Death by Landscape

Death by Landscape Death by Landscape is a story which is centered on a moral understanding of the surrounding world and personal feelings. A person has great connection to the outside world, the nature and other people. Also, it is important to observe how a person views their past in relation to the present because whatever happened before, has led an individual to the way they are now.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Death by Landscape specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is the case with Lois and her â€Å"demons†. She must find an outlet which will provide some form of closure to her unwanted memories, and painting serves as a reliable instrument to help deal with inner emotions. The main theme between the story and paintings is that life is a representation of all that people see. Pictures are meant to replace words, and this is done with great affect because visually, people are able to comprehend different types of unde rstanding. The same can be seen in the story, as Lois has trouble putting her feelings into words. The pain of guilt and regret make her unable to speak the words. Even if she wanted to say something, it would be impossible because Lucy is not returning, thus leaving Lois lost in the moment of the past. As Lois concentrates on painting her inner world and seeing how it reflects in her emotions, the story develops further. The mix of colors on the canvas represents the feelings that exist in Lois’ mind. The trauma that she has experienced long ago, does not let her go and so, she must constantly return to that time and re-live it. The experience has been such a major part of her personality that she carries it with her always, and it makes her character unique because of this (Nischik, 2000). Lois’ escape to a place where she can connect with Lucy is through her paintings. The landscapes can be seen as mental pictures of the episodes that took place in the past. Lois fe els guilty and sorry that Lucy went missing, and that she has not done anything about it. The overwhelming sorrow has no place to go, except onto the paintings. As a result, the paintings greatly reflect what she feels and sees as a necessary representation of the feelings towards Lucy. It is also aligned with her childhood where she was somewhat distanced from the rest of the world. She was living two lives which were visible only to her. When she grows up, the inner person emerges, and exists through paintings. Lois creates her own world where she can momentarily let go of all the frustration and focus on painting.Advertising Looking for essay on british literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More When she looks at the paintings, the two worlds become one, and she can almost see herself reuniting with Lucy. It is made out to be a real place where Lucy still exists, which gives Lois an ability to talk to her and exp lain her reasons. This serves as great change in Lois’ life because she can take a part of the pain and transform it into a deeper spiritual connection with the person she has lost (Werlock, 2009). The story Death by Landscape is a great example of how the external world is connected with the person’s memories, and is a form of unity with other people. It is significant that people can deliver the inner workings of the soul into the environment and share emotions by visual representations. References Nischik, R. (2000). Margaret Atwood: Works and Impact. New York, NY: Camden House. Werlock, A. (2009). Companion to Literature: Facts on File Companion to the American Short Story. New York, NY: Infobase Publishing.

A History of the Chola Empire of India

A History of the Chola Empire of India Nobody knows exactly when the first Chola kings took power in the southern point of India, but certainly, the Chola Dynasty was established by the third century BCE, because they are mentioned in one of Ashoka the Greats stelae.  Not only did the Cholas outlast Ashokas Mauryan Empire, they continued to rule until 1279 CE- more than 1,500 years.   Fun Fact The Cholas ruled for more than 1,500 years, making them one of the longest-ruling families in human history, if not the longest. The Chola Empire was based in the Kaveri River Valley, which runs southeast through Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and the southern Deccan Plateau to the Bay of Bengal.  At its height, the Chola Empire controlled not only southern India and Sri Lanka, but also the Maldives.  It took key maritime trading posts from the Srivijaya Empire in what is now Indonesia, enabling a rich cultural transfusion in both directions, and sent diplomatic and trading missions to Chinas Song Dynasty (960 - 1279 CE). Chola History The origins of the Chola Dynasty are lost to history.  The kingdom is mentioned, however, in early Tamil literature, and on one of the Pillars of Ashoka (273 - 232 BCE).  It also appears in the Greco-Roman Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (c. 40 - 60 CE), and in Ptolemys Geography (c. 150 CE).  The ruling family came from the Tamil ethnic group. Around the year 300 CE, the Pallava and Pandya Kingdoms spread their influence over most of the Tamil heartlands of southern India, and the Cholas went into a decline.  They likely served as sub-rulers under the new powers, yet they retained  enough prestige that their daughters often married in to the Pallava and Pandya families. When war broke out between the Pallava and Pandya kingdoms in about 850 CE, the Cholas seized their chance.  King Vijayalaya renounced his Pallava overlord and captured the city of Thanjavur (Tanjore), making it his new capital.  This marked the start of the Medieval Chola period  and the peak of Chola power. Vijayalayas son, Aditya I, went on to defeat  the Pandyan Kingdom in 885 and the  Pallava Kingdom in 897 CE.  His son followed up with the conquest of Sri Lanka in 925; by 985, the Chola Dynasty ruled all of the Tamil-speaking regions of southern India.  The next two kings, Rajaraja Chola I (r. 985 - 1014 CE) and Rajendra Chola I (r. 1012 - 1044 CE) extended the empire still further.   Rajaraja Cholas reign marked the emergence of the Chola Empire as a multi-ethnic trading colossus.  He pushed the empires northern boundary out of Tamil lands to Kalinga in the northeast of India  and sent his navy to capture the Maldives and the rich Malabar Coast along the subcontinents southwestern shore.  These territories were key points along the  Indian Ocean trade routes.   By 1044, Rajendra Chola had pushed the borders north to the Ganges River (Ganga), conquering the rulers of Bihar and Bengal, and he had also taken coastal Myanmar (Burma), the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and key ports in the Indonesian archipelago and Malay Peninsula.  It was the first true maritime empire based in India.  The Chola Empire under Rajendra even exacted tribute from Siam (Thailand) and Cambodia.  Cultural and artistic influences flowed in both directions between Indochina and the Indian mainland.   Throughout the medieval period, however, the Cholas had one major thorn in their side.  The Chalukya Empire, in the  western Deccan Plateau,  rose up periodically and tried to throw off Chola control.  After decades of intermittent warfare, the Chalukya kingdom collapsed in 1190.  The Chola Empire, however, did not long outlast its gadfly. It was an ancient rival that finally did in the Cholas for good.  Between 1150 and 1279, the Pandya family gathered its armies and launched a number of bids for independence in their traditional lands.  The Cholas under Rajendra III  fell to the Pandyan Empire  in 1279  and ceased to exist. The Chola Empire left a rich legacy in the Tamil country.  It saw majestic architectural accomplishments such as the Thanjavur Temple, amazing artwork including particularly graceful  bronze sculpture, and a golden age of Tamil literature and poetry.  All of these cultural properties also found their way into the Southeast Asian artistic lexicon, influencing religious art and literature from Cambodia to Java.