Ray Charles Robinson an Example of the Topic Personal Essays by

Ray Charles Robinson Ray Charles Robinson was born on 23rd September 1930 in Albany Georgia. He is the pioneer of soul music that became very popular among the Americans irrespective of their race despite the fact that he was blind. Soul music cannot be mentioned without talking about him. Ray was black American who was very talented and was able to invent his new music genre by secularizing some aspects such as the structures, chords, vocal streams as well as wails and moans of other types of music. After he was seven years old, 1937- 45 Ray Charles joined St Augustine which was a school for both the blind and the deaf. It is while he was in this place that learned how to play piano, clarinet and saxophone. He also learned how to write and read Braille. Who was Ray Charles and what role did he play in the music industry? This and many other things related to music is what this research paper will focus on. Need essay sample on "Ray Charles Robinson" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed The father of the soul music or a music genius as he was known was son to Aretha Williams and Bailey Robinson although unfortunately they were not married. His mother worked in a saw mill whereas his father could be said to have been a jack of all because he was a mechanic, railroad repairer and a handyman at the same time. According to SwingMusic.Net Ray Charles was not blind but started turning blind when he was five years old and by the time he was seven years old, he was completely blind. At three years, he was absorbing the bright world as any other three-year old did. Ray remembers playing in the pine forests. He remembers the pecans from the trees in Greenville. He also remembers those pigs, cows and chickens from his youth.(Beyer M. 11) College Students Usually Tell EssayLab specialists:Who wants to write assignment for me?Professional writers advise: We Write All Kinds Of PapersAcademic Paper Writing Services Get Paid To Write Papers For Students Top Essay Writing College Essay Writing Service Ray was born at a time when there was great depression in the South and during this period, only country music, gospel, jazz and blues were popular. Because of his love for music, he used to travel with various music bands to their concerts. His first interest in music could be said to have started back in the days when he used to attend cafes and dinners at Greenville and to be specific, the Red Wing caf where a piano was played. He would muster some courage to tell its owner Wylie Pitman to play it. He started to realize that music was part of him and could even feel it in his bones when he was only three years. He could feel hear musical rhythms and notes and know whether they were ok or not. (Beyer M., 12) Before she died her mother Aretha had always wanted to ensure that Ray would grow to be an independent and self sufficient man although he was turning blind. Just like other artists who say that they ventured in the art of music after they were inspired by some music idols, Ray too was not an exception. He would emulate some musicians such as Nat King Cole to such an extent that his audience would say he sounded like him. (Winski N., 67) As we noted earlier that he learned how to play musical instruments and write music while still he was at St, Augustine, he also tried to familiarize himself with various bands such as jazz, Tampa and hillbilly which was also known as The Florida Playboys. It is while he was here that he learned his unique style of wearing dark glasses. During vacation times, Ray spent much of his time reading books and quenching his artistic desires and when Rays family moved from Greenville to Tallahassee, Ray got an opportunity to know some people who gave him moral support and motivated him something that helped in shaping his destiny. Later, he moved to Jacksonville and discovered that the place was much better that Tallahassee in terms of music job opportunities and that was why he came to like the place. (Winski, 95) As time went by, he moved to Florida and Orlando where he became very popular at playing piano. At this time Ray was not yet able to come up with his own songs and played those of other artists such as Nat king and Charles Brown. According to Charles Rays Biography, throughout his career, he skillfully gathered and artistically combined certain aspects of music to come up with his own music genre, soul. His discovery completely changed his personality from that of a blind man to that of a music star. (American Masters) When Ray was 17 years old, he moved to Seattle with the little money he had saved to look for better music opportunities. Here he performed in Maxim Trio which basically used the music style of Chris Brown and that of Cole Nat King. After a period of one year, this group produced its first masterpiece. According to Mark (2003, 54) it is during this time that Ray started indulging in hard drugs something that would later land him in troubles. At this period he started to shine in show business and decided to drop his last name Robinson to prevent being confused with boxing star Sugar Ray Robinson. (SwingMusic.Net, 2007) In the year that followed, he wrote a song that turned to be a national hit Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand although the black culture was despised by the whites with the exception of that of some black artists such as Nat King, Chris Brown and Louis Armstrong. Later, he signed a contract with Atlantic Records and released his first singles that made it to the charts It Should Have Been Me and the Mess Around. He spent the rest of the 1950s trying to combine jazz music, gospel and blues to produce hits such as Whatd Say, Hit the Road Jack, In My Own Tears and Georgia on My Mind. (Winski N., 1994) Though he played all types of music, his interest in music tended to lean on the spiritual side because most of his songs talk about his past experiences. He was very original when it came to music and refused to be swept away by the music waves of his time. Rock and Roll had burst onto the music world in 1995. Ray didnt change with it. He used what suited his style and left the rest to the kids coming up.(Beyer, 59) Due to his dynamic style of combining music, a new turning point both in music and in his life was witnessed. To succeed in music he knew that it was of essence his band to be comprised only of those people who knew his goals and shared his sentiments. Ray claimed that he only did what was natural to him and insisted that the music he produced came direct from his soul. He tried to encourage and influence the youth both Blacks and Whites to appreciate what black artists like him, Nat King, Little Richard and Chick Berry were doing in music. (Winski, 158) Before the end of 1955, Ray started to experiment on how his band would be if he included females in his back up and sooner than later, he discovered that their feminine voice combined very well with masculine voice. This discovery added uniqueness to his music and he would go with his back up to wherever he went to perform. Unfortunately he was arrested in 1964 for using Heroine drugs, a habit that he started back in the 1940s. He was put in California Sanitarium rehab where he decided to quit using drugs and was given a suspended sentence of five years. He returned to his career although his releases in the 1970s were either a hit or miss. His popularity was not greatly affected by being arrested and he even performed in presidential inaugurations for example that of Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton in 1985 and 1993 respectively. He also performed in other big shows like the one that was held in Rome in 2002 and in a televised media journalist banquet in Washington Dc in 2003. Unfort unately, in the following year on 10th June, 2004, Ray Charles succumbed to liver complications. In short, the life of Ray Charles was a life that was greatly driven by musical passions. He started to develop interest in music while he was still very young. Though he turned blind at a very tender age, his career never ended and continued to grow and develop to greater heights till his death. Just like other artists, he was inspired by music idols such as Cole Nat king. These people and especially Nat King was his role model and helped him to become what he was. Ray started using heroine in 1940s and continued with the habit for about twenty years until he was arrested and put in a rehabilitation centre in 1964. He was an innovative musician who was able to come up with a new music genre which was a combination of various types of music such as jazz, blues and gospel music. It was for this reason that Ray came to be referred as the father of soul music. Works Cited American Masters. Ray Charles. Accessed online on July 17, 2008 athttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/charles_r.html Winski N. Ray Charles: Singer and Musician. Holloway House Publishing. 1994 SwingMusic.Net. Biography: Ray Charles: Crossed countless perceived musical Boundaries throughout his career. 2007. Retrieved athttp://www.swingmusic.net/Ray_Charles_Biography.html Mark B. Ray Charles. The Rosen Publishing Group. 2003

