Gilgamesh - Two-thirds God and One-third Human - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1422 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/06/24 Category History Essay Level High school Tags: Gilgamesh Essay Did you like this example? At the start of the epic, Gilgamesh is said to be a cruel and ruthless ruler who had no regard for anyone but himself. Gilgamesh is two-thirds God and one-third human- thus being his lineage, he believes as if nobody is equal or above him. On Tablet two, a man said to Enkidu, He will couple with the wife-to-be, / he first of all, the bridegroom after. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Gilgamesh Two-thirds God and One-third Human" essay for you Create order / By divine consent it is so ordained (pg. 15). This quote informs the readers that he would rape men wives on their wedding night. His actions forced his kingdom to resent him. In Sumerian culture, kings were expected to protect the women, not rape them. Kings were expected to act as prominent leaders and rulers. Great rulers put the safety of their people before their own. Gilgamesh was supposed to further enhance the greatness of the kingdom for the well-being of the citizens. The king should have served the people for the sake of his kingdom not help them create a manifestation of hatred within themselves to where they plot against him. Gilgamesh did not treat the civilians with respect or dignity as a king should but instead treated them harshly and like they didnt matter. The concept of heroism in Sumerian culture is all about service. Service to the kingdom and the people that live in the kingdom. A big concept in all heroic epics is The Heros Journey. The heros journey is basically the path the hero goes down to discover who they are and better themselves as a person/leader. Its all about personal growth. In Sumerian culture, there were three distinct qualities that they valued in a hero: bravery, strength, and wisdom. In the poem, the Sumerian Gods are described as all powerful and are to be worshipped. The Sumerians believe that the earth could not survive without the Gods aiding it. The Sumerians did everything in their power to try not to piss of the Gods because doing so would result in great consequences. They know that the Gods are dangerous. But they also understand that they can be quite helpful. The Gods act like careless children and live how they want too. They have their own set of rules and dont listen to anyone else. One way that the Gods intervene in human affairs was when they created Enkidu. They created him as a mirror image of Gilgamesh with the task to overpower and kill him. Another example on why the Sumerians feared the gods is because if one was to anger one of them bad things would occur. The god who brought upon the flood only created the flood to punish the humans for being too loud and not letting him rest. The story told us about Gilgameshs lineage of him being two-thirds a God and one-third human because it makes him who he is. With him being two-thirds God, Gilgamesh felt that he was superior to everyone us, thus making him a ruthless ruler. With this he felt as if he can do anything without repercussions but as this was false. With the information of him being two-thirds god, the readers are given insight to why Gilgamesh is the way he is. Why he acts the way he acts and thinks the way he thinks. This affects his character a great deal because with him thinking this way, he goes down a dark path. He hurts his people and does not act as a good ruler should. One way this affects his character is by him raping women and taking their virtue on the night of their wedding. Gilgamesh was a selfish, mean person who tormented his people. Women are represented as great power and wisdom, but also great temptation and death. In the story, women appear during the heros journey, sometimes to be a guide. In other instances, they make women to be overactive, sexually, and fairly misleading. They use their bodies to seduce men so that they may control them. For example, the harlot in Tablet 1 of the Epic of Gilgamesh. She, Shamhat, is sent by Gilgamesh to Enkidu in order to gain control over this wild man named Enkidu. Shamhat lures Enkidu in, telling him: You are handsome, [Enkidu, you are like a god,]. Not long after, she seduces him, and he and she spend 6 days and 7 nights together. After this time, Enkidu is no longer just a wild man(133). He begins to learn the ways of regular men, eating bread and drinking ale Shamhat told his was fit for a god and a king. Shamhats sweet nothings and confidence-building words, soon leads Enkidu from the wilderness, the only home hes ever known, and into the city. Further down the lin e of time, he even challenges Gilgamesh, the very one who sent the harlot to Enkidu. Shamhat guided Enkidu into a new life, but not before she sexually enticed him with her body. She is a perfect representation of the concept of a woman in the ancient Sumerian culture. The flood is created by the god Enlil to destroy the earth and all the mortals that walked upon it. He felt that the humans were too loud and annoying. He grew irritated with them and wanted to punish them for it. The god Ea betrayed the other gods and warned Utnapishtim that a great danger was coming. Utnapishtim was the king of Shuruppak, which was a extremely prosperous city on the banks of the Euphrates river. Ea told Utnapishtim to build a boat and aboard it with a seed of every living thing, his family, and his possessions. The story does not state the reason to why Ea chose Utnapishtim about the flood. But one can conclude that it was because he was favored by the God as only Ea chose him not the group of gods together. One can also guess as to why Utnapishtim was chosen because Ea spoke into the reed walls of Utnapishtims castle and he overheard him talking about the disastrous flood that is coming. Enkidu is represented as Gilgameshs more reasonable and rational side. Enkidu helped Gilgamesh find his heroic side and turned him from a ruthless ruler to a hero.Enkidu was created to help balance and relax Gilgamesh. He was created by the goddess Arura from a hunk of clay in the forest. Enkidu was created to be a mirror image of Gilgamesh has in has the same strength and temper.Enkidu spoke to the harlot:/ Come, Shamhat, take me away with you/ to the sacred Holy Temple, the residence of Anu and Ishtar,/the place of Gilgamesh, who is wise to perfection,/but who struts his power over the people like a wild bull./ I will challenge him / Let me shout out in Uruk: I am the mighty one!/ Lead me in and I will change the order of things;/ he whose strength is mightiest is the one born in the wilderness! (1.196-204).Before they become bestfriends, their pride and love of power created a feud between the two. Enkidu and Gilgamesh ended up becoming best friends after and Enkidu was the protec tor of his friend on their adventures and journeys. When Enkidu dies, Giglamesh is traumatised that he lost his bestfriend but then he starts to question his own future. A crucial theme that is displayed throughout the poem is mortality. After Enkidus death, Gilgamesh trembled with fear screaming I am going to die!†am I not like Enkidu?!/ Deep sadness penetrates my core,/ I fear death, and now roam the wilderness†/I will set out to the region of Utanapishtim, son of Ubartutu, and will go with utmost dispatch! (9.2-5). Gilgamesh thought that the only way to overcome his fear was to acheive immortality. He set off to find a man who has done this and learn how he did it. Gilgamesh travels a great deal to track down the mortal man who gained immortality. Death is seen as an impending doom and nobody wants to face it. During his journey, he stumbled upon the very man he was looking for, Utnapishtim. Utnapishtim then tells him the story of the great flood and how he was given immortality. After hearing the story, Gilgamesh realized that the quality of someones life is not determined by fortune and stature, but the quality of the time he spent w ith the people around him. Humans come to terms with death when they realized that life is worth appreciating and is all about the people you love surrounding you.

