Grapes of Wrath Journal Essay

Connection (Family) As the Joads ride on their journey to California, they travel as a whole, one unit, one family. And on one night they camp off the side of the road, and run into the Wilson’s, creating and merging into one large family, with one goal in mind, reaching California. But as the days of traveling continue, the family struggles to stay intact due to obstacles such as the staggering heat, lack of money, automobile breaking down, doubts brought upon by people who have been in California, and even death. But Steinbeck defines â€Å"family† as a unit with members who think of other members before themselves, and Ma expresses this idea clearly with Granma’s death. The Joads have a connection where each member truly has someone to have their back when in need. Tom shares this with Casy and Al, Ma and Granma, Pa with Granpa and Uncle John, Ruthie and Winfield, Rose of Sharon and Connie, but then there’s Noah who doesn’t feel the same love which is one of the rea sons that persuades him to depart from the family. They also have a structure in which Tom, Pa, Al, usually make family decisions and the eventually the final verdict is given to Ma. Overall, family is suppose to take care of each other when in time of need and work as one rather than individuals. Adaptation (Positives and Negatives) With the family traveling together, it’s evident that migration is a change that is supported and has to be overcome. And although the outcome of migration is suppose to be glorious, the journey to achieved the so call promise land gives the family a brutal beating of struggle, hunger, and even death. Granpa and Granma died due to lack of health and high heat, but then again the conditions were somewhat the same in Sallisaw. Then there was also the death of the Joads dog. With migration, the Joads needed leaders and this is where characters such as Tom and Ma come into play as the heads of the family. Tom in a way leads the men, especially Al, and Ma leads Granma, Rose of Sharon, and the kids. To conclude, adaptation or migration changed characters into leaders to lead the family to California but at great costs and struggle. Compassion Compassion is taking pity or seeing those in need and taking action in anyway possible to help them overcome their problems and obstacles. In Chapter 12, a general chapter, a story of a family of 12 who were forced off their land and had to carry their belongings in a trailer, waited on the side of the 66. They were eventually hauled by a man who took them to California and fed them. This act by the random stranger is compassionate because he sees the family in need of help and no way to get to California and offers to take them and even feeds them. It’s one thing to feed 4 or 5 people but 12, it must come from the heart. With the Joads, they do the same with the Wilson’s but the Joads are less compassionate because they use them for their car to ease the weight from their own car. Then there’s also the part where a man enters a diner and begs for some cheap bread and the worker is pressured by the cook to be compassionate and give the man bread at a discount. Another example of being compassionate is when Tom comes back from his venture for a con rod with Al and Casy and meets up with the family at a campsite but are forced to leave. When Tom leaves, he walks by a women cooking and comments on how he’d like some. The woman smiles and says when the foods ready, he can have some. Throughout the journey of the Joads we see that food is scarce yet this woman offers to share. And the final example is when the Joads decide to cross the desert leading to California and at the same time leaving the Wilson’s behind. Pa leaves behind cooked food and money for them, knowing how hard their desert journey will be. We see a sweeter side of Pa rather than the serious and quiet Pa that is usually portrayed. Overall, compassion is still around even with such devastation surrounding folks due to the dust bowl and overproduction causing foreclosures, the AAA telling farmers what they can’t farm. Many have lost their homes, land and past life, but some still have their heart. Symbols (Biblical Allusions) One thing that made be think of any biblical symbols or allusions that Steinbeck could have used was when the Joads formally entered California just after running over a snake. The snake part gave it away due to it usually referring or having to do with the devil along with the desert part. When the Joads spent a night traveling over the feared desert, it made me  think what they went through so far. They lost Granma, Granpa, their dog, and separated from Noah. They were traveling by force through the desert on a low budget, with little food, heat anxiety, and were crowded in their old jalopy truck. With the desert, what comes to mind is the desert that Jesus traveled through for forty days and forty nights, and as he traveled he was tempted numerous times by the devil. And one thing to keep in mind is that God forced Jesus to walk and pray in the desert. As Jesus was forced to travel in the desert so were the Joads by the officer. I see the temptations as the conditions that the J oads were traveling with, lack of food, heat, little money etc. Just like the temptations from the devil, and the conditions of the Joads, they were suppose stop them from continuing on with their journey and to give up. But instead just like Jesus did, the Joads overcame the desert and won against the devil and that’s where the running over the snake comes in. Antagonists (People along the 66) Throughout the section, businessmen, state officials, land, and migrates who have been in California add on to the already challenging journey to California with their sound business, anti-farming seizes, mountains, discrimination, and doubts. In chapter 12, a tire store raise their prices because they know it’s an essential for family to keep going, and in this case, the salesman lies to the customer about the condition of a tire just to get an extra buck. Throughout the journey, the fear of high slopes and the desert scare the Joads and Wilson of stopping them from reaching the promise land. And along with the fear of nature not playing on their side, the Joads hear all the same stories of California not being what people thought it would be like. One man tells them that jobs are in a sense free labor or slave like work because so many are migrating to California giving an abundance of workers to employers, giving the the chance to give them whatever wages and they want. The re’s also stories about not being able to farm or touch any fruit on trees, stories that it’s not worth going. The Joads meet a couple of families who were heading back home east, away from California. With these stories and testimonies, it’s hard for the Joads to have confidence and faith in their journey and destination. Characterization (Tom) In chapter 13, when Tom pulls alongside the road where a family is camping,, the Wilson’s, he politely asks if they have permission to camp along with them, even though the strip of land wasn’t under their ownership. With this action we see how kind hearted and friendly Tom is even though he killed a man. Another example depicting his traits is in chapter 16 when he proposes a plan that will split him and Casy from the rest, in order to fix their truck and have the others move along. His proposal and plan show his leadership skills. Another example is when he attacks the one eyed man for giving up on life due to losing his eye. Tom expresses his opinion that whatever defects or disadvantages a person has that they should make the best of it. Overall we see Tom as a generous, kind hearted, leader, that believes everyone has the opportunity to make something out of themselves. Quote a Passage (Unity) â€Å"When this family meets another family on the highway, they share their stories of loss†¦ For here ‘I lost my land’ is changed†¦ ‘We lost our land.’† (193). This quote is significant because it expresses the idea of unity that pushes the migrates to move as ahead as one. They share a common tragedy, the heartbreak of losing their land, home, or farm. A large part of the country is the same position, a dilemma, and the only solution is to head out west. And to do so, Steinbeck helps portray the families migrating as one by using â€Å"we† and â€Å"our† and if they want to achieve their prosperity, they must not only have the same issues but work together to solve those issues. In a way, the havok laid upon by the dust bowl, foreclosures, and overproduction can’t be solve by one individual but by the aid, work, and cooperation of many.

