Christopher Columbus Research (Colin Cheng)

Cheng Zhiwen(Colin)

English 1110.01, MWF 10:20–—11:15

Professor: Cathy Ryan

Assignment: Christopher Columbus Research

March 22th, 2017

 

1.William, F. Keegan. “Columbus, Hero or Spanish Colonization?” UFL. EDU. Web. 10 March 2017. < https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/caribarch/columbus.htm>.

 

Notes:  “A century ago Columbus was a hero who was feted in the Columbian world expositions as a man whose single-minded pursuit of his goals was to be emulated. Today he is being reviled as a symbol of European expansionism, the forbearer of institutionalized racism and genocide who bears ultimate responsibility for everything from the destruction of rainforests to the depletion of the ozone layer. Impressive accomplishments for someone who died five centuries ago.”

 

Abstract: This passage illustrates that Columbus was regarded as a hero at the times when he discovered the new world; however, he is considered as a negative leader who lead to the start of Spanish colonization and racism.

 

  1. Joyce, Appleby. “Christopher Columbus Unleashed Curiosity.” UCLA Newsroom. Web. 10 March 2017.

<http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/columbus-unleashed-curiosity-248979>

 

Notes: “The day in 1492 when Columbus ran into a cluster of islands blocking his way to India is celebrated throughout Latin America and in Spain. It is now fixed in the United States as the second Monday in October, and Americans too have long commemorated the event, both embracing and vilifying the explorer.”

 

Abstract: This article illustrates about the Columbian exchange that diseases were exchange from old world to the new, and new world to the old. There it discuss the curiosity of Columbus and what his action has caused to.

 

3.

William, F. Keegan. “One small step for a man.” UFL. EDU. Web. 10 March 2017

<https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/caribarch/columbus.htm>

 

Notes: “To read Columbus’s daily log (diario de a bordo) you would think that his small fleet was never very far from land. For 32 days after leaving Gomera in the Canary Islands on September 9th, the diario makes repeated reference to signs of land. Sailing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, more than 1,000 miles from the nearest land, Columbus observed “river weed” (sargassum seaweed), a live crab “not found more than 80 leagues (240 miles) from land,” a booby or gannet, birds that “do not depart more than 20 leagues from land,” and “a large cloud mass, which is a sign of being near land.” But it was not until two hours after midnight, the 12th of October, that land finally did appear.”

 

  1. Eric Kasum. “Columbus Day? True Legacy: Cruelty and Slavery.” The Huffington Post.

<http://www.huffingtonpost.com>

 

Notes:  “Once again, it’s time to celebrate Columbus Day. Yet, the stunning truth is: If Christopher Columbus were alive today, he would be put on trial for crimes against humanity. Columbus’ reign of terror, as documented by noted historians, was so bloody, his legacy so unspeakably cruel, that Columbus makes a modern villain like Saddam Hussein look like a pale codfish.”

 

Abstracts: This passage exclaims that Columbus is the forebear for numerous negative things happened in today like racism and slavery. The author writes againsts Columbus that he is neither the first in Europe to discover America nor a hero as people would regard.

 

  1. Sweet, Leonard I. “Christopher Columbus and the millennial vision of the New World.” The Catholic historical review 72.3 (1986): 369-382.

Notes: “Christopher Columbus is one of history’s more elusive figures. In spite of recent scholarship which depicts Columbus as a figure of transition, with one foot planted firmly in the medieval world and the other in the modern world, a stubborn aura of mystery surrounds his personality and psychology.  “

Abstract: The fragment of the book points out that Columbus had great reward on letting people to dream about world outside and take medieval journey into mysticism, dreams, visions, poetry, monasticism, crusading ideology, prophecies, messianic illusions, apocalypticism, and millennialism. However, some scholars ignore Columbus.

 

Cheng Zhiwen(Colin)

English 1110.01, MWF 10:20–—11:15

Professor: Cathy Ryan

Assignment: Christopher Columbus Research

March 22th, 2017

 

1.William, F. Keegan. “Columbus, Hero or Spanish Colonization?” UFL. EDU. Web. 10 March 2017. < https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/caribarch/columbus.htm>.

 

Notes:  “A century ago Columbus was a hero who was feted in the Columbian world expositions as a man whose single-minded pursuit of his goals was to be emulated. Today he is being reviled as a symbol of European expansionism, the forbearer of institutionalized racism and genocide who bears ultimate responsibility for everything from the destruction of rainforests to the depletion of the ozone layer. Impressive accomplishments for someone who died five centuries ago.”

