Saturday, September 7, 2019
Proposal for Home Cleaning Service Delivery Essay Example for Free
Proposal for Home Cleaning Service Delivery Essay We write to introduce We Love Your Home Cleaning Services, a world class cleaning service-provision Company. Based on our understanding of how busy working hours get these days, coupled with the needed attention to care for children among other things, we have chosen to apply ourselves in service thereby filling up this area of need. Our team of highly skilled and savvy professionals offers first-rate level of customer-friendly services making use of the best practice in the cleaning services field. Our years of hands-on-the-job experience, alongside the passion with which we deliver clients request, stands us out in our area of chosen service. Our organization is glad for the opportunity to serve you in what we do best. We do hope to have a fulfilling relationship with you in the course of our quality value delivery to your home. Thank you in anticipation of a positive response. Yours faithfully, Signature Full Name Introduction The growing demands for quality home cleaning service by our well meaning customers prompted the creation of a holistic solution avenue to better serve this area of need. The amount of increase in the average work hours has contributed to our desire to provide a quality and easy-to-request alternative to home cleaning service. Our business focuses on ensuring that the ââ¬Å"neat homeâ⬠concept, which is acronym for our core values, is spread to each of our clients. We ensure this through the use of quality equipments and a very friendly approach to solution delivery. We do everything within our ability to ensure that our customers always win through our simplified and holistic approach. Vision: Our corporate vision is to be the leader in friendly delivery of home support through customized cleaning service deliverables. Mission: We work as one winning team with our clients to ensure the delivery of the ââ¬Å"neat homeâ⬠concept using cost-effective solutions and simple but highly effective customer-centered approach. Core Values: This is at the core of who we really are. Our core values can be seen in the acronym N.E.A.T. H.O.M.E. It is a derivative of our passionate commitment to a culture of excellence through a continuously improved customer-centered approach to each of our service packages. The acronym also helps us to be reminded of the Win-Win goal our relationship with clients seeks to achieve. It means: N ââ¬â Neatness, E ââ¬â Excellence, A ââ¬â Accountability, T ââ¬â Teamwork, H ââ¬â Hospitability, O ââ¬â Openness, M ââ¬â Mutual benefit, E ââ¬â Extra-mile Neatness: By neatness our certified professionals will ensure the removal of dirt and stains through the use of the best chemicals while putting as top priority the health of the home dwellers. Excellence: Our team sees excellence as a guide at every inch of the process. We believe and are committed to improving the seemingly little things. Accountability: We are responsible for the safe-keeping of clients home while we ensure it is clean. Knowing the implications of the foregoing, we subscribe to third party insurance policies that forestall any possibility of mishap. Also, clients can be sure to meet their interior design outlook in better shape as a result of out team of savvy professionals. Teamwork: Winning with you is our utmost delight and we ensure this through our excellence-orientation method of shared responsibility. Our professionals make sure that the customerââ¬â¢s unique request is done with tact considering areas of priority as may have been indicated on request form. Hospitability: Friendliness is at the core of how we serve you. Our customers help us to always be around offering service, hence, we commit to the delivery of such as quickly as possible. We enjoy creating win-win scenarios in smiles. Openness: We believe that trust is at the root of any successful business relationship and really value same. This is why we ensure a solution delivery as promised style, thereby creating the atmosphere that nurtures honest dealings. Mutual benefit: This profiles our commitment to a win-win solution. Extra-mile: Where the need arises, our staff will be willing to go the extra-mile so as to ensure qualitative service delivery always. We believe absolutely that we only truly win when our customers win. Services We Love Your Home Cleaning Services provides scalable unit of options in our area of expertise. Our services list provides a convenient way for our clients to do business with us. It ensures that our options allow for a balance between cost-effectiveness, time-save and quality delivery. These include the following: Cleaning the entire residence or selected rooms as may be so desired The use of industrial cleaning chemicals with no health hazards The provision of user-friendly timed options (say