Compassion in The Witch of Blackbird Pond Essay

Compassion is important in every walk of life. The definition of compassion is : a virtue of empathy for the suffering of others and a desire to alleviate that suffering. Compassion is important because it makes up who you are and is a strong part of human love. Without compassion, no human could ever get close to each other or function together as a society. Without compassion, people would not be able work together because they would not care about anyone else’s pain. There would be no working together towards a common goal, that is one of the key pillars of society. Compassion is reason we have doctors and nurses. Compassion is reason that when we see someone hurt, on the ground, we help them up. In the novel, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Kit and Nat show compassion for Hannah Tupper when her house burns down. She is their friend and they are sympathetic for her and do anything to help her. They even go into the building to retrieve her cats. They are feeling compassion for her and will help to alleviate her suffering, risking the possible legal repercussions of aiding a witch. Another instance in the novel in which the characters show compassion is when Kit teaches Prudence to read and when she defends Prudence from her mother by lying at the trial. The first time was compassion because kit saw prudence had low self worth because her mother has lead her to believe that she is stupid and never will be able to read. Kit sees her suffering and decides to alleviate her suffering, risking Goodwife Cruff’s wrath by teaching her to read and write. Later in the book, once kit is accused of practicing witch craft and the townspeople present the evidence of the hornbook with Prudence’s name written in it repeatedly, Kit lies for Prudence’s sake. She doesn’t want Prudence to get beaten by her mother. She risks possible death in compassion for Prudence’s situation. Finally, prudence shows compassion to Kit. Against all odds, though she has been educated to not show compassion by watching her mother, she shows everyone that she can write. She risks her mother’s abuse to save Kit, a girl she has recently met, but who has taught her a very important value: compassion.

