Sociology project summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sociology project summary - Essay Example It underscores the distinction between progress without environmental degradation and modernization with damaging pollutants (315795_Cities+Week+3.ppt). The Rocks stirs the imagination of the locals as well as the tourist. It takes back one to the rugged and craggy landscape of ancient Australia, to the more somber period of the settlers consisting mostly of convicts, and finally to the marvels of the modern city (Australian Explorer). In order to find out more about The Rocks, its past and current affairs, my team and I thought it fit to make a questionnaire and move around the place meeting people and talking to them with the help of the questionnaire. We decided to move in different direction of the city in twos. There was some apprehension as we had not undertaken this type of work earlier, but we were excited about it. However, when we launched on this project, it was a rewarding exercise. We not only received substantial information, but we also made many friends. The Rocks stretches from the harbor in the north to Kent Street in the west and Grosvenor Street in the south.The hustle and bustle of the city has not eroded the pristine glory of the place that has seen an evolution that would not have been possible elsewhere. On the contrary, the city administrators have gone the extra mile to preserve the historical significance of the place by preserving the old district and building a museum. The Sydney Harbor Bridge is a wonderful link between the old and the new in Sydney. The bridge lies adjacent to The Rocks and it is not difficult to imagine what the place would have been like without the city (Some Background). Tourist attraction for Sydney began in a big way in the 1970s. The city metamorphosed from being a culprits den in the beginning to more sedate business center in the 19th century. It more or less remained this way for most of the first half of the 20th century when the world was ravaged by two world wars. The city became modernized in the second half of the 20th century. Beneath the benign and charm of The Rocks lies the saga of one of history's more malevolent periods in the place when murders, hangings and mysterious deaths were routine. The Rocks was the haunts of convicts and prostitutes initially after Captain Phillip discovered the region. It continued in this manner for about three to five decades. Gradually, it turned into a business center and warehouses were constructed for the maritime industry. These warehouses were later destroyed due to the plague. Some that remained were turned into cafs and restaurants. The city planners have been careful to preserve the old city with its narrow, cobbled streets leaving the old buildings to serve as pubs, restaurants and other places of public interest (Australian Explorer). The Role of Independence The independence of Australia on 11 December 1931 has obviously played a vital role in the construction of Sydney and The Rocks. Not that the nation needed independence. It was thrust on them by the British. That is, the Australians always considered themselves independent from the time

The house Queens, New York Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The house Queens, New York - Essay Example The house Queens, New York where I grew up in and spent most of my childhood, looked more formidable and forlorn than awe-inspiring. Its walls have now started to give in a little; the ceiling has begun to leak when it rains and the iron grills on the second floor windows have been leisurely yielding to rust and the changes in weather. At one glance it doesn't seem to show that the house bestowed us the best learning experience children could achieve. The house is now decrepit, dilapidating and in virtual disrepair, almost empty of laughter and gaiety, and wanting of the possessive warmth of its master. Not long ago, Queens was home for the five of us - me my two other sisters and my parents. When we were growing up, we divided the four-bedroom house into two wings; the right wing and its four rooms were our bedrooms. The second half of the house was turned into a library and a study as books, newspapers, magazines and journals littered the whole house from the kitchen to the front porch. We could not remember not reading. Since my mother taught all of us to read at a very early age of three, books have become integral parts of our growing up. My mother was a very persistent and patient woman - not giving up when we give up on learning how to read and understand difficult books. In fact, we started reading difficult books first than study children's books most parents would recommend their young children. My mother did not go to college as she married my father at a young age. We did not know where she learned how to teach. All we know was that, we started learning the alphabet at the age of two or three. Then, she would move on teaching us how to read words, shorter ones, and longer ones after, then phrases, then sentences. There were times when you have to read aloud passages from the American Constitution or Modern History of America as she listened attentively, observing closely if you were making a mistake on the enunciation of each word, and if you did, she wou ld ask you to start from the very beginning. It didn't really matter at first whether we understand a word we were reading or not, what was noteworthy was that we knew how to read simple to complex words. I realized later that my mother prepared us to learn independently. She explained that if you knew how to read words, you would know their meanings by searching for those words in the dictionary. My other relatives would give us a thick dictionary for Christmas as presents because of my mother's constant request for them to do so. As a result, the dictionary had always been our constant companion. Later on, all of us were able to scan and search for the definition of words as fast as we could. My parents bestowed us so much freedom to choose our own individual paths to learning. As the left wing of our house was turned into a library, we were given freedom to choose which books to read and our parents would never dictate on us which book to choose. If we made the wrong choice of book, it was our responsibility to pick and choose a better one next time. Much of my childhood was spent in the left wing of the house. The dingy rooms surrounded by cabinets and shelves reeked with the smell of old paper, ink and gaseous odor emanating from the damp newspapers, oak wood and leaves - but it represents a whole world to me. The cabinets and shelves were shrouded in dusts and soot but it didn't hinder me