Classical Music Essays - Chants, Catholic Music, Medieval Music

Classical Music Classical Music, popular term for the Western tradition of art music that began in Europe in the Middle Ages and continues today. It includes symphonies, chamber music, opera, and other serious, artistic music. More narrowly, the "classical" style refers to the work of the Viennese classical school, a group of 18th-century composers that includes Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven, which is the epitome of what is called classical music. Choral Music, music sung by a group of people, using two or more singers to perform each musical line. The term part-song is used for vocal music having one singer for each part. Choral music is written for choruses, or choirs, consisting either of adults, children, or both. Although complex genres of choral music developed in Western music, part-singing practices were also established in folk, tribal, and non-Western cultures. Such singing often accompanies manual labor, expresses joy or sorrow, or forms a part of religious ritual. Among the world's many singing traditions are the polyphonic (multipart), polyrhythmic choruses of African music; the relaxed harmonies found in the Alpine and northern Slavic areas of Europe; the tense-voiced women's canons of the Balkans; the unison choral singing that sometimes accompanies an Indonesian gamelan orchestra; and the unison and polyphonic choruses of Oceania. In ancient Greece, religious feelings were expressed in drama by a chorus. Although the chorus members?like those of modern opera?were dancers and actors as well as singers, the term chorus eventually came to indicate only singers. Chant, unaccompanied sung melody, the rhythms and melodic contours of which are closely tied to the spoken rhythms and inflections of the text. Chant texts can be either sacred or secular, but the term usually refers to sacred liturgical music. Chant has been used in religious ceremonies since ancient times. In terms of present-day chant styles in the Western world, the most important of the early repertories is Jewish liturgical chant, or cantillation (see Jewish Music). The early Christian church borrowed not only its modes, or scales, but also some Hebrew melodies and melodic fragments. Most of the texts in Christian chant are taken from or based on the Psalms, a biblical book shared by Jews and Christians. Several types of Christian chant, which is often called plainsong, developed during the first 1000 years of the Christian era. A repertory called Ambrosian chant developed at Milan, Italy; named after St. Ambrose, it is still used in some Roman Catholic services in Milan. In Spain, until about the 11th century, there was a chant repertory called Mozarabic chant, named after the Mozarab Christians who lived in Arab-dominated Spain during the Middle Ages. Today Mozarabic chant survives in a few Spanish cathedrals. Until the 9th century, France had its own chant repertory, called Gallican chant; a few traces of it remain today in the Gregorian repertory. In Rome a separate repertory developed that eventually spread throughout Europe and superseded the others. It is now called Gregorian chant after Pope Gregory I, known as the Great, who was active in collecting Roman chants, having them assigned specific places within the liturgy, and seeing that they were adopted by churches in other cities and countries. Today about 3000 different Gregorian melodies are known. The Eastern Christian churches developed several types of chant before AD 1000, variants of which are still used. The Armenian, Byzantine, Russian, Greek, and Syrian repertories are the most important. Many of the original melodies in these repertories were incorporated into the Gregorian repertory. Among Protestant denominations only the Church of England has encouraged an extensive use of chant; its repertory, which is harmonized, is called Anglican chant.

