Queen Seondeok of Koreas Silla Kingdom

Queen Seondeok of Koreas Silla Kingdom Queen Seondeok ruled the Kingdom of Silla  starting in 632, marking the first time a female monarch rose to power in Korean history - but certainly not the last. Unfortunately, much of the history of her reign, which took place during Koreas Three Kingdoms period, has been lost to time, but her story lives on in legends of her beauty and even occasional clairvoyance.   Although Queen Seondeok led her kingdom in a war-torn and violent era, she was able to hold the country together and advance Silla culture while her success paved the way for future ruling queens, marking a new era in a female dominion of South Asian kingdoms. Born Into Royalty Not much is known about Queen Seondeoks early life, but it is known that she was born Princess Deokman in 606 to King Jinpyeong, the 26th king of the Silla, and his first queen Maya. Although some of Jinpyeongs royal concubines had sons, neither of his official queens produced a surviving boy. Princess Deokman was well-known for her intelligence and accomplishments, according to the surviving historical records. In fact, one story tells of a time when the Emperor Taizong of Tang China sent a sample of poppy seeds and a painting of the flowers to the Silla court and Deokman predicted the flowers in the picture would have no scent. When they bloomed, the poppies were indeed odorless. The princess explained that there were no bees or butterflies in the painting - hence her prediction that the blossoms were not fragrant. Accession to the Throne As the oldest child of a queen and a young woman of great intellectual power, Princess Deokman was selected to be her fathers successor. In Silla culture, a familys heritage was traced through both the matrilineal and patrilineal sides in the system of bone ranks  - giving high-born women more authority than in other cultures of the time. Because of this, it was not unknown for women to rule over small sections of the Silla Kingdom, but they had only ever served as regents for their sons or queens dowager - never in their own name. This changed when King Jinpyeong died in 632 and the 26-year-old Princess Deokman became the first ever outright female monarch, Queen Seondeok. Reign and Accomplishments During her fifteen years on the throne, Queen Seondeok used skillful diplomacy to form a stronger alliance with Tang China. The implicit threat of Chinese intervention helped to ward off attacks from Sillas rivals, Baekje and Goguryeo, yet the queen was not afraid to send out her army as well. In addition to external affairs, Seondeok also encouraged alliances among the leading families of Silla. She arranged marriages between the families of Taejong the Great and General Kim Yu-sin - a power bloc that would later lead Silla to unify the Korean Peninsula and end the Three Kingdoms period. The queen was interested in  Buddhism, which was fairly new to Korea at the time but had already become the state religion of Silla. As a result, she sponsored the Bunhwangsa Temple construction near Gyeongju in 634 and oversaw the completion of Yeongmyosa in 644. The  80-meter-tall Hwangnyongsa pagoda included nine stories, each of which represented one of Sillas enemies. Japan, China, Wuyue (Shanghai), Tangna, Eungnyu, Mohe (Manchuria), Danguk, Yeojeok, and Yemaek - another Manchurian population associated with the Buyeo Kingdom - were all depicted on the pagoda until Mongol invaders burned it down in 1238. Lord