Microsoft Surface Table: 3D Modelling and Touch Controls

Microsoft Surface Table: 3D Modelling and Touch Controls Background and Context Three Dimensional (3D) Modelling is the process of creating a 3D representation of any surface or object by manipulating polygons, edges, and vertices, in simulated 3D space ­1. 3D modelling is used in many different industries, including virtual reality, video games, TV and motion pictures. 2A 3D modelling software generates a model through a variety of tools and approaches including: Simple polygons. 3D primitives simple polygon-based shapes, such as pyramids, cubes, spheres, cylinders, and cones 3Spline curves a curve that connects two or more defined specific control points. 3NURBS (non-uniform rational b-spline) Computationally complex, smooth shapes designed by bezel curves. Scope and Objectives In this project, the 3D model produced, was the 5G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey. The final version of the prototype is supposed to be a model of the whole University campus, which would be able to display the temperature, noise levels, and a few other statistics in every single area on the map. In order to record data, an IoT Desk Egg4 was created. This Desk Egg is a multi-sensor suite with feedback mechanisms and wireless communication capabilities. Using this Desk Egg, environmental data, such as light, sound, temperature, noise, humidity, dust density are measured and recorded. Separately, these recordings have limited value, but when combined, and analysed in aggregate, the sensors provide a rich context of its immediate surroundings. 5The objective of this project is to enhance the model with touch navigation capabilities, similar to 3D navigation on a mobile phone or tablet. The current model is constructed for a Samsung SUR40 touch table, running Microsoft Surface. The model has been implemented using PixelSense and in addition, Microsoft Surface Game Studio 4.0 and the Window Presentation Foundation (WPF). To go about enhancing the model, investigations would have to be established, on what changes would be involved to implement touch navigation, before implementation and testing of the aforementioned varieties. Introduction[SO1] Microsoft PixelSense 6Microsoft PixelSense orientation capabilities are used and seamlessly integrated into the application, which also supports multiple simultaneous touch points. The Samsung SUR40 can only run Windows 7, as the Surface SDKs are only fully supported on Windows 7 and not any newer Operating System. Window Presentation Foundation To initiate an application for any Microsoft Surface devices, especially for the PixelSense, the Microsoft Surface Game Studio 4.0 and Window Presentation Foundation (WPF) are required. Rowe (2012) shows a few points that can assist a developer to innovate and create a great application for the Samsung SUR40 Surface Table.7 Implement a darker background as it does better with quality during contact. Multiple screen interactions, in which, the users finger and objects, can be detected. Actions only must be interacted by the users fingers to avoid detection errors, and adding sound effects, acknowledging the users finger interaction, should be done. Ensuring the user immerses into an outstanding experience from the application. Since the PixelSense has 4 corners, it will be more convenient for users to be able to turn the orientation of the application, while offering an easy means of leaving the application. The points of interaction with the application, should be well sized and well-spaced, to prevent manipulation errors during input. Working with Touch Input To implement the 3D touch controls, a key prerequisite for the project is the availability of touch control capability. Using the System Information app, which could be launched from the Run dialog box, with the syntax msinfo32.exe. As seen from the image below, the Samsung SUR40 Surface Table, has 52 individual touch points. This confirms that the table supports the touch interaction and the touch framework is ready to use. Fig 1. The Run dialog, with the corresponding syntax, used to launch the system information window. Fig2. A System Properties window, showing the details on the touch capability. The initial edition of the 3D modelling software has sub-par touch navigation controls, but it makes up in the availability of buttons which are mapped to specific viewing points of the model. Having these buttons provides a way of navigating through, but lack the fluidity of the touch input system you would get from any other 3D modelling software. Fig 3. An image showing the initial edition of the source code, with buttons. Development Environment In order to be able to work on this project, a few software programs have to be installed. These software programs are specifically required to create an application for a Microsoft PixelSense device. These include: Windows 7 Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 Microsoft XNA Framework Redistributable 4.0 Refresh Microsoft XNA Game Studio Platform Tools Microsoft Surface 2.0 SDK Microsoft Surface 2.0 Runtime GitEXT Windows 7 Windows 7 is the latest operating system that the Surface SDK supports, hence, all