Geography and Environmental Determinism Essay Example

Geography and Environmental Determinism Essay Example Geography and Environmental Determinism Paper Geography and Environmental Determinism Paper History shows many examples of how geography and environmental determinism played a huge role in the development of early civilizations. It can be seen as early as Mesopotamia, where the constant tension between nomadic and settled lifestyles was an important aspect of early historical development. The Sumerian culture developed in southern Mesopotamia, near the Persian Gulf. The civilization was generally pessimistic in outlook, an observation based mainly on the evidence of religious sources that depict a gloomy picture of the afterworld as a place of misery, because of the uncertain floods of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that destroyed river valleys. Although the geography negatively affected the Mesopotamia civilization, it eventually had a positive effect because there was a strong push towards stronger irrigation systems and tech analogical advancements. Jarred Diamond, according to his book, Guns, Germs, and Steel, characterizes an instance such as this as environmental determinism because a civilizations environment positively affected everyday life. Political systems were also influenced by the geography because regional city-states near the rivers plopped strongly under leadership of the upper class. Although, at first, the geography of Mesopotamia had a negative effect on the belief systems, it eventually produced widespread development in political, economic, and social organizations. : In contrast, Ancient Egypt developed and remained optimistic in history because of its environment. Geographically, the Nile River unified the region and made agriculture possible while the desert offered protection from nomadic invaders necessary for the evolution of centralized political authority. The Nile provided the civilization with optimism about the future because it produced soil-rich areas for agriculture. Egypt more defensible geography and sea-nourished Nile River resulted in a more politically, socially, and economically secure civilization. In Asia, geography plays a major factor in the development of many civilizations. Separate regions caused economic diversity, racial differences, and diversity of language. China development was very original because, just like Egypt, deserts, seas, and mountains isolated it. However, Chinas environment was characterized by the Yellow and Yanking rivers as well as patterns of mountain ranges that created disunity throughout Chinas history. Downfalls in dynasties inhibited political, social, and economic developments. It can be seen that a civilizations geography greatly contributes to its own future because of the major effect it has on whether it succeeds or does not. In the regions of Micronesian, civilizations developed based on intensive agriculture. Geographically, the region of Mesospheric was a complex patchwork of zones divided into tropical lowlands and coasts. These climatic variations created different possibilities for human exploitation. The Elms have been called the mother civilization of Mesospheric. They grew maize, especially along rivers, and it provided the basis for a state in which complex religion dominated life. Their impressive settlements, drainage systems, temple complexes, and ability to move stones weighing tons attest to a high degree of social organization and artistic skill. Geography influenced the development of this civilization because many other civilizations were developing elsewhere in Mesospheric and had influences on the Elms religiously, socially, and economically. There was shared technology, and cultural elements were diffused to indicate political expansions during the time. Lastly, geography and environment influenced development in the Andes, specifically the Chapin culture. This culture was characterized by artistic motifs that spread widely throughout the Andean region. The Chapin artistic style was so widely diffused that archeologist call this a horizon, a period when a broad central authority seems to have integrated a widely dispersed region. Geography played a part in the political, social, and economic development of this region because permanent agricultural villages were established in the Andean highlands where Maize was introduced, crops Were grown, and pottery was made. The highlands provided a place for irrigated agriculture to produce crops, for Llamas and related animals to be domesticated, and for dense populations and hierarchical societies to be formed. It can be seen throughout the world that the geography and environment of a specific civilization greatly affects its overall success and development through history.

Understanding Parenthetical Elements

Understanding Parenthetical Elements A parenthetical element is a word or group of words that interrupts the flow of a sentence and adds additional (but nonessential) information to that sentence. This element can be long or short, and it can appear at the beginning, the middle, or the end of a clause or sentence. John, the second batter in the lineup, is a fast runner.Mildred is an excellent cook, as a matter of fact.Just this once, you should try mustard on your peanut butter sandwiches.The dog, after guarding the chewed-up toy for more than an hour, finally got tired of waiting for me to play with him. Types of Words or Word Groups that Can Be Parenthetical Elements: Appositives Example: The book, a 758 page monster, was required for my history class. Relative clauses Example: My professor, who eats lunch every day promptly at noon, was not available for discussion. Prepositional phrases Example: The turkey, after moments of deliberation, ate the bug. Phrases as examples Example:  Foods that are hot or spicy, e.g. jalapenos or hot wings, make my eyes water. You might think of the parenthetical element as a sudden thought that pops into your head as you are making a statement. Because it provides additional or supporting information to a complete sentence, the main part of the sentence should be able to stand alone without the words stated in the parenthetical element. The name parenthetical might cause confusion because it resembles the word parentheses. In fact, some parenthetical elements are so strong (they can be quite jolting) that they require parenthesis. The previous sentence provides an example! Here are a few more: My sister (the one standing on the chair) is trying to get your attention. The strawberry tart (the one with the bite taken out of it) belongs to me. Yesterday (the longest day of my life) I got my first speeding ticket. Punctuation for Parenthetical Elements The examples above show that parenthetical elements are usually set off by some form of punctuation in order to avoid confusion. The type of punctuation used actually depends on the degree of interruption caused by the interrupter. Commas are used when the interruption is least emphatic. If the sentence containing the parenthetical element flows pretty smoothly, then commas are a good choice: My friend, who doesn’t like to wear socks, is trying to give me his tennis shoes. Parentheses are used (as stated above) when the interrupting thought represents a bigger diversion from the original message or thought. Pizza is my favorite food (the brick oven kind is best).I think Ill go home now (the walk will do me good)  before I fall asleep on the job. But there is one more form of punctuation that you may use if you use an interrupting parenthetical element that really jolts the reader from the main thought. Dashes  are used for the most emphatic interruptions. Use dashes to set off a parenthetical element for a more dramatic effect.   My birthday party- what a surprise!- was a lot of fun. The frog- the one who jumped on the window and made me jump a mile- is now under my chair. I bit my lip- ouch!- to keep from speaking my mind.