Bidams Revolt Near the end of her reign, Queen Seondeok faced a challenge from a Silla nobleman called Lord Bidam. Sources are sketchy, but he likely rallied supporters under the motto Women rulers cannot rule the country. The story goes that a bright falling star convinced Bidams followers that the queen too would fall soon. In response, Queen Seondeok flew a flaming kite to show that her star was back in the sky. After just ten days, according to the memoirs of a Silla general, Lord Bidam and 30 of his co-conspirators were captured. The rebels were executed by her successor nine days after Queen Seondeoks own death. Other Legends of Clairvoyance and Love In addition to the story of the poppy seeds of her childhood, further legends about Queen Seondeoks predictive abilities have come down through word of mouth and some scattered written records. In one story, a chorus of white frogs appeared in the dead of winter and croaked ceaselessly in the Jade Gate Pond at Yeongmyosa Temple. When Queen Seondeok heard about their untimely emergence from hibernation, she immediately sent 2,000 soldiers to the Womans Root Valley, or Yeogeunguk, west of the capital at Gyeongju, where the Silla troops found and wiped out a force of 500 invaders from neighboring Baekje. Her courtiers asked Queen Seondeok how she knew that the Baekje soldiers would be there and she replied that the frogs represented soldiers, white meant they came from the west, and their appearance at the Jade Gate - a euphemism for female genitalia - told her that the soldiers would be in the Womans Root Valley. Another legend preserves the Silla peoples love for Queen Seondeok. According to this story, a man named  Jigwi  traveled to the Yeongmyosa Temple to see the queen, who was making a visit there. Unfortunately, he was tired out by his journey and fell asleep while waiting for her. Queen Seondeok was touched by his devotion, so she gently placed her bracelet on his chest as a sign of her presence. When  Jigwi  woke up and found the queens bracelet, his heart was so filled with love that it burst into flame and burned down the entire pagoda at Yeongmyosa. Death and Succession One day sometime before her passing, Queen Seondeok gathered her courtiers and announced that she would die on January 17, 647. She asked to be buried in the Tushita Heaven and her courtiers replied that they did not know that location, so she pointed out a place on the side of Nangsan (Wolf Mountain). On exactly the day that she had predicted, Queen Seondeok died and was interred in a tomb on Nangsan. Ten years later, another Silla ruler built Sacheonwangsa  - The Temple of Four Heavenly Kings - down the slope from her tomb. The court later realized that they were fulfilling a final prophecy from Seondeok wherein Buddhist scripture, the Four Heavenly Kings live below the Tushita Heaven on Mount Meru. Queen Seondeok never married or had children. In fact, some versions of the poppy legend suggest that the Tang Emperor was teasing Seondeok about her lack of offspring when he sent the painting of the flowers with no attendant bees or butterflies. As her successor, Seondeok chose her cousin Kim Seung-man, who became Queen Jindeok. The fact that another ruling queen followed immediately after Seondeoks reign proves that she was an able and astute ruler, Lord Bidams protestations notwithstanding. The Silla Kingdom would also boast Koreas third and final female ruler, Queen Jinseong nearly two hundred years later from 887 to 897.