one-time, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly) The above mentioned options are carefully tailored to ensure that a full home support in the business of cleaning is ensured. Benefits Our first rate service culture will offer you the following value added features: We save you the stress involved in the cleaning process We help ensure a timely delivery through best practice Our solution is cost effective and offers competitive pricing Our services can be requested from the convenience of your home Our team of certified professionals ensure that our customers win all of the time Cost Based on our understanding of varying customersââ¬â¢ area of need and challenge peculiarity, we offer two packages for ease of request. These are as highlighted. Package A ââ¬â Gold Home This ââ¬Å"Gold Homeâ⬠offer is for clients who require cleaning services only. It serves as our basic cleaning solution option for clients who need a one-time support in the holistic cleaning of their home. It makes use of the ââ¬Å"neat homeâ⬠value delivery approach through well experienced and professional hands. S/N Item Description Cost ($) Units Amount 1 2 General home cleaning Perfumery 150 50 1 1 150 50 Package B ââ¬â Diamond Home Plus This is an easy-to-customize option that puts into consideration clients who work long hours and some others who may have children to care of among other unique considerations. Some clients may also require only a portion of the complete solution while others will appreciate some more value-added. Feel free to use this option for home event support and para-home (say Birthday, Anniversary, etc) events support option. The Package B provides easy to change cost offers tailored to meet specific customer demands. S/N Item Description Cost Range($) Units Amount ($) 1 2 3 Customized home cleaning Perfumery (Custom options) Other peculiarities 100 250 30 100 3 4 Contact Methods: Telephone, Email, Web address, Physical Location Cleaning is our business as we will be glad to provide you with top-notch customer-centered service on request. Please feel free to use the toll free number on the contact methods. It will help us know the uniqueness you may so desire. We will have one of our service representatives contact you with regards to this. Thank you for the opportunity to apply ourselves in service to you.
Friday, September 6, 2019
History and Memory Essay Example for Free
History and Memory Essay The interrelationship of history and memory show that each is individually limited- memory presents limited perspective while history presents limited account- this conflicting nature ensures that without considering both we have a less reliable history. This concept is portrayed in the prescribed text ââ¬Å"The fiftieth gateâ⬠by Mark Baker that involves an individualââ¬â¢s journey into the past to reconstruct his parentââ¬â¢s experiences. Bakerââ¬â¢s explores the idea that both history and memory are essential to validate, illuminate and add emotion and colour to the other in order to ultimately form a true representation of history. Through the study of this text one can come to understand that the ultimate role of history is to find self-identity and unlock the barriers of the past. Memory is shaped by and composed of individual emotions and self-reflections; as a result it is influenced by bias and is highly subjective. Therefore memory only provides one bias and subjective perspective of history, making the representation of history to be less reliable and limited. This is portrayed in the line ââ¬Å"It was cold, winter, we had winter boots on, the ones with money sewn inside. He says it was cold. Winter. But it was warm. Autumnâ⬠. Here the use of direct speech engages the audience into Yosslââ¬â¢s situation. The audience is then able to realise that the experiences of fear, torment and paranoia that Yossl went through in the holocaust has shaped and influenced his memory. As a result his perspective of history is less reliable and thus highly limited. This is portrayed in the line ââ¬Å"I remember this exactly like yesterday: there was a church with some hillsâ⬠¦can you see my legs through there? Here through the use of a narrative device, an interview, Baker engages the audienceââ¬â¢s attention through the use of first person language and direct speech. This then conveys the idea that memory is limited in representing history because it is influenced by individual experiences that will change their perspective of history. In addition the spontaneous responses add a personal sense to further emphasize the limitation of memory that it can fail at any time. History is shaped by collective memory, providing a common representation of an event, personality or situation. As a result the representation of history is less reliable because it does not account for the views and perspectives of those that are a minority or have been forgotten. Baker uses a wide range of textual