...The Natural History Museum Of Los Angeles This was my first time visiting the Natural History Museum and I learned about some interesting stuff. When I walked into the museum I first thing that I noticed where the large dinosaurs. My first thought was I am in the wrong museum. I assumed that the museum was going to focus on prehistoric events because on the first floor all they display is dinosaurs, monkeys and other mammals. The Natural History museum mainly focuses on prehistoric animals and early civilization of the Native Americans from the 1600’s to 1800’s. The museum displayed photographs and clay figures that showed us how people would look and dress during that period of time. I also learned some stuff about the Natives, the Spaniards and about some new inventions that happen during the 1600’s through the 1800’s. I walked around the for a while and then I arrived to level G. Level G focused more on American history and California history. One event that the museum displays is an ad titled “Reduction in Rates”. The ad was about the pacific mail steamship. The ad displayed the different prices people would pay in order to ride the ship. The prices varied from where you wanted to ride. The cost to ride in the cabin was five dollars and to ride in the storage you would pay three dollars. There was also a map from December 6, 1869, which belonged to the southern pacific railroads. The focused my attention on the early civilization because it links more to the discussions...
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...In 1850, with the help of her well-known father, James Fenimore Cooper, Susan Fenimore Cooper published Rural Hours, a natural historical account of one year in the Otsego Lake area of New York state. I mention her father's name in order to situate Susan Fenimore Cooper in literary history, or, more accurately, to position her book in relation to our understandings of literary history. For truthfully, if literary history were faithful to the developments of, and reactions to, literature of the past, Susan Fenimore Cooper's name would be well-known to all scholars of nineteenth-century American literature. Her book was immensely popular both in America and abroad; it went through six printings by 1854, the publication year of Thoreau's Walden. Rural Hours was reissued with a new chapter in 1868, reprinted again in 1876, and then abridged by 199 pages and reissued in 1887. When critics praised Rural Hours1 and the volume sold well, Susan Fenimore Cooper achieved literary fame as a writer of natural history. However, while many of her contemporaries knew her name, most scholars in the 1990s know only of her father. Why this oversight in the construction of literary history?2 In 1968, David Jones, a visitor to the Otsego Lake region in New York, reissued the 1887 edition of Cooper's book. In his introduction he compares Rural Hours to the canonically established Walden and claims, "Rural Hours is not, like Walden, a multi-level book" (xxxvii). Instead Cooper's text...
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...explains why he loves the Museum of Natural History, is located in Chapter 16. Killing time before his date with Sally, Holden decides to walk from Central Park to the Museum of Natural History. Along the way, he remembers in detail his school trips to the museum. Holden has already demonstrated that he fears and does not know how to deal with conflict, confusion, and change. The museum presents him with a vision of life he can understand: it is frozen, silent, and always the same. Holden can think about and judge the Eskimo in the display case, but the Eskimo will never judge him back. It troubles him that he has changed each time he returns, while the museum’s displays remain completely the same. They represent the simple, idealistic, manageable vision of life that Holden wishes he could live. It is significant that in the final sentence Holden uses the second-person pronoun “you” instead of the first-person “me.” It seems to be an attempt to distance himself from the inevitable process of change. But the impossibility of such a fantasy is the tragedy of Holden’s situation: rather than face the challenges around him, he retreats to a fantasy world of his own making. When he actually gets to the museum, he decides not to go in; that would require disturbing his fragile imaginative construction by making it encounter the real world. He wants life to remain frozen like the display cases in the museum. As his thoughts about the Museum of Natural History demonstrate, Holden fears change...
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...Museum of Coastal Carolina 2 out of 5 URL (Web address); http://museumplanetarium.org/museum-of-coastal-carolina/ Museum description; This museum is dedicated to providing the public information about the understanding of natural science, environment, and cultural history of the coastal region of the Carolinas. It provides an understanding of the earth, solar system, and universe. Subject matter; Natural science, environment, and cultural history of the coastal region of the Carolinas. Target audience (Is it clearly identified? Describe the targeted age groups.); The website seems to advertise programs for every age group. Their target audience does not seem to be very apparent on their website. The museum does seem to provide more programs...
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...Do you enjoy learning by sitting in a classroom for seven hours a day? Do you believe you learn best when you take notes while a teacher talks for a full period? Learning can be an enjoyable and amusing experience in the right setting. Taking a field trip to the American Museum of Natural History can be beneficial to science students. They get a chance to participate in a more interactive setting while also learning about the different and unique exhibits. The exhibits at the AMNH teach you about different fields of science such as, paleontology, astrology, human origins, mammals, etc. Learning does not only exist in a classroom setting and students can begin to learn about science in real life experiences while still being entertained. A field...
