Rome vs. Han Essay Example for Free

Rome vs. Han Essay Rome and Han were two classical civilizations which collapsed in many similar ways. For instance, they were similar because they both had problems protecting their borders from invading nomads, which helped lead to their demise. Also, another similarity is how the empires split and create provinces. Although, there were similarities between these civilizations, there were also many differences. One difference between the fall of the Han and the Roman empires is how China had the ability to revive itself and return to its former glory under a new dynasty after the fall of the Han, and the land of the Roman Empire never regained its previous power. Another difference is the matter of isolation, and how it effects China and how being a trade forerunner in the Mediterranean helps the empire. First, one similarity between the fall of the Han and the Roman Empires is the problem of expansion. Expansion allows an empire to gain wealth and prosperity by expanding their control over land and trade routes. Although, the larger and empire becomes, the harder it is to maintain its boundaries and is also more susceptible to invasion by other empires or nomadic tribes. Both empires had to build walls to protect the northern side of the empire. Rome spread its borders to wide for them to control, so as Germanic invaders started to invade from the north, Rome couldn’t protect its borders which ranged from Macedonia to the Indus River Valley.The Han also had a similar problem with herders from the north. Many would invade small peasant villages and pillage whatever they needed or wanted. With a current problem of feeding the countries large population, this didn’t help matters, actually it only made matters worse. Riots and mobs formed which stormed major cities until finally the Han fell and China was split into three kingdoms similar to Rome being split into two kingdoms. Rome and Han had many differences as well as similarities. One difference is after the decline China was revived during the Ting dynasty, and brought back to a unified state while the lands of the Roman Empire was never able to reach its former height after the Germanic tribes invaded from the north. Although, the Eastern half of the Roman empire, the Byzantines survived and strengthened over the next thousand years. Another difference between the Roman and the Han empires is isolation. China was isolated by mountains and  deserts to the west. This provided not only a natural barrier against invasions, but it helped create an isolation from the many other classical civilizations. Rome, on the other hand, was not isolated, it sat mostly on the Italian peninsula, which jutted out into the Mediterranean Sea, a forerunner in sea trade. China being isolated created a problem with the economy, where the governments money only came from the taxation of the peasants and citizens. This depleted the money of the peasants and lower class, and still, the government didn’t have enough money to run properly. This effected the outcome of the invasion of the Huns which helped lead to the Han downfall because the government didn’t have enough money to pay for military action. Both the Roman Empire and Han Dynasty arose and expanded to become superpowers of their time, but at the end of their reign, China fell as it will do with many other dynasties after the Han, but still revive itself and create new. China has done this up to modern times, but Rome never recovers and will never become the superpower it once was again. It is amazing though how two civilizations that are completely isolated from each other can be so similar though, and still influence the world we live in today.

