Benvenuto Cellini and the Creation of Perseus :: essays papers

Benvenuto Cellini and the Creation of Perseus My name is Bernardino Mannellini. I am now working on my own trying to succeed as a sculptor here in Rome. I have found the job extremely difficult, but it was expected after my apprenticeship with the great sculptor, Benvenuto Cellini. He was not the most famous but was equally deserving as such great sculptors as Michel Agnolo Buonarroti. This is why I write to you today. Cellini produced one of the most beautiful works of this time in his masterpiece of Perseus. It was a remarkable feat whose story cannot go untold (Huntley 251). Cellini and I had arrived in Florence from France for a short while. Although he was very successful in France under the encouragement of Majesty King Francis, Cellini wanted very much to revisit his birthplace of Florence. He quickly became known to the Duke and did a few works for him. First, the colossal bronze bust of his Excellency; secondly, a restoration of the Ganymede in marble which cost a great deal of difficulty; and thirdly, the Medusa head cast in bronze. Succeeding well with Medusa, Cellini wanted to start on a cast of Perseus holding the head of Medusa (Cellini 410). Cellini made the wax model which came out beautifully, but I was questionable to whether it would come out in bronze as did the Medusa. Apparently the Duke agreed with me when Cellini went to speak to him of the project he was working on. His Excellency was struck by the beauty of the wax model but questioned how it would succeed in bronze with Perseus grasping the head of Medusa so high. The statue would stand ten and a half feet tall if completed with Perseus’s hand holding the head of Medusa high in front of him. It was clear why his Excellency was concerned for how Cellini would complete the bronze statue. I was standing aside from Cellini as he tried to assure the Duke that the statue would succeed. Cellini pleaded â€Å"My lord, I know how very little confidence you have in me; and I believe the reason of this is that your most illustrious Excellency lends too ready an ear to my calumniators, or else indeed that you do not understand my art.

Discipline – Necessary or Not

Disciplining a child entails directing and teaching him or her proper behaviors and acceptable morals. Effective disciplining is all about training a child to act responsibly and practice self control. Discipline is about rewarding and punishing accordingly. It is necessary to discipline children so as to be able to guide them through the loops and turns of life. This discipline should however be within the acceptable parameters (Coloroso, Barbara, 19). Disciplining children has a number of benefits to kids.Through disciplining, children are taught on the appropriate morals that will enable them interact well with the rest of the society. Studies have shown that the kind of the upbringing a child receives from home has a bearing on the type of characters that one exhibits in the society and in later life. Though bad behaviors in kids are not necessarily out of bad parenting, the kind of discipline that one receives will determine to a great extent personal interactions with the rest of the society (Van Zeijl, Jantien; Mesman, 628). Disciplining children is important if a child is to achieve set objectives in life.Children have to be taught a lot of things in life and this cannot be achieved without proper discipline. Aristotle once said that the mind of an individual immediately after birth is like a tabula rasa, clean slate. The mind then is filled with knowledge as the child grows. Disciplining a child then makes him aware of what is good and what is inappropriate. It directs him t the right path arming him with useful knowledge. It helps them to learn how to obey the rules set in the society and by the government. Within the society, people operate under certain framework of set rules.A child who is disciplined and taught how to obey rules will enjoy useful interactions with the rest of the society. It is important that a child be taught how to obey laws and authority. Disciplining a child though does not always turn out well especially if the inappropriate tactics are applied. Parents are in a dilemma over the best strategy to raise and discipline their kids. Some parents scold and spank their children while others just talk to them in the hope that they will change (Williams, Joseph E, 26). Debate has always ranged over the benefits of spanking kids as a form of punishment.This however has been found to be more of retrogressive to a child’s development. Children may end up becoming too timid and submissive (Galivan, Janice, 38). Disciplining children may result to them becoming retroactive than proactive. Disciplining is times a ‘quick fix’ to problems. Children will tend to behave well in the presence of their parents but get out of control when such a cocoon is broken Disciplining kids may also result to a low esteem. It may create a feeling of inadequacy especially in handling important responsibilities as such kids may be used to supervision.This mostly affects kids brought up in highly authoritative environme nts (Leung, Debbie W. ; Slep, Amy M,. 525). Disciplining children however is necessary if children are to develop well. Kids need a guide to direct them towards the proper paths in life. They need to be taught about the societal expectations, good morals and the appropriate attitudes in life. They have to be shown the boundaries in life, acceptable manners and the expected responsibilities. This cannot only be done through observation, it requires firmness.

The Life Of George Price - 1564 Words

The life of George Price is one example of total selflessness. Throughout his life, George Price was a fluctuating and ever changing scientist. Accepted to Harvard and the University of Chicago, he eventually obtained a doctorate degree in chemistry. Price worked on the Manhattan project, a program during World War I focusing on building an atomic bomb. He later went on to work in various fields such as computer science, psychology, politics, and eventually moved to London where he discovered his love for evolutionary studies. He examined himself in the concept of altruism and kin selection. He eventually created an equation for this concept of selfishness versus altruism. Called the covariance or Price equation, this formula tested†¦show more content†¦Price finally underwent a conversion to Christianity and submerged himself in a life of pure altruism. Giving money, clothes, or food to homeless people and those in need, Price became the epitome test subject to disprove his own theory. Over time, Price became depressed, quiet, and very isolated within his own mind. This state of being led him to suicide over the Christmas of 1974 (Bankston). The total amount of suffering per year in the natural world is beyond all decent contemplation. During the minute that it takes me to compose this sentence, thousands of animals are being eaten alive, many others are running for their lives, whimpering with fear, others are slowly being devoured from within by rasping parasites, thousands of all kinds are dying of starvation, thirst, and disease. It must be so. If there ever is a time of plenty, this very fact will automatically lead to an increase in the population until the natural state of starvation and misery is restored (Dawkins 85). George Price is one of many cases of people converting in to the beliefs of altruism and complete selflessness. But in the end, even people as extraordinary as George Price must accept the fact that without some form of consideration for one’s self, the burdens of life will be a heavy component in dragging down the human mind. The natural order of life has to have some amount of suffering in order to function.