Holiday Homework
Homework 1:
Historical events that changed the world
10. BIRTH OF CHRISTIANITY (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Christianity)
Though, of the widely followed religions in the world, Christianity is quite a young
religion that had its roots in Jewish religion and Paganism. The birth of Jesus Christ is a
big event in itself, because it changed the way we measure the chronological timeline of
the world! The concepts of Before Christ (BC) and Anno Domini (AD) have helped up
separate the events that happened after the birth of Christ from the ones that happened
before. Christianity has inspired and guided the modern lifestyle of people. It taught
people to take a closer look at the sanctity of life and imbibed principles like love and
compassion in great depths. It played a major role in bringing the practices of slavery
and human sacrifices to an end. All Men of Letters, have always had some connection
with the religion. Christianity has inspired great works of literature and art. Various
languages began to be scripted by Christian missionaries themselves. The Ten
Commandments did clearly lay the framework for the Magna Carta of 1215. No wonder
“The Bible” is considered to be the greatest Book ever written and Jesus Christ as the
greatest Man who has ever lived.
9. MEDICAL REVOLUTION (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_medicine)
The discovery of Penicillin as an antibiotic still remains as one of the greatest of all
medical discoveries. It has cut down the human mortality rate by large figures. Not just
health, but the discovery led to a series of other discoveries which have impacted
human life. Then we have the discovery of vaccination by Louis Pasteur, which again
changed the kind of life we enjoy today. There was a time, when a small cut would have
killed a man, or diseases like smallpox were regarded as the ultimate form of divine
punishment for the evil-doers. Without these discoveries, the human race would
perhaps have long gone into extinction!
8. RENAISSANCE (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Renaissance)
It was an era of cultural rebirth of Europe after the devastations caused by the Black
Death. The explorers like Columbus and Vasco da Gama, changed the way the world
looked on the maps, leading to the discovery of new civilizations. Knowledge was no
more limited to the scriptures and the educated were no more limited to the priests and
monks. Books began to be printed and knowledge spread as people bought books on
poetry, travel and almanacs. Renaissance gave the world a plethora of artists and
architects. Picasso, Vinci, Michelangelo, and a large number of other artists, created
works of wonder that are beyond any word of appraisal. The knowledge and creativity of
the men of that era still makes the world wonder in utter amazement. This cultural
breakthrough has really come a long way in enriching the world.
7. COLD WAR (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_War)
It was one of the aftermaths of the Second World War. However, it had its own
implications. It marked a period of tension between The United States of America and
the Soviet Union. Though there was no active warfare, but it led to the Korean and
Vietnam wars. The Cuban missile crisis brought the world on the verge of a nuclear
warfare. There was a drift in the relationship of the Soviet Union and China. The war
came to an end with the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the nuclear disarmament of nations.
The scientific advancements made during this period included the development of
microwave integrated circuits, advanced satellite communication, Inter-Continental
Ballistic Missile, GPS and the supercomputer. Most importantly, America emerged as a
pioneer of peace-keeping nations.
6. INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution)
In the words of Robert E. Lucas, Jr., “For the first time in history, the living standards of
the masses of ordinary people have begun to undergo sustained growth. Nothing
remotely like this economic behavior has happened before.” Be it the discovery of the
printing press, or the textile making machines, the industrial revolution, spanning over a
century, did change the socio-economic conditions of the masses in a drastic fashion.
The era also gave us the precious steam engine and the there was a sudden
development in the field of roads and railways. The invention of the Differential Engine
by Charles Babbage gave a new direction to the world of computing! Then the invention
of the radio and the telegraph changed the way the world communicated. In other
words, it will not be incorrect to say that the industrial revolution was one of the events
that taught man to do more than just farming and domesticating of animals.
5. THE GREAT TSUNAMI
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_historical_tsunamis)
Tsunamis are not very new to this world, and they have always contributed to the
shaping of the territories on the Earth’s surface. There has been mention of The Great
Flood, which is said to have cleansed the world of all evil! Noah is said to have rescued
the last of all life forms, which has led to the world as we know it today. A Tsunami is
nothing but a form of oceanic flood, generated by earthquakes that originate
underwater. They can generate giant waves that can submerge a whole island. Of all
tsunamis, the worst that the world ever faced was the Indian Ocean tsunami of 26th
December, 2004. It had originated near Indonesia, and had submerged quite a few
islands from Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Indira Point no
longer exists as the southernmost tip of India. The amount of lives lost, which mostly
included tourists and residents of coastal towns, is by far larger than most other natural
disasters the world has ever seen.
4. THE BIRTH OF ISLAM (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Islam)
One of the great religions of the world, Islam spread overnight as Prophet Muhammad
made his historic journey from Mecca to Medina. Most medieval civilizations flowered in
the light of Islam, as it led to numerous milestones and achievements in the fields of art
and science. It acted as a bridge of knowledge between the East and the West. From
the discovery of the pinhole camera to the Mariner’s compass, Islamic inventors gave a
new outlook to the way science was used in everyday life. To some extent it had even
set the stage for the Italian renaissance. It gave the world a new message on peace,
tolerance, equality and justice. However, it also gave us The Crusades and Islamic
territories spread over the world in a very short time. The birth of international terrorist
groups like Al-Qaida and several others is often suggested to have an Islamic
connection. No wonder, the religion has done a lot in shaping the modern world.