features to communicate to the audience how documented evidence paints a picture of the past. The use of archival documents, letters, school reports, council reports and Yiddish and German lullabies engage the reader but also adds a sense of authencity and historical presence. However through Bakerââ¬â¢s self-journey in the book, the audience is able to realise that documented evidence cannot account for all stories, this is especially seen with Geniaââ¬â¢s story of the holocaust. This is explored in the line ââ¬Å"does history remember more than memory? I only recognise suffering in numbers and lists and not in the laments and pleas of a human being, of a mother, screaming for acknowledgmentâ⬠The use of a rhetorical question builds suspense as the audience realises that the persona has come to a stage of realisation where Baker has understood that memory is just as important as the documented evidence that validates it. Documented evidence is able to validate as well as illuminate memory, while memory adds self-emotions and reflections to fill the gaps of documented evidence. In collaboration they create a more reliable and truthful history. Baker uses archival documents, school reports, lullabies, council reports and letters to illuminate hidden fragments of his parentââ¬â¢s memory. This is shown in the line ââ¬Å"I thrust his report card under his eyes and command him to read. He obeys, like an intimidated school childâ⬠¦He smothers an involuntary laugh, hiding the thoughts that lie behind it. â⬠Baker through the use of a simile compares his father to a child. This conveys the idea that the documented evidence has allowed Yossl to step back into his youth and bring forward the significant memories of his past. In addition the use of emotive and descriptive language through ââ¬Å"Laughingâ⬠and ââ¬Å"intimidatedâ⬠creates a warm and personal atmosphere to emphasises the idea to the audience of how memory can add emotions to documented evidence, and thus together to create a more reliable and truthful history. Together both documented evidence and memory allow for an ââ¬Å"exchange of pastsâ⬠to create a more reliable, valid and truthful history. Through this Baker has shown the interplay of history and memory. Baker has shown that the importance of the interplay of history and memory is to create a reliable history allowing one to explore the recreation of the past to make sense of who they are, where they are and the journey they have gone through. In ââ¬Å"The fiftieth gateâ⬠the journey into the past of his parents has allowed Baker to undergo a self-journey of learning. At first Baker observed the past of his parents with an historian point of view, seeking documented evidence to validate and make true his parentââ¬â¢s memory. However the experiences with the past of his mother, made Baker realise the importance of memory in the representation of history. This is shown in the juxtaposition of the line ââ¬Å"His was a past written on a page of history shared by other survivors. My mother could not point to anyone with the line What are these papers anyway except echoes of the past, dark shadows without screams, without smells, without fear. The juxtaposition of the lines shows the change in attitude of Baker as he realises the importance of memory in the representation of history. The use of emotive language such as dark shadowsâ⬠creates a dark atmosphere to emphasise the anger and torment he feels because of his ignorance to listen to his Motherââ¬â¢s story of the holocaust. Baker has used a circular structure to convey the idea that the journey into history and memory is a circular one. This is demonstrated in ââ¬Å"The fiftieth gateâ⬠through the repetition of the line ââ¬Å"It always begins in blackness, until the first light illuminates the hidden fragment of memoryâ⬠at the beginning and end of the book. This conveys the idea that the journey will allow for greater insight and understanding of your past and yourself. This will further inspire a self-journey of change and understanding. This has been shown through the changing attitude of Baker himself in the novel. This is demonstrated through the juxtaposition of the lines ââ¬Å"His was a past written on a page of history shared by other survivors. My mother could not point to anyone with the line What are these papers anyway except echoes of the past, dark shadows without screams, without smells, without fear. This conveys that at first observed the past of his parents with an historian point of view, seeking documented evidence to validate and make true his parentââ¬â¢s memory. However the experiences with the past of his mother, made Baker realise the importance of memory in the representation of history. The use of emotive language such as dark shadowsâ⬠creates a dark atmosphere to emphasise the anger and torment he feels because of his ignorance to listen to his Motherââ¬â¢s story of the holocaust.