5 Summer Programs in New Mexico for High Schoolers

Your teen has many options for how to spend his or her time once summer rolls around. Without the constraints of a constant high school class schedule combined with numerous extracurriculars and other commitments, they might choose to pursue a volunteer program, get a summer job, or even take some summer classes. Another great option for teens looking to get a taste for college life is a summer program on a college campus. While New Mexico might not be the first place that comes to mind when one considers summer activities for high schoolers, there are several strong on-campus programs available for teens who want to explore the options there. To learn more about five of them, keep reading. Summer programs offer high schoolers a rare taste of life at a university. Whether the program is residential or not, teens will be immersed in campus culture. They will attend classes in university classrooms, use college facilities like labs or libraries, eat in dining halls, and often even meet some current students who attend the college. In addition, teens can make valuable connections with professors who could eventually become their actual college instructors. Teens who attend a summer program often gain important insights into their future goals for college. They may learn what they do and do not want from their college experience, or learn more about the programs of study they’re drawn to. If your teen is interested in attending a summer program in New Mexico, don’t miss this post. The PREP High School Academy is an intensive two-week residential program in the STEM fields, hosted on the New Mexico State University campus. Participants work on leadership, team-building, and hands-on activities that simulate real-world engineering experiences while gaining self-confidence and connecting with current faculty and students. Essay Prompt: Tell the selection committee what world problem you hope to solve as a future engineer and how do you see attending the NM PREP Academy helping you achieve that goal. The Summer Science Program (SSP) is one of the longest running pre-college programs in the country, having been founded in 1959. It provides an immersive experience with hands-on research over the course of its 39-day residential program. It aims to challenge and inspire talented and motivated high school students through four different program offerings, one of which is available at New Mexico Tech. Our Early Advising Program helps students in 9th and 10th grade discover their passions and build strong academic and extracurricular profiles to succeed in high school. The University of New Mexico offers two exciting STEM programs to high school students each summer: The UNITE Program offers participants four weeks of pre-college and STEM related hands-on activities in engineering and computer science. The Energy Summer Academy introduces students to a broad variety of energy-related topics in research through a four-week residential program. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, students are engaged through college prep courses, guest speakers, field trips and hands-on workshops. Those who complete either program successfully are eligible for a $100/week stipend for their participation. Essay Prompt: Why do you want to attend this program at UNM? The Research Learning Experiences Program provides STEM field internships ranging from five to eight weeks depending on the program. Through grant funding, students participate in actual research, working on important engineering problems under the guidance of undergraduates, graduate students, post docs and/or faculty. Students are paid a stipend or hourly wage for their work and are invited to participate in group meetings, engineering seminars, and outreach events. The Transportation Institute   is sponsored by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and the New Mexico Department of Transportation and provides a variety of STEM related learning opportunities as they relate to the transportation industry. This three-week residential program offers a combination of college prep courses, guest speakers, field trips and hands-on workshops to students interested in the transportation industry. Essay Prompt: Why do you want to attend this program at UNM? Summer programs can offer your teen the unique opportunity to gain deep industry experience on a college campus, pursue an area of interest, and learn more about him or herself and his or her goals for the future. In addition, your teen could make important connections that are valuable during the college application process or beyond.    If you need more help identifying the best summer programs or other academic pursuits for your teen and his or her unique interests and skills, consider the benefits of the Near Peer Mentorship Program , which provides access to practical advice on topics from college admissions to career aspirations, all from successful college students.  

Not ablicable Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Not ablicable - Essay Example This not only increases the temperature on earth’s surface but also the temperature prevailing over the oceanic region of the world. This remarkable rise of temperature is on account of pollution occurring all over the world. The polluted atmospheric condition over the earth is capable to develop infrared radiation. The main gases present in the earth’s atmosphere are water content, Ozone, Carbon dioxide, Nitrous oxide and methane. These gases are termed as Green House Gases and have certain roles to increase the temperature on Earth’s crust. The industrial transformations and development have increased the production of greenhouse gases in the atmospheric air and is considered as one of the main reasons for the global warming. This phenomenon has observed from the middle of the twentieth century. The concentration of the gaseous media of the atmospheric air has great influence to increase global warming. This is affected in accordance with two principles. One is by the direct emission of infra red radiation from the gaseous constituents of atmospheric air and the other is indirectly through clouds. The solid and liquid particles present in the atmospheric air are responsible for the indirect process to develop the global temperature. These solid and liquid suspensions present in the atmospheric air are generally termed as ‘aerosols’. They are universally originated gases substances and the carriers of these substances to the atmosphere are wind. During their travel with wind the aerosol substances undergo tremendous chemical and physical changes naturally. The characteristic features such as Physical, Chemical and concentration of aerosols present in atmospheric air are also taken in to consideration while thinking about the indirect influence on global warming. The risk management Cycle The risk management cycle points out the volume of risk factor caused due to the nuclear emission occurred from the nuclear power plant