Affordable MCAT Prep For The Not-So-Rich

Affordable MCAT Prep For The Not-So-Rich Not everyone is born with a silver spoon hanging out of his or her mouth. For those of us with less than a million bucks in our bank accounts, MCAT prep can seem really, really pricey. In fact, some MCAT prep courses and tutoring packages are $9,000 and higher, which is a price that can be virtually unattainable for the average Jane or Joe. But, that doesnt mean that you cant get quality MCAT prep at a lower rate. Affordable, quality MCAT prep exists; you just have to know where to look. Check out the MCAT prep options below that promise not to break the bank. In this age of online practice and multitudes of test prep companies, you should not have to  decide between paying your rent and paying for quality test prep for this exclusive test. Dr. Flowers MCAT Prep Dr. James Flowers, a Harvard-educated medical doctor, created this test prep company after writing his own test prep manual in the 70s. Since then, hes co-authored many MCAT test prep books with The Princeton Review and has helped thousands get the scores they want on the MCAT. The Dr. Flowers MCAT prep company offers comprehensive, 12-week courses online starting at just $589. Compared to the bigger test prep companies, this is a steal of a deal, especially because the test prep comes with an extraordinary guarantee, too: score higher than a 508 on the MCAT after completing one of the 16-week courses or you get DOUBLE your money back. Since a 508 is above the national average by 8 points, this could be a tough promise to keep if the program did not work. Khan Academy The Khan Academy is well-known for partnering with the makers of standardized tests to provide free test prep for anyone who wants it. Their mission is for all people should have access to all test prep, so the playing field is equalized monetarily. For the time being, theyre on track with their goal. The MCAT prep offered through Khan Academy isnt just affordable; its free. They offer videos and practice questions on all four MCAT test sections and the Foundational Concepts of the science sections, so you can get some practice and explanations prior to test day. Although this test prep isnt completely comprehensive, its an amazing, free resource for those who may think all online options are too pricey. Princeton Review Although some of the MCAT courses through the Princeton Review are crazy expensive –the Immersion class was, at press time, more than $9,000 – they do have some very affordable options, too, for people who would rather feed a family of five for half the year than buy a test prep course. The Princeton Review MCAT book set is only around $125 and comes with three full MCAT practice tests. The bundle is very highly reviewed on Amazon.com, and it should be. The Princeton Review continuously puts out test prep materials of the highest quality, even if the versions vary little from year to year. If you dont want to purchase the books because you have another prep option, they also offer a single free MCAT practice test online even without the purchase of a test prep book. BenchPrep At press time, BenchPrep offered 1,441 MCAT practice questions, 20 quizzes, 692 lessons, and 953 flashcards for  free  for seven days. After your trial period ends, you get charged $25 per month for access to this content. And the content on here is really good, too. The interface is engaging, the games are unique, and the program is adaptive. As you progress through the study program, the more you excel in one area, the more that section will phase out. Likewise, your weaker areas will get more focused study. Reviewers give BenchPreps MCAT program five stars across the board for being user-friendly and thorough.   AAMC Appropriately enough, you can find affordable MCAT prep through the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges), itself. The MCAT prep bundle includes books, flashcards, and access to the AAMC online test prep portion (e-MCAT) for $196 at press time. In addition, you can take a free, comprehensive MCAT practice test without buying anything at all through the site. Want an even better bonus? At the beginning of the MCAT practice tests, you can complete a tutorial that shows you the ins and outs of taking the MCAT test. Its great to get a little something for nothing at all.   NextStep Test Prep If youre looking for affordable MCAT practice tests only - youve already purchased the test prep books, signed up for MCAT courses, or downloaded the apps - then NextStep test prep has some great MCAT practice options at pretty fabulous prices. At press time, you could purchase a six-month access pass to ten MCAT practice tests with explanations and free 1/2 test diagnostic for just $249. Thats an incredible deal if youre looking for quality MCAT tests! If youre not interested in so many practice tests, then they also offer four and six test bundles for $99 and $149 respectively. Considering the quality of the practice tests, this price is right on the money.   All of the MCAT Basics   Interested in finding out more about the MCAT test in general like the test sections, scoring details, registration requirements and concepts tested? Great! You have come to the right place, my friend. Here are some articles to get you started in your quest for all things related to the MCAT.   Test Sections: Chemical and Physical Foundations of Biological SystemsCritical Analysis and Reasoning Skills

Hospitality Technology Applied to Hospitals Essay

Hospitality Technology Applied to Hospitals - Essay Example To this end, the hospitality industry, including the airlines and the hotels, are in a constant struggle to introduce new ways to achieve the mentioned goal. This paper purports to discuss some of the new advancements in technology that the airlines have incorporated worldwide to provide for an improved customer experience through improved hospitality and operational management. The airlines have, of late, put an end to paper tickets by encouraging their customers to book tickets online and by checking their bookings through online softwares and databases (3 Big Tech Changes). The latest advancement in this category is an attempt to replace the boarding passes with electronic system of bar codes, so that passenger check-ins can be expedited, and there is less traffic at the airport terminals (3 Big Tech Changes). For this purpose, the major airlines all over the world have started the practice of recording the passenger’s cell phone numbers when they make reservations (3 Big Tech Changes). The airlines then send a bar code to the cell phones via text message, and also to the email address (3 Big Tech Changes). The customers have the option of either printing the emails, or brining their cell phones with them when boarding the planes. The company then checks the bar codes that the passengers have on their cell phones or email print outs(3 Big Tech Cha nges), which therefore, serve as the boarding passes. On 15 January, 2003, Saudi Arabian Airlines opened their first ever option of online booking to the public (MacAllister). This is a major step in the advancement of a key international as well as Middle Eastern flight company, falling currently at number fifteen on the list of the International Air