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Advantages and Limitations of Neural Networks
Advantages and Limitations of Neural Networks There are many advantages and limitations to neural network analysis and to discuss this subject properly we would have to look at each individual type of network, which isnt necessary for this general discussion. In reference to backpropagational networks however, there are some specific issues potential users should be aware of. Backpropagational neural networks (and many other types of networks) are in a sense the ultimate black boxes. Apart from defining the general archetecture of a network and perhaps initially seeding it with a random numbers, the user has no other role than to feed it input and watch it train and await the output. In fact, it has been said that with backpropagation, you almost dont know what youre doing. Some software freely available software packages (NevProp, bp, Mactivation) do allow the user to sample the networks progress at regular time intervals, but the learning itself progresses on its own. The final product of this activity is a trained network that provides no equations or coefficients defining a relationship (as in regression) beyond its own internal mathematics. The network IS the final equation of the relationship. Backpropagational networks also tend to be slower to train than other types of networks and sometimes require thousands of epochs. If run on a truly parallel computer system this issue is not really a problem, but if the BPNN is being simulated on a standard serial machine (i.e. a single SPARC, Mac or PC) training can take some time. This is because the machines CPU must compute the function of each node and connection separately, which can be problematic in very large networks with a large amount of data. However, the speed of most current machines is such that this is typically not much of an issue. The advantage of neural networks over conventional programming lies on their ability to solve problems that do not have an algorithmic solution or the available solution is too complex to be found. Neural networks are well suited to tackle problems that people are good at solving, like prediction and pattern recognition (Keller). Neural networks have been applied within the medical domain for clinical diagnosis (Baxt:95), image analysis and interpretation (Miller:92, Miller:93), signal analysis and interpretation, and drug development (Weinstein:92). The classification of the applications presented below is simplified, since most of the examples lie in more than one category (e.g. diagnosis and image interpretation; diagnosis and signal interpretation). Depending on the nature of the application and the strength of the internal data patterns you can generally expect a network to train quite well. This applies to problems where the relationships may be quite dynamic or non-linear. ANN s provide an analytical alternative to conventional techniques which are often limited by strict assumptions of normality, linearity, variable independence etc. Because an ANN can capture many kinds of relationships it allows the user to quickly and relatively easily model phenomena which otherwise may have been very difficult or imposible to explain otherwise. Future Enhancements Because gazing into the future is somewhat like gazing into a crystal ball, so it is better to quote some predictions. Each prediction rests on some sort of evidence or established trend which, with extrapolation, clearly takes us into a new realm. Prediction 1: Neural Networks will fascinate user-specific systems for education, information processing, and entertainment. Alternative ralities, produced by comprehensive environments, are attractive in terms of their potential for systems control, education, and entertainment. This is not just a far-out research trend, but is something which is becoming an increasing part of our daily existence, as witnessed by the growing interest in comprehensive entertainment centers in each home. This programming would require feedback from the user in order to be effective but simple and passive sensors (e.g fingertip sensors, gloves, or wristbands to sense pulse, blood pressure, skin ionisation, and so on), could provide effective feedback into a neural control system. This could be achieved, for example, with sensors that would detect pulse, blood pressure, skin ionisation, and other variables which the system could learn to correlate with a persons response state. Prediction 2: Neural networks, integrated with other artificial intelligence technologies, methods for direct culture of nervous tissue, and other exotic technologies such as genetic engineering, will allow us to develop radical and exotic life-forms whether man, machine, or hybrid. Prediction 3: Neural networks will allow us to explore new realms of human capability realms previously available only with extensive training and personal discipline. So a specific state of consciously induced neurophysiologically observable awareness is necessary in order to facilitate a man machine system interface. Recommendations The major issues of concern today are the scalability problem, testing, verification, and integration of neural network systems into the modern environment. Neural network programs sometimes become unstable when applied to larger problems. The defence, nuclear and space industries are concerned about the issue of testing and verification. The mathematical theories used to guarantee the performance of an applied neural network are still under development. The solution for the time being may be to train and test these intelligent systems much as we do for humans. Also there are some more practical problems like: the operational problem encountered when attempting to simulate the parallelism of neural networks. Since the majority of neural networks are simulated on sequential machines, giving rise to a very rapid increase in processing time requirements as size of the problem expands. Solution: implement neural networks directly in hardware, but these need a lot of development still. Ãâà ¢ instability to explain any results that they obtain. Networks