Contemporary Indian Theatre And Habib Tanvirs

Contemporary Indian Theatre And Habib Tanvirs Habib Tanvir and Naya Theatre are two inseparable names which will always be remembered in the modern theatrical scenario in India. Its been a year since the death of Habib Tanvir, one of the most popular Indian Hindi, Urdu playwrights, a poet, a theatre director, and an actor, but still the majority of theatergoers in India remember his famous artworks like Agra Bazar and Charandas Chor. The country will always recall this man as the founding father of contemporary theatre of India. But before we go into his life and work details we will have a quick understanding of the evolution of contemporary theatre in India. The traditional theatre, The classical or Sanskrit theatre and The Modern theatre. Contemporary Indian theatre, as we know it today, has been widely influenced by the change in the political scenario in India. During the 200 years of British rule Indian theatre came in direct contact with western theatre. With the union of power by the British Raj in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Bengal, it was in the metropolises of Bombay, Madras and Calcutta that they first introduced their style of theatre, primarily based on London concept. This genre of theatre began to expand in the 1850s as more enthusiasts started to perform their own play on different languages based on western style. Due to the growth of this new form of the theatre the other conventional form of theatre felt the heat. Theatre started being ticketed from the 1870s. By the 20th century and First World War, it became a product for sale and was restricted into the auditorium. As the Indian freedom movement picked momentum, the creative side of the theatre took a setback. In 1922, the Indian Communist Party was founded and along with it came the Indian People`s Theatre Association (IPTA), which worked as its cultural wing. They took the initiative of portable theatre and these were based on various political agenda primarily against the British Rule. Indian theatre was turning out as a medium of social and political change that would be more concerned about reaching out to the common people. Post-Independence, Indian theatre got a fresh and broader outlook from appropriate mixing of various styles from medieval, Sanskrit, and western theatre. This newly found entity was further enhanced by the formation of Sangeet Natak Academy in Jan 1953 and the National School of Drama, New Delhi under Ebrahim Alkazi in 1959. This dramatic revival brought many pioneers in the theatrical front among which Habib Tanvir was one of the most popular theatre playwright-director in Hindi and Urdu. Along with B.V. Karanth (1928-2002), Ibrahim Alkazi (born 1923), Utpal Dutt (1929-1993) Satyadev Dubey (born 1936), Tanvir shaped the structure of modern theatre in India. The individuality in Tanvirs form of theatre was that it showed how Indian theatre could be simultaneously blended with traditional and contemporary aspects. His theater was not fixed to any one form as a whole. His works reaped the skills, energies of folk performance and made them relevant to the secular and democratic perspective. The effect was that his artwork was as challenging as it was entertaining. During the five decades of his stint in theatre, Tanvir gave such memorable productions as Agra Bazar[1954], Mitti ki Gari[1958], Gaon ka Naam Sasural Mor Naam Damaad[1973], Charandas Chor[1975], Jis Lahore Ni Dekhya[1990], and Rajrakt[2006], of which many are renowned as classics of the contemporary Indian stage. In popular culture, the name of Habib Tanvir is closely related to the concept of the folk theatre. However, Habib Tanvirs appeal with the folk was motivated by the folk performers who brought their own styles along with them. Habib Tanvir plays involved actors who can sing and dance. His project from the start had been to utilize elements of folk as an instrument to produce theater to appeal general masses. Habib Ahmed Khan was born in Raipur, Chhattisgarh to Hafiz Ahmed Khan, who belonged to Peshawar. Tanvir was a pen-name he took later when he started writing poetry. Raipur, during that time was a small town surrounded by villages. As a child, Tanvir too had many opportunities to visit villages, interact with the residents and listen to the songs of the locals. He was so attracted by those melodies that he even memorized some of them. Tanvir completed his schooling from Laurie Municipal High School in Raipur and his BA from Morris College Nagpur in 1944. After pursuing his Masters for 1 year at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Tanvir moved to Bombay in 1945 and joined All India Radio (AIR). He also joined the PWA (Progressive Writers Association) and became an essential part of IPTA (Indian Peoples Theatre Association) as an actor. When the Communist Party of India was banned many IPTA members were jailed or went underground. From 1948-50, Habib solely handled the responsibility of running the organization. In 1954, Tanvir moved to Delhi, and worked with Hindustani Theatre formed by Qudsia Zaidi and authored many plays. It was in this period he met Moneeka Mishra, also an actor-director, whom he later married. In the same year, he produced Agra Bazar, based on the times of the 18-th-century Urdu poet, Nazir Akbarabadi, an older poet in the generation of Mirza Ghalib. He used students of Jamia Millia Islamia and local residents and folk artists from Okhla village and created an ambience never seen before in Indian theatre. The play was not staged in a restricted space, but in a bazaar, a marketplace. Later, On a Govt of India scholarship, Tanvir went to England in 1956. He received training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and the British Drama League, and having exposure to Western drama and production styles. He traveled extensively throughout Europe, watching theatre. In 1956 he spent about 8 months in Berlin and saw numerous productions by Bertolt Brecht. Being Tanvirs