Am I a Competent Communicatior What are My Strengths Essay

Am I a Competent Communicatior What are My Strengths - Essay Example In case of women, they are more expressive of their emotions while the men tend to bottle themselves up and not let their emotions show to the public, if it can be helped as being emotional can be interpreted as a sign of weakness. The idea is to maintain the stiff upper lip, so to speak. In the cultural upbringing of men and women, this is also evident in how they express themselves. It also depends to great extent on the national culture, on what is generally acceptable behaviors. Culture determines how each gender express their emotions in a culturally-approved manner. Along these lines, women tend to engage in conversations more than men. Women in a way are wired to be more talkative and the nature of their conversations are matters which in a way are not very much of consequence, such as exchanging secrets, information and gossip. The men engage in banter just for the fun of it, but also in order to size each other up. This is to measure or assess the personality of the other gu y, a way of analyzing the capability of the person to whom one is talking to. Women talk just for the sake of talking to be comfortable. Moreover, culture also exerts a great influence on non-verbal behaviors. This include hand gestures, facial expressions, length of time between the next word or the silent intervals when speaking, body postures, touching the hand or arms, tone of voice and eye movements. In this regard, the verbal expression when speaking to a person could be either be congruent, contradictory or ambiguous with the accompanying non-verbal expressions. This may tend to either deliver the message accurately to the receiver or may be confusing if it is contradictory. This happens when the verbal message does not coincide with the non-verbal expressions of a person when he or she is talking or speaking to someone, depending of course on a situation. It is therefore very important that we are aware of our non-verbal expressions and gestures. I for one make an extra effo rt to deliver my message across accurately by making all the right non-verbal gestures coincide with what I am talking about to a particular person. This way, it is not possible to get misconstrued and avoid any misunderstandings that can lead to conflict. Men and women handle emotions differently and react to them also differently. Most men are afraid or reluctant to wear their emotions on their sleeves or shoulders, so to speak. In women, they are not afraid to express their emotions which is why people tend to say women are sometimes very emotional. Expression of emotions are very evident when it comes to how intimacy is shown to a partner. In this regard, I try to control my emotions whenever possible, as emotions can either be good or bad, depending on how I react to certain situations. A good example is if my boyfriend tells me â€Å"I need to talk to you about something† which can either be interpreted as something exciting and romantic or understood to mean something worse or bad that affects our relationship. My reaction, in terms of physiological changes, can therefore be good, such as happiness or excitement that elevates my emotions or it can be adverse that affects my blood pressure resulting into hypertension, palpitations, nervousness or insomnia. When it comes to managing conflicts, there is also a cultural and gender divide as to how men and women approach conflict resolution. Women

Research proposal What is the effectiveness of adopting Surgical Time

What is the effectiveness of adopting Surgical Time Out policy in improving patient safety in the Operating Room '' - Research Proposal Example UP-14). In general, a surgical time-out policy is all about identifying the right patient, the right site where surgical procedure will be performed, observing the right body positioning, signing the consent form which strongly suggest that the patient has agreed to receive the said surgical procedure, and to ensure that special arrangements are made to get hold of a particular equipment needed to perform the surgery (Fry, 2008, p. UP-14). Often times, it is the registered nurse who is in-charge and is accountable for performing the surgical count of surgical items like cotton swabs, sponges, gauze, needles, blades, and scalpels among others (Hamlin, Richardson-Tench and Davies, 2009, p. 88). Miscommunication can happen among a group of healthcare professionals who are working within the operating room (Halverson et al., 2011). In line with this, several studies acknowledges that the process of using a â€Å"surgical safety checklist† as suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO) is effective in terms of preventing the risks of mortality caused by human errors (Kasatpibal et al., 2012; van Klei et al., 2012; Conley et al., 2011). However, despite the process of continuously educating the healthcare professionals on how to accurately perform surgical time-out process, there are still some cases wherein the surgical team may fail to comply with the surgical time-out procedures (Gillespie et al., 2010). It is part of the duty and responsibility of healthcare professionals to continuously improve patient safety within the operating room. In line with this, the surgical team is normally composed of surgeons, anaesthesiologists, and registered nurses. For this reason, the proposed research study aims to determine how well the surgical team in Hong Kong are able to adopt with the local hospitals’ surgical time-out policy. Specifically the main research objective is to test the