the programming done, had to be on a PC running Windows 7. Running these programs on a Windows 10 PC, gives an unfixable error. A Windows 7 license had to be purchased. Microsoft DreamSpark provides a free license to the University of Surrey students. Using the downloaded ISO file, a USB boot key was made, using DiskPart, so as to dual boot Windows 7 on the laptop used. Using DiskPart, empties the flash drive of all its contents, its advisable to use an empty drive, or back up its contents. Fig 4. The error shown when the program is being opened on a Windows 10 PC. Fig 5. Image showing the free purchase of a Windows 7 Operating System, using DreamSpark. DiskPart is the Windows built in disk management program, using CMD to call it, the following syntaxes will create a custom USB key for any appropriately sized flash drive: List disk This lists out all the disk drives connected to the system, and their sizes, with disk numbers Disk ###, for easier disk reference. After finding your particular disk, use select disk x, x being the respective number of your disk. This basically tells the program you plan on working on this disk. Clean This clears your drive of previous configurations and empties it. Create partition primary This creates a primary partition on the cleaned drive. Select partition 1 This selects the recently created partition. Active this sets the selected partition as an active partition. Format fs=fat32 This syntax formats the flash drive to a requested file system. In this example, the file system being FAT32, the legacy file system recognizable by most BIOS (Basic Input Output System) firmware. Fig 5. The image shows the procedure for creating a USB Key, Disk 2. Visual Studio 2015 Microsoft Visual Studio 2015 is now a free software, but for the Enterprise version, a key is needed, but as a University of Surrey student, one is provided free of charge, under the DreamSpark account. Fig 6. Image shows free purchase of Visual Studio Enterprise, using DreamSpark. Microsoft XNA Framework and Microsoft Surface SDK A Microsoft Surface SDK installer was downloaded and installed, as an extension, for the Visual Studio 15 suite. This enables Visual Studio to compile on the Microsoft Surface XNA Game Studio framework. The installer sets up two important frameworks, which are the Microsoft Surface WPF and Microsoft Surface XNA Game Studio 4.0. These frameworks are applied to help developers with the creation of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) applications respectively. A successful install will show something like this, when creating a new project in Visual Studio. Fig 7. The image shows a properly installed XNA Game Studio Framework. GitEXT GitEXT is an extension for windows, that helps manage a git repository. The programs source code had to be worked on alongside a few colleagues, as they had other objectives in terms of updating the 3D Modelling software. Using a git repository, helps with management of different modifications and changes between different editors of the same source code. Fig 8. The image shows an installed git extension for version management. Camera Movement Running a camera location around an object is a concept of projecting different views from different positions for audiences. It is an essential task for the developer to implement this concept in the application. In order to implement, a series of matrix calculations are required to move the camera from its current position to a desired place and display the object with high quality and performance. The current camera, as stated earlier, seen in Fig 3, has a fixed position, and does not move around the model, rather, there are fixed points in camera can be. These points are controlled by the arrow buttons. To fix this problem the touch framework has to be implemented. Touch Gesture The touch functionality of the program depended on raw input, and only moved the model round a fixed point. The method of implementation made navigation with the touch screen, somewhat ineffective. The XNA framework installed, comes with a touch input namespace namely Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Input.Touch. After extensive research on this library namespace, using this namespace made implementing a new gesture-based, touch framework for the code straightforward. The namespace provides support for gestures like tapping, double tapping, horizontal drag, and a few others. Development After researching various libraries and namespaces for a substantial understanding of the initial source code, coding began. During initial coding, it was discovered that the method of navigating the model, was rotating the camera round a fixed object, as it gives the same illusion as the model moving round its axes, as opposed to the manipulation of the model itself in front of an immovable camera. Using this logic, the touch code had to manipulate the cameras movement and not the movement of the model. While implementing the touch framework, a few redundancies were removed, such as the buttons used in moving the camera and a few others, to provide for a more immersive experience when using the 3D model. Fig 9. The image shows the 3D model with redundancies removed.