3. WORLD WAR I (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I)
The world has always been a witness to wars and bloodshed since the times when
epics were written. But the World War was the first of its kind that involved so many
nations on such a vast scale with casualties of around thirty seven million. And its
repercussions were irreparable. There were drastic changes in the political, social and
economic conditions across Europe, Asia and Africa and a lot of other nations. The
greatest impact was to turn Germany and United Kingdom into mass electoral
democracies, while other empires collapsed in the aftermath of the war. It also
precipitated The Russian revolution of 1917. However, there were several scientific
advancements that took place in the shadows of the war, like the discovery of the fourwheel drive and the hydrophone. Several military advancements also took place in this
period. There was a sudden drift in the field of art as well. Victorian language was
diluted with newer versions of prose styles, and visual art saw a shift towards
surrealism. The League of Nations was formed as a peacekeeping organisation, which
however failed gravely and the Treaty of Versailles, was strong enough to spur the
inception of another war.
2. WORLD WAR II (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II)
The Second World War saw the greatest amount of bloodshed and fury among nations,
which shook the entire globe. It began with the dictatorship of Hitler and Mussolini, and
ended in the downfall of some great nations and rise of new world powers. The social
structure changed to a great extent and men and women began to enjoy equal powers
in social and economic arena. The United Nations was founded, that have come a long
way in keeping world peace. The scientific developments made by the Nazis and the
Americans created a new craze for rockets, missiles, and nuclear power. The atomic
bomb developed by the Americans was a major event that has left its marks even on
generations that came after the war. The weakening of the United Kingdom played a
major role in the Indian Independence. Russia’s position as a world power was taken
over by America. Though a grave event, yet World War II continues to remain one of
those events in the world history that will have its impact on the generations to come
1. THE APOLLO MISSION (http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_8)
Well, of course the invention of the Wright Brothers, did actually fulfill the human urge to
fly, but it was actually the invention of space flights, that actually proved to be a “giant
leap for mankind!” Commissioned by NASA, Apollo 11 was the first ever vehicle that put
man on the surface of the Moon. Though people would normally look at it as a scientific
revolution, the impacts of the success of this mission were far greater. First of all, it
made the world look at space exploration from a closer and a completely different
perspective. It was no more restricted by the observatory walls, peeping through
telescopes. A new race started among nations to engineer its own space programme.
Also, the photographs of the Earth, taken by the astronauts from space, made the
people look at the world with a greater air of admiration. It eventually led to various
peace propaganda, to rise above boundaries and protect the beautiful world! In the
words of William Bainbridge, Apollo Mission was “a grand attempt to reach beyond the
world of mundane life and transcend the ordinary limits of human existence through
accomplishment of the miraculous”.
My Favourite Actor :
(http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Depp)
One of the actors who made the greatest impression on me is Johnny Depp. I like his acting very
much. All his characters are bright individuals. And it seems to me Johnny Depp plays them
brilliantly. Johnny Depp was born June 9, 1963 in Owensboro, Kentuky. In his young years
Johnny wanted to become a musician. He even played in the band. But his musical carrier was
not as successful as his actor one. After several small roles Depp landed his first legitimate
movie role in the horror film “Nightmare of Elm Street”. The film had a great success. In 1990
Depp starred in the 50s-kitsch musical, Cry-Baby, which became a cult hit and succeeded in
changing his image. At the same year Depp exhibited his versatility as an actor in the title role
of Edward Scissorhands. Johnny Depp played many interesting roles but my favorite character is
Captain Jack Sparrow from the sequel Pirates of the Caribbean. In 2004 Depp earned an
Academy Award nomination for his starring role as Captain Jack Sparrow. Initially, Jack Sparrow
was supposed to be a comic hero, an eternal loser who is completely sure in his irresistibility.
But in the preparatory process and during the work on the film Jack’s character has changed. It
happened thanks to Depp. He added to the image of Jack some features characteristic of rock
musicians of the late twentieth century. No one knows if the real pirates behaved like this but
playing this role Depp took an example of a few rock stars. “I’m alive!” – “I’m alive!” – Is the line
of one of the rock song and motto of many rockers. The same can be said about Jack Sparrow.
Sense of existence, diversity of the world is perhaps the key characteristics of Jack Sparrow.
To my point of view Johnny Depp is the most fascinating actor today. I advice to watch his
movies to everybody who enjoys and evaluates good acting.
Composition :
Spiders !
A spider bit my cat a month ago…
Since then I'm fighting a war. A war against spiders. Every night before bed, I check
my sheets for them, shoe in hand, ready to brutally end their lives with way more
force than necessary. Sometimes I find one and even if I kill it, I still can't go to sleep
because it confirmed my fear that sometimes there are spiders waiting in my bed for
me.
I used to pretend that I wasn't afraid of spiders. It made me feel cool - like I was
braver than most people. If someone called me on my bluff and asked me to dispose
of a spider, I would put on my battle-face and do my best to get rid of it without
letting the panic bubble to the surface.
I don't pretend anymore.
I HATE spiders. Spiders are like little pieces of death wrapped in scary.
When I was younger, my mom would say "Sweetie, don't be afraid. You are way
bigger than a spider." Well guess what, mom? I'm bigger than a grenade too. Were
you trying to raise me to be some sort of unconquerable war-machine that isn't even
afraid of grenades? If you were trying to do that, you failed. I'm afraid of a lot of
things that are smaller than me - like bees and wolverines and centipedes. I'm even
kind of afraid of ants a little bit.
I don’t know why but, the spiders are very scary and I can’t be afraid of them all my
life. So I decided to search something about spiders to know what they want from
me. Since then I wasn’t scared from spiders and my life changed.
If u are in the same situation do what I did and your life will change in good.