Womens Rights in Islam

Womens Rights in Islam Thesis Statement: Women’s rights in Islam is rather still seen to be much more liberated according to the Quran yet subjugated under Sharia Law since the enhancement of Islam. Introduction Since the beginning of time to today’s society, the epitome of the debatable discussions based about the status, position, and the role of a woman have been greatly indicated and reflected by culture, tradition, religion, feminism and misogyny. However, there is a high level of controversy when it comes to the issue of women in Islam that are basically caused from the many misrepresentations and misinterpretations with distortions due to having such a lack of understanding of the Quran and the teachings of Islam stating women in the Muslim societies being degraded or low and living under oppression and subjugation. This paper will discuss and focus on Women’s Rights in the Muslim world in regards to it being much more liberated according to the Quran but yet subjugated under the Sharia Law and to appropriately simplify an easy understanding to the allocated question – are women in Muslim societies really subjugated or are these misconceptions falsely fabricated f rom biased sources? To do this, it will begin with a brief discussion on the rights and status of Women in Islam according to the Quran and Prophetic traditions right from its enhancement through to the Muslim world today with additional information concerning its main violation of Women’s rights, followed by discussions and reasons on the many misconception of Women’s rights in Islam and distinguish the differences between the Quran and the Sharia law, and finally, this report will examine several Muslim countries that will identify the existence and sustainability of Women’s rights within some Muslim countries and distinguish any differences. Overall this paper will support and contend that Women’s rights in Islam is rather still seen to be much more liberated according to the Quran yet subjugated under Sharia Law since the enhancement of Islam. The woman’s question based on Quranic teachings depends very much on how we or the individual understands and interprets the Quranic text. The Quran itself states in 2:228 â€Å"(women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them in kindness, and men are a degree above them†. Afkhami (1995) simplifies this quote from the Quran indicating that in regards to their respective responsibilities, merits, and virtues women and men are equal and Islam does not accept for either of them anything but good treatment and fairness. The roles of a mother within Islam possess such important status over a father according also to verses from the Quran but especially within the Hadith which comes to show how valuable a woman is. According to Baveja (1985), in early Arab traditions, woman exercised great influence over the family and the tribes due to having such a supreme authority with opinions that counted as a great deal within inter-tribal warfare. Though however, due to contra dictory evidence available before the advent of Islam, women were treated worse off as men were given precedence over women, oppression was widespread, and women were degraded and considered shameful. Engineer (1940), El-Solh, Mabro (1994) and Beyer (2001) supports this position with examples such as â€Å"the killing of daughters† all agreeing to the fact that having a boy was much greater to the Arabs as they believed that females were considered as an embarrassment and regarded as a disgrace because they could not fight in wars and they were always captured by the enemy hence the custom of burying the daughters alive was practiced as a simplest way out to kill the daughters. To some extent, women were also kept as slaves; women were not given any share in inheritance and prostitution was rampant. Kurzman (1998), Sonbol (2005), Beyer (2001) and Quran itselfs points out the abolishment of such practices mentioned above due to the establishment and rise of Islam regarding wom en to be more valuable and treasurable and to not be mistreated or shamed. Anwar and Abdullah (2000) argue that despite the equality given towards women since the beginning of Islam, most abuse or mistreatment of women today is mainly due to cultural / traditional factors that are wrongly followed by many Muslim families within the middle-eastern countries which will be explained and looked into further in the last paragraph. Furthermore it is appropriate to also include the differences of Islamic law especially the Sharia Law applied in different Muslim societies across the world which is believed to have also caused such violation to women’s rights in Islam as a whole due to conservative societal norms and interpretations that has become one of the fundamental features to cause the lack of women’s freedom and outright abuse Middle East Quarterly (1997). Even though the role of women and men do differ in terms of responsibilities, virtues and merits, nevertheless, und er the Islamic law women’s rights are empowered and protected, and is certainly no different to rights of men in accordance to the Quran which therefore supports Women’s rights in Islam is rather still seen to be much more liberated according to the Quran since the enhancement of Islam. Ordinarily, the histories of women in general focus on western women and see their history as a way of life as models, against which the histories and lives of other women in the past and present are compared, Sonbol (2005) pg. 3-4. However, according to Kurzman (1998), Hirata (2005) and Abdul-Ghafur (2005), women in the west and their method of gaining rights has taken a long while to overcome which includes their first biggest achievement in winning the right to vote that took place in the post industrial revolution era. Yet nevertheless, Bajeva (1985), Engineer (1992) Muslim Women’s League (2003) and few other sources claim that women in Islam were given their rights 1400 years ago – these include rights pertained to inheritance, marriage, divorce, custody of children, property, evidence, rewards and punishments these rights given to the women in Islam were only recently enjoyed by the west. To examine common misconceptions and mistruths in regards to women’s rights in Islam, it’s important to observe the Quran as well as the Islamic teachings and authentic sources in order to understand the truth behind women’s rights in Islam. According to Bajeva (1985), rights given to women directly from the Quran were curtailed and if not, trampled on by Islamic jurists who formulated the Sharia law. Engineer (1992) supports this position by giving one of a few examples such as venturing out of home alone – the Quran places no restrictions on the movement of women nor did it require them to completely hide their faces while moving out of the house. But yet, leading jurists’ interpretations on relevant verses and traditions of the Prophet required women not to move out their house except in an emergency and even then to have their faces covered. El-Solh and Mabro (1994) expresses that the jurist has placed such restriction to women in the context of their situation which paints a clear picture of how rights given by the Q uran are taken away by the jurists in view of their situation and yet these sharia rules are enforced even when