Debate on Being Unpatriotic

Debate on Being Unpatriotic Cortney Matthaey Becoming Unpatriotic A country is not just a landmass or not just the amount of people that live on it or the amount of money they earn. A country is the pinnacle of governance in history of civilization. Only when the people are united can there be any government. Representing such a great union is the mighty flag. A symbol that has been chosen to represent an entire civilization, and the multiple generations of great people born in the nation. When you look at our nations flag what do you see? Do you see 13 stripes and 50 stars? Do you see a nation that has been over many trials and obstacles and is still unified? Or do you see war amongst us? Do you see hatred? The American Flag is the fabric of our nation; millions of Americans have fought for the flag, it is more than a symbol of hope to many groups and people respect the flag. So a question worth pondering: why would anyone even think it is justified to be allowed to burn our flag? Let us think about this for a minute. We must do everything in our power to protect the American Flag, for the flag holds so much more meaning than you think. What does the American flag mean to some people? While out asking people their opinion I came across some very unique answers, one of those people is currently an active military officer. When I approached him and asked him on his opinion he was baffled that I even asked if it should be legal for Americans to burn their nations flag. No American should be permitted to burn the flag. The United States Military along with myself, defend the country along with the flag every second of every day to ensure their safety. (Goldberg) Now with this being said how would you feel if your hard, dedicated work went to waste because some Americans cannot appreciate all that our military does for us on a daily basis.   With men and women who would sacrifice themselves for our nations flag why would any American try to deface it by burn ing it to ashes? However, in the First Amendment we as Americans, have the right to speak our minds freely (Freedom of Speech). In the year 1989, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the defendant in Texas v. Johnson. Texas v. Johnson, was a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that invalidated prohibitions on desecrating the American flag enforced in 48 of the 50 states. Gregory Johnson burned an American flag outside of the convention center. (Persily, Citrin, Egan 2008). Johnson burned the flag to protest the policies of President Ronald Reagan. He was arrested and charged with violating a Texas statute that prevented the desecration of a venerated object, including the American flag, if such action were likely to incite anger in others (Constable 2005). With this being said, they let Johnson go scotch free because the act itself is saved under the first amendment. How far is too far when it comes to freedom of speech? A question only each individual can answer. With men and women who would sacrifice themselves for our nations flag why would any American try to deface it by burning it to ashes? What kind of meaning does the American Flag have on themselves anyway? We must protect the American Flag at all costs. In times of crisis, the raising of the Stars and Stripes symbolizes perseverance and enduring strength. When September 11, 2001 occurred what did we do? Most looked up asking for help while others looked at the American Flag. Whenever America had a rough time getting everyone united together, all they would have to do is look up to hose colors on Americas flag and know that everything will be okay in time. Many Americans fight for our flag every day, they fight, defend and unfortunately some become fallen. However this was their choice; their choice as American citizens to defend and PROTECT the flag. While it is the fabric of our nation, it is so much more than that. It is a symbol of hope and tranquility. I believe that the flag should have its own protection against burning and disrespecting. It shows that the culprit behind doing the burnings and disrespect will get punished. The American Flag is the fabric of our nation; millions of Americans have fought for the flag, it is more than a symbol of hope to many groups and people respect the flag. The flag is there because we are a united nation, we may not be as great as what we once were however when most of your hope is gone (for example: after 9/11) many Americans united together if not all and we turned to that flag as a beacon of hope. Work Cited Constable, M. (2005). Just silences: The limits and possibilities of modern law. Retrieved  November 13, 2016, from http://site.ebrary.com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/lib/GrandCanyon/detail.action?docID=10364781p00=flag burning Goldberg, Bataya. Blog: People Who Burn the Flag. American Thinker. N.p., n.d. Web. 21  Nov. 2016. . Persily, N., Citrin, J., Egan, P. J. (2008). Public opinion and constitutional controversy.  Retrieved November 13, 2016, from http://site.ebrary.com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/lib/GrandCanyon/detail.action?docID=10215791p00=flag burning