Critique and conclusion of context & rationale paper Essay

Critique and conclusion of context & rationale paper - Essay Example However, that alone is not the sole purpose of rainwater harvesting. Places which receive tremendous amount of rainfall every year have as much a reason for harvesting water as those living in the Sub-Saharan deserts. It is imperative to keep in mind that effective utilisation of water is the key to reduce droughts and floods at the same time. What comes to the rescue is effective design of methods that cater to the immediate requirement of a particular region. One of the best examples is the use of LifeStraw as a water purification method. â€Å"Lifestraw was created by Danish inventor Torben Vestergaard Feandsen. The product could be a lifesaver† (Fridell 58). It is nothing but a tube that one can use to suck water. The water gets purified when it passes through the levels of filtration. This kind of wonderful design is so portable and convenient to use that people do not actually have to set up any complex infrastructure for the same. Thomas Dickson in his book ‘Dansk Design’ has described the implications of LifeStraw on the formidable task of preventing water borne diseases. He says that this product helps in preventing diseases that include typhoid and cholera which result in the deaths of millions every year. Dickson has also presented an interesting point about the lifespan of the product. â€Å"The lifespan of one straw is about 700 litres of water, so with a consumption of two litres a day, the straw can last about a year† (Dickson 550). However, things change when there is a polar shift in the availability of water. In areas that receive very heavy rainfall throughout the year, a large amount of water is directly Rainwater 4 drained without even considering a reuse plan. Considering the damaging impact that a country can face due to a shortage of water, it becomes imperative to understand the importance of saving every drop of water that can be saved. And in doing so, it is an interesting fact to notice the diversities in d ifferent regions. If some places need to conserve water due to less rainfall, some have to do that to prevent water loss. Over the years, several designs have evolved which are tailor made for the particular environment. ‘Raincatch’ is one such example that serves as an easy water harvesting method. It resembles a raincoat with an enhanced collar that serves the purpose of catchment in a rainwater harvesting system. With the help of an inbuilt filtration system, water gets accumulated at the bottom part of the coat through which it can be sucked using attached tubes. This design is the result of an innovative thinking of two Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design students. What is wonderful about this design is the practical approach coupled with the intention of harvesting rainwater. ‘Green Trace’ is another such example that proves how water can be saved without so much of an effort. It is a design consisting of a rectangular mesh that houses a non-wo ven fabric inside it. This fabric has water absorbing capabilities and it holds the seeds in between its sewing patterns. This entire mesh acts as an umbrella stand which captures all the water from a wet umbrella to be passed onto the seeds. The ultimate result is a gradual growth of plants that form a beautiful design pattern. This design, though very simple, is pretty helpful in optimising the use of water that otherwise may be wasted. It

America 1945 1960 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

America 1945 1960 - Essay Example It was a time of victorious jubilation for everyone, except those who came back â€Å"home† to segregation and discrimination. The returning African American soldier returned home to find that his most dreaded unwanted guest â€Å"Jim Crow†, had not packed up and moved to other shores. With the non-extinguishing of Jim Crow, they were still mandated to separate facilities for travel, lodging, eating, and drinking, schooling, worship, housing, and in all other aspects of social and economic life .Moreover, though they had fought and many died, the armed forces was not anymore accommodating of the African American civil rights, as was society-at-large. African American veterans returning to the south after military service in World War II were often unwilling to be subjected to the humiliation and degradation of segregation and discrimination in the land which they served to shed their blood. Some white, especially in the south, felt that these veterans needed to be terro rized into submission, whether they were wore the nation’s uniform or not.