the context has changed. Furthermore, Afkhami (1994) and Kurzman (1998) points out the many sharia formulations are based on the human factor as well as such traditions and therefore many rules reflect cultural prejudice of the Persians and the Arabs rather than the just and liberal outlook from the greatness of the Quran. Therefore, based on the information provided above, it’s appropriate to contend and support that despite discovering that certain hadiths and the formulation of the sharia has been the reasons of taking rights away from women due to their own interpretation based on human factors and traditions Women’s rights in Islam is rather still seen to be much more liberated according to the Quran yet subjugated under Sharia Law since the enhancement of Islam. In the Muslim society or in fact the world, there are probably half a billion women who live in vastly different societies, lands, climates, cultures, economies and polities, Karaman (2010). Afkhami (1995) further suggests that contemporary Islamists regimes are most coherently recognized, and differentiated from other regimes by the positions that they allocate to women within the society as well as in the family. However Engineer (1992) and El Solh, Mabro (1994) points out information regarding Muslim fundamentalisms giving women negotiable solutions for domestic issues except rights for women and their position in society. Adding on, the Islam resurgence epitomized by movements as varied as the Islamic Republic in Iran, Jama’at-i Islami in Pakistan and Ikhwan al-Muslimin in Egypt , just a few to name, maintain to single out women’s relation to society according to the Islamic order. Bajeva (1995) and Papas (2009), supports this position by giving examples of differen t Muslim women in different countries that portray the religious fiat being often manifested alongside as discursive text and naked violence that depends on its legality on traditions that adopts based assumptions and capitalizes social structure and customs with an ethic code of womanhood suitable to Islam. These include men gaining control to an extent that include the power of life and crucial death to women within these Muslim societies. For example, men carry out honour killing (stoning, beating with chains til death, acid attacks) against women within their own family, due to disobedience, dishonour or suspected sexual transgression which were practiced in countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and India just to name a few. Papas (2009) however suggest that women in Turkey are known to be more liberated in the Muslim world through secularisation as the notion of Islamic reformation did not work. It is for this reason; it is most unfortunate that i n the so called Islamic states, women are seen only in their medieval image, not in the revolutionary Islamic image portrayed in the Quran. They are placed in purdah and relegated to a secondary role within the four walls of the house. Islamic jurists in these countries give more importance to certain doubtful traditions than to the clear statements of the Quran to see women in their own image Kurzman (1998), Engineer (1992) and Anwar, Abdullah (2000). El-Sohl and Mabro (1994) discuss approaches that have begun to surface in a number of Muslim countries that aim to set the issue of gender relations and the concomitant rights of women within the realm of human rights by combining social and political levels which affects women’s status in society. Yet however, the concept of human rights as laid down in the 1948 Universal declaration Of Human Rights is not easy to reconcile with interpretations of the Sharia which emphasises the hierarchical aspects of the Islamic social order , in which the free males Muslim possesses the most rights. Furthermore, given such rulings by male interpreters’ intent on maintaining the patriarchal system with women in a subordinate role, modernist Muslim feminists and human rights activists are arguing that this is not the real voice of Islam. Thus, despite discovering the use of sharia law that Muslim women are living under in certain strict Muslim societies – it is because of this, women are being oppressed and subjugated in these countries. Therefore it is important to understand and differentiate what the Quran says and the approach of the Sharia law however it is appropriate to support and contend that Women’s rights in Islam is rather still seen to be much more liberated according to the Quran yet subjugated under Sharia Law since the enhancement of Islam. Conclusion In summary, the Quran has emphasized many rights given to Muslim women, yet due to Islamic jurists who have formulated the Sharia Law is the cause that has led alot of women to be mistreated, oppressed and subjugated due to cultural and traditional factors that formulate such law. Yes they have gone through phases of allowing some freedoms, yet, they have not been successful for the reason that modernisation is strictly forbidden according to Islamic teachings. This report has examined the role of women and their status according to the Quran and Prophetic traditions, it has also discussed misconceptions based on women’s rights in Islam and distinguished the differences of what the Quran states on the rights of women and what the Sharia Law says about the rights of women, and, it has explored various Muslim societies or countries with women who live under the Sharia Law. Nevertheless, this paper has discussed and considered information for an understanding that appropriately supports and contends as well as responds to the issue based on Women’s rights in Islam. References Abdul-Ghafur S, 2005, Living Islam Out Loud – American Muslim Women Speak, Boston: Wilsted and Taylor Publishing Services Afkhami M, 1995, Faith and Freedom – Women’s Human Rights in the Muslim World, New York: Syracuse University Press Anwar Z, Abdullah R, (2000), Islam, Reproductive Health and Women’s Rights, Kuala Lampur: Sisters in Islam (SIS FORUM MALAYSIA) Bajeva R.M, 1985, Women in Islam, New York: Advent Books, Inc. Beyer L, 2001, The Women of Islam, [online], viewed from 4th -6th of April 2014 http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,185647,00.html> El-Solh C.F, Mabro J, 1994, Muslim Women’s Choices – Religious Belief and Social Reality, Oxford: Berg Publishers. Engineer A. A, 1992, The Rights of Women in Islam, London: C. Hurst Co Ltd. Falah G, Nagel C, 2005, Geographies of Muslim Women – Gender, Religion and Space, New York: The Guilford Press. Karaman H, 2010, Revelations in the source of Rights and Responsibilities, [online] viewed on 28th April 2014 http://www.lastprophet.info/revelation-is-the-source-of-rights-and-responsibilities> Kurzman C, 1998, Liberal Islam – A sourcebook, New York: Oxford University Press. Middle East Quarterly, 1997, The Rights of Muslim Women, [online] viewed from 7th -9th May 2014 http://www.meforum.org/378/the-rights-of-muslim-women> Muslim Women’s League, 2003, Women in Islam – Muslim Women, [online] 24th -25th April 2014 http://islam.uga.edu/Islamwomen.html> Papas V, 2009, Islam and Women’s Rights, [online] viewed from 26th – 28th of April 2014 http://atheistfoundation.org.au/article/islam-and-womens-rights/> Sonbol A.E, 2005, Beyond the Exotic – Women’s Histories in Islamic Societies, New York: Syracuse University Press.