How Humans and Robots are Presented in Blade Runner Essay -- Papers Bl

How Humans and Robots are Presented in Blade Runner "Blade Runner" is a science fiction film set in Los Angeles in the year 2019. Nuclear war had just ended which caused large-scale devastation such as dramatic climate change, genetic change and all animals on earth becoming extinct apart from artificial ones. The Tyrell Corporation developed the artificial animals, which also happen to be the creators of Androids (Artificial beings) which the film is based on. The film "Blade Runner" revolves around the Nexus 6 series of Androids these androids were built to do the hard, tiresome jobs on off-world colonies. Using androids was a big advantage for the humans of this time because they never get tired so can work non-stop. The problem with replicants is that they are super-humans, intelligent and very omniscient and could over-power the humans at any time. After an incident where many humans were killed on an off world colony by Nexus 6 they were made illegal on Earth. Rick Deckard the main character in the film prowls the steel and microchip jungle of 21st century, LA. He is a Blade Runner stalking genetically made criminal replicants. His assignment: Kill them. Their crime: wanting to be human. The story of "Blade Runner" is familiar to countless fans but few have seen it like this because the version I was studying was the directors cut so we see Ridley Scott's own interpretation of his sci-fi classic. This version omits Deckard's voice-over and develops in greater detail the romance between Deckard and Rachael and removes the uplifting finale. The result is a heightened emotional impact. The new scene (unicorn vision) sug... ...at their lifespan has been shortened. At this point we know they have feelings and a love between two people is a strong force. Whatever they are a being of such high potential is a terrible thing to waste. Overall director Ridley Scott is suggesting that to be human you have to have feelings and emotions (which the robots have) and to be able to empathise with others. If you do not possess those qualities then you are not a true human, Deckard, Tyrell and the two Policemen are shown not to have feelings nor emotions when they "retire" a robot or are they the "real" humans. The qualities of human-ness are shown most shockingly by Roy Battye when he saves Deckard instead of taking revenge. But Deckard's character shows development in that he learns to empathise with the replicants and falls in love with Rachael.

William Blakes London Essay -- William Blake London Poem Poetry Ess

William Blake's "London" Works Cited Not Included William Blake's "London" is a representative of English society as a whole, and the human condition in general that outlines the socio-economic problems of the time and the major communal evils. It condemns authoritative institutions including the military, royalty, new industries, and the Church. Blake's tone creates a feeling of informative bitterness, and is both angry and despondent at the suffering and increasing corruption of London's society. Blake's sophisticated use of notation like capitalization, his specific change in meter, and the point of view all clearly develop London.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The point of view in which Blake employs to London is significant to the understanding of the poem. Blake chooses to give the poem a persona, a person who appears to have extensive knowledge of the city and helps give credibility to the poem. (Foster, 1924) The use of first person in all three stanzas allows the poem to be more opinionated and less objective, drawing the reader's attention by making it more personal. Blake's London is to be the reader's London as well. In addition to point of view, Blake further sophisticates his piece by presenting specific tone to each section of the poem. Blake sets the tone early in the poem by using the word charter?d which shows the condition of London as repressive. The speaker refers to the people or ?faces? he meets with ?Marks of weakness, marks of woe.? This diction advocates the probability of the city being controlled by a higher authority. The faces of the people, or the face of society reveals the feelings of entra pment and misery in the population. This in itself could propose, "humanity itself is being commercialized" (Damon, 1965). One of the interesting aspects of Blake's poetry is the layers of meaning his words connote.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Blake's advanced use of notation is evident through his utilization of capitalizing specific words to emphasize a point. Capitalization is repeatedly used in "London" to stress a higher meaning than the literal interpretation. Blake's use of the phrase ?every Man? again alludes to Blake?s intention that the poem represents not just the common, man but also, common society. Similarly the title "London" is used to represent the state of English society and to symbolizes the condition of every human society (Hirsch Jr., 1964) Aga... ...en with gonorrhea and other diseases, which blinded the newborn babies (Damon, 1965) Hence the diction ?Blast the new-born Infants tear?. The poem reaches its climax as the speaker exposes the infants who were born into poverty. When Blake uses the contradicting phrase ?Marriage hearse? in the last line it is significant because he combines something good with something bad (Lambert Jr., 1995) Blake proposes the possibility that as long as powerful institutions corrupt society, marriage is always cursed. Even though the joy of a new life is present, the fact that the child is born into a corrupt and evil society is discouraging. Blake suggests to the reader that until there is change this loop will continue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ?London? is a poem of serious social satire directed against social institutions. According to Blake author Michael Phillips ?it is a poem whose moral realism is so severe that it is raised to the intensity of apocalyptic vision.? Blake becomes more specific in his descriptions of the prevalent evil and moral decay of society as the poem progresses. Blake?s informative nature is clearly evident in ?London? as he ?points the finger? and exposes powerful institutions.