The importance of project plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The importance of project plan - Essay Example Planning a project involves the final project and all the support activities that assist in accomplishing the finished work. It also includes all the engineering, acquisition work and the management processes of the project. Any documentation and technical or non technical exchange of knowledge with the contractors also form part of the planning stage. Planning of any project also involves the cost estimates of the tools, facilities, consultancy, labor and interproject coordination that are involved while carrying out the project. Scheduling of a project involves identifying the internal dependencies and other external dependencies with a view of finding out how the sequence of events will follow in the completion of the project. It also involves identifying any constraints so that a project manager is able to give a window for unforeseen events. Scheduling can be done through using the Critical Path Analysis and the Gantt charts. Good and proper administrative work assist also in keeping records which can be used for future reference, they can act as tools for evaluation and a very effective way of communication. Any project manager must be able to do a documentation of the resources that they are using such as the schedule, quality, resources and the cost documentation of the whole project. A schedule document is a document that entails all the activities of the project as they are undertaken, when they should start and when they are expected to end. This information is usually represented in form of networ k diagrams; bar charts and tabular reports. Such kind of charts includes the Critical Path Analysis charts and the Gantt charts (Tinnirello 2000, 42). Cost documentation should also be undertaken to find out the cost effectiveness of a project .It involves documenting the actual expenses against the planned expenses in form of table up to a given point of the project. An S- curve is also normally drawn and it usually shows the differences in the actual expenditure and planned expenditure of the project. Quality documentation is also an important aspect of any project management. It deals with checking the quality of the work whether the work meets the set specifications or the customers set standards. The quality of work is normally reflected in form of diagrams, charts and matrices. The charts show the past and future performances of the work done .Other diagrams that are used include the Pareto, line and scatter graphs and these diagrams are normally show errors as they have occurred. Resource documentation refers to assigning and usage facilities, tools and supplies made .The usage of organizational charts and resource reports are used by the project managers to identify how they are being used. A project manger must be able to allocate and schedule tasks at the same time and where there are more resources than required, then the tasks must be scheduled. Resource leveling is a methodology that is used for rescheduling thus reducing potential conflicts. Quality Standards Quality refers to the ability of a project to conform to the set specifications or whether the project meets the standards set by the customer. Conformance means that control measures in developing a project must be put into place so that

Introduction to the Universe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Introduction to the Universe - Essay Example Scientists use these properties to deduce the internal structure of the earth. The study of the interior of the earth uses seismic waves. They are P-waves and S-waves. P-waves are longitudinal and, thus, they can travel through solids and liquids. S-waves are transverse. Thus, they can only travel through solids. P-waves also travel faster than S-waves. Geologists use these properties to study the internal structure of the earth. When the seismic waves pass through different layers, they get refracted. The same waves undergo reflection when they hit hard surfaces at certain angles. Seismometers located at various parts of the earth record the occurrence and properties of the seismic waves. The data can then be analyzed to ascertain the properties of the elements of the earth’s interior. In the analysis, the data recorded by seismometers is used to determine the distribution of P-waves and S-waves. In a region where the seismometers detect P-waves but not S-waves, it can be inferred that molten materials must have intercepted the S-waves. Thus, geologist s use known properties of waves to study the internal structure of the earth (Indiana.edu). Atoms have negative electrons that orbit around a nucleus that is positively charged. The nucleus has electrically neutral neutrons and positively charged protons. An atom has equal protons in the nucleus as the number of orbiting electrons. An atom in such a state is said to be electrically neutral. The protons determine the element that the atom represents. Bohr’s atom model was an early attempt that explained how atoms produce absorption and emission line spectra. An atom’s normal condition is when it possesses minimum energy at ground state. An orbiting electron can escape from the atom when given enough energy that is then termed as ionized. An atom can also absorb an atom from neighboring atoms. Between the atom and ion states, the electron