Isocrates and Plato on the Art of Rhetoric essays

Isocrates and Plato on the Art of Rhetoric essays Isocrates and Plato on the Art of Rhetoric Sophists in Greek times featured practical knowledge, which include governing and decision making. Sophists were willing to teach anyone who could pay for their services; therefore you had to have been raised in a wealthy family in order to be included. Isocrates was a sophist and opened the first permanent institution of higher liberal arts education. He taught the art of writing essays and how to become a great orator in his school. He focused mainly on the morality issues of topical political issues. Critics of these teachings were lead by Plato. The emphasis taught by Isocrates was contrary to the traditional philosophers, like Plato, who were engaged in seeking the truth. Plato made his skills of governance available to anyone, regardless of birth and wealth. Plato viewed rhetoric as, Mere flattery and as a vehicle for misleading others, (Golden, p.9). Isocrates and Plato had different views of what rhetoric meant; their views are contrasted throughout the paper. Isocrates believed that rhetoric was meant to be read rather then delivered. The rhetoric he taught exhibited vocabulary, figures of speech, and many illustrations from history and philosophy. Isocrates thought that a rhetorician should manipulate the style of language to meet the needs of the speech. Isocrates thought that language could take fundamental forms, These were to be mixed, shaped, fitted together, in the same way that a painter mixes colors or a sculptor smoothes a joint, (www.1cc.gatech.edu/gallery/rhetoric/figures/isocrates.html). Isocrates distinguished himself from his contemporary rhetoricians by not believing that any general rule can be applied to rhetoric. Isocrates thought that, All general principles must fail because they screen out the particulars of a given situation, which must be taken into account in all truly good moral and rhetorical decisions&quo...