function as black boxes whose rules of operation are completely unknown. There are many advantages and limitations to neural network analysis and to discuss this subject properly we would have to look at each individual type of network, which isnt necessary for this general discussion. In reference to backpropagational networks however, there are some specific issues potential users should be aware of. Ãâà ¢ Backpropagational neural networks (and many other types of networks) are in a sense the ultimate black boxes. Apart from defining the general archetecture of a network and perhaps initially seeding it with a random numbers, the user has no other role than to feed it input and watch it train and await the output. In fact, it has been said that with backpropagation, you almost dont know what youre doing. Some software freely available software packages (NevProp, bp, Mactivation) do allow the user to sample the networks progress at regular time intervals, but the learning itself progresses on its own. The final product of this activity is a trained network that provides no equations or coefficients defining a relationship (as in regression) beyond its own internal mathematics. The network IS the final equation of the relationship. Ãâà ¢ Backpropagational networks also tend to be slower to train than other types of networks and sometimes require thousands of epochs. If run on a truly parallel computer system this issue is not really a problem, but if the BPNN is being simulated on a standard serial machine (i.e. a single SPARC, Mac or PC) training can take some time. This is because the machines CPU must compute the function of each node and connection separately, which can be problematic in very large networks with a large amount of data. However, the speed of most current machines is such that this is typically not much of an issue. Conclusion In this paper, we have presented a system for recognizing handwritten English characters. An experimental result shows that backpropagation network yields good recognition accuracy of 85%. We have demonstrated the application of MLP network to the handwritten character recognition problem. The skeletonized and normalized binary pixels of these characters were used as the inputs of the MLP network. In our further research work, we would like to improve the recognition accuracy of network for character recognition by using more training samples written by one person and by using a good feature extraction system. The training time may be reduced by using a good feature extraction technique and instead of using global input, we may use the feature input along with other neural network classifier. The computing world has a lot to gain from neural networks. Their ability to learn by example makes them very flexible and powerful. Furthermore there is no need to devise an algorithm in order to perform a specific task; i.e. there is no need to understand the internal mechanisms of that task. They are also very well suited for real time systems because of their fast response and computational times which are due to their parallel architecture. Neural networks also contribute to other areas of research such as neurology and psychology. They are regularly used to model parts of living organisms and to investigate the internal mechanisms of the brain. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of neural networks is the possibility that some day conscious networks might be produced. There are a number of scientists arguing that consciousness is a mechanical property and that conscious neural networks are a realistic possibility. Finally, I would like to state that even though neural networks have a huge potential we will only get the best of them when they are integrated with computing, AI, fuzzy logic and related subjects
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
The Complex Character of Amanda in The Glass Menagerie Essay example --
The Complex Character of Amanda in The Glass Menagerie à Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie furnishes an excellent example of a carefully crafted, complex character whose speech and action arise from the "psychological" being created by the playwright. In his character description, Tennessee Williams starts his reader on the road to discovering Amanda's complexity. AMANDA WINGFIELD the mother. A little woman of great but confused vitality clinging frantically to another time and place. Her characterization must be carefully created, not copied from type. She is not paranoiac, but her life is paranoia. There is much to admire in Amanda, and as much to love and pity as there is to laugh at. Certainly she has endurance and a kind of heroism, and though her foolishness makes her unwittingly cruel at times, there is tenderness in her slight person. (Williams 781) ââ¬Å"Before the first lines are spoken Amanda's complexity is establishedâ⬠(Falk 126) by the nuances and contrasts given here. This basic description must be laid over all dialogue and action throughout the play so as to preserve the fullness of Amanda's character at times when only portions of her nature are being exhibited. à à à à à à à à à à à The complexity of Amanda's character directly affects her action and dialogue with her children. In her role as mother she exhibits an overwhelming desire to see her children succeed in life. In trying to... ...ding Plays. Boston: Allyn, 1990. 307-314. Bigsby, C.W.E. A Critical Introduction to Twentieth-Century American Drama. Vol. 2. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1984. Falk, Signi. "The Southern Gentlewoman." Modern Critical Interpretations Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie. ed. Harold Bloom. NY: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988. Jackson, Esther Merle. The Broken World of Tennessee Williams. Madison: & of Wisconsin P, 1965. Parker, R.B., ed. Twentieth Century Interpretations of The Glass Menagerie. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice, 1983. Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. Masterpieces of the Drama. Ed. Alexander W. Allison, Arthus J. Carr, Arthur M. Eastman. 5th ed. NY: Macmillan, 1986. 779- 814.