Candide by Voltaire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Candide by Voltaire - Essay Example Candide and his valet Cacambo’s visit at El Dorado underscored the problem of being intolerant about the social identity of God. This was highlighted in the interesting conversation between Candide and the old man at El Dorado where the sage stressed that the monotheistic interpretation of the social identity of God can cause problems. When the old man was asked by Cacambo â€Å"Do you worship but one God?† the old man explained â€Å"Certainly . . .there are not two, nor three, nor four Gods†¦ people of your world ask very extraordinary questions† (Voltaire 49). Already, the sage knew that interpreting the social identity of God to be one that exclude the others could cause problem such as discrimination and terrorism that is why he told the doubtful Cacambo â€Å"people of your world ask very extraordinary questions† (Voltaire 49) hinting that this kind of mindset is problematic. The other event in the novel where the problem of social identity is very pronounced is when Candide found two slaves in the crew of the galley during his voyage to Constantinople to get Miss Cunegund. The two slaves turned out to be Pangloss and the Baron. This is very significant because Candide saw that Pangloss already died in Lisbon as a heretic. The baron on the other hand was Miss Cunegund’s brother whom Candide had killed when he opposed Candide’s marriage to his sister. Candide was in disbelief when he found them saying â€Å"Do I dream . . . or am I awake? . . . Is this My Lord the Baron, whom I killed? And that my master Pangloss, whom I saw hanged before my face?† (Voltaire 89). Apparently, their social identity was changed to that of a slave that Candide have to buy their freedom. Also, Miss Cunegund features has also turned ugly during when she became a slave in Constantinople. The degrading of Miss Cunegund’s social identity as a

Prince Tan of Yen Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Prince Tan of Yen - Essay Example Although it was quite difficult to figure out the way he could manage to fight such a strong King, he worked relentlessly and sought the advice of the wise men of Yen in the way that he could manage this task. After a long period of planning, the revenge plan failed and Tan had to remain in this state of shame. In reality, revenge is not the end of shame, but a beginning of shame itself. When the revenge plan of Tan failed, he was left more disgraced that he had ever been.  The Prince of Tan, after his release, felt very disgraced after his release after a long period of the hostage. The way the Prince managed to get out captivity seems to be more of a miracle than a win. When he requested to be released, the king expressed the hopelessness of such an instance by telling Tan to turn the Crow heads to turn white and the horses to grow horns (Ma and Lau 43). Surprising the Prince managed and the king had to let him go. The question that arises here is as to whether the Prince should appreciate his release or get into more problems by launching revenge. He hastily organizes a revenge attack against Chin, for which Chu Wu warns against the danger of confronting the strong king without considering the consequences. Tien Kuang, one of his advisor, also termed the issue a matter of grave for the state that needed long thinking (45). Although the two are willing to help in the planning process, they still fear the consequences of the matter. When Chu Wu and Tien Kuang go to kill the king, they end up being fooled and lose the battle (45-49). At the end, this mission becomes a disgrace for both Yen and Fan Yu Chi, another character that was obsessed with revenge for his family.  A keen observation of the story of the Prince of Yen shows that revenge is a source of disgrace rather than a source of exaltation. Although the Prince of Yen had shamelessly suffered from the torture from the King of Chin, it would have been better if he did not plan the revenge attack.