Biography of Frederick I Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor

Biography of Frederick I Barbarossa, Holy Roman Emperor Fast Facts: Frederick I (Barbarossa) Known For: Holy Roman Emperor and Warrior KingAlso Known As: Frederick Hohenstaufen, Frederick Barbarossa, Emperor Frederick I of the Holy Roman Empire  Born: Exact date unknown; circa 1123, birthplace thought to be SwabiaParents:  Frederick II, Duke of Swabia, Judith, the daughter of Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria, known also as Henry the Black.  Died: June 10, 1190 near Saleph  River,  Cilician ArmeniaSpouse(s): Adelheid of Vohburg, Beatrice I, Countess of BurgundyChildren: Beatrice, Frederick V, Duke of Swabia, Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor,  Conrad, later renamed  Frederick VI, Duke of Swabia, Gisela, Otto I, Count of Burgundy, Conrad II, Duke of Swabia  and Rothenburg, Renaud, William, Philip of Swabia, AgnesNotable Quote: It is not for the people to give laws to the prince, but to obey his mandate. (attributed) Early Life Frederick I Barbarossa was born in 1122 to Frederick II, Duke of Swabia, and his wife Judith. Barbarossas parents were members of the Hohenstaufen dynasty and House of Welf, respectively. This provided him with strong family and dynastic ties that would aid him later in life. At the age of 25, he became the Duke of Swabia following his fathers death. Later that year, he accompanied his uncle Conrad III, King of Germany, on the Second Crusade. Though the crusade was a tremendous failure, Barbarossa acquitted himself well and earned the respect and trust of his uncle. King of Germany Returning to Germany in 1149, Barbarossa remained close to Conrad and in 1152, he was summoned by the king as he lay on his deathbed. As Conrad neared death, he presented Barbarossa with the Imperial seal and stated that the 30-year-old duke should succeed him as king. This conversation was witnessed by the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg, who later stated that Conrad was in full possession of his mental powers when he named Barbarossa his successor. Moving quickly, Barbarossa garnered the support of the prince-electors and was named king on March 4, 1152. As Conrads 6-year-old son had been prevented from taking his fathers place, Barbarossa named him Duke of Swabia. Ascending to the throne, Barbarossa wished to restore Germany and the Holy Roman Empire to the glory it had achieved under Charlemagne. Traveling through Germany, Barbarossa met with the local princes and worked to end the sectional strife. Using an even hand, he united the princes interests while gently reasserting the power of the king. Though Barbarossa was King of Germany, he had not yet been crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the pope. Marching to Italy In 1153, there was a general feeling of dissatisfaction with the papal administration of the Church in Germany. Moving south with his army, Barbarossa sought to calm these tensions and concluded the Treaty of Constance with Pope Adrian IV in March 1153. By the terms of the treaty, Barbarossa agreed to aid the pope in fighting his Norman enemies in Italy in exchange for being crowned Holy Roman Emperor. After suppressing a commune led by Arnold of Brescia, Barbarossa was crowned by the Pope on June 18, 1155. Returning home that fall, Barbarossa encountered renewed bickering among the German princes. To calm affairs in Germany, Barbarossa gave the Duchy of Bavaria to his younger cousin Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony. On June 9, 1156, at Wà ¼rzburg, Barbarossa married Beatrice of Burgundy. Next, he intervened in a Danish civil war between Sweyn III and Valdemar I the following year. In June 1158, Barbarossa prepared a large expedition to Italy. In the years since he was crowned, a growing rift had opened between the emperor and the pope. While Barbarossa believed that the pope should be subject to the emperor, Adrian, at the Diet of Besanà §on, claimed the opposite. Marching into Italy, Barbarossa sought to reassert his imperial sovereignty. Sweeping through the northern part of the country, he conquered city after city and occupied Milan on September 7, 1158. As tensions grew, Adrian considered excommunicating the emperor; he died before taking any action. In September 1159, Pope Alexander III was elected and immediately moved to claim papal supremacy over the empire. In response to Alexanders actions and his excommunication, Barbarossa began supporting a series of antipopes beginning with Victor IV. Traveling back to Germany in late 1162, to quell unrest caused by Henry the Lion, he returned to Italy the following year with the goal of conquering Sicily. These plans quickly changed when he was required to suppress uprisings in northern Italy. In 1166, Barbarossa attacked toward Rome at won a decisive victory at the Battle of Monte Porzio. His success proved short-lived, however, as disease ravaged his army and he was forced to retreat back to Germany. Remaining in his realm for six years, he worked to improve diplomatic relations with England, France, and the Byzantine Empire. Lombard League During this time, several of the German clergy had taken up the cause of Pope Alexander. Despite this unrest at home, Barbarossa again formed a large army and crossed the mountains into Italy. Here, he met the united forces of the Lombard League, an alliance of northern Italian cities fighting in support of the pope. After winning several victories, Barbarossa requested that Henry the Lion join him with reinforcements. Hoping to increase his power through the possible defeat of his uncle, Henry refused to come south. On May 29, 1176, Barbarossa and a detachment of his army were badly defeated at Legnano, with the emperor believed killed in the fighting. With his hold over Lombardy broken, Barbarossa made peace with Alexander at Venice on July 24, 1177. Recognizing Alexander as pope, his excommunication was lifted and he was reinstated into the Church. With peace declared, the emperor and his army marched north. Arriving in Germany, Barbarossa found Henry the Lion in open rebellion of his authority. Invading Saxony and Bavaria, Barbarossa captured Henrys lands and forced him into exile. Third Crusade Though Barbarossa had reconciled with the pope, he continued to take actions to strengthen his position in Italy. In 1183, he signed a treaty with the Lombard League, separating them from the pope. Also, his son Henry married Constance, the Norman princess of Sicily, and was proclaimed King of Italy in 1186. While these maneuvers led to increased tension with Rome, it did not prevent Barbarossa answering the call for the Third Crusade in 1189. Death Working in conjunction with Richard I of England and Philip II of France, Barbarossa formed an immense army with the goal of retaking Jerusalem from Saladin. While the English and French kings traveled by sea to the Holy Land with their forces, Barbarossas army was too large and was forced to march overland. Moving through Hungary, Serbia, and the Byzantine Empire, they crossed the Bosporus into Anatolia. After fighting two battles, they arrived at the Saleph River in southeast Anatolia. While stories vary, it is known that Barbarossa died on June 10, 1190, while jumping into or crossing the river. His death led to chaos within the army and only a small fraction of the original force, led by his son Frederick VI of Swabia, reached Acre. Legacy Over the centuries following his death, Barbarossa became a symbol for German unity. During the 14th century, there was a belief that he would rise from the imperial castle of Kyffhuser. During World War II, the Germans launched a massive attack against Russia, which they dubbed Operation Barbarossa in honor of the medieval emperor.