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
De Vaca and Smith :: Social Issues, Indian Life
Both Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca and John Smith hold different attitudes regarding their accounts of Indian life. The difference in attitudes may have resulted from the difference in treatments that each man received while in captivity. De Vacaââ¬â¢s experience is a humbling one. His account of Indian life is written in a thoughtful manner, and he describes the Indians kindly. While he describes his captivity as ââ¬Å"melancholy and wretchedâ⬠(De Vaca 34), itââ¬â¢s clear that he harbors no ill feelings towards the Indians. He states that he and his men were treated well, that they lived as ââ¬Å"free agentsâ⬠(De Vaca 32) and tried to accustom themselves to Indian life. Heââ¬â¢s highly observant of the Indian life. He records the Indian lifestyles in detail; his account reads more like a cultural anthropology study. His account of Indian life ends on a sympathetic note towards the Indians especially after he realizes his misjudgment of the Christians. ââ¬Å"We often misjudge the motives of men,â⬠de Vaca writes, ââ¬Å"We thought we had effected the Indiansââ¬â¢ liberty, when the Christians were but poising to pounce (De Vaca 36).â⬠Smith, on the other hand, describes his account in a boastful manner. His account of Indian life reads like a fantastic adventure novel in which he is the glorified hero. He continuously refers to the Indians as ââ¬Å"savagesâ⬠(Smith 46) or ââ¬Å"barbariansâ⬠(Smith 48) throughout his account. He even describes them as ââ¬Å"devilsâ⬠(Smith 51). At one point, he thinks that the Indians are trying to ââ¬Å"fat him to eat himâ⬠(Smith 50). Smithââ¬â¢s account is so incredibly dramatic that he expects ââ¬Å"every hour to be put to one death or otherâ⬠(Smith 52). Also, the incident with Pocahontas saving Smith appears to be highly romanticized. Smithââ¬â¢s manner of writing, in which he writes of himself in the third person, only adds to the boastful tone of this account. It makes the entire account seem impersonal. It also makes Smith appear self-important and frivolous. One can only speculate on why there is such a huge difference in these two writersââ¬â¢ attitudes. Their backgrounds may be factors that have influenced their attitudes. For de Vaca, it may be his religious background that has influenced him and shaped his attitude. In his account, he acknowledges his religion several times. ââ¬Å"My only solace in these labors was to think of the sufferings of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and the blood He shed for me,â⬠de Vaca writes.