The Complete Maus by Spiegelman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Complete Maus by Spiegelman - Essay Example The quote mentioned above does not identify Vladek as heartless but defines the painful incidents that forced him to believe this way. Closely analyzing the life of Vladek before the holocaust, one can discover the continuous betrayal and deception at the hands of those most trusted and loved by him. People close to his heart - Anja and Mala - made him believe that no one could ever deserve the trust he had. The war itself ripped his heart and the sufferings, miseries sent him down the lane of mistrust because he had absolutely no one he could trust. Vladek always honored and respected the bond he had with the people he loved. The simple kind attitude is showed towards Kapa whom he taught English for his own benefit. The purity of his love can be proved by the suicide of Anja. He did not love Anja for the money she had or he did not leave her when she accused him of loving her for the money. Vladek was capable of loving and helping others without any benefit or personal gain. It was the depth of his love and care that turned him so cold after he lost everything. Vladek inability to spend money is another misunderstood trait. The recollections of the past where he reached a point of having not enough money to support himself and his family derived him to save money. Although he had enough money saved up with him, but the flashes of his past stopped him from spending money (Hall, 2003). Mala annoyance at Vladek for not spending money even on important things is prominent at some points but the sufferings made him realize the value of money and he would never want to make his family go through any hard times at any cost due to which spending money was committing like a sin to him. Mala and Art had hard time with Vladek when it came to cleanliness. His obsession with keeping everything around him neat and clean was considered as a very difficult trait to cope with by Mala and Art, who were constantly pushed to keep things clean if they created a mess (Koehler, 2009 ). Having analyzed the life he had at the war camps, one can easily register the root cause. The obsession of cleanliness was just the fear that was developed in him during the war days. The fear of being punished for not keeping everything clean ran so deep in his mind that even after surviving the holocaust and all the pains it had to offer, Vladek could not let go of the habit of cleanliness. Unconsciously, Vladek also kept him busy doing something or the other all the time and insisted others around him as well. This was again due to the chores he had to perform all day at the camps during holocaust. The habits that he formed during the war were inhibited into his personality and forced him to be the changed person he was (Hall, 2003). The traits of not trusting friends, saving money without spending it, and always doing something (cleaning or working) are unreasonable and difficult. But when studied in the light of Vladek’s tragedies of losing a son during war, the flash backs of the suicide of Anja and the painful of past related to the time spent during holocaust, explains the behaviors and attitude of Vladek (Koehler, 2009). An individual who has suffered in various areas at so many points in life usually can never let go of the recollections and always lives in that pain and misery. The fear prevents a person to think rationally or to get back to normal. Each trait can be linked to an incident that

Greed of the Pardoner in Chaucers Canterbury Tales :: Pardoners Tale Essays

Canterbury Tales - The Greed of the Pardoner Throughout literature, relationships can often be found between the author of a story and the story that he writes.   In Geoffrey Chaucer's frame story, Canterbury Tales, many of the characters make this idea evident with the tales that they tell.   A distinct relationship can be made between the character of the Pardoner and the tale that he tells. Through the Prologue to the Pardoner's tale, the character of the Pardoner is revealed.   Although the Pardoner displays many important traits, the most prevalent is his greed.   Throughout the prologue, the Pardoner displays his greed and even admits that the only thing he cares about is money: "I preach nothing except for gain" ("Pardoner's Tale", Line 105).   This avarice is seen strongly in the Pardoner's tale as well.   In the Pardoner's tale, three friends begin a journey in order to murder Death. On their journey, though, an old man leads them to a great deal of treasure.   At this point, all three of the friends in the tale display a greed similar to the Pardoner's.   The three friends decide that someone should bring bread and wine for a celebration.   As the youngest of the friends leaves to go buy wine, the other two greedily plot to kill him so they can split the treasure only two ways.   Even the youngest decides to "put it in his mind to buy poison / Wit h which he might kill his two companions" (383, 384).   The greed, which is evident in the character of the Pardoner, is also clearly seen in the tale. Another trait that is displayed by the Pardoner and a character in his tale is hypocrisy.  Ã‚   Although the Pardoner is extremely greedy, he continues to try and teach that "Avarice is the root of all evil" (6).   The characters in his tale display great hypocrisy as well.   As the tale begins, the friends all act very trustworthy and faithful towards all of their friends.   They nobly make a decision to risk their lives while trying to slay their friend's murderer.   As they talk about their challenge, they pledge "to live and die each of them for the other, / As if he were his own blood brother" (241-242).   At the end of the tale, the "brothers" begin to reveal their true nature.   They all turn on each other in an attempt to steal the treasure for themselves.

