The Holocaust

The holocaust is a Greek word which means "whole burnt". It is a genocide of six million European Jews. They were murdered by the Nazis under the command of Adolf Hitler. Adolf Hitler is the leadr of Nazi Regime. However, the holocaust began in 1933 and ended in 1945 when the Nazi were defeated by the allied powers. The term "HOLOCAUST" refers the Nazi's plans to slaughte the Jews.Before starting this, they took the freedom of speach, assembly and press. They also began to search houses even without a warrent.

Adolf Hitler

For the first time, on 1 April, 1933, the German began to fight with the Jews, especilay they hitted to the business of the Jews: Nationwide boycott of Jewish. This brought many problems to the Jews as their economy was destroyed through this action. The Nazi regime also introduced many rules to the Jews in order to seperate them from the German. In September of 1935, they issued many laws which thoroughly hitted to the Jews. They prohibited the marriages between the Germans and the Jews and to co-op with the Jews. Some laws excluded them from the public places such as libraries, parks, hotels...etc.

Wooden bunks

 Day by day, the rules were stricked by the Nazi. In hospitals, the Jewish patients were ignored and all the Jewish children were expelled from the all the public schools. At first the Nazi regime commanded to the Jews to live seperate area, called Ghettos.In  1938, they established concentration camps and began to sent the Jews to thosr camps. They seperated the women, men and the children and sent them to different camps. In concentration camps the Nazis used them as labours, especially in factories.They did not provide any facility to the Jews, even sometimes they did not provide much food, but they took many hard works from the Jews and also they did not provide sufficient place and provided wooden bunks to sleep.
After few years they began to murder them. At first, they shooted randomly. They did not care whether that person is a child or not. Sometimes most of them were murdered infront of their family members.Because of this most of the parents lost their children and vice verca. The Nazi regime used many ways to murder the Jews at once. Putting them to a gaz chambers is one of the methods that they used to murder them. More than six million jews were murdered.
Nowadays there are many films which are directed about this.

 All these movies describe the actions of the Nazi regime and how the innocent Jewish individuals suffer.

What is Culture

When we heard the term "Culture",the first things that come to our mind are,literature,art,paintings...etc. It is true that these aspects include to the culture,but through these aspects, we cannot describe the term "CULTURE".However this concept of culture is a creation of human beings and it refers the lives of members in a society.Therefore the culture and the society are inseperatable.For instance when considering the different kinds of societies such as Primitive society,Peasents society, Folk society, Urban society.

When compairing the human beings with the other animals,there is a considerable difference between them:especially the human beings have some unique qualities and behaviour such as drinking,eating,dressing...etc.Therefore man is considered as a cultural being and each and every man in the world represents his/her own culture.

Culture does not herit biologically,but they have to learn it.This is emphasized through the term "Enculturation".

Edword Tylor

When consideringall these facts,we can cite that culture is a combination of socially transmitted practices,languages,symbols,beliefs,values,norms,ideologies and material objects that people create to deal with real life problems.
However,in 1873,Edword Tylor who is concidered as the father of Anthropology introduced the concept of culture.
"Culture is complex whole which includes knowledge,act,law,morals,custom and any other capabilities acquired by man as a member of society".Accoring to the Tylors definition,the culture is a very complex thing that even cannot comprehend it by deviding into pieces.

Plate Tectonics

The theory of plate tectonics describes the motions that happen in the earth's lithosphere.These motions cause to create the mountains, oceanic trench, volcanic activity, eartquake...etc.Mainly in our earth lithosphere,there are 6 siz main plates.

1. Eurasian Plate
2. North American Plate
3. South American Plate                     
4. Indo-Australian Plate
5. African Plate
6. Pacific Plate

Instead of these six plates,there are small plates such as Caribbean Plate,Cocos Plate,Filipino Plate,Arabian Plate etc.Nowadays,the scientists have found that a new plate is creating in Indo-Australian Plate.

Among these plates,we can recognize three kinds of plates.

1. Transform Boundaries
2. Divergent Boundaries
3. Convergent Boundaries

Many scientists have found that these plates move each and every year,but we do not feel it.They have also provided the evidences to prove it.

When two plates meet together,a pressure creates among the two plates and causes to create montains.For instances we cam mention the mountains such as Himalaya.The opposite of this activity causes to create an oceanic ridge.For instance,we can mention Mid-ocean ridge.

Through above image the changes have been showed.Earlier the African plate was located near the South American plate,but with the time it has moved near to Eurasian Plate.In costal areas,same species of plants and animals also have been found.

As I described above the changes of plates cause to create mountains,oceanic trench,volcanic activities and even Tsunami.

Visit Sri Lanka!!!

Sri Lanka is a small country.Eventhough it is a small country,it is full of natural beauty,historical places.

Imporant places in
 Sri Lanka

With the end on the civil war,many local tourists as well as forign tourists began to visit Sri Lanka.According to my point of view,visiting a place is not sufficient.We should hve a competent knowledge about that place:especially we should know why that place is important.While having a fun,we should collect something for our knowledge.Through this artical, I describe about the places  that can visit in Sri Lanka and also the importance of that place.The places can be devided into two categories: the historical places and the places that are naturally beautiful.
When considering the places that are naturally beautiful,there are plenty of places in Sri Lanka.For instance,we can mention the places such as Hikkaduwa,Nuware Eliya etc...