first experience with the German playwright-directors work he was quickly influenced by it. Simplicity and directness were the benchmark of Berliner Ensemble productions, and Tanvir was reminded of Sanskrit drama, about its simplicity in technique and presentation. By the time he got back to India, he was determined to unlearn much of what he had learnt at RADA. Thus following a path of development opposite to that followed by other Indian directors trained in Britain. Soon after returning from Europe, he worked with some folk artists of Chhattisgarh and tried to understand their forms and techniques. His first production, Mitti ki Gadi, included 6 folk actors from Chhattisgarh in the cast. Besides, to give a distinct Indian form and style, he used the conventions and techniques of folk stage. This play though is now performed entirely by village artists, but it is still considered as one of the best modern portrayal of the classic. Tanvir and his wife Moneeka Misra founded Naya Theatre in 1959. During this stage of career, Tanvirs interest in the folk traditions and performers continued to grow. But, it was not until the early 1970s that this association reached a new and more sustained phase. Tanvir wasnt entirely satisfied with the working of folk actors. He identified two faults in his approach to tackle them. Firstly, the problem with the rural artists was they not only could read or write but couldnt even remember what way they needed to move in the stage. So, it wasnt wise enough to pre-define their movements in advance. Secondly, making these people speak standard Hindi in Hindustani plays created a severe handicap for them and restricted their freedom of expression and creativity in performance. To improvise on these faults, the folk actors were allowed to speak in their native Chhattisgarhi dialect. He also worked intensively with rural performers in their language delivery and style of performance. Also, to make them feel stage worthy, he allowed them their own portion of delivery in their own traditional way. The second breakthrough came when Tanvir conducted a nacha workshop in Raipur in 1972 where more than a hundred folk participants were involved in a month-long exercise. During this workshop, three different traditional comedies were selected and combined to form a full length play. Further improvisations linked them up to a full story, leading to a stage play called Gaon ka Naam Sasural, Mor Naam Damaad. This play marked a turning point in Tanvirs career, not only because the play was a grand success in Delhi but that he finally found the form and style he was searching since his directorial debut. Since then, he continued his construction and casting of play through improvisations. Through this method, at that time he produced his best work Charandas Chor(1975). This play is still the evergreen favorite for most theatre goers. Tanvirs Naya Theatre worked almost entirely with folk actors. But, his occasional productions with other theatre groups were also marked by the style he developed through his work with folk artists. But, this newly developed style was not folk theatre by any sense. He was still an urban artist with sensibility, modern outlook and strong sense of history and politics. His unique style and content in theatre always reflected his commitment to common people and their causes, primarily due to his involvement with the leftist cultural movement in early years. Tanvirs fascination with the folk was motivated by the fact that he believed there is a huge artistic and creative energy inherent in these traditions. He always borrowed techniques, music and themes from these traditions as and when required. His theatre never belonged to any one form or tradition wholly. His plays, from the beginning, have been utilizing elements of folk traditions as a tool and make them give new, contemporary meanings, and to create an art form which has that touch of soil in it. The performance styles of the actors were always in their conventional nacha background, but the plays were not original nacha productions. While the number of actors in a nacha play is usually 2 or 3, the rest being background dancers and singers, Tanvirs plays used to involve a whole casting of actors, some of whom could sing and dance. His productions always had a structure which one doesnt associate with the original form of the nacha. Another significant difference is that while the nacha songs are mostly used as intermediate musical delays, in Tanvirs plays they were closely embedded as an important part of the theme of the play. This is best displayed in some his adaptations like The Good Woman of Szechwan (Shaajapur ki Shantibai) and A Midsummers Night Dream (Kamdeo Ka Apna, Basant Ritu Ka Sapna). Tanvir not only gave his poetic compositions the freshness of the original but has also used his words to fit native tunes with ease and skill. However, Tanvir was always conscious not to create a difference between his own educated minds over the uneducated creative mind of his actors. An example of this approach is the way Tanvir mixed his poetry to the traditional tribal and folk music, retaining its own imaginative power without in any way less valuing the latter. Another example is the way he allowed his actors and their skills to be projected by less complicating the lighting stage design. Therefore in contrast to the stylish genre of drama on one side and the traditional theatre on the other, Habib Tanvir, with his own blend of tradition, folk creativity and critical consciousness, offered a fresh and innovative model of field of dramatics. It is this rich blend which made his art so memorable. Even after Tanvirs death, his innovative art form and style is still being carried forward through newer productions of Naya Theatre. Seeing recent performance of Naya Theatre actors in movie Peepli Live we can probably comment that Tanvirs art form is gradually crossing the barriers of contemporary theatre and exploring newer towards mainstream cinema.