The Health And Safety Plan For The Decommissioning Of...

1. The Health and Safety Plan for the decommissioning of existing plant equipment and installation of new plant equipment. Principal Contractor Principal Designer Client CDM Standards and Objectives for the Project Safety Standards and Objectives for the Project The Principal Contractor Site Safety Policy Statement 2. Summary Project Information Project Name Project Address Project Duration of works Description and Scope of Works Form of Contract Existing Environment Previous / Current Land and Plant Use Surrounding Area Existing Services Existing Structures Existing Plant Equipment Ground Conditions Existing Traffic Systems 3. Management Team Organisation and Responsibilities Management Team Function Project Organisation and†¦show more content†¦endixes should contain the following; Site Layout Site Specific Safety Induction (including site rules) Notification of Project Fire Safety Plan Emergency Procedures Project Programme Plan Design Plan Types of documents, records and general forms to be included; Access Equipment Inspection Record Forklift Truck Checklist Induction Aid Training Record Risk Assessments, safe systems of work and method statements Control of Substances Hazardous to Health and COSHH Assessments Personal Protective Equipment Issue Workplace Inspection Form Contractor Approval Questionnaire Contractor Control Documents and Records; Construction Site Inspection Checklist (Builder) Construction Site Inspection Checklist (Electrical) Contractor (Sub) Approval Questionnaire Contractor (Sub) Control Document Excavation Permit to Work General Permit to Work Good Neighbour Checklist Hot Works Permit to Work HV Electrical Isolation Permit to Work Noise Control Checklist Permit to Work in Confined Spaces Pollution Control Checklist Waste Control Checklist Health and Safety Management overview Audit Section Importance Project Plan Gantt chart High Safe Systems of Work High Risk assessments High Fire risk assessment High Method Statements High Plans of installations High Plan for external areas High Training and information High Management Meetings High Asbestos Survey High Appoint Structural Engineer for inspection of building High Health and Safety Policy Document and Arrangements PolicyShow MoreRelatedMitigation Of The Land Environment1603 Words   |  7 Pages3 (i.e. the decommissioning and abandonment ). 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The Importance Of Effective Communication †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Importance Of Effective Communication. Answer: The importance of effective communication in human life can never be overstated. A person who feels confident while speaking, and can assert his views as and when required, can lead a successful life, both in the personal as well as the professional domain. Hence, I felt that it has become extremely important to analyse my communication skills and identify any communication issues, if present me, that I need to work on (Evans et al., 2017). I have realized that effective communication skills will not only help me later in my professional life, right from getting selected in an interview to leading and managing my team at workplace, but will also help me interact effectively with my professor, friends and family members. Considering the importance of analysing my communication skills, I undertook communication self-assessment test with the help of five distinct diagnostic tests, the results and findings of which have been discussed below, along with the action plans that I need to fol low in order to overcome the identified communication issues (Leathers Eaves, 2015). The first communication diagnostic tool used by me is the Talkaholic Scale Communication Questionnaire. This specific questionnaire helps to understand if the person taking the test is a Talkaholic or not. Although the word is often used in a derogatory way, it should be remembered that a positive result in this test does imply that the individual is an effective communicator. The whole idea of the test is to determine if the speaker is able to communicate effectively in presence of others or not, and being a Talkaholic is quite different from being talkative. A Talkaholic neither uses offensive words, nor does he talk too much, but knows how to express his views and ask questions, as and when he requires to do. Accordingly, on undertaking the test, I found out that I scored 27, which implies I am moderately talkaholic. The result suggested that I communicate with people as and when required, and i do not have the tendency to engage myself in conversations, which can be avoided by me . I am not verbal that way, and prefer to remain quiet, unless the situation arises which demands me to express and exchange my views. The result also suggested that I am not capable of dominating conversations, and my apathy towards initiating conversations can also be seen as a symptom of my behavioural shyness. The second test that I undertook is called Listening Diagnostic Pre-test, which intends to evaluate the listening skills of the speaker. As it is a known fact, listening is one of the most important features characterizing the communication style of a good communicator. A person should not merely talk but necessarily be ready to embrace the perspectives of other people. Accordingly, after taking the test, I found out that I scored 75 which shows that I am not a bad listener at all, even if I am not an effective listener. I usually prefer to avoid boring speech sessions, which is quite normal for anyone. However, the results of the questionnaire clearly suggested that I put efforts to appreciate the speech and perspectives of the speaker even if he does not express views and opinions I subscribe to. Even though I may not be able to appreciate the perspectives expressed by the speaker, I never tend to get up and neither levae the conversation, nor do I feel bored in a remarkable way. I n other words, I do possess effective listening skills not merely because I remain present at the time of the speech even if I do not like it, but essentially because I actively listen to and engage myself in the conversation. Although verbal communication