DBQ on Sectionalism Essay

During the period of 1850-1861, America was struggling to stay united as debates over several major issues started to take the forefront. After the war with Mexico ended in 1848, America gained the territories of Texas, New Mexico, and California through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Soon after, disputes over whether these states should be free states or slave states erupted. By 1850, a solution was found in the Compromise of 1850 where California would become a free state, and New Mexico and Texas would have popular sovereignty, allowing them to decide for themselves whether they would be slave states or not. The Fugitive Slave Act was also written in 1850 in an effort to satisfy southern slave owners by requiring northerners to return any runaway slaves back to their owners in the South. The combination of the Compromise of 1850 and The Fugitive Slave Act, along with debates over the Constitution and popular sovereignty, started to impact the unity of the nation and potentially split the North and South even more. The actions of the government during the period of 1850-1861 contributed to the deteriorating conditions of America, particularly in the Constitution and the Fugitive Slave Act. In 1852, William Lloyd Garrison expressed the idea that the Constitution influenced slavery in America despite the fact that nothing about slavery was directly mentioned. He feels that a government in support of slavery is corrupt and cannot be trusted and that the people need to overthrow it. The Constitution’s inability to stop slavery leads to division among the people who support slavery and the people who do not. In this way, the government played a part in the weakening of the Union (Doc. E). The Fugitive Slave Act, a part of the Compromise of 1850, helped intensify tension between the pro-slavery South and anti-slavery North. In Boston, freed slaves had to be warned to avoid any interaction with watchmen and police in Boston, who now had the ability to send them back into slavery. The Fugitive Slave Act further divided the North and South because it forced the anti-slavery North to go against its beliefs and involve itself in the institution of slavery instead of preventing it (Doc. C). Ralph Waldo Emerson further describes the immortality of the Fugitive Slave Act by comparing the government’s varying  disciplines on the institution. In 1807, Congress had banned the importation of slaves into America, but by 1850, they encouraged the capturing of freed slaves in the North and sending them back into servitude. This contradiction adds to division because it proved to northerners that the government would bend to the South’s desire to keep slavery. Emerson viewed this act as immoral and felt that if the government implemented it, the Union would immediately fall apart. In a way, Emerson’s view was not wrong, as the Fugitive Slave Act did contribute to increasing division between the North and South over slavery (Doc. D). Another issue that led to the crumbling of the Union was the debate over popular sovereignty. Popular sovereignty embodied the idea that the new states coming into the Union should be allowed to decide for themselves whether they would allow slavery or not. This belief is rooted in the Compromise of 1850, which was basically an effort to maintain the balance between the slave states in the South and the free states in the North. A map depicting the Compromise of 1850 shows the slave states in the South, the free states in the North, and the new territories that could be swayed either way. The reason the possibility of popular sovereignty in these territories caused controversy was because whatever way they went, they could potentially upset the balance between the North and South, which could lead to serious conflict over slavery (Doc. A). President Jefferson Davis further explains the debate over popular sovereignty in terms of the Constitution. Although the Constitution does address state power through amendments, it was unable to prevent opinions regarding a lack of state sovereignty from developing in the North. This proves that the Constitution was becoming weak and unable to meet the conditions of that time period. Also, the states are beginning to feel entitled to their rights and are forgetting that the Union existed based on a combination of the states (Doc. H). The Kansas and Nebraska Act of 1854 created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and gave the settlers of that land the right to decide whether they would be slave states or not. This act increased tensions around slavery amongst the settlers and thus led to violence because some settlers were advocates of slavery and then others were against slavery. The artist of this cartoon depicted a freesoiler being held down by Presidential  nominee James Buchanan and Democratic senator Lewis Cass on the â€Å"Democratic Platform,† which was a shot at the Democratic Party because many blamed them for the increase in violence towards anti-slavery settlers in Kansas. The platform is labeled with â€Å"Kansas,† â€Å"Cuba,† and â€Å"Central America,† which represents the alleged Democratic goals of spreading slavery outside of America. The freesoiler is being fed a slave by Democratic senator Stephen A. Douglas and President Franklin Pierce. This cartoon shows that many people felt that the new states were being forced to accept slavery by the Democratic Party (Doc. F). Sectionalism increased tensions between the North and South and thus contributed to the failure of the Union by splitting the nation apart on several key issues. Sectionalism is when a part of the nation, either the North or South, puts their owns interests over the whole nation’s concerns. Sectionalism can often lead to states breaking apart from the Union. From the period 1850-1861, the North and South were split over slavery and whether the new territories being added to the Union should be slave or free. The only way to prevent conflict over sectional issues is to have a strong Constitution that addresses the needs of each area of the country. Without that, the Union will inevitably fail (Doc. B). President James Buchanan, who felt that in order to preserve the Union, the Constitution must protect the rights of the South, further explains this idea. If the needs of the states are not met, then the states have the right to withdraw from the Union because of their own sovere ignty. To prevent the succession of the South, Congress should recognize slavery, protect the right of slavery in new territories, and support the Fugitive Slave Act (Doc. G). President Abraham Lincoln felt that sectionalism and succession would lead to the demise of the Union. To even consider leaving the Union, a state has to feel that it is better than all the others and will be more successful on its own. However, no state in America had ever been on its own, leading President Lincoln to believe that no state can truly fend for itself (Doc. I). Because it was believed that succession would lead to the failure of the Union, sectionalism was discouraged because it would split the country apart. In reality, sectionalism occurred anyway and resulted in the North and South being divided based on slavery. The actions of the government along with conflicts over popular sovereignty in new territories and sectionalism contributed to increasing tensions between the North and South, especially over slavery, and overall weakened the Union. The actions the government took during the period of 1850-1861 influenced the division between the North and South over slavery by passing the Compromise of 1850 and the Fugitive Slave Act. The Compromise of 1850 created controversy over popular sovereignty because it would give new states the right to decide for themselves if they would support slavery or not. The combination of government actions and popular sovereignty resulted in sectionalism, which furthered the divide between the North and South.