HIKKADUWA

The map of Hikkaduwa

Hikkaduwa is located in Southern Province in Sri Lanka and it is famous for natural beauty.Most of the tourists visit Hikkaduwa as it is one of the most beautiful beach sides in Sri Lanka.Not only for that,but also for corals.The arrival of the Tsunami in 2004 did a vast damage to the lives styles of people.More than thousnds of individuals had to die.The entire tourism industry had to face many difficulties.However,now they have began it successfully.For the first time, the South Asian Beach Games also held in Hikkaduwa.

When compairing with other beaches,Hikkaduwa beach is the most beautiful.Each and every person can enjoy well.The background has been created by the tourism industry,especially for the forigners as well as for the local tourists.

Hotel facilities

The beach

Enjoy as you wish!

In Hikkaduwa, corals are the most important.They are considered as the best coral garden in the Asia.These corals played a main role during the Tsunami.It acted as a barrier to the sea waves.As a result the destruction reduced a little bit.Corals are a creation of micro organism,called "Polyp".Nowadays many individuals destroy these corals for egoistic notions.For instance,they destroy corels in order to sell them.It is our responsibility to protect them.

Corals


 Kandy


Kandy is located in Central Province and this city famous for natural beauty as well as for historical incidents.In Robert Knoks who was a prisoner during the Kandyan Kingdom,has described this city as one of the most beautiful city in the world and as a city which has an amazing cultural values.Kandy is the last kingdom in Sri Lankan history.Nowadays is is called as,"Mahanuware","Senkadagala","Kanda Udarate Rajadaniya".All these names came with the history.
When considering the places that we can visit in Kandy,at first the Temple with Tooth Relic which is known as Sri Daladha Maligawe comes to our mind. Most of the tourists are like to visit Sri Daladha Maligawe as it is a religious place.

Kandy perahara



Inside the temple of tooth relic



It is famous not only as it is a religious place,but also as there are nice paintings and for perahare.

English Literature

In English Literature,so many poems,short stories,dramas,novels are come across.The writers have been used different kinds of themes such as natural beauty,war,social problems,love and injustices.

POETRY

London

I  wandered through each charted street
Near where the chartered Thames does flow,
A mark in every face I meet,
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.

In every cry of every man,
In every infant's cry of fear,
In every voice, in every ban,
The mind-forged manacles I hear:

How the chimney-sweeper's cry
 Every blackening church appals,
And the hapless soldier's sigh
Runs in blood down palace-walls.

But most, through midnight streets I hear
How the youthful harlot
Blasts the new-born infant's tear,
And blights with plagues the marriage-hearse.
                                                         -by William Blake

William Blake

This poem was written by William Blake who is a mainstay of English Literature.He expresses his attitudes straightforwardly.Once he has cited ,"Always be ready to speak the truth and a base man will avoid you". Unlike Augustan poets, he criticized the royal society and the church. As he had a competent knowledge of the bible,most of the time he used that knowledge to criticize the church and the injustices.Through the collection of poems,"The Songs Of Innocence" which was written during 1789.Through this collection,he has emphasized the beauty of life and nature of a simple life.During 1794,once again he published a collection of poems called,"The Songs Of Experiences" .Through this collection, he has criticized the church, the royal society and has emphasized the sufferings of the public.

The poem "London" is also from the collection of "The Songs Of Experience" and has described the sufferings of the public,child exploitation,war and prostitution.

According to the poem,not only the street,but also the river Thames has commercialized.Generally, a river represents the freedom,but here,even the river Thames does not have a freedom.Then he notices the public.There's no marks of happiness.Instead the marks of happiness,he is able to find the marks of sorrow and tiredness.In the second stanza,the poet has repeated the word "every" to make it universal.The public does not have even the basic human rights,especially the right to speak.It has been prohibited by the royalty.

A Chimney Sweeper

The poet has used the word "manacles" to emphasized the situation that the public has to face.Jean Jacques Rousseau who was French philosopher has mentioned the same notion in the book,"Death" in 1783 ; "Man is born free, but everywhere in chains".

The poet describes the child exploitation by using the chimney swippers and has mentioned the response of the church.He has used the word "blackening" to describe the reaction of the church.The church is the place of virtue, but here it is silent and does not support the innocent.He also criticizes the rulers who are war-mongers.The innocent and young men enlist the army as a result of poverty not for the jingoism.In the last stanza,the poet describes about the prostitutes who sell their bodies for a piece of bread.Most of the time they suffer from the STDs and their children also suffer.

What is Literature?

Most of the time we learn Literature as a subject in schools and in universities, but some students do it without knowing even the real meaning of Literature.Literature is a form of art.We all know that the literature is a part of a culture and it emphasizes a culture's identity.When we heard the term of literature, the first things that come to our mind are poetry,novels and short stories.But the literature includes paintings,songs as well.However,these kinds of arts are created through human experiences.Anyone in the world can write a poem,fiction,short story..etc.
According to my point of view,the main purpose of learning Literature is,appreciating it and studying the human feelings,emotions and the reality.Perhaps,it focuses on natural beauty,war,social problems and love.For this language is not a barrier.Each and every person can present their arts through their own language.That being the reason to mention that the Literature is a part of culture.
Before learning literature,we should love to read and appreciate something.
"Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become."
These lines were uttered by C.S.Lewis and this emphasizes the meaning of Literature.Many individuals can present their own ideas and definitions according to their knowledge and attitudes.