Deception Point Page 80

â€Å"Do you have dogs, Dr. Harper?† He glanced up. â€Å"I'm sorry?† â€Å"I just thought it was odd. You told me that shortly after this Canadian geologist radioed in the meteorite coordinates, his sled dogs ran blindly into a crevasse?† â€Å"There was a storm. They were off course.† Gabrielle shrugged, letting her skepticism show. â€Å"Yeah†¦ okay.† Harper clearly sensed her hesitation. â€Å"What are you saying?† â€Å"I don't know. There's just a lot of coincidence surrounding this discovery. A Canadian geologist transmits meteorite coordinates on a frequency that only NASA can hear? And then his sled dogs run blindly off a cliff?† She paused. â€Å"You obviously understand that this geologist's death paved the way for this entire NASA triumph.† The color drained from Harper's face. â€Å"You think the administrator would kill over this meteorite.† Big politics. Big money, Gabrielle thought. â€Å"Let me talk to the senator and we'll be in touch. Is there a back way out of here?† Gabrielle Ashe left a pale Chris Harper and descended a fire stairwell into a deserted alley behind NASA. She flagged down a taxi that had just dropped off more NASA celebrators. â€Å"Westbrooke Place Luxury Apartments,† she told the driver. She was about to make Senator Sexton a much happier man. 94 Wondering what she had agreed to, Rachel stood near the entrance of the G4 cockpit, stretching a radio transceiver cable into the cabin so she could place her call out of earshot of the pilot. Corky and Tolland looked on. Although Rachel and NRO director William Pickering had planned to maintain radio silence until her arrival at Bollings Air Force Base outside of D.C., Rachel now had information she was certain Pickering would want to hear immediately. She had phoned his secure cellular, which he carried at all times. When William Pickering came on the line, he was all business. â€Å"Speak with care, please. I cannot guarantee this connection.† Rachel understood. Pickering's cellular, like most NRO field phones, had an indicator that detected unsecured incoming calls. Because Rachel was on a radiophone, one of the least secure communication modes available, Pickering's phone had warned him. This conversation would need to be vague. No names. No locations. â€Å"My voice is my identity,† Rachel said, using the standard field greeting in this situation. She had expected the director's response would be displeasure that she had risked contacting him, but Pickering's reaction sounded positive. â€Å"Yes, I was about to make contact with you myself. We need to redirect. I'm concerned you may have a welcoming party.† Rachel felt a sudden trepidation. Someone is watching us. She could hear the danger in Pickering's tone. Redirect. He would be pleased to know she had called to make that exact request, albeit for entirely different reasons. â€Å"The issue of authenticity,† Rachel said. â€Å"We've been discussing it. We may have a way to confirm or deny categorically.† â€Å"Excellent. There have been developments, and at least then I would have solid ground on which to proceed.† â€Å"The proof involves our making a quick stop. One of us has access to a laboratory facility-â€Å" â€Å"No exact locations, please. For your own safety.† Rachel had no intention of broadcasting her plans over this line. â€Å"Can you get us clearance to land at GAS-AC?† Pickering was silent a moment. Rachel sensed he was trying to process the word. GAS-AC was an obscure NRO gisting shorthand for the Coast Guard's Group Air Station Atlantic City. Rachel hoped the director would know it. â€Å"Yes,† he finally said. â€Å"I can arrange that. Is that your final destination?† â€Å"No. We will require further helicopter transport.† â€Å"An aircraft will be waiting.† â€Å"Thank you.