receives most of the attention, non-verbal communication is no less important to be considered. The way a person interacts, the gestures he uses and the body movements of him, can say much about his communication approach and style. In order to evaluate my non-verbal communication skills, I undertook the Non-verbal Immediacy Scale Self Report. As per the findings of the report, my non-verbal communication skills are perfect. I always maintain a relaxed position, never frown or exhibit any negative facial expression, that can be considered to be offensive. This test, just like the above two reports, confirmed that I have no communication issue in this field as well, as far as my body gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, postures and voice tone are concerned. It is not sufficient to be able to communicate with people and listen to them, but it is equally important to strike effective and free conversation with the people coming from foreign locations or belonging to different cultural groups. Accordingly, in order to examine my inter-cultural communication skills, I undertook the Personal Report on Intercultural Communication Apprehension (PRICA) that helps in showing the degree of intercultural competence of the student in the communication process. This is the test where I identified my first communication issue, as the findings suggested that I am not competent enough to engage in conversations that involve speakers from different cultural backgrounds of the society. Accordingly, the test showed that I feel nervous and tend to get anxious when I engage in conversation with people of distinct cultural backgrounds. The inability to understand a new language, along with lack of comprehension of understanding the cultural norms and ideolog ical beliefs of the person from an alien culture, creates anxiety in me, and my thought often gets jumbled up within, while I try to express my opinions before the person. My low score of 42 suggested that I may have problems in working in a diverse workplace owing to cross-cultural communication problems. I also undertook the Public Speaking Anxiety Test to understand if I get anxious at the time of delivering communication or not, and I scored 98, suggesting I have speech anxiety issue. After undertaking the test, I discovered that I experience intense fear and communication apprehension while or prior to delivering a presentation, and also often experience stage fright. While delivering a speech in the public, I often experience nervousness and anxiety, as I feel that I am in a subordinate position, or that the audience may critique me as well. I would like to mention here that recently I had experienced am intercultural communication problem, as I met a Japanese client at workplace. Since I belong to the Australian culture, I tend to behave in a professional way, and refrain from disclosing personal experience in a professional area. However, the client was from Asia, and having belonged to a collectivist culture, he tended to strike a conversation with me about my personal life. However, owing to my ineffective intercultural issue, I miserably failed to engage in an effective communication. Much before undertaking the anxiety assessing test, I was aware that I had public speaking anxiety. I had a nerve-wrecking presentation experience, where I had to communicate the proposed business project to my boss, and the very sight of hierarchically superior employees made me nervous. Most of the time, I murmured and stammered, and my superiors claimed that they could not make any sense of the professional presentation. Having identified the two communication issues, I have identified through the diagnostic tools, I have decided to conduct a literature review of these two communication flaws and discuss the critical perspectives of the scholars and critics. Research suggests that language difference is the major challenge impeding the smooth flow of effective communication (Fujimori et al., 2014). Even if the speaker knows the language of the listener, he still may be incapable of striking meaningful conversation as the very same word may have different meanings and implications in different cultures (Kinloch Metge, 2014). Besides, the difference in non-verbal communication approach often leaves the spake from another culture confused or even prejudiced. For example, a Latin American businessperson may tend o stand closer to his business partner while a North American businessperson will avoid the same. Again, a Chinese communicator may prefer to engage in personal conversation with his business pa rtner, but a German businessman will be offended by such non-professional conduct. Critics suggest that the inability to comprehend a foreign language and the challenges encountered in deciphering the body language and non-verbal discourse of the foreign person account for ineffective intercultural communication problem, in most of the cases (Warren, 2017). It is equally important to state here that often people experience cross-cultural communication problems simply because they develop negative stereotypes and prejudices as a result of ethnocentrism, which compels one to believe that his own culture is superior to the culture of the listener (Bochner, 2013). Once prejudices, smooth flow of effective communication will necessarily be impeded. Again, at the same time, it is also important to examine the academic literature and past researches to understand the problem of public speaking anxiety as a serious communication issue (Glassman et al., 2014). Public Speaking Anxiety, also referred to as PSA, is defined as a sense of fear panic and anxiety as experienced by the speaker while delivering speech before an audience (Priestley et al., 2015). Critics suggest that PSA commonly occurs when the speaker is well-aware that the people sitting in the audience are superior to him, in terms of position or intelligence, which creates a sense of fear and possible failure, that lead to their communication failure. 