Monday, September 2, 2019
Essay --
Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd president of the United States, utilized his executive powers more like that of William Howard Taft. President Taft believed in the literalist concept of presidential power, firmly expressing that the president can only exercise power within a strict interpretation of the Constitution of the United States. As a stringent believer of integrity and constitutionality, President Harrison fits Taftââ¬â¢s view. When he was first elected in 1889, Harrison practiced the merit system in choosing cabinet members and officials despite receiving ridicule from his Republican Party members for not abiding with the contemporary patronage system. His use of executive power in his presidency was, with few exceptions, thoroughly constitutional. He would usually ensure that his trust-busting bills, protectionist policies, and domestic policies like the McKinley Tariff and the Sherman Anti-Trust act of 1890 fell under the boundaries of his executive powers and the Constitu tion. He was also demanding in asking for authorizations from Congress for foreign policy approval and, he even respected Congressââ¬â¢s constitutional ability to declare war. For major projects and policies, he depended on the treaty power rather than executive agreement, which can skip legislative power. Growing up in North Bend Ohio as a child, Mr. Benjamin Harrison had a pretty rural upbringing in which he did farm work and studied with private tutors at home. As a young boy, Harrison cherished a sense of order and self-assurance since peers and family closely surrounded him. However, many perceived his confidence as arrogance. During his pre-presidential political days, he gradually developed a stiff and formal personality; making him quite aloof. When he ... ...residential career to the end of it, President Benjamin Harrison interpreted the U.S. constitution with a strict literalist view; believing that following the constitution and its specific clauses almost word for word was the most effective and less stressful way to run the executive branch of government. Though his Taft-like approach did not seem to make him a really notable, Harrison is significantly credited with having done much to Americaââ¬â¢s foreign policy; moving the nation along the path to world empire than any previous President and serving as a model for the young Theodore Roosevelt and other aspiring presidents to admire and emulate. By playing it safe and not going beyond the interpretation of the constitution, Harrison eluded any controversy of overstepping his bounds, but at the cost of just being known as an average president who rarely took any risks.
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Zulu Traditional Dance
Zulu means the people of heaven, which is a friendly and hospitable culture. They have an expressive language punctuated with distinctive click sounds. The Zulu people are proud of their nation and treasure their heritage. During the 16th and 17th centuries, they had a powerful king named Shaka Zulu. He helped expand the Zulu tribe territory and claimed that he was king of all Africa. Many cultures in Africa today still have traditions that were influenced by the Zulu people even after their downfall. One of the most noticeable rituals that most cultures in eastern and southern Africa have in common is the Zulu dance. Dancing and singing is a big part of the Zulu people lifestyle, ââ¬Å"Each dance or movement symbolizes an event that is happening within a clanâ⬠. Dancing is one of the most important types of community rituals and it is included in most Zulu ceremonies. The Zulu dance is a sign of happiness, and it occurs at significant events like childbirth, weddings and war victories. As in most cultures, ââ¬Å"dances serve the purposes of rite of passage or bonding, or matchmaking in a supervised environmentâ⬠. Their traditional dances celebrate important community events. The dances are taught to young boys and girls at an early age. Through dance, the Zulu people tell the ââ¬Å"journey of their clan bridging generational gaps to a unique form of story tellingâ⬠. Zulu dance involves high stepping and stomping the ground in rhythm. Dancers hold weapons and shields with their hands often raised high. Some times the dancers kick over their head and fall to the ground in a ââ¬Å"crouchâ⬠position. In Zulu dances, ankle rattles, shields, headdresses and belts are used as props and to ââ¬Å"differentiate social class and societal roles. Traditional Zulu dance dress code is animal skin for men and skirts decorated with hardwood beads for women. The children donââ¬â¢t cover their thighs but adults are expected to. Both male and females ââ¬Å"wear limited clothing which consists predominately of cowhide and bare chest, adorned with garlands of beadsâ⬠. Unmarried women dance bare- breasted and donââ¬â¢t have red beads in their skirts because that color is reserved for married women. Everything worn in the Zulu traditional