euripides depicted Helen in a negative light. Some scholars say that it is impossible for so many heads of states / cities to leave their work to go all the way to Troy to rescue a chit of a woman to whom they did not have much interest in except for her renowned beauty. At the time this story is placed, a lot of women and children were abducted and sold in slavery in Troy and it is thought by some scholars that this was the reason so many city heads brought about the Trojan War. This theory is followed by the hypothesis that Helen never existed! It was all a ply to put the Trojans down for their illegal slave trade. However, if

Get Write Existing Data Sources Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Get Write Existing Data Sources - Coursework Example The weakness of conducting field research is that it is highly subjective and therefore is weak in terms of reliability (Maxfield & Babbie, 2006). Another weakness is that there can be disagreements between researchers concerning the events or subjects of the research. My research is on illegal immigration and high crime rate in the United States of America. Based on my research proposal, the researchers will be collecting information regarding the perception of hate crimes and illegal immigrants from U.S. residents. Therefore, field research is definitely appropriate for this research proposal. The participants in the field will provide significant information regarding their perception about the issues concerning illegal immigration with special emphasis on social crime rates in the area where they live. Being a resident in that area, participants can provide first hand information regarding illegal immigration and how it affects their daily life. Field research will therefore help to gather both qualitative and quantitative data regarding illegal immigration and hate crimes from the residents of the

The Pantheon as an Architectural Success Essay Example for Free

The Pantheon as an Architectural Success Essay The Roman Pantheon is the most preserved building in Rome despite all the additions and restorations to its original form. The original Pantheon was built in 27 BC by Marcus Agrippa after the conclusion of the Battle of Actium. The monolithic structure seen in Rome today, however, is no longer the original Pantheon from Agrippa’s time. The 27 BC Pantheon burned down in the historic fire of 80 AD and was completely reconstructed by Emeperor Hadrian in 125 AD with the present day structure. Hadrian, however, attributed the construction to the mind behind the original Pantheon as attested to by the inscription on the portico Hadrian left on the building itself, â€Å"Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, in his third consulate, made it.† (Ward-Perkins, 111).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Pantheon continues to amaze thousands of individuals daily. Tourists as well as Roman locals are held enchanted by the buildings faà §ade and dome. The interest stirred up by the Pantheon, however, doesn’t involve just tourists and curious eyes of onlookers. The architectural accomplishment that is the Pantheon has evoked many debates and researches as to its resilience to weathering and time. The Pantheon is a wonder of the modern world, a success story that continues to urge minds of the academe to unlock its secrets. This paper intends to delve into the more physical aspect of the Pantheon and unearth the factors that contribute to the greatness of the structure’s architectural design and composition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Pantheon exemplifies the best of what the Roman architectural revolution put forth during the first century. The Pantheon has within its frame some of the most advanced innovations Roman architects of the first century could provide. Its construction was made possible through the development and utilization of a new type of expert concrete that is now known as Roman concrete. Roman concrete allowed for buildings and architectural structures that were more curvilinear in form. This is most evident in the Pantheon’s configuration (Mark Hutchinson, 24).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Roman concrete used material that was very similar to the material used today in making concrete. The difference is seen in the way the Romans utilized these materials. The basic technique employed in Roman construction at that time consisted of only a few steps. First, a semi-fluid substance of lime, pozzolan, and small stones are poured in. Then a layer of stones is put on top this mixture. A second batch of the semi-fluid substance is then poured over which another layer of stones are placed. This technique is generally accepted by those studying Roman architecture. Debate continues, however, regarding the placement of the mortar on whether it was poured or tamped (Herring, 14).