† â€Å"I recommend you exercise extreme caution until we know more. Speak to no one. Your suspicions have drawn deep concern among powerful parties.† Tench, Rachel thought, wishing she had managed to make contact with the President directly. â€Å"I am currently in my car, en route to meet the woman in question. She has requested a private meeting in a neutral location. It should reveal much.† Pickering is driving somewhere to meet Tench? Whatever Tench was going to tell him must be important if she refused to tell him on the phone. Pickering said, â€Å"Do not discuss your final coordinates with anyone. And no more radio contact. Is that clear?† â€Å"Yes, sir. We'll be at GAS-AC in an hour.† â€Å"Transport will be arranged. When you reach your ultimate destination, you can call me via more secure channels.† He paused. â€Å"I cannot overstate the importance of secrecy to your safety. You have made powerful enemies tonight. Take appropriate caution.† Pickering was gone. Rachel felt tense as she closed the connection and turned to Tolland and Corky. â€Å"Change of destination?† Tolland said, looking eager for answers. Rachel nodded, feeling reluctant. â€Å"The Goya.† Corky sighed, glancing down at the meteorite sample in his hand. â€Å"I still can't imagine NASA could possibly have†¦ † He faded off, looking more worried with every passing minute. We'll know soon enough, Rachel thought. She went into the cockpit and returned the radio transceiver. Glancing out the windscreen at the rolling plateau of moonlit clouds racing beneath them, she had the unsettling feeling they were not going to like what they found onboard Tolland's ship. 95 William Pickering felt an unusual solitude as he drove his sedan down the Leesburg Highway. It was almost 2:00 A.M., and the road was empty. It had been years since he'd been driving this late. Marjorie Tench's raspy voice still grated on his mind. Meet me at the FDR Memorial. Pickering tried to recall the last time he had seen Marjorie Tench face-to-face-never a pleasant experience. It had been two months ago. At the White House. Tench was seated opposite Pickering at a long oak table surrounded by members of the National Security Council, Joint Chiefs, CIA, President Herney, and the administrator of NASA. â€Å"Gentlemen,† the head of the CIA had said, looking directly at Marjorie Tench. â€Å"Yet again, I am before you to urge this administration to confront the ongoing security crisis of NASA.† The declaration took no one in the room by surprise. NASA's security woes had become a tired issue in the intelligence community. Two days previously, more than three hundred high-resolution satellite photos from one of NASA's earth-observing satellites had been stolen by hackers out of a NASA database. The photos-inadvertently revealing a classified U.S. military training facility in North Africa-had turned up on the black market, where they had been purchased by hostile intelligence agencies in the Middle East. â€Å"Despite the best of intentions,† the CIA director said with a weary voice, â€Å"NASA continues to be a threat to national security. Simply put, our space agency is not equipped to protect the data and technologies they develop.† â€Å"I realize,† the President replied, â€Å"that there have been indiscretions. Damaging leaks. And it troubles me deeply.† He motioned across the table to the stern face of NASA administrator Lawrence Ekstrom. â€Å"We are yet again looking into ways to tighten NASA's security.† â€Å"With due respect,† the CIA director said, â€Å"whatever security changes NASA implements will be ineffective as long as NASA operations remain outside the umbrella of the United States intelligence community.† The statement brought an uneasy rustle from those assembled. Everyone knew where this was headed.