Femme Fatales of English Literature Essay -- Symbolism Seduction Women

Femme Fatales of English Literature The femme fatale, a seductive woman who entices men into perilous and compromising positions by way of charisma and mystery, is a classic, and often enthralling, character who can be found in many sources of literature and mythology of various origins and eras (â€Å"Femme Fatale† 1). â€Å"If the goddess of virtue is a lily and the vamp is an overripe red rose, the femme fatale is a Venus flytrap.† (Billinghurst 1). In the simple quote above, Ms. Jane Billinghurst, author of â€Å"Temptress†, provides explanation of the femme fatale by way of metaphor, likening the way in which the Venus flytrap, or Dionaea muscipula, succeeds in obtaining its next meal by way of temptation to the likeness of the femme fatale, using temptation to secure her victims, thus leading to unescapable doom (Venus’s fly-trap 1). â€Å"Temptress†, whose pages and cover alike overflow with a lavish visual collection of photographs, paintings and illustrations of the femme fatale, examines the extraordinary and fascinating history of sexual, or sexualised, women and the journey taken in receiving the infamous title of the femme fatale. This symbolic figure exists in numerous varying forms and can be found in virtually every society or culture throughout history. It is the femme fatale’s infamous aura of mystery, temptation and charms that provides the intense magnetism of this deadly female character. One of the most noted and greatly debated fatale characters of literature can be found in the Bible: Eve. â€Å"And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. . . . And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.† (Genesis 2:21 – 3:20). Often viewed as the original and ultimate femme fatale, Eve has come to bear such a title because of her involvement in the fall of humankind and, in turn, the introduction of sin, death and destruction into the world. It is Eve herself who succumbs to the influence of temptation with the persuasion of the evil serpent, which represents Satan, in the Garden of Eden and therefore brings a... ...ncipally the cold, bitter soul of the always-mesmerizing Kathleen Mallory that gains the strongest link to the psychotic seductress type known to literature as the femme fatale (O’Connell). Throughout history the beautiful woman has been adored, loved, praised, and, by some, envied. Men worship what society has defined as an attractive woman. Many times, men even envision these women as supernatural or mystical beings. They have become the focus and subjects of many paintings, poems, legends, tales and stories, and have caused great debate. Considered not only as material beauties, they are often viewed as seductresses who tempt â€Å"innocent† men to their doom. These seductive beauties are labelled femme fatales, women who entice men with their charms and mystery. Such a character is classic, and alluring, and can be found in many sources of literature and mythology (Hass 1). The femme fatale has survived centuries of time, change and movement, and still this female beauty can be found in uncountable forms of literature and mythology. She has survived the turn of civilisation in almost every culture known to human kind, and will continue to live within the psyc hes of human kind.