dance has a symbolic meaning; the colors of the beads and their arrangement dictate the language of the dance. Different types of beads are worn to send a message to the opposite sex during the courtship dance. There are five main dance types that most cultures in Africa perform. The welcome dance is to show the guests how talented the villagers are, and to show the visitors that they are happy to receive them. Celebration or love dance is performed certain festivals like weddings and anniversaries. The coming of age dance is to celebrate the coming of age of young men and women, many tribes follow and celebrate this festival. The dancers perform in front of tribal members which gives them immense pride and confidence. Last but not least are the warrior dances, the warrior dance ââ¬Å"movements are fusions of warfare movements such as stabbing with the artistic movement of the body according to the drum beat. Summoning and possession dances are the most common folk dances in Africa because they are very important in many religions. This dance is performed in almost all tribes for calling a spirit. The Zulu culture practices these different dance styles even though it has different names fo r them. When Shaka Zulu was king, he began the reed dance as a symbol of unity with his people. During September, Zulu girls congregate at the royal palace before the king for the traditional reed dance to celebrate virginal purity. In order for a girl to part in this dance, they have to be virgins between the ages of 16 to 20. It is called the reed dance because the girls pick reeds from the river and bring them to the palace for the king. During this dance most kings chose their wives. The purpose of the reed dance is to ââ¬Å"allow Zulu maidens to meet their king and mingle with princesses while delivering reed sticksâ⬠. The reed dance is said to promote marriage, loyalty and chastity. Today it is still practiced in effort to stop the spread of Aids. Ingoma is another type of dance of the Zulu tribe. It is performed by boys and girls accompanied with people chanting without drums in the background. The girls are bare-chested and wear woollen skirts; they also wear seed pod rattles around their ankles to allow their high kicks. In the Ingoma dance, the boys and girls dance separately are helped by another group that claps for rhythm. This dance is performed for ceremonies such as coming of age, weddings and before going hunting. Indlamu dance is ââ¬Å"derived from the war dances of the warriorsâ⬠. It is danced before battle and after winning a war. It is performed by men of all ages wearing full traditional attire like head-rings, ceremonial belts, ankle rattles, shields and spears. Drums and people whistling accompany the dancers when performing the Indlamu. Dancers form a ââ¬Å"mock combat, showing off their strength and mastery of weaponsâ⬠. One of the movements done in the Indlamu dance is fighting imaginary enemies with spears and swords, their facial expressions make the dance feel real. The dancers lift one leg in the air, bringing it down and switching it with the other one, after a certain amount of leg lifts the dancers purposely fall to the ground on their back. Dancers are more likely to make eye contact with the audience during the Indlamu dance. Imvunulo is a parade to show off the traditional attire of Zulu men and women. It is danced by one participant at a time indicating ones role in the society. The dress code is determined by age and gender; young girls donââ¬â¢t cover their thighs while adults do. Men wear cotton shorts called the ââ¬Å"amabeshuâ⬠while women wear leather skirts and beaded aprons. A leather skirt worn by woman sends a message to the opposite sex that she desires to become pregnant. Colors in the beaded aprons also help indicate where the dancer comes from. This dance would fall in the welcome dance category under the African dance types. Last is the Isicathamiya dance, ââ¬Å"it is danced by men and boys in a line or an arcâ⬠. This dance is accompanied with a lead singer that sings about modern issues but ââ¬Å"uses ancient melodiesâ⬠. The lead singer provides rhythm for the dancers. This dance is also danced at weddings, and it is internationally known. Families of the bride and groom take turns to ââ¬Å"out do each other in the beautiful dancing and songsâ⬠. Dancing is very important in the Zulu clan because ââ¬Å"Zulu history survives through dance in similar fashion as cultures built on oral traditionâ⬠. Dance ceremonies bring the community together as everybody takes responsibility to for training others especially the young ones. Many Zulu dances today deal with social issues like Aids, crime and migrant labour work. This helps to ââ¬Å"promote global sensitivity and social awarenessâ⬠in South Africa. In Zulu land, the dances are usually performed by males and involve a high level of athletism. Zulu dances help the people to praise, criticize and even work with each other.
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