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...In her essay, “The Plastic Flamingo: A Natural History,” Jennifer Price asserts that the United States culture is driven by the materialistic wants of society and the aspirations of the bourgeois family to surpass others, she uses Americans and their obsession over the pink flamingo to support her argument. Price uses diction, irony, and symbolism to additionally express her views of the culture of the United States. The generation that had been raised in the depression began to focus their attention on how to accumulate prosperity, and they began to find new and flashy ways to show off their wealth and success. Thus, creating their mania for the pink flamingos and other materialistic possessions. Her use of a sarcastic and sardonic tone...
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...Innocence, purity and freshness of Tess rightly made Angel to describe her as, “What a fresh and virginal daughter of nature that milkmaid is”. True to Angel’s description, Nature acts in a parental way towards Tess, protecting her or reflecting her feelings, indistinguishable from nature. In ‘Tess’, nature serves as a living character as oneness between Tess and nature is established which is often expressed through her moods and instincts. She is all symbolic to nature as humans don’t find time to stop and cherish the beauty of nature, Tess too was over sighted by Angel but as whenever man gets time to refresh himself through the beauty of nature and goddess of beauty never disappoints him, Tess on her part was relative to nature as Angel named her after Greek goddess such as “Artemis or Demeter” that makes her seem coupled with supernatural side of nature. Like towards nature, for Tess too “Strangers grow momentarily fascinated by her freshness”. When they glance over her features, on her “large innocent eyes”, they seem so like equilibrate and affectionate glance of nature over humans, having no discrimination for any race thus as innocent as Tess’ eyes. Now in the life of Tess, most moving characters are Angel Claire and Alec; both are symbolic to their part. Being Tess’ lover, Angel is playing for a naturalist who loves, admires and cherishes nature and considers it most exquisite and flawless thing of the world. Such admiration is shown when it is narrated that Angel...
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...The purpose of this essay is to discuss non-western cultures and traditions by visiting a museum of choice and picking a non-western culture to learn about.. For the assignment, the Bowers Museum is chosen for the essay due to its vast quantity of unique artifacts as well as its close proximity compared to other museums with Orange County.. A bit of background, the Bowers Museum was opened to the public in 1936 in Santa Ana by Charles Bowers and Ada Bowers. The missions and goals of the museum are to display the cultures around the world through their arts and artifacts as well as educate the general public about the diverse cultures that can be found throughout the world. The Bowers Museum is open to the public on Tuesday to Sunday from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. and closes on Monday. The Bowers Museum has an extensive collection of artifacts and artworks available for the public viewing for a fee. Currently, there is the gemstone carving by Harold Van Pelt. Although it is interesting, it will not be covered since it is a western culture and not Native American. Next, the Frida Kahlo exhibit is available for viewing at an extra fee on top of the price of admission. The Frida Kahlo exhibit will not be covered. In addition, there is a non-western culture called the Spirits And Headhunters: Art Of The Pacific Islands. However, the primary exhibit for this essay will be focused on the Ancient Arts of China: A 5000 Year Legacy exhibit. MUSEUM EXHIBIT Artifact Display The museum does a fantastic...
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...satirical and astute essay “ The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural History,” Jennifer Price illustrates how superficial American culture is and uses the history of the flamingo to make her claim . Price proves that the United States culture in the 1950s sensualized luxury through extravagance. Yet, her mocking tone conveys that she is criticizing U.S. culture. She conveys this through unique word choice in a comical and sarcastic way to create the comparison between the flamingo’s and the flashy American culture. In her essay Price comments on the irony of the flamboyant symbolism of the flamingo stating that “Americans had hunted flamingos to extinction...for plumes and meat.” Not only had they hunted them but had driven them to extinction....
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...In Jennifer Price’s “The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural History”, the history of the popularity of pink flamingos in the United States’ culture is explained. Price’s historical knowledge of the pink flamingo and examples of its use in American culture reveals her view that Americans brighten and pizzaz the already beautiful in order to make money and exploit its beauty. In the first paragraph of the essay, the author describes the growing popularity of flamingos in the United States. Price utilizes historical details to convey this acclaim of flamingos. This shown in the name of “Miami Beach’s first grand hotel, the Flamingo” and the fact that “developers built hundreds more modest hotels” for the middle class so that they could experience the newfound pizzazz of flamingos. Americans are shown to almost worship wealth because of the want to appear as affluent as possible. As soon as flamingos became synonymous with wealth, everyone and their brother wanted to stay in a flamingo hotel or have the new playful Art Deco style. The next paragraph continues down the timeline of the flamingo while also exploring the dark side of the nature of its popularity. Price reveals the fact that “Americans had hunted flamingos to extinction in Florida in the late 1800s.” This historical detail illustrates the irony of the flamingo’s sudden...