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Roman pozzolan-based concrete proved to be advantageous because of the extra aspects it added to the possibilities of design which were not available with lime mortar. One of these aspects is the fact that Roman pozzolan-based concrete did not need to be dried out for them to set. Roman concrete would set even when immersed. These would also cool relatively faster than lime mortar and had an added factor of increasing compressive strength, although tensile strength was low. (Mainstone, 25)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The pozzolan base of Roman concrete, however, was not the only factor that made this material superior to all others available during the time of construction of the Pantheon. There were three other factors that played into the excellence of Roman concrete. Romans were very skilled in choosing the best quality of lime for the concrete. It was essential for them to ensure that only the best quality of materials went in to creating their concrete. The early Roman construction workers were also strict in enforcing that the same relative amounts of materials went into the concrete production process. This was to ensure that the concrete they produced would always have the same first-rate quality. The ratio of water mixed with the cement material was also monitored. The Romans made sure that water was minimal in the mixture. The process of placing and compaction of the mortar was also perfected, ensuring that almost no spaces were present in the aggregate. This was to ensure that the structure for which the concrete was being used would attain the highest possible strength and therefore be one that would last under weathering and other corrosive factors (Herring, 16).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The construction of the Pantheon was not a simple task. The yard, from which the blocks used to construct the structure, was located 800 meters away from the actual site of the Pantheon. Delivery of the blocks from the building yard to the construction site must have required many laborers. The distance, however, may have also been counterbalanced by the Tiber River via which most of the blocks must have been shipped. With all the work involved in the construction of the Pantheon, it is certain that care and skill were essential in the construction. Only with extra caution and true skill could a monument such as the Pantheon truly stand and outlast its makers. (Hasselberg, 88)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Understanding the material which contributed to the strength of the Pantheon is only the first step in understanding the might of its design. Certainly, the Roman Pantheon has lasted the test of time and has undergone the weathering of ages due to the Roman concrete with which it was built. And certainly the Romans ability to come up with a plan for this construction and to follow through with these plans through careful execution and skillful craftsmanship added to this architectural success. However, the monolithic structure has continued on as a great architectural feat through time not only because of its durability but also because of its monumental design. The well-renowned painter of the ceiling of the Sistine chapel, Michelangelo, was one of the many people whose amazement and love for the arts were drawn forth by the Pantheon. He is known to have once described the building as having an â€Å"Angelic and not human design†, a design attributable to the competence and expertise of the ancient Romans (Lugli, 1). The Pantheon’s interior is one of the most concrete examples for the beauty and angelic appeal of the building. The first and most conspicuous aspect of the Pantheon’s interior that invites its visitor to exclaim in wonder is not the walls or ceiling but rather the amount of space that welcomes all to take a step inside. Roman architecture considered space to be something more than just a gap between two objects. Rather, space was considered as a concrete object, as something with volume, with equal weight as the human body. The Pantheon provides modern-day proof of the Roman architects need to place room and make space in the architectural designs of the buildings constructed at that time (Semes, C1.1). The extensive space seen in the Pantheon is not complete to be considered as remarkable if left by itself. It must always be considered with relation to a context, the structures forming the boundary of that space. It is then essential for the Roman architects to ensure that the walls and domed ceiling of the Pantheon will do well to complement the space they wish to portray in the building (Semes, C1.2). In the case of the Pantheon, Roman architects chose a round shape to serve as a boundary of the space within the interior of the Pantheon. The circular shape adds to a feeling that the Pantheon’s interior is indeed spacious. The Pantheon’s walls are ordered by an array of extravagant structures such as the building’s columns, lintels, niches, doorways, and of course the wall itself seen between the earlier mentioned structures. The structures involved in the Pantheon’s walls were not only varied in type but were also