76% of the respondents in a research claimed that they experience public speech fear, and the fear of delivering speech in the public has even outranked the common fears of mice, height and visit to a dental clinic as well (Nazligul et al., 2017). Further, research has indicated that there are some common reasons behind co mmunicators experiencing public speech anxiety (Mesri et al., 2017). First of all, the communicator does not regularly require delivering a public presentation each day, and hence he often fails to communicate spontaneously on the special occasions (Castillo, 2016). Often a sense of awareness about the speakers inferior position, in terms of designation or skills impedes his ability to express his ideas openly, leading to the anxiety. Most importantly, in most of the cases, the speaker becomes unusually self-focused as he finds the audience either blankly staring at him or ignoring him, both of which affects his confidence level in a negative way. After having identified two major communication issues of mine, and having thoroughly researched about the causes and implications of the same, I have decided to adopt an effective communication plan that can help me overcome these communication challenges. My action plan comprises of the actions I am going to undertake for the coming six months. Each of these strategies have been adopted as per the SMART goals, so that each of them is specific, measurable, attainable, reliable and time-specific. I have also created a Gantt chart to explain the time-duration of each action so as to show within what time exactly I will be able to accomplish the objectives. First of all, in order to overcome the problem of poor cross-cultural communication issues, I will enrol myself in a cultural training course that is expected to boost my knowledge of the ideals and norms of the people of different cultures, and appreciate the cultural differences. However, mere training will be insufficient unless the same is accompanied by practical experience. This is exactly the reason, why I will also participate in at least three different cross-cultural communication workshops that will help in improving my cross-cultural communication experience, as I will be made to interact with people of different cultures and my communication approach will be supervised by the communication experts (Samovar et al., 2014). Above all, the inability to understand a foreign language often impedes effective cross-cultural communication, and hence I will alos enrols myself in some foreign language learning courses. Since it is impossible for me to develop knowledge regarding al l the international languages, I will enrol myself in some of the specific language learning courses such as Spanish, French and Russian, which are relevant to my business needs. Next, in order to address the problem of my public speaking anxiety, I have chalked a few strategies which have been discussed here. First of all, I will join a public speech class that will provide me practical strategies to speak more confidently before the public. Next, I will practice delivering speech at home, by writing a script, and practicing the speech before the mirror and few of my close friends and family members. I will ask them to evaluate my communication approach and point out, any flaw, if any. I will observe my own gestures, body languages and body movements in the mirror that will help me in self-evaluation as well. I will also read books about public speech that will help to inspire me and boost my confidence in delivering speech before the live audience. I will buy and read books like Eloquence in Public Speaking by Dr. Kenneth McFarland (Panayiotou et al., 2017). Action Plan (Gantt Chart): Action Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Cultural Training Course Cross-cultural Communication Workshops Foreign Language Learning Courses Public Speech Class Practice Speech Delivery at Home Buy and Read Inspirational Books References Bochner, S. (Ed.). (2013).Cultures in contact: Studies in cross-cultural interaction(Vol. 1). Elsevier. Castillo, L. O. (2016).Colored Visuals: Their Implications to Public Speaking Anxiety(Doctoral dissertation). Evans, D. R., Hearn, M. T., Uhlemann, M. R., Ivey, A. E. (2017).Essential interviewing: A programmed approach to effective communication. Nelson Education. Fujimori, M., Shirai, Y., Asai, M., Kubota, K., Katsumata, N., Uchitomi, Y. (2014). Effect of communication skills training program for oncologists based on patient preferences for communication when receiving bad news: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of clinical oncology,32(20), 2166-2172. Glassman, L. H., Herbert, J. D., Forman, E. M., Bradley, L. E., Izzetoglu, M., Ruocco, A. C., Goldstein, S. P. (2014). Near-infrared spectroscopic assessment of in vivo prefrontal activation in public speaking anxiety: A preliminary study.Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice,1(3), 271. Kinloch, P., Metge, J. (2014).Talking past each other: problems of cross cultural communication. Victoria University Press. Leathers, D. G., Eaves, M. (2015).Successful nonverbal communication: Principles and applications. Routledge. Mesri, B., Niles, A. N., Pittig, A., LeBeau, R. T., Haik, E., Craske, M. G. (2017). Public speaking avoidance as a treatment moderator for social anxiety disorder.Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry,55, 66-72. Nazligul, M. D., Yilmaz, M., Gulec, U., Gozcu, M. A., OConnor, R. V., Clarke, P. M. (2017, September). Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety of Software Engineers Using Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy. InEuropean Conference on Software Process Improvement(pp. 191-202). Springer, Cham. Panayiotou, G., Karekla, M., Georgiou, D., Constantinou, E., Paraskeva-Siamata, M. (2017). Psychophysiological and self-reported reactivity associated with social anxiety and public speaking fear symptoms: Effects of fear versus distress.Psychiatry Research. Priestley, J., Moghaddam, N., Dawson, D. (2015). ACT for public speaking anxiety: a case series study of effects on self-reported, implicit, Imaginal and in-vivo performance outcomes. Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., McDaniel, E. R., Roy, C. S. (2014).Intercultural communication: A reader. Cengage Learning. Warren, T. L. (2017).Cross-cultural Communication: Perspectives in theory and practice. Routledge.