 

Abstract: This passage illustrates that Columbus was regarded as a hero at the times when he discovered the new world; however, he is considered as a negative leader who lead to the start of Spanish colonization and racism.

 

  1. Joyce, Appleby. “Christopher Columbus Unleashed Curiosity.” UCLA Newsroom. Web. 10 March 2017.

<http://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/columbus-unleashed-curiosity-248979>

 

Notes: “The day in 1492 when Columbus ran into a cluster of islands blocking his way to India is celebrated throughout Latin America and in Spain. It is now fixed in the United States as the second Monday in October, and Americans too have long commemorated the event, both embracing and vilifying the explorer.”

 

Abstract: This article illustrates about the Columbian exchange that diseases were exchange from old world to the new, and new world to the old. There it discuss the curiosity of Columbus and what his action has caused to.

 

3.

William, F. Keegan. “One small step for a man.” UFL. EDU. Web. 10 March 2017

<https://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/caribarch/columbus.htm>

 

Notes: “To read Columbus’s daily log (diario de a bordo) you would think that his small fleet was never very far from land. For 32 days after leaving Gomera in the Canary Islands on September 9th, the diario makes repeated reference to signs of land. Sailing in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, more than 1,000 miles from the nearest land, Columbus observed “river weed” (sargassum seaweed), a live crab “not found more than 80 leagues (240 miles) from land,” a booby or gannet, birds that “do not depart more than 20 leagues from land,” and “a large cloud mass, which is a sign of being near land.” But it was not until two hours after midnight, the 12th of October, that land finally did appear.”

 

  1. Eric Kasum. “Columbus Day? True Legacy: Cruelty and Slavery.” The Huffington Post.

<http://www.huffingtonpost.com>

 

Notes:  “Once again, it’s time to celebrate Columbus Day. Yet, the stunning truth is: If Christopher Columbus were alive today, he would be put on trial for crimes against humanity. Columbus’ reign of terror, as documented by noted historians, was so bloody, his legacy so unspeakably cruel, that Columbus makes a modern villain like Saddam Hussein look like a pale codfish.”

 

Abstracts: This passage exclaims that Columbus is the forebear for numerous negative things happened in today like racism and slavery. The author writes againsts Columbus that he is neither the first in Europe to discover America nor a hero as people would regard.

 

  1. Sweet, Leonard I. “Christopher Columbus and the millennial vision of the New World.” The Catholic historical review 72.3 (1986): 369-382.

Notes: “Christopher Columbus is one of history’s more elusive figures. In spite of recent scholarship which depicts Columbus as a figure of transition, with one foot planted firmly in the medieval world and the other in the modern world, a stubborn aura of mystery surrounds his personality and psychology.  “

Abstract: The fragment of the book points out that Columbus had great reward on letting people to dream about world outside and take medieval journey into mysticism, dreams, visions, poetry, monasticism, crusading ideology, prophecies, messianic illusions, apocalypticism, and millennialism. However, some scholars ignore Columbus.

 

Dalkey

Cheng zhiwen

English 1110.01, MWF 10:20 – 11:15

Instructor: Cathy Ryan

Assignment: Dalkey Archive

Feb 18th, 2017

                                            Svetislav Basara

Svetislav Basara is a Serbian author of many novels, story collections and essays. He discusses his first novel Chinese Letter in the interview with Ana Lucic. Believing he has more to express, he starts to writes his first novel instead of just writing five or six pages story. Moreover, the background for him to start this literature at the end of seventies, during which it, to him, was a dullness, for spiritual and psychological, resulted from the development of communism. Therefore, he, in order to be somewhere else, wrote this novel and named it as Chinese Letter. What is more, Svetislav Basara has literary works include but are not limited to the following publications.

  • Peking by night (1985)
  • Kinesko pismo (1985)
  • Na ivici (1987)
  • Fenomeni (1989)
  • Na Gralovom tragu (1990)
  • Mongolski bedeker (1992)
  • Tamna strana meseca (1992)
  • De bello civili (1993)
  • Drvo istorije (1995)

The reason I chose Svetislav Basara is that he mentions a point that readers always laugh when reading his novel Chinese Letter, but he never laugh when he was writing this novel. This represent his deep understanding on how comedy is actually consists of all kinds of tragedy. It, like what Svetislav Basara points out at the interview, is really interesting to realize that “ how close laughter is to despair and vice versa”. He talks about the reason he dropped out of the Serbian Writers’ Association, which he calls: “ a hot bed for a number of retrograde ideas”, and he finds that it is meaningless to stay at there. He, to me, is persist on his own thought, like when he feels there is no point to stay at the Serbian Writers’ Association, he just quite without any regret. The stubborn, positively, always make excellent people when they are walking on the right path.