Melancholic Hamlet Essay -- Essays on Shakespeare Hamlet

Melancholic Hamlet  Ã‚   Hamlet is a melancholic young man who does not value human life; however, he will do anything it takes to accomplish his main goal: revenge on Claudius for the death of his father. In his seven soliloquies we learn that Hamlet has become melancholic, violent, and suicidal. There are several incidences where these emotions are expressed. His melancholic attitude is very apparent in the second scene of Act I, when he suggests that his mother, in mourning his fathers death, is simply acting the part of a grief stricken widow, while he is a truly heart broken son. Another example from his first soliloquy of his melancholic state occurs when he discovers the rapid marriage of his mother and his uncle, where he finds himself both sad and mad at the fact that his mother could move on so quickly. Hamlet’s violent attitude can be blamed on the fact that his father was murdered and he wants revenge. An example of his violent attitude is in his sixth soliloquy where he sees the king pray ing in the church. Hamlet feels as though he should just kill him in that same instance, but then decides not to. Another instance of his violent behavior is when he sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths and feels no remorse in doing so. Hamlet’s suicidal state can be accounted for because he is a confused young man. Throughout the play his father had been murdered, his mother almost instantly re-married, he himself had gone mad, and thus he is confused because he has so many negative feelings towards himself and the easiest way out is suicide. Another example occurs in his forth soliloquy when he reasons whether suicide would be the better and quicker solution. All of Hamlet’s emotions cause him to have a clo... ... not commit suicide because he realizes that it would be best to accomplish his goal and kill the king so he could avenge his fathers death. Hamlet is a melancholic, violent, and suicidal character, as a result of the events that have occurred in his life. Such events as the murder of his father, the quick marriage of his mother, and the ghost’s insistence on revenge caused Hamlet to have these emotions. The murder of his father caused Hamlet’s melancholic and violent state. The quick marriage caused more violence and confusion in his life. The ghost’s insistence on revenge caused more violent behavior. As a result of all the events that occurred Hamlet became extremely suicidal because he was confused with how he should solve his problem. Everyday people are faced with similar situations and it helps us to relate to the same pain that Hamlet felt.      

Gender in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart Essay -- Chinua Achebe Thi

This paper will look at the contradictions in the work of Chinua Achebe in relation to his placement of woman and femininity. Kristen Holst Petersen states that ‘the African discussion is between feminist emancipation versus the fight against neo-colonialism, particularly in its cultural aspect...which comes first, the fight for female equality or the fight against Western cultural imperialism’. This paper will attempt to highlight these contradictions in relation to Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Above all the tribe values physical prowess, it places a great deal of importance on individual achievement, these attributes are in fact intended to ensure the security and permanence of the group. For like most early societies this is a society that is dominated by a passion for survival. Umofia therefore cultivates the notion of the heroic ideal based on physical prowess. The centrality of the yam in the novel highlights the tribe’s respect for physical strength. As a result of the intense muscular effort required for its cultivation the yam crop comes to represent an annual triumph wrested from nature, a signifier of the dialogue between the human world and the natural environment. However a reader soon realizes the contradictions between the constraints of the social ideal, that privileges the interests of the group, and the truths of individual human yearnings. Unoka, Okonwko’s father, embodies the counter-values that stand in opposition to the rigid social ideal of the tribe. His unorthodox style of living is, it may be argued, a conscious subversion of the manly ideal. His oppositional values are those of art, in tandem with a playful irony and an amorality that resounds with his relaxed disposition to the world. ... ...cultural experience. Of course Things Fall Apart warrants a feminist reading, but to read it only in this manner would be reductive, and in my opinion, would miss the point of what Achebe was trying to do. In writing back to novels such as Heart of Darkness and Mister Johnson Achebe has presented us with a particularized African society to critique. To level the accusation as Petersen does that ‘the obvious inequality of the sexes seems to be the subject of mild amusement for Achebe’, is in my opinion unwarranted and unfair. Select Bibliography Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Ibadan: Heinnemann, 1962 Kabbani, Rana. Imperial Fictions: Europe's Myths of Origin. London: Pandora, 1986. Petersen, Kristen. "First Things First: Problems of a Feminist Approach to African Literature". In Griffith, Ashcroft, Tiffin Ed The Post-Colonial Studies Reader. Gender in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart Essay -- Chinua Achebe Thi This paper will look at the contradictions in the work of Chinua Achebe in relation to his placement of woman and femininity. Kristen Holst Petersen states that ‘the African discussion is between feminist emancipation versus the fight against neo-colonialism, particularly in its cultural aspect...which comes first, the fight for female equality or the fight against Western cultural imperialism’. This paper will attempt to highlight these contradictions in relation to Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. Above all the tribe values physical prowess, it places a great deal of importance on individual achievement, these attributes are in fact intended to ensure the security and permanence of the group. For like most early societies this is a society that is dominated by a passion for survival. Umofia therefore cultivates the notion of the heroic ideal based on physical prowess. The centrality of the yam in the novel highlights the tribe’s respect for physical strength. As a result of the intense muscular effort required for its cultivation the yam crop comes to represent an annual triumph wrested from nature, a signifier of the dialogue between the human world and the natural environment. However a reader soon realizes the contradictions between the constraints of the social ideal, that privileges the interests of the group, and the truths of individual human yearnings. Unoka, Okonwko’s father, embodies the counter-values that stand in opposition to the rigid social ideal of the tribe. His unorthodox style of living is, it may be argued, a conscious subversion of the manly ideal. His oppositional values are those of art, in tandem with a playful irony and an amorality that resounds with his relaxed disposition to the world. ... ...cultural experience. Of course Things Fall Apart warrants a feminist reading, but to read it only in this manner would be reductive, and in my opinion, would miss the point of what Achebe was trying to do. In writing back to novels such as Heart of Darkness and Mister Johnson Achebe has presented us with a particularized African society to critique. To level the accusation as Petersen does that ‘the obvious inequality of the sexes seems to be the subject of mild amusement for Achebe’, is in my opinion unwarranted and unfair. Select Bibliography Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Ibadan: Heinnemann, 1962 Kabbani, Rana. Imperial Fictions: Europe's Myths of Origin. London: Pandora, 1986. Petersen, Kristen. "First Things First: Problems of a Feminist Approach to African Literature". In Griffith, Ashcroft, Tiffin Ed The Post-Colonial Studies Reader.