The Symbolic Meanings of Colors Between China free essay sample

The Symbolic Meanings of Colors Between China and Western Countries Abstract: This bright world is rich in colors. When people are enjoying the beautiful scenery of nature, they create many words to express what they have seen, the so- called colors. People formed a rich association about colors for different colors have different meanings, or symbolic meanings. The associated meanings of color words are the result of mapping from one domain to another. Because of the common sense shared by the people and their similar way of thinking, people with different cultural background are almost the same in perception and taste. That is to say, the symbolic meanings of colors have many points in common. While because of the differences in customs, environment, ways of thinking, religious beliefs and nationalities, color words are inevitably endowed with their differences in symbolism. This paper aims to present the differences of color symbolic meanings between China and western countries and explore the reasons that lead to the differences. We will write a custom essay sample on The Symbolic Meanings of Colors Between China or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Conclusion 14 References 15 Introduction From a scientific definition, color is a visual phenomenon caused by transmission, reflection or light waves of objects. It is a basic human visual characteristic. Color is a perception of human beings to the objective world, and whether in nature or in social life, there are a variety of colors. The so-called beautiful world, colorful life can xplain that peoples real life is closely related to colors and people are living in a world filled with various colors. The founder of modern abstract art, Wassily Kandinsky, pointed out that the color directly had an impact on the spirit (Wassily, 2001: 213). In human language, there exist a large number of records of symbols of colors † the color words. These words are often used in the language, so it has rich emotional and cultural connotations, and their unique charms are very We must not only observe the basic meaning of the color words, impressive. but also pay more attention to their deeper symbolic meanings. In art and anthropology, color symbolism refers to the use of colors as symbols throughout a culture. In cross-cultural communication, because of different nationalities, different cultural backgrounds or different religions and beliefs, even among the same people of the same culture but belonging to different social groups, different social classes or different educational levels, the perception of various colors is not always the same. Color symbolism in different cultures owns different characteristics and some of the characteristics even have been extended and transferred to specific respects nd taboos. China lies thousands of miles far away from the Western countries, and the geographic location, natural phenomenon, historical background, national values, religion, and traditional custom enhance the difference between China and Western countries in color symbolism. This paper aims at introducing the similarities and differences of colors in Chinese and Western cultures, exploring the reasons for different color symbolism, with a purpose to avoid international communicative failures caused by this factor. The thesis falls into six parts. nformation and the generation and aim of the paper. Chapter two shows the similar symbolic meaning of color words in China and Western cultures from some basic color terms, including red, green, black, etc. Chapter three illustrates the different symbolic meanings of color words in China and Western cultures on the different colors, such as red, yellow, white, etc. Chapter four analyses the reasons for different symbolic meanings of color words in C hina and western cultures through three aspects: different values, different religions and different customs. Chapter five lists some communicative failures caused by misunderstanding of symbolic meanings of color words. Chapter six finally come to a conclusion that the study on the symbolic meaning of colors between China and western countries can help enhance cross-culture communication, promote and strengthen cultural exchanges and integration between people. The Similar Symbolic Meanings of Color Words in China and Western Culture Since human being are derived from the same species, thus to some extent, except the different conditions, all the humans are born with the same perception of objects. Accordingly, similar symbolic meaning of color words exists in both Chinese and Western cultures. 2. 1 Red Red is the strongest one of all kinds of colors to peoples eyes and brains. Red is the favorite and the most important color for Chinese people. It stands for Chinese basic cultural color and represents the Chinese material and spiritual pursuit. It is said that the positive symbolic meaning of red was spread far from east Persia to the western cultures. Now, red is related to festive days and celebrations to express a warm, cheerful, enthusiastic, passionate and enthusiastic spirit in both China and the west. Chinese matchmaker who manages to arrange a good marriage is called *1iR. Chinese people always cut red couplets, stick the red on the walls or doors and hang red lanterns to celebrate the New Year. In the west, red-letter has been applied to be an adjective word in the early 1 5th century. At that time, important Christian festivals and other days related to saints were marked in red on the calendar. In the 18th century, the non-religious also employed red-letter days as significant moments, such as the day of birth, the day of promotion, and the day of wedding anniversary. (Zhang, 2007: 69) Also, to roll out the red carpet for somebody is to welcome a person in high station with courtesy and deference. painting the town red refers to carnival and festivals. From the emotional point of view, the red color, both in the East and the West, can be extended to express the excitement, emotion, shyness, anger and other emotional states. For example, in Chinese, we have and fiÐ’Â ±1â₠¬Å¾fi which refers to anger and anguish. And in English there are also phrases see red and like a red rag to a bull used when a person becomes angry or annoyed. 