Had I got a chance to interview Svetislav Basara, I would ask him if he likes the novel writing better or his old job, writing story. He did pointed out that writing novel could comprehensively express himself but I am just wondering if it had changed. Besides, I would like to ask him the reason to choose write about China instead of other communist countries, even though he illustrates that China is far enough for him to be somewhere else; but Russia or some other countries also fit in his requirement.

Character Sketch

Cheng zhiwen

English 1110.01, MWF 10:20 – 11:15

Instructor: Cathy Ryan

Assignment: Character Sketch

January 25, 2017

Grandpa Liu

He stands in front of the cashier, taking out his trembling hand. With a instant of wonder, the cashier sees this old man with grungy clothes taking out a carton of the best cigarettes in the country, ChungHwa. He puts it down at the counter and begin speaking.

‘Can I exchange this for some cash or some of that’, the old man points at the yellow package displaying at corner of the counter.

Taken over  the Chunghwa, the cashier speaks without rise his view to the old man, checking the authenticity of the cigarettes in all the possible way: ” yes sir, you can exchange for 10 cartons of yellow pack cigarette and two fifty of cash”. This an unordinary action to barter in the modern society but the cashier does not feel surprised at all since this Liu’s third times here in this month. Last time, he took a famous brand television.

” Dad,where did you go?” The daughter of Liu asked, after seeing the two cartons yellow pack of cigarette.

“Do you know! I exchange ChungHwa to 10 cartons of other cigarettes, and a lot of cash!!!” He answers with a little bit excitement.

“But dad, why did you do that? this is a gift from my husband and me.” She looks at him.

” Don’t worry, I can’t smoke ChungHwa cigarette; that one is too good to me.” He says with smile.

“Okay, but this is the last time.” He is the father. She could do nothing but accept his behavior. She could never understand her father’s mind for doing that. Through years and years hard working, she and her husband did well in Municipal Engineering and now they are fairly wealthy and Prestigious family.

Nevertheless, when facing his grandson, he never act like a stingy miser.

“Come here, good boy.” Liu could not be more happier meeting with his grandson. ” Here is your lucky money.”

Liu’s daughter takes the money and says: ” Dad, why did you do that? That’s too much for a kid.”

Liu says:” Don’t worry, I can’t spend that much money; he is grow to a big boy now, so he is going to need that.” He says with smile.

He always think it is unnecessary to spend too much time and money on himself. He always think it is not enough to spend money and time on others. He never enjoy any luxury things that he could have enjoyed; however, he serves the best for others for the entire of his life.

When he passes away. The every single one of the family member is there to honor him. He is a great man.

Common Sense

 

 

Revised:

ChengZhiwen_Common senses(Revised)

Original:

 

 

 

Cheng zhiwen

English 1110.01, MWF 10:20 – 11:15

Instructor: Cathy Ryan

Assignment: Common Sense

Feb 4th, 2017

Big data is not bubble

Never in history was big data so popular as it is in modern society due to the fact that social media and internet had developed unprecedentedly in the past decades. As people transit their habits of paying, entertaining, and communicating with other individuals from all kinds of tradition ways, the door of big data is opened. Many analysts doubt at the big data that it may not be able to live up to its promise and some even stated that the time has come for it to burst. Nevertheless, big data comes around us in silent, and it exists as we open our mobile devices, which is the most frequent thing we are doing, whether it’s smart watch, phone, tablet, or laptop. No matter what actions are doing, connecting to Wi-Fi, texting, or making a phone call, people are creating data to converge into the big data pool. Therefore, it is still too early to just conclude it as a bubble.

As the number of internet user rocketing, the exploded amount of online data has been created. The explosive growth of data provides a series of business opportunities to those big data operation platforms corporation like ‘Google’. The big data could be involved into a few dominated fields: health care, retail, and even smart city. As a result of that, the store price of which company had concept of big data would usher an enormous amount of increase. This symbols the craziness of investors now see the big data and correlated concepts.

With increasing number of skeptic voice, big data, today, is involved into a discussion that revolves around whether it will ever be able to live up to its promise. Society debates that it is too valuable today and just similar to the case of 2001 internet bubble. Nonetheless, big data is meeting so much demands so that bubble is not likely to be one of the descriptions for big data. Data has the potential to drive innovation and to provide useful information, improving life quality and economic productivity. Therefore, it plays a vital role in smart city and it becomes extremely valuable since the development of internet and cloud computing.