Rwandan Rwanda And The Rwandan Genocide - 1896 Words

Introduction In the spring of 1994, more than eight thousand Rwandans were murdered, slaughtered, and bodies piled up upon the streets in less hundred days. But yet, the only reason this genocide had actually stopped, was at the cost of the Rwandan Patriotic Army, a militant group primarily composed of Rwandan refugees whom reclaimed Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Yet, before the Rwandan genocide occurred, for many years, tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi had growth to extreme measures and lead to far more than just disputes- it lead to the Rwandan Genocide. The Rwandan Genocide was a mass slaughter of Tutsi and moderate Hutu in Rwanda by members of the Hutu majority in which the Hutu were the ones attempting to overrule the colony in†¦show more content†¦In 1912, there were actually few changes, especially when it came down to the Tutsi and their missionaries. They were entitled and felt as if their had the right to more a aristocracy system rather than a system based off christianity . Therefore this idea began to promote a different ideology and and conversions began. These changes were not only due to the new ideas that that got all of the colonised world, but yet, it tend to be avoided one that consequently altered the way they governed their land, and it was an unforeseen event. But even though this was an unforeseen event, social relationships became more grimmer and full on conflict concerning the structure of society and retaining the terms of power, which for the Hutu, in terms of power, had become less and less in a way of making money for them. The old oppressive forms were seen as too harsh, therefore, they didn’t with stand and began to lose their real power and it was evident that their ‘cultural legitimacy’ weary away. In such an unstable/shifting atmosphere, the church began to favor the growth of a ‘Hutu counter-elite’. Since there was war around this time, the church was thinking about different approaches to bec ome this stable quality state. In 1915, there was as many black priests as there were white.These clergy were mostly Tutsi, since at the time, they were