2. Green In China, green is also a favored color after red. It reminds people of the start of spring with sunny days, luxuriant vegetation and vigorous signs of life. It is color of ood in ancient five Chinese elements, metal, wood, water, fire and earth. (Han negative meaning both in China and in the western countries. Green gives people the sense of natures harmony and tranquility and stands for wish and hope. The great Chinese poet of Tang Dynasty Li Bai used in his poem gog ¶% to symbolize spring. From that, the most dynamic stage of life is called  ¤ the youth, and this period of time is the adolescence. The scholars earned a lot of respect from people in China, so they were addressed respectfully as  ¤i9 and  ¤Ã‚ ¤ (Xie Haihong Zhang Liping, 2006: 96). In English, in the green eans one is in his vitality and green old age for one is old but vigorous. Green in keep the memory green and the green wound both express the newness in color symbolism. The green traffic light indicates permission of moving forward. Whats more, because green is the color of grass and trees, it is the best cover color of the ground troops; it represents army. Nevertheless, the negative meanings of green are as many as the positive ones. With the social changes in ancient China, feudal hierarchy brings negative sense to green. It was once color of poverty. and are symbols of officials who were too Junior (Chen Weibin, 2005: 36). We have a saying which describes a husband or a wife find his or her another half betray him or her. It is an expression of envy. Correspondingly, green also has bad meaning in English. It has connotations such as being Jealous, childish and ill- trained. For example, a green hand means a novelty who lacks experience; as green as grass indicates someone is naive and childish; a green eye is the Jealous eyes. . 3 Black At the beginning of primitive time, human beings were afraid of nights, because there was no light, and people were surrounded by darkness. Therefore, people naturally have a fear of black. As a consequence, color affects peoples physiology and life, and moreover the culture. In Chinese and western cultures, black symbolizes death, suffering and grief. Generally in the Chinese t raditional psychology people relate black to bad things, which are dark, evil and treacherous. And also black was conferred with illegal and ominous meaning. In the west, black is the dead color. It is the basic taboo in western culture. The symbolic meaning of black in Chinese culture is closely related to Chinese traditional five elements theory. Green in the east is for spring, red in the south for summer, white in the west for fall, and black in he north for winter. For example, *iF, refers to bandits, the behavior they act and the language they speak. And also *E reminds people of hostels robbery which often happens (Collier, 1973: 246) . The symbolic meaning of black in western culture is affected by western traditional painting art. Painters in ancient Rome and Greek applied their religions to the colors of works. Black is the embodiment of hell, sin, death and disaster. After 911, people call that day black letter day and black 911. In English, some phrases have completely equivalent meaning and form with Chinese sayings, such as black market *fi, lack hand black sheep Ifi+ and so on. 2. 4 Other Colors There are many other colors which share the same meaning between Chinese culture and western culture. Purple in ancient China is the symbol of imperial family. The forbidden city in Chinese is and is a propitious omen. In the west, purple is beloved by royal family. In ancient Rome, the purple clothes is a color without characteristics. A grey day, grey prospect of success and grey list are not good phrases. They all express the dooming and unclear meaning. Grey area means an area of a subject or situation that is not clear or does not fit into a articular group and is therefore difficult to define or deal with (Berlin, Kay, 1969: Pink is a color of woman. Chinese poet Cui Hu wrote the poem 204). e† I. He compared girls to peach blossoms, because girls liked to adorn themselves with pink rouge. In English, Pink-collar workers are connected to women who take govern, nurse or secretary for work. The Different Symbolic Meanings of Color Words Color symbols are culturally constructed linkages that vary with time, place, and history. Therefore, one color may perform very different symbolic functions in different cultures. 3. 1 Red Red in China and in the west presents different symbolic meaning, which is the most significant one among the color words. In English history, red is not a very good word. It is the association of the fire, blood, and it symbolizes cruelty, war, violence, revolution. Some Westerners take red as an evil omen or a sign for danger. The red flag that bullfghters use to provoke bulls is considered annoying. Red is used as a symbol of guilty, sin and anger. It is often connected with blood or sex. A Biblical example is found in Isaiah: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Also, The Scarlet Letter, an American novel of 1850s written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, features a woman in a Puritan New England community who is punished for adultery with ostracism. Her sin is represented by a red letter A sewn into her clothes. (Han, 2003: 137) This all comes from a general Hebrew view inherited by Christianity which associates red with the blood of murder, as well as with guilty in general. Often, red means to fear or scare. Another popular example of this is in the phrase caught red-handed, meaning either caught in an act of crime or caught with the blood of murder still on ones hands. Red is also associated with prostitutes, or now, with re d-light districts which we called 41XJX. 3. 2 White Contrast to red, white is a taboo word in Chinese culture, reflecting Chinese peoples material and spiritual rejection and disgust. (Heider, 1971 : 450) White is a pale and lifeless color with a symbol of death and ominousness. From the ancient time, after the death of a family members, g* is need to be done. Later, it is added with the meaning of failure in military. For example, the lost party in the war hold †° bR. And, it symbolizes illiteracy in education, such as the uneducated people are alled Weibin, 2005: 39). It is added with the meaning of corruption, reactionary and degeneration in politics, like what so-called But in English culture, symbolic meaning of white is like its literally meaning of this word. In the eyes of westerners, white is a pure and elegant color. So, what the color of white to English is what the color of red to Chinese. This taboo word in Chinese is popular in foreign wedding ceremony. White indicates purity and innocence, such as a white soul (pure), white wedding. It also means integrity and honesty, such as a white spirit as one of the white days of somebodys life. 3. 3 Yellow In ancient China, yellow is a color of holiness, nobleness and power. It is a variation from the color of red. In ancient time, people named the good days as *E. In politics, yellow used to indicate the power of central government and the majesty of king so that the color of yellow was exclusive to the feudal emperors with the expressions as embodying a kind of superiority and dignity of Royalty (Wang Yiyin, 2006: 168). However, with the change of social customs, the original meaning of yellow varies a lot. Unlike Chinese culture, the word of yellow in English reminds us the color of Judas clothes, who betrayed Jesus. (Yu Ting, 2008: 120) As a result, yellow is not such a good word in English. It usually means being melancholy, morbid, nasty and timid, such as yellow-dog refers to mean people, and yellow-belly to coward. New York Journal uses yellow ink to print gutter comics to earn circulation. So people call these unhealthy publications yellow press. 3. 