Bring Your Own Device Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Bring Your Own Device - Research Paper Example The first section of this paper briefly introduces the BYOD/BYOT trend and implications for all the stakeholders in the educational sector and highlights the public discourse surrounding the trend. The second section discusses the theory underlying the BYOD/BEYOT trend by synthesizing arguments of peer-reviewed journal articles and creating connections with educational practice in an actual educational setting. This section also highlights specific gains of the BYOD trend in terms of positive changes in educational practice among other things. The third section of the paper provides my own stance on the manner in which the BYOD trend can be addressed in school, besides reviewing the overall findings of the discussion and reflecting on what it means for my own thinking about teaching and learning. Eventually, this section draws upon authoritative evidence in support of a claim that the BYOD trend has certain ramifications for teaching and learning in schools, which must be considered by decision makers. In recognition of the rapidly changing times, the need to enable students to adjust effectively to the contemporary information society and to take advantage of the modern digital technology in education, schools have sought to provide computers and other digital technologies for use by learners (Hill, 2011). However, due to financial constraints and the high cost of digital technologies, not many schools have been able to provide sufficient computers and digital technologies for their students.

Formal and Informal Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Formal and Informal Organisations - Essay Example The paper tells that the nature of clientele and the manner of activities that form their core objectives sometimes demand that formality can be suspended to attain immediate outcomes as situations of the health of patient might warrant. Nevertheless, for the reasons of administrative effectiveness, they must strive to retain formal organization to stand the challenges of the medical-legal issues, economy, and the body politics medical professionalism. This critical analysis looks at the pertinent predicaments in the health and social services sector and evaluates the remedies that they may have to manage such exigencies. Social or health organizations derive their institutional power from the quality of services they render to clients. They must, therefore, objectify their systems to their most desirable outcomes without which they may have no regard. On the other hand, such organizations render very useful services to the public and therefore must be very rigidly controlled and reg ulated. They organizational types they must embrace therefore result from a unique mix of opportunities and challenges. Conventionally, health and social organizations assume a formal design because of the centralized administrative practices in the public sector. Mixed systems in the institutional plan are therefore called for to bridge the gap between uncertainties and emergency. It is through the mixed designs that many organizations adjust to their real predicaments and survive the market. Without the ability to survive, organizations would simply perish to bankruptcy. The demands at the operations end of the organization are enormous. It is the nature of such demands that compel the organizations to adjust to informal approaches to such operations. It must be mentioned that such organizations retain perfect formal operations at the policy and administrative levels.