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...Contents Describing Naturalism according to Naugle, Stone and Danto 1 Introduction 2 History of Naturalism 2 Ancient Greeks 2 The Enlightenment 3 Modern World on Naturalism 3 Naturalism in the 20th Century 4 The start of Naturalism 4 The Basic philosophical questions 5 Effects on society due to the naturalistic worldview 8 Dangers of naturalism to society 9 Conclusion 10 Bibliography 11 Describing Naturalism according to Naugle, Stone and Danto. “Naturalism is an impression determined by the subjugation of the intellectual facts to the mechanical order of things” (Naugle 2002:96) “This is a set of beliefs and attitudes that focus on this world on the negative side it involves the assertion that there seems to be no ontologically distinct and superior realm (such as God, soul or heaven) to ground, explain, or give meaning to this world. On the positive side it affirms that extension should be focused on the events and processes of this world to provide what degree of explanation and meaning are possible to this life” (Stone 2008:1) “Religious naturalisms the type of naturalism which affirms asset of beliefs and attitudes that there are religious aspects of this world which can be appreciated within a naturalistic framework” (Stone 2008:1) “Naturalism, in recent usage, is a species of philosophical monism according to which whatever exist or happens is natural in the sense...
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...Interpretation happens in many ways, from guided tours to brochures, signboards, slideshows, live performances and many others. Without hands-on experience, it is impossible for someone to acquire a deeper understanding of the natural world. Interpretation delivers multiple perspectives in a culturally compassionate way. The main function of an interpretation center is to promote a creative learning atmosphere, seeking to reveal to the visitors the significance of cultural or historical heritage of the surrounding environment. The main objective is nature education. This is achieved by hosting tours of the land/sea-scape, informative classes and hands on interaction with the environment, in an effort to create awareness and promote biodiversity, conservation and ecotourism. Usually located within a protected open space, these “nature” centers often have trails through their property. Some centers are located within a state or city park, and some contain facilities where various plants are cultivated for exhibition. Their properties can be characterized as nature preserves and wildlife sanctuaries. They often have on display small live animals, such as reptiles, rodents, insects, or fish. They contain different types of museum exhibits and displays about natural history, or preserved mounted animals or nature dioramas. Nature interpretation centers are generally staffed by paid or volunteer naturalists and most offer...
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... HUM112052VA16-1128-001: World Cultures II December 12, 2012 National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC The National Museum of Natural History is located on Constitution Ave. at 10th St., NW, Washington DC. The building has an octagon-shaped of dome and very noticeable from various parts of the city. A large porch doorway with Corinthian columns takes to the pavilion which is decorated with two different styles of columns. The first is a Doric style which is on the first floor and the second is an Ionic style on the second and third floors. These styles were very common in Gothic and Romanesque Churches. In both six stories tall are added with two wings. The second, fourth, and sixth floors directly join to the central museum while the sixth floor is set back. The higher level has semi round windows and it stands above the third floor providing lot of natural light for tourists to enjoy exhibitions that expose the natural world. It was a family trip on last weekend. The museum was super busy, it seemed to have so many children who all seemed to be enjoying themselves. Accidentally I stepped on several of them but also got stepped on a few times myself. The main reason I wanted to visit the Smithsonian Museum Natural History was to see their spectacular gem and jewelry collection. The Natural History Museum boasts of having the best collections of gems, jewelry, and minerals in the world. The best part about...
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...The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals Scrutinizing the ethical factors concerning the “eating of animals,” Michael Pollan asserts that “most domesticated animals cannot survive the wild” (Pollan 310) and “without us eating them, they simply wouldn’t exist at all.” (Pollan 310) Furthermore, he makes an attempt to refute Peter Singer’s cultural and philosophical affirmations about the “exploitation of non-humans,” (Pollan 309) especially when Singer endeavors to show the “speciest” mentality (as Pollan calls it) that our society has towards non-humans, thus raising the question on whether the “principle of equality” (Pollan 308) can be fairly utilized between humans and nonhumans. A vegetarian lifestyle is, by all means, no...
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...The school field trip has a long history in American public education. For decades, students have piled into yellow buses to visit a variety of cultural institutions, including art, natural history, and science museums, as well as theaters, zoos, and historical sites. Schools gladly endured the expense and disruption of providing field trips because they saw these experiences as central to their educational mission: schools exist not only to provide economically useful skills in numeracy and literacy, but also to produce civilized young men and women who would appreciate the arts and culture. More-advantaged families may take their children to these cultural institutions outside of school hours, but less-advantaged students are less likely to have these experiences if schools do not provide them. With field trips, public schools viewed themselves as the great equalizer in terms of access to our cultural heritage. Today, culturally enriching field trips are in decline. Museums across the country report a steep drop in school tours. For example, the Field Museum in Chicago at one time welcomed more than 300,000 students every year. Recently the number is below 200,000. Between 2002 and 2007, Cincinnati arts organizations saw a 30 percent decrease in student attendance. A survey by the American Association of School Administrators found that more than half of schools eliminated planned field trips in 2010–11. The decision to reduce culturally enriching field trips reflects...
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