What is more, Smart city, the future trend for urban development, majorly rely on big data. Many developed countries invested enormous amounts of resources and capitals into this promising project about smart city. Smart city helps to improve quality of resident’s living condition by using urban informatics and technology to improve the efficiency of services such as improving traffic congestion by using the sensor in the street light to receive information and traffic control system to solve the congestion. The government of Seattle, Washington, for instance, cooperates with company ‘Microsoft’ and ‘Accenture’ an experimental project to reduce the energy usage of that area. The project targets to collect a mass of data from the intelligent street light control and management system to redistributed the usage of electricity in different area in order to lessen electricity utilization by 45 percent.

People who are suspicious of expansion of the big data usually compare it to the development of internet in late 90s. Granted, internet is collapsed after period of 1995 – 2001 during which the commercial value of internet or so-called dot com company rise unpredictably. However, the situation of big data and internet in 90s is totally different. The increase in value of big data or relative technology is reasonable and ration enough since the mature development of upstream and downstream of the industry, like cloud computing, intelligent business, and the smart city. Moreover, government is especially careful about the top design of the application of the big data to avoid the the accumulation of the bubble. People nowadays is too afraid to have the situation like 2001 dot-com bubble so that they hold skepticism about everything’s suddenly expansion, but big data, because of the key function and huge demand of it for the future urban development, is not the case.

The lost thing

Cheng zhiwen

English 1110.01, MWF 10:20 – 11:15

Instructor: Cathy Ryan

Assignment: The Lost thing

Feb 4th, 2017

The Lost Thing

            The Lost Thing is a short animated film that has staged a multi-media adaption of the story at the National Gallery of Australia. It is adapted from a picture book by Shaun Tan, writing a story about a man who finds a lost weird-looking creature when out collecting bottle tops. The entire movie is full of the color of grey, black, and other lifeless color.

The world there is described as surreal with high industrialization. It has a feeling of cold, inanimate, and people are not caring about anything. The people and things in there are extremely in order. There are few scenes are in a distant view, so that we could observe that the houses, subways, and architectures are all exactly identical. People are walking with no expression on their faces, with no excess motions. Nevertheless, with bright orange and green in its body, the lost thing, under this enhanced contrast, makes itself more distinguishable in this world.

Tan, through this work- the lost thing, just implies the detached and indifferent mood that lots of people have in our world. Never in history was human society developed so unprecedentedly as it is in modern society; therefore, for increasing the efficiency, man kind’s ways of connection to each other becomes superfluous. There is one scene in the movie, when the man is helping the lost thing finding the place to stay, that there is a sculpture of two humans communicating with each other. Their heads are connecting to each other with machines so that no unnecessary steps are needed, including language that let people talks to each other. However, when they reach the place that thing belongs, the entire style of scene changes. The background is full of color and all kinds of lost thing is using their ability to simply for having fun. This illustrates the difference between adult and children’s world, in which one is filled with selfish and cold while the other is decorated by hope and friends.

 

 

The Lost Thing

Cheng zhiwen

English 1110.01, MWF 10:20 – 11:15

Instructor: Cathy Ryan

Assignment: The Lost thing

Feb 4th, 2017

The Lost Thing

            The Lost Thing is a short animated film that has staged a multi-media adaption of the story at the National Gallery of Australia. It is adapted from a picture book by Shaun Tan, writing a story about a man who finds a lost weird-looking creature when out collecting bottle tops. The entire movie is full of the color of grey, black, and other lifeless color.

The world there is described as surreal with high industrialization. It has a feeling of cold, inanimate, and people are not caring about anything. The people and things in there are extremely in order. There are few scenes are in a distant view, so that we could observe that the houses, subways, and architectures are all exactly identical. People are walking with no expression on their faces, with no excess motions. Nevertheless, with bright orange and green in its body, the lost thing, under this enhanced contrast, makes itself more distinguishable in this world.

Tan, through this work- the lost thing, just implies the detached and indifferent mood that lots of people have in our world. Never in history was human society developed so unprecedentedly as it is in modern society; therefore, for increasing the efficiency, man kind’s ways of connection to each other becomes superfluous. There is one scene in the movie, when the man is helping the lost thing finding the place to stay, that there is a sculpture of two humans communicating with each other. Their heads are connecting to each other with machines so that no unnecessary steps are needed, including language that let people talks to each other. However, when they reach the place that thing belongs, the entire style of scene changes. The background is full of color and all kinds of lost thing is using their ability to simply for having fun. This illustrates the difference between adult and children’s world, in which one is filled with selfish and cold while the other is decorated by hope and friends.