varied in terms of the subtypes. The additions to the wall were formed into varying shapes, thus forming subtypes, to add to the intricacy of the beauty of the Pantheon’s interior (Semes, C1.2). Take a moment now to scrutinize one of these features which exists as an aspect of the design of the Pantheon celebrated by contemporary architects as a link to early architectural concepts of beauty. This is seen in the three basic dimensions of the Pantheon’s wall. These three dimensions include the diameter of the columns, the space between each column, and the height of the columns. These dimensions are in the ratio of 1:2:9.5 in the Pantheon. Hermogenes, a popular architect during the Hellenistic age, considered these dimensions and ratio to be the makings of a perfect faà §ade. Vitruvius, the engineer during the 1st century in Rome, is most likely the one to bring to life through the Pantheon the concepts introduced by Hermogenes (Hasselberg, 89).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The round wall contains many niches as well creating an impression of the wall containing numerous chambers at different levels. These niches contain some of the most reputable men of the Western world including kings of Italy, popes, and famous painters such as Raphael. All niches as well as openings in the wall are framed by an arch of bricks which serve more than just beautification purposes. These arches add to the support of the wall above the openings and niches and were called relieving arches because of this feature. These arches only went so far as the wall and did not invade the Pantheon’s dome. Creating structural support through the use of relieving arches was very common with Roman architects during the time the Pantheon was built (Lugli, 30). Roman architects showed their prowess by the careful placement of these structures, the columns, the lintels, the niches, the doorways, and the wall itself. They alternated solid structures with spaces creating an interaction between the two which worked to increase the Pantheon’s appeal as an architectural masterpiece. The differing shapes in the structures, therefore, did not give a sense of disorder but rather an overall impression of organization in the face of diversity. The walls and its complementing features thus give an observer’s eyes a feast both as individual pieces and as an integrated whole (Semes, C1.2). One of the most acclaimed features of the Pantheon is its domed ceiling. It is celebrated world-wide for its being built. The Romans were known for their addition of arches in their structures. The creation of the Roman Pantheon’s domed ceiling gives evidence to the development of the Roman architectural concept of arches. Roman architecture evolved to improve the concept of the arch, modifying it and making it more complex with the resulting structure of a dome. The Roman concrete based on pozzolan is acknowledged by many to be the reason for the Roman architects’ success in building a domed ceiling. At the time, the new form of concrete made the construction of the ceiling an accomplishable feat. Lime mortar would not have been an easy material to use in the construction of the Pantheon’s ceiling, thus the use of the new pozzolan-based concrete, which had many features of modern Portland concrete, contributed greatly to the monumental task of building the dome-shaped ceiling. However, there are those who believe that although the concrete is one of the main factors involved in the dome’s success, it is not the only factor. Robert Mark and Paul Hutchinson believe that the concentric stepped rings placed in the outer surface of the Pantheon dome add to the success of the ceiling (26). It is believed that the steven step rings helped to bring stability to the entire structure of the Pantheon by adding to the compression of the structure. This is evidenced by the oculus at the center of the dome which serves as a compression ring. The positioning of the ring or oculus effectively distributes the compression of the structure about this point. The compression ring attests to the skill of the Roman architects and engineers. They not only had the skill and knowledge required to create the colossal Pantheon but they also had the expertise and comprehension of modern engineering to create it in such a way that it would remain standing as a solid and stable structure for a long time.   