“I know why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou

The poem I chose to analyze was â€Å"I know why the Caged Bird Sings† by Maya Angelou. I chose this poem because even at first read, I noticed that there was a deeper meaning behind this poem and I instantly connected to it. The poem compares the life of a free bird and how different it is from the life of a caged bird. The free bird has the ability to be free and do what it pleases, while the caged bird is limited as to what it can and can't do. As I read this poem, I was confused as to why Angelou decided to write about birds, but by the end of the poem, I understood who the birds were supposed to be representing. After reading the poem I made the assumption that there were two birds, a free bird and a caged bird. The caged bird had â€Å"clipped wings and his feet were tied† (Angelou), so he only had the ability to sing, whereas, the free bird had the opportunity to fly anywhere he wanted, and eat whatever he pleased. In the first stanza, lines 1-3, Angelou describes the adventures of the free bird when she says, â€Å"A free bird leaps on the back of the wind†¦ and dips his wing in the orange suns rays.† These lines help me, the reader, picture a bird flying across a horizon, and just how free the bird is. Reading further ahead, Angelou says, â€Å"And dares to claim the sky as his own.† This line helps me further understand the extent of the freedom the free bird has. The second stanza Angelou describes the life of the caged bird, and how â€Å"his wings are clipped and his feet are tied.† The imagery in these lines helps me picture just how trapped the caged bird is. The caged bird has been stripped of its natural ability to fly and walk. Because of these restrictions, the only thing left for the caged bird to do is sing. Similar to the second stanza, in the third stanza, Angelou describes the singing of the caged bird, saying it is â€Å"fearful trill.† She also says, â€Å"†¦his tune is heard on a distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom. Through these lines one can infer that the caged bird is singing is very loud, and through this trill one can hear the fear as well as the desire to be free. As the poem goes on, Angelou again emphasizes her point on how trapped the caged bird is. Line 19 says, â€Å"A caged bird stands on the grave of dreams† (Angelou). To me this line means that the caged bird is so confined to the caged life, that he has given up on all his dreams and buried them in a grave because he knows he will probably never get the chance to achieve them.. However, I was confused as to why the caged bird continued to sing about being free if he had already given up on his dreams. Did the caged bird's struggles describe Angelou struggles? Something that seemed interesting to me in the poem was how the caged bird sang â€Å"a fearful trill of things unknown† (Angelou). The caged bird has never been free, and has never experienced freedom, but still desires it. This led me to believe that even though the caged bird doesn't know exactly what it feels like to be free, he knows that anything will be better than the condition he is in now. After reading the poem for a second time, I wondered why Angelou decided to write about this topic, and if the birds represented something deeper. With further research I found out that Maya Angelou wrote this poem in 1983. During this time, segregation and racial differences between blacks and whites were still prevalent in America. Using this information, I concluded that the â€Å"free bird† used in the poem refers to the dominant white race, while the â€Å"caged bird† represents the oppressed black race. I can also infer, that since Angelou is a black women, she is referring to herself as the caged bird described in the poem. At this particular time period, whites were given more freedom and more rights compared to the blacks. The black people were segregated against and weren't given the same opportunities the whites were given. Due to this, one can infer that Angelou, being black and a woman, wasn't given the same opportunities, and therefore felt trapped like the caged bird. She felt as if the only thing she had the ability to do was use her voice and speak out about what was happening to her and how it made her feel. This is also why Angelou decided to write this poem. It was a way for her to use her voice to get her message out and express how she feels trapped in a society that is dominated by white males. The life of the privileged white male is representing the life of the free bird. The free bird can â€Å"claim the sky† (Angelou) and eats â€Å"fat worms† (Angelou) while the caged bird is not only enslaved in the â€Å"narrow cage† (Angelou), but has also been stripped of the ability to fly. Similarly, the black people during this time period, have been stripped of their fundamental rights as human beings, and are being oppressed by the whites. Singing, or writing, is the only way to validate their existence. The only right that these blacks posses is the right to use their voice and express themselves. In addition to being apart of the black minority, Angelou was a women. Women were given even fewer rights as compared to men, and often were looked down upon all over there world. Her voice was used as a way to demand attention to show the world the challenges she has to face as a black women. The poem † I know why the Caged Bird sings† is symbolic of the hardships Maya Angelou had to face during the time period when the black community was discriminated against. Angelou knows why the caged bird sings because she is the caged bird. She didn't possess the same freedom as the white people, and at the same time, the caged bird didn't possess the same rights as the free bird. Singing about freedom was the only way the caged bird could express its feelings, and writing was the only way Angelou could express her opinions. This poem is very meaningful to me because like Angelou I too often feel like the caged bird. I feel trapped in a society where I am a part of a minority group. Sometimes I feel as if my beliefs and opinions are overlooked and my feelings are not taken into account equally. This poem shows me how using your voice in order to express your thoughts can be a very effective way of commuting an idea, just as Angelou has done.

Being Biracial essays

Being Biracial essays I've had my own share of relationships and experienced the ups and downs. Yet it never did it occur to me that the cause for such experiences would be because of what my boyfriend and I were born with: our races. Being biracial myself, (Japanese and Filipino) I have come across many different aspects of both cultures. My mom is Filipino, and my dad is Japanese. They may be different in race but their love for each other is all the same. Initially, it was not that easy. The Japanese did invade the Philippines during World War two and my mom felt some bitterness towards the Japanese. However, she later concluded that after meeting my father, her bitterness was gone. My parents are a prime example of that love sees no boundaries. Sometimes I wonder if my life would be different being single race, but I've adopted many positive beliefs from both cultures and races. There are many reasons why I approve of interracial couples. It makes me furious when you see people on t.v. shows arguing about a "white guy dating a black girl". How can someone try to prevent another from being with someone they truly love? Can something so ridiculous be justified? When you love someone, the barriers of superficiality - appearance, social status, and ethnicity diminish. When all else fails, "Love conquers all." The issue of interracial dating is somewhat controversial as it affects almost everyone who engages in it. Not only the couples themselves, but those around them. Interracial dating is often a problem is because of events which might have happened in the past. My parents for example probably would have never met if my mother hadn't stopped feeling bitter about the Japanese invasion. In relation, an African mother may disapprove of her son dating a Caucasian female because of slavery in the past. Therefore, the past often has a way of coming back, not always for the best. It also the case that stereotype rules the majority of a ...