More Than Just a Dead Moth Essay

Annie Dillard wrote an essay, â€Å"Death of a Moth,† which is from her book, Holy the Firm. Dillard’s essay, â€Å"Death of a Moth,† starts off with the author talking about a couple of dead moths behind her toilet in her bathroom. Then Dillard starts reminiscing about an encounter she had with a moth on a camping trip she took by herself in Virginia. While Dillard was reading a book, a moth flew into her tent and into her candle’s flame and burned. Then, Dillard starts analyzing the burning moth and starts taking notes on it in her journal. From the events of that camping trip, Dillard wrote the essay â€Å"Death of a Moth†. The reason Dillard wrote journals on the burning moth and devoted an essay on the moth is because she gained a lot of insight from the burning moth. One of the many things that Annie Dillard saw in the dying moth was a theme of life. â€Å"†¦a saffron yellow flame that robed her to the ground like any immolating monk. † (Dillard 4) Back around the 1960’s, monks would set themselves on fire to go against government oppression. The theme that Dillard saw in the moth was from every loss came a gain. When the monks would set themselves on fire, it would draw attention from the world. So, from the death of the monk, which was the loss, came the attention of the world to what was going on, and that was the gain. Another example of the theme of loss and gain that Annie Dillard saw in the burning moth was connected to herself. On this camping trip, Dillard was reading book The Day on Fire which inspired her to be a writer when she was sixteen. Dillard was hoping that reading the book would re-inspire her to want to be a writer again because she wasn’t as motivated to write. While Dillard was reading the book, a moth flew into her candlelight and burned for a long time. The death of the moth happens to be what inspired Dillard, â€Å"†¦while I read by her light, kindled. † (4) So, the theme of loss and gain was shown here again, where the death of the moth was the loss and Dillard being re-inspired was the gain. The last thing Annie Dillard saw in the dead moth was the value of something after death. Even though the moth was dead, it was serving a purpose, a role after its death. And then this moth-essence, this spectacular skeleton, began to act as a wick. She kept burning†¦. She burned for two hours. † (4) No matter how small something is, it will always serve a purpose, especially after it death. The moth served a small physical purpose after its death by give of a light, but it also served a much bigger purpose for Dillard, which was it re-inspired her to write again. Also, Dillard wants to do the same thing with herself and her writings when she passes away. Dillard wants people to read her works so that her legacy, her flame will keep on burning. The reason Dillard wrote journals on the burning moth and devoted an essay on the moth is because she gained a lot of insight from the burning moth. From the burning moth Dillard saw a theme of life, the theme of loss and gain in more than one way. Another thing Dillard understood from the dying moth that after something dies, it has a role. So, did Annie Dillard waste her time when she wrote this essay devoted to a moth? Dillard did not waste her time when she wrote this essay because she saw things in the burning moth that most people wouldn’t have seen and so, she shared what she saw and the insight she had learned from the moth.