4 Other Colors Blue is the color of the sea and the sky. In China, it is used to symbolize the peaceful mood. But in the western culture, blue usually gives people a sense of doom and depression. That he is in a blue mood means he is depressed and in a low mood. The blues is a kind of music of the dark, slow and sad, which is full of emotion. Besides, blue refers toa noble man and a noble birth, like blue blood. The blue ribbon is the highest award for the winner of competition. The blue room is not the room which is painted blue, but the guest-room in the White house, in which the president meets his close relations and friends. Also blue possesses negative meaning of being dirty and pornography. The blue film and the blue talk both embodies the meaning of yellow in Chinese culture. The blue revolution is regarded as the openness of sex (Zhao Chaoyong, 2010: 147). The Reasons for Different Symbolic Meanings of Color Words in China and Western Countries Color is a main aspect of our lives, so it is important for us to understand color terms truly and thoroughly. The difference between Chinese and Western worlds may confuse us in distinguishing the symbolic meanings of colors, but to keep the reasons that cause the differences in mind, we can not only interpret the terms themselves, but also the roots. 4. 1 Different Values People Judge others or things, such as beauty and ugliness, firstly by vision. Color of vision plays a critical role in criteria. But in the different culture background, the values of colors vary so much. 4. 1. 1 From Aesthetics Aspect Different nations have different aesthetics standards. The ethnic minority in the west of Vietnam has the custom of black dyed teeth, and the more black the teeth are, the more beautiful they are. Similarly, women in Mali, Africa people regard black as a lucky color. They use something called henna leaves to dye their feet and gums, and also the palms. Boys will take the girls skill of dyeing into consideration when they find their Ms. Right. But in Mozambique, also located in Africa, people prefer white as the beauty. Girls put flour on the faces which is made from a bread tree to make their skin white. For women, Chinese has the tradition aesthetic fond of dark their skin by sunbathing or other means Oiang, 2002: 60). 4. 1. 2 From Taboo Aspect The differences of perception of colors are shown by taboo. People from varied cultures have diverse taboos. Japanese, because of their religion of Buddhism, take green as a color of evil. Green is the symbol of courage and fght, the way of Asura which is abandoned by Buddhism. (Zhang Zhenhua, 2007: 81) In Belgium, blue reminds people of bad fortune, and blue is the color of Satan. Red is not favored, because after people die, the words about the funeral is written in red. Egypt, Ethiopia, and Brazil dislike yellow, and yellow is a bad omen to people. In France, the yellow flower is a symbol of unloyalty. The Irish can not accept blue-white things, for the reason that the national flag of Britain is blue and white. The Spanish hate brown for its bad symbolic meaning of disaster. In western countries, black is a color of funerals, so it is not applied to decorate bedrooms. Similar to the tradition of western countries, black and white are colors of funerals in China. nd †°% ¤ are he representatives of hell, so black and white somehow are taboo colors for Chinese. 4. 2 Different Religions It is universally known that most Chinese are either Buddhist or Taoist, while most of the western countries are Christian. Different religions exert influences on most part of the culture. 4. 2. 1 From Buddhism Aspect There are six realms of samsara in Buddhism. Accordin g to the legend, six realms of samsara is the way of reincarnation of living beings. Six realms of samsara can be divided into three good paths and three evil paths. The three good paths include gods, men and asuras. And the three evil paths embody animals, hungry ghosts and the hell. In six realms of samsara, white represents anatta, the way of heaven; yellow stands for love, good kind and the way of human; red is on behalf of greed, the way of evil; blue symbolizes the erotic keenness of sex, the way of animal. Green is the symbol of courage and fight, the way of asura; black is the color of sin and wrath, the way of sinking hell (Luo Shiping, 2007: 96-102). Another important color in Buddhism is yellow. Yellow is the color among five strict colors in Buddhism: blue, yellow, red, white and black. Yellow is the color of Buddhism. Buddhism is originated in India. People from the lowest class wear yellow clothes in the age of Sakyamuni. Therefore, the Buddhas choice to wear yellow clothes is the expression of simplicity. Future generations worship the Buddha, so yellow becomes the most distinguished color. People from Buddhist countries now look yellow as the color of the super world free from vulgarity and symbolizing unlimited power of Buddha. 4. 2. 2 From Christianity Aspect Christianity in the west is a religion of symbolism. Color is applied as an object. Most of the color meanings are affected by Christian comprehension. White symbolizes God, pure, soul, innocence, and life; gold possesses the meaning of sovereign, and confessor, while the same meaning of sun, love, wisdom and dignity; red, on one hand, represents the love of God and the blood of Jesus, and on the other hand, it embodies the meaning of sin in the world. The red clothes are the symbol of clergy, martyr and saint; green is the color of earth, hope, and birth, the color of clothes in transfguration; blue is employed to be on behalf of paradise, faith, infinite, color of king and pope (Yu Ting, 2008: 120). From those colors, the colors of Christianity and church have strict and special symbolic meaning. The church colors extend to the external world. The extension not only influences the modern art of Christianity, but also common peoples life. In the Christian society, yellow is one of the taboo colors, contrary to that in China. This kind of understanding is originated in legend that Judas who betrayed Jesus wore yellow clothes. Although there is no final conclusion about the legend, the abandon of yellow in clothes and painting illustrates the huge influence of it. The most obvious influence of color use in Christian countries is black. In Medieval age, many theologians held opposed attitude to bright colors. They believed that these colors present dangerous and ambiguous sides of things. Too rich colors can transfer attention of Christians. Bright colors were forbidden in the church. The main colors were white, black and grey. In the 1460s, a popularity of black clothes took the way in the western countries. Today, black suits, white shirts and grey coat are the traditional and plain color legacy. 4. Different Customs Every country has its own customs due to its unique history backgrounds, location, religion and culture. Customs significantly affect peoples understanding of colors. 4. 3. 