Many of the imitations of the Pantheon add such stepped rings to the dome of their derivative structures probably for the same purpose of stability and compression. The dome was also a successful architectural feat with the help of the coffering. Coffering is the placing of sunken panels of different shapes in accordance with the structures in the ceiling. This serves aesthetic purposes as well as reinforces structural strength. The dome’s underside was also made stronger with the use of lightweight aggregate in the upper part of the building’s edifice. The aggregate was of lower density than the aggregate used in the lower parts of the building such as the walls, floor and columns. It is evident then that a lot of though went into the creation of the Pantheon’s dome (Mark Huthcinson, 26). Because of the addition of an oculus in the domed ceiling, the Pantheon provides a perfect example of an architect’s use of light to emphasize the appearance of space. The Pantheon’s dome has an oculus or opening in the middle which makes a circular form across the Pantheon’s interior, the floor and the walls. Sunlight streams in through the open oculus and gives an enchanting chiaroscuro effect, a term indicating the alternating effect of light and dark, via the columns and niches in the room (Semes, C1.2). The shadows created by the columns and niches plays with the light coming in from the oculus to create the effect of irregular but successive alternations of brightness agains darkness. However, a simple addition of an opening in a spacious room is not enough to create such a marvel as the Pantheon’s interior. There must always be the consideration of the features within the structure’s interior and how these features would interact with the light. The different materials used in the construction of the Pantheon add to the mystery created by the illumination entering from the opening in the dome’s oculus. The classical interior welcomes the streaming in of light from the sun or perhaps even from the moon. The walls, the columns, the niches and even the arches add to the effect given by the streaming glow from above. The marbles with all its colors, the golden gleams from the ornaments, allow for the light to play inside the Pantheon and create different effects (Semes, C1.2). The columns in the Pantheon’s interior are created with different types of marble. Those in the lower zone are of a material called giallo antico. This is a type of marble that is of a yellowish-orange color. Some of the other columns in the lower zone are made of marble with an off-white color streaked with reddish-purple hues, called pavonazzo. The walls and floor are covered with marble of white, green, and green-gray colors. Although it may seem to one who has not seen the Pantheon up close that these colors would clash and cause quite an unattractive display of shades, this is not the case in the Pantheon. The architects and engineers of the Pantheon were so skilled that even in the mixing of these hues; the Pantheon creates a sense of intricate beauty and intimate splendor. These add to the attraction of the Pantheon’s interior for visiting tourists and even for the locals. The colors are so well balanced that the interior creates a sense of energy and of unity despite the variation (Semes, C1.2). The Pantheon lends this energy to its visitors, encapsulating them in its color-induced aura once they step inside the great structure’s walls. The Pantheon came to be used for different purposes, attesting to the flexibility of its architectural design. Historians speculate that the Pantheon may have been initially used as a dedication to the Roman gods and goddesses worshipped by many at that time. It may also have served an astrological purpose which may have been the reason for the oculus or hole at the rooftop of the Pantheon. The structure continued to served as a church in 608, as a funerary afterwards, and as a place where the busts of artists not laid to rest in the Pantheon were placed (Howell, 34). The end of the Roman civilization signaled the replacement of Roman architectural design. The Dark Ages was a time of little growth in architectural design but new architecture was conceptualized by the succeeding Renaissance minds. If not for structures such as the Pantheon, Roman architecture would have been all but forgotten. Today, many historians, architects and researchers continue to study the Pantheon to try and uncover the secrets lost during the downfall of the Roman Empire. It provides modern architects are now returning to the foundations of classical architecture and the Pantheon is a treasure trove of knowledge regarding classical design. The Pantheon provides these architects with aspects of classical design that are no longer visible in modern structures. It is clear that the Pantheon continues to be a legacy of the skill and capabilities of the Roman architects who made it (Semes, C1.2). Works Cited Lugli, G. â€Å"The Pantheon and Adjacent Structures.† Rome: Giovanni Bardi Publisher, 1971 Hasselberg, Lothar. â€Å"Deciphering a Roman Blueprint.† Scientific American 272 (1995): 84-89 Herring, Ben. â€Å"The Secrets of Roman Concrete.† Constructor Magazine September 2002:13-16 Howell, Peter. â€Å"Pantheons: Transformations of a Monumental Idea.† Apollo Magazine September 2005: 33-36 Mainstone, Rowland. â€Å"Letter On the Structure of the Roman Pantheon.† The Art Bulletin 68 (1986): 673-674 Mark, Robert, and Paul Hutchinson. â€Å"On the Structure of the Roman Pantheon.† The Art Bulletin 68 (1986): 24-34 Semes, Steven. â€Å"Pantheon Inside.† Architecture Week 254 (2005): C1.1-C1.2 Ward-Perkins, J.B. â€Å"Roman Imperial Architecture.† New York: Penguin Books, 1985