Did you know that both diamond and graphite are made up of carbon atoms? How does the same element carbon give rise to diamond and graphite which are so different from each other? Is it hard to believe? Let us discuss the allotropic forms of carbon to get an insight into such phenomena. What are allotropes? Allotropes can be defined as different forms of the same element which occur due to structural modifications due to the way the atoms of the element are bonded together. Allotropic Forms of Carbon-Diamond and Graphite Diamond and graphite are both allotropic forms of carbon. They occur in different structural crystalline states because of the way the atoms of carbon are bonded together. In diamond, each carbon atom is bonded to four other carbon atoms to form a tetrahedral lattice arrangement. In graphite on the … Continue reading →
The great depression was an early warning of how fragile the US economy and the world economies can be and also how economic downturns can have catastrophic implications on citizens. You may have heard of the term “great depression” and have a vague idea of it. Let us briefly discuss the great depression to get a better understanding of this major economic catastrophe which occurred less than 100 years ago. The Great Depression | What was the great depression? The great depression began in the US with a crash in the stock markets on October 29, 1929, which was known as “Black Tuesday.” It placed Wall Street in utter disarray and spread to nations around the globe. The great depression dragged on up to the late 1930s and even the early 1940s and placed the US in extremely dire straits. … Continue reading →
When the term “globalization” is used, what comes to your mind? Globalization has brought greater inter-connectivity and mobility in the world as well as an amazing variety of goods and worldviews. What is concerning to many activists of human rights and environmental rights is that corporate cultures and the rise of MNCs and their agendas may be dominating the lives of human beings in the modern world. When we think of the word globalization, what kind of global influences were in play in the pre-modern world? The Making of a Global World | The Pre-Modern World Travelers, explorers, the religious, pilgrims, scholars and traders as well as people who have been persecuted or people who have migrated due to challenging conditions have helped link the world from time immemorial. Many regions in the pre-modern world did have outside influences and … Continue reading →
The European Revolutions of 1848 were a series or wave of revolutions which spread across a major chunk of Europe and even some Latin American countries. It was known as the Spring-time of the Peoples or the Spring of Nations. It set the stage for liberal democratic nation states and the breakdown of absolute monarchical states and empire states in Europe. It did not meet with immediate success and in fact was curbed in many nations but had slow repercussions. It slowly led to the assertion of individual rights and freedoms and the formation of liberal and socialist democracies in many European nations. Can you think of a similar uprising against the last bastions of dictatorial or autocratic states which has occurred now in the 21st century? Yes, it is the Arab Spring. Let us take a brief look and … Continue reading →
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a brilliant poem written in ballad style which tells a very captivating story with the use of gripping imagery. The poem is very lengthy. The language used may seem more complex. As readers dwell deeper into the poem, they will discover amazing facets which can be eerie and spell-binding. The poem was published in the first edition of Lyrical Ballads along with the poems of William Wordsworth in 1798. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Coleridge | Short Summary You may have watched the movie Life of Pi and realized how difficult it would have been if something untoward happened in a sea voyage in the maritime journeys of yore. Have you heard of the idiomatic phrase “having an albatross around the neck?” Well, this idiomatic phrase … Continue reading →
Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley is a very thoughtful poem in sonnet-style which portrays a compelling theme and provides us food for thought. It uses profound language to depict in words what the sands of time can do to the fleeting moments of a person who tried to glorify himself. The superficial and tyrannical power which was held by the emperor Ozymandias was fleeting and shallow and is just a tiny blink in time. Emperors and tyrants may have come and gone but time seems to be never-ending. Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley | Short Summary and Analysis In Ozymandias, the brilliant poet Percy Shelley uses the metaphor of a ruined ancient statue of an emperor to show that power is corrupting and perishes with time. It is used to show that any manifestation of power by human beings is … Continue reading →