1 In China The color of red has the meaning of Joy and celebration in Chinese culture. Such connotation may be derived from the legend of the Nian beast. It was said that there was a monster called Nian in ancient China. Nian lived in the depth of the sea and went ashore on New Years Eve. He liked to prey on livestock and hunt for human beings, and thus people escaped into mountains. But one year, in the Eve evening, while people were preparing for going up to the mountains, an elderly beggar came to the village. It was a scene of a panic rush and only one old lady gave ome food to the beggar, and she advised him to escape too. Instead of running, the beggar smiled to tell her that he had the means to drive away Nian. When Nian came into the village, it found red paper in the ladys door and the house was busting with light. At the same time, a sudden bang flap sound of bombing came to its ears. Suddenly, an old man appeared in red clothes. Nian was greatly frightened and fled helter-skelter. From then on, every household posted red couplets on the door, set off fireworks and suspended red lanterns to get rid of monster Nian. 4. 3. 2 In Western Countries White has a favorable meaning in the Western world. This symbolism is direct and traceable as elegance and innocence. The meaning originates from the color of snow, milk and white lily. In the Bible, white stands for gods and angels. It is the traditional custom in western countries that in the wedding, white is the main color of decoration. The wedding is also called the white wedding. The bride wears white wedding dress. There was no such tradition since the 19th century; Queen Victoria ordered a white elegant wedding dress in the wedding ceremony. From then, white wedding dress became the formal one in the wedding. (Han, 2003: 141) Until now, the wedding dress must be white, while only the remarriage woman can choose other colors of wedding dress to show the difference. Christmas is the most important said that white Christmas is the highest level of Christmas. White Christmas is that during the day before Christmas, 24th December, it snows heavily, and when 25th comes, the land is full of white snow. White Christmas is auspicious symbolism to westerners. Communicative Failures Caused by Misunderstanding of Symbolic Meanings of Color Words The reasons that have caused communicative failures on color symbolism can be xplored into two aspects: from idioms aspect and from pragmatics aspect. Some failure cases are given below in order to enhance readers comprehension. 5. 1 From Idioms Aspect It is universally known that there are many idioms in English, originated from many fields. Idioms are very important to help people to make better understanding of western culture. What is more, in the international communication, idioms are the obstacles leading to communicative failures. Here are some examples. One day, Tom, from England, and Wu Xin, from China, went to an auction of arts. The third piece of art is sculpture of gold tiger. The starting price is 200 million. It is really a sky-high price. Tom is surprised by many peoples interest in it. He says, It is really a white elephant. Wu does not understand. White elephant? It is a gold tiger! In this case, Wu misunderstands white elephant. What does Tom mean by white elephant? Its original meaning is truly the literal meaning. However, as an idiom, it has nothing to do with color. The meaning is derived. In ancient Thailand, if the king is not satisfied with a minister, he will give him a white elephant. White elephant in Thailand is sacred, and can not be killed or slaved. Because it is a gift from the king, it can not be given to others, only raised at home. Over time, the cost will lead the minister to bankruptcy. White elephant refers to something expensive and useless. Another example is black sheep. Once, some students from America and China hung out together, talking about English idioms and Chinese old sayings. One student from China said evil horse. It confused those from America. Later, they found out that he wanted to express the meaning of black sheep. There is an old saying in Chinese, and once it is translated to evil horse. Here is a big mistake. In English, black sheep corresponds to what Chinese mean It can not be translated into The explanation in Webster Dictionary of black sheep is a recessive black-fleeced individual in a flock of normally white-fleeced sheep. Why are people so interested in black sheep that there exists such an idiom? In western countries, people think black sheeps wool is less valuable than white sheeps. Meanwhile, the black sheep fears the white ones. Also, black is an evil color in western countries, so this idiom was produced. 5. 2 From Pragmatics Aspect The wide application of color words in language is always the hot topic in linguistics. Pragmatic meaning of color words differs from various cultural backgrounds, history and values. Some failures caused by pragmatic meaning of colors are given below to help the readers with better understanding. One instance is the translation of one of Chinese four classics. The recognized translators Yang Xianyi and Dai Naidie. But some people, especially foreigners, think it is inappropriate by using the word red. Great British Sinologist David Hawkes realized that the word red may cause misunderstanding like blood, violence, and fght to foreign readers. To avoid this possibility, David chose the other name of the ovel 62k, and translated it into The Story of The Stone, and unconventionally translated tÃ' $l* to Green Delights for green symbolizes the hopeful and vigorous meaning. This helps foreign readers better understand the content of the novel. The other one for pragmatics misunderstanding is about the city flower of Beijing, yellow chrysanthemum. Foreigners are surprised to see yellow chrysanthemum everywhere in Beijing, not only for the reason that chrysanthemum is the symbol of funeral, but that the color of the flower has pejorative connotation. In the eyes of French, yellow flower stands for disloyalty between couple. It came from the tale that Judas dressed yellow when he betrayed Jesus. Traditionally, British take yellow roses as parting between relatives. Conclusion In summary, although theres something in common between Chinese and western cultures, the symbolic meanings of color words in Chinese culture and western culture have a lot of differences. They faithfully record the history of Chinese and Western nations, as well as the social perspective of a specific period. Consequently, the color symbolism bears the distinctive marks of a specific culture. In cross-cultural communication, the color words in English and Chinese as a ymbol system in the two languages possess different uses and cultural implications owning to their distinctive cultural values. This requires us truly understand the differences of different countries cultural traditions, customs and values, which generate the different symbolic meanings of color words through the constant comparative studies. In this way, we can take a closer look at the meaning of words, including many subtle, specific symbolic meanings and cultural information carried by them. Thus, it can help enhance cross-cultural communication, promote and strengthen cultural exchanges and integration between peoples.