Confucius :: essays research papers

Confucius Confucius lived from 551-479 B.C. He was a philosopher, political thinker and educator whose ideas have greatly influenced not only Chinese culture but world civilization. Confucius lived during the â€Å"Spring† and â€Å"Autumn† period of Chinese history, when east central China was divided into over a dozen small warring states. The great disorder and suffering he saw influenced his political ideas, which emphasized order, hierarchy and the rule of a benevolent sovereign. Confucius came from the State of Lu; his birthplace was today's Qufu county, Shandong province. His ancestors had been aristocrats of the State of Song, but the family had long since fallen on hard times. Confucius was a philosopher who developed a great â€Å"reverence† for Ji Dan (Duke of Zhou) of the Western Zhou dynasty, which reighned from the 11th c. to 771 BCE. He also sought to apply the political structures of that distant time to the State of Lu. However, the great social turmoil of the Spring and Autumn period, and the sharpening struggles within the ruling class, made this impossible, and he became very dissatisfied. In an effort to spread his political ideas, he traveled extensively to other states only to be repeatedly rebuffed. He died at the age of 73, having failed to ever suceed with his society. Scholars down the ages have always maintained that "benevolence" is the core of Confucian teaching. "Benevolence" found its expression through the performance of li, a term usually translated as rites, but which actually encompassed a great deal more: not just rituals but the social and political structure, the etiquette of behavior between human beings. Confucius observed the functioning of the patriarchal, hierarchical society of his times and concluded that "virtuous rule" consisted of applying strict control over the populace.