Participant-Observer Exercise Essay Example for Free

Participant-Observer Exercise Essay First of all, I am grateful to all class members and our instructor for the experience that I was able to acquire during this course. This is a good example of experiential learning – here we all had opportunities to transform our theoretical knowledge into real life experience. It really proved effective. I may also note that the last group engagement exercise did not disprove my previous hypotheses: with time and the experience of joint work we all got more confident about the tasks, and with the raise of confidence our productivity increased. I think we all got to know each other better and it increased the level of confidence. My hypothesis for this week is: â€Å"Group work gets real meaning and becomes more productive when group members bring in their personal insights and personal experiences instead of confining themselves to theorizing and relying on common sense. † At first, we knew each other too little to be open and share our personal experience. With time, we got to know each other better and gradually became more relaxed about sharing our thoughts. I think it had a positive impact on our performance. It helped to provide more examples of the concepts we presented. Our task was to discuss experiential learning and how it assists in exercising leadership and understanding group dynamics. We focused on several chosen principles in our presentation, and each of us was able to vitalize theory by referring to specific examples. This level of openness was quite impossible during the first exercise. Personal insights helped us all better understand theory and make a more interesting presentation. In fact, this experience once again proves Principle 9 that we discussed in our presentation: â€Å"The more supportive, accepting, and caring the social environment, the freer a person is to experiment with new behaviors, attitudes, and action theories† (Johnson Johnson, 2009, p. 51). Since all were open and ready to introduce a personal insight, we felt the environment to be rather supportive and accepting. As a result, we felt more confident and could communicate our thoughts freely. It provided greater value to our group work and helped to fulfill our task more successfully. References Johnson, D. W. , Johnson, F. P. (2009). Joining together: Group theory and group skills. 10th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn Bacon.

When Worlds Collide Essay -- Culture Anglo Saxon Essays

When Worlds Collide The world of Beowulf and that of modern America have some interesting similarities. The Anglo- Saxon belief in "wyrd," or fate, is alive and well in the 21st century. Like the Anglo- Saxons, our culture regards the crime of killing one’s own kin or family to be the most heinous of all. Americans love entertainment just as much as the Anglo- Saxons of Beowulf’s time did. Of course, with our modern technology like movies, television, and the Internet, we are allowed to experience many more methods of enjoyment than medieval people were able to enjoy. However, their culture is remembered through portions of our popular culture. Within its pages, Beowulf contains the notion of â€Å"wyrd.â€Å" This is the Anglo- Saxon concept of fate, the idea that everything is destined or planned to happen. The Anglo- Saxon people believed that everything was predetermined and that all their fates were already fixed. Beowulf says to Unferth that â€Å"Fate often saves an undoomed man when his courage is good,†(p.12) meaning that fate may save a warrior if he has true courage. In modern- day America, this idea of fate is similar to the idea of having ‘an angel on your shoulder.’ Many of the people who survived the September 11th tragedy did so by missing their train that day or getting struck in traffic. One gentleman who worked high up in the first tower surfed down twelve flights of stairs as the building collapsed and survived with only a broken leg. Some believe that it was just chance or a random thing, but many believe that it was fate that saved them, the idea being that some other force had pl ans for these people and that their time on this earth was not yet over. In Beowulf’s time, the w... ... Lord of the Rings, originally a trilogy of books written by J.R.R. Tolkien, pays respect to the ancient culture and ways of the Norse people, with their traditions of oral story telling and epic quests embedded within the story’s plot. These similarities show where some of our roots as Americans come from. Our culture is a massive patchwork quilt of various cultures and ethnicity. There are strong strains of this ancient culture running through our modern society. Beowulf is only one example of the Anglo- Saxon literature we possess today, but from it, we obtain more of what their culture was and we keep some these values alive in our own ways. Works Cited Associated Press. â€Å"Doctor: Yates felt she had no choice.† http://www.msnbc.com/news/709713.asp 5 March 2002. Howe, Nicholas ed. Beowulf: A Prose Translation. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2002.