Astrology essays

Astrology essays According to Encarta Encyclopedia, astrology is the study of how events on earth correspond to the positions and movements of astronomical bodies, particularly the sun, moon, planets, and stars. (Astrology, 2) The practice of astrology has been around for a very long time. It seems to have developed independently from many different areas of the world (Encarta). One of the earliest detected forms of astrology is that of the Chaldeans, who lived in Babylonia in 3000 BC. Then there were the Chinese, the Indians and even the Mayans of Central America. It is believed that these people observed that certain astronomical bodies, the sun in particular, affected the seasons and the growth of the crops. By 500 BC, astrology had been detected in Greece, where philosophers such as Plato and Pythagoras incorporated it into their philosophical studies. During the Middle Ages, astrology was widely practiced in Europe (Encarta). Many believed that astrology was a science, that is, until some discoveries in astronomy disproved some theories of astrology. Since then, most scientists have disregarded astrology as a science. (Astrology, 2) Astrologers study astrology, and it is their belief that the position of certain astronomical bodies at the time of birth and the afterward movement reflects their destiny and character. They create charts called horoscopes. According to Encarta Encyclopedia, a horoscope is the illustration of the position of the sun, moon, and planets from a given latitude and longitude on earth at a given moment, usually that of birth. The horoscope is represented by a circle, which is called the ecliptic, which is the plane on which the earth orbits around the sun. The ecliptic has twelve different sections, which are familiarly known as the signs of the zodiac. The sections are: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. The ho...

Anna Karenina essays

Anna Karenina essays Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy is a novel about love and marriage among the Russian aristocracy in the 1870s. Anna is young, beautiful woman married to a powerful government minister, Karenin. She falls in love with the elegant Count Vronsky and after becoming pregnant by him, leaves her husband Karenin and her son Seryozha to live with her lover. Despite the intervention of friends such as her brother Oblonsky, an adulterer himself, she is unable to obtain a divorce, and lives isolated from the society that once glorified her. As a man, Vronsky enjoys relative social freedom, which causes Anna to have increasingly intense fits of jealousy. Because of her constant suspicion, she thinks that Vronskys love for her is dwindling. Their story is ended by an exciting finale that moves the reader. Interwoven with the story of Anna, is the tale of Levin, a thoughtful, passionate young man who seeks to marry the Princess Catherine Shcherbatskaya, known as Kitty. Kitty rejects his first proposal because she believes that Vronsky, who flirted with her before he met Anna, intends to marry her. Levin is devastated and withdraws to his country estate and works on a book about agriculture. But the couple reunites through another appearance of Oblonsky, Kittys brother in law, and they discover that they are deeply in love. Kitty joyfully accepts Levins second proposal. Once married, they live happily in the country, host their families and guests during the summers, and have a son. Levin's philosophical doubt and religious skepticism trouble him despite his domestic happiness, but, after a spiritual enlightenment, he finally recognizes that the capacity for goodness is innate. He devotes himself to living for his loved ones, and to giving his life meaning by advancing the will of God . Anna Karenina is a timeless classic and has been acclaimed by many literary critics as the best or one of the best novels of all time. One critic te...