Cultural Wedding Ceremony Comparison

Every country has their own way of marrying two people that want to spend the rest of their life together. Each has their own unique ritual of how they go about a wedding ceremony. African and Chinese cultures both have very intriguing ways of how they proceed with their ceremony. It is found that there are many differences between the two of these cultures. This is a result of their own independent beliefs and traditions which causes them to go about their own unique ritual, although there are few similarities between the two countries. In the Chinese culture the wedding date is chosen based upon astrological signs and birthdates.Every Chinese ceremony commences on the half an hour which is the belief that will guarantee good fortune for the new couple. The night before wedding day the bride is bathed in citrus-infused water in another belief that it will cleanse her of her evil influences. This is the only way in which the two ceremonies are similar because they both consist of the bride being bathed before the wedding, although which is done in their own individual style. The bride in a Chinese wedding will be seen wearing three different dresses throughout wedding day.These dresses include a traditional white dress, a traditional Chinese bridal dress, and a cocktail dress. Also the groom will be placed through a series Mitchell2 of tests and stunts to prove that he is worthy to claim his future wife. When the bride arrives at the grooms’ home she is always greeted with firecrackers, gongs, and is forced to jump over an iron basin lit with charcoal to represent prosperity and to again cleanse of all evil spirits. The Chinese culture with also uphold their traditional tea ceremony. The bride will serve tea to her parents as a sign of respect.The Chinese wedding ceremony is always filled with symbolism. Their ceremony represents a ladder that the new couple will climb to success. On the other hand the African wedding ceremony is a tradition that stems a ll the way back to the days of slavery when slaves were not allowed to marry. Their marriage ceremony is a ritual well-known as â€Å"jumping the broom†. This ritual was created to represent the beginning of their new life together. The new couple will jump over a broom at the same time and are pronounced married after they have done so. The broom is often decorated with ribbon and tulle.On wedding day the bridesmaids bathe the bride in hammam before dressing her previous to the ceremony. During a libation ceremony a prayer is said and an elder presents water and liquor as an offering to god and their ancestors for their blessing. Then the groom will ask permission from the brides’ mother to marry her daughter while presenting her father with gifts to symbolize his ability to care. Another tradition is the tasting of the four elements during the ceremony. The four elements consist of lemon for sour, vinegar for bitter, cayenne for hot, and honey for sweet. The four tas tes are a symbol of the different moods of married life.Sometimes tribes will mound the couples’ wrists with plaited grass when walking down the aisle, and others just hold hands. Mitchell3 The difference between these two countries with their ceremonies represents their freedom of independent beliefs, which leads to separate traditions. Although, the similarities between the two ceremonies are also intriguing. Both wedding rituals consist of a lot of symbolism. Most of the symbolism that is present for both cultures also represents their beliefs, and every time their beliefs are symbolized is how their cultures are shown to be unique.