The Prime Minister Essay Example for Free

The Prime Minister Essay The Prime Minister still didnt believe him so god ended up killing all mortal things, the prime minister is scared god tells him he can raise the dead and the prime minister asks god and begs him to bring everything back as it once was then god closes the lid on his coffin and says why? Who are you? Like the prime Minster once questioned god. So then all life was over. God did this in the story because that was his way or saying he does not want humans to interfere with how humans are created and it is not right for humans to be created by any other means other than the natural way. It is a kind of warning sign this story is sending the message across that creating humans in other ways is not right and shouldnt be done. But man really want to play with science and be like god once was because they would love to be responsible for a new human race and feel like a really powerful person like a leader, but these people often plan on doing this without thinking about the consequences, they are generally greedy money wanting people and only think about the facts that they will be rich and god like and a leader of a new human race, they totally ignore the fact that things could go wrong though. In Mary Shelleys story.. Frankenstein many things go wrong. The story is about a normal everyday human (Victor Frankenstein) a boy who grows up to be a doctor and study medicines and humans. In the story Victor Frankenstein creates a living thing much like a human but this creature was made from dead peoples body parts that Victor stole. Victor was being greedy and did not think about the bad points, just the good he did not think of the consequences. In the story Victor later admits this. Here is a quote form the story proving this: I did not think beyond putting my ideas into action all I wanted to do was to prove I could make life (pg 16) that quote also shows a reason why he wanted to do it. He wanted to prove he could make life. Again a greedy reason thinking of all the money he would get out of it. Again it tells us how desperate man is to be the creator and leader of a human race. They long for powerfulness over a new race. This is not good as it could get well out of hand. Victor Frankenstein was a man broken down by sorrow, hen he was younger his mother died during childbirth I think this is why victor was so desperate to create new life and make life last longer. He was very interested in science and wanted to be the BEST creating a human would make him the best. He felt the need to be a kind of god using his scientific powers. But then when the creature had been finished it turned out very ugly and ran away from Victor. Victor had already come across a problem as soon as the creature woke up! The monster started killing humans, he was angry because he was different to other living things. He felt he needed to be loved he realised he was different to others and got angry, he knew no-one would love him. Because people discriminated against him he turned very nasty. I think this is how Frankenstein his self (Victor) felt thats why he created this-to get attention. This is very worrying. I feel that is what may happen nowadays and there would be many problems if it did. Mary Shelley the author of Frankenstein had a bad life herself and a tough time growing up, I feel this is why she was so good at expressing her words while describing how the monster felt. Mary Shelley is concerned with ethnics and relationships with the human consequences of both the monster and Frankenstein and his loved ones of how we should live in times of rapid change and this is just as relevant to us now as it was for her then. I feel she is sending the message across that it will cause us lots of problems if we play god and change the rules of creation. I think Mary Shelley is just another person who has thought about the whole idea of manipulation and is scared it will get out of hand, although it is very hard to stop humans play god. I think she wrote Frankenstein to warn us things could go bad. Its very hard to stop all this though, humans are already starting to clone things one example is dolly the sheep. Doctors cloned a sheep and named it dolly the name dolly sounds very innocent to make it sound like a good thing. Many people think its a good idea because sheep arent exactly a very intelligent animal and the more sheep we have the more lamb there is to eat and wool to make things with, so it sounds like a good idea but there can be downsides to this the sheep are like zombies and there can be sheep that go wrong and are formed wrong. It is cruelty to animals and shouldnt be done, again its all down to selfishness thats what it all boils down to. People who want to be rich they are greedy and dont even consider how cruel it is they just think about how much money they will have. Cloning sheep is not for the benefit for mankind, neither is cloning humans it is just peoples desires to be god like it is wrong and selfish people just crave to be leaders of new races thats all. The doctor who created dolly the sheep wants permission to clone humans but I think thats going to far, it would not be successful there would be too many difficulties and there would be a lot of racism going on, so cloning is not very successful. Frankenstein is very relevant to the stories we hear in the newspaper thats why it is such a good story! Its about a man getting greedy trying to prove a point that life can be created in different ways, but why does it have to be put into action? We know it shouldnt be done!!! Man is getting to clever for their own good. I think Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein as a warning to us that making new life using science is wrong and dangerous. And that there is only one god, n nature should be let to run its own course, I think the articles in the newspapers are trying to tell us whats going on and we should put a stop to it. Making all these new races is not a good thing it is dangerous and very unsuccessful. Victor Frankenstein in the story is like god in the story of genesis but the thing is what Frankenstein done was very dangerous. This should be a very clear warning that it should not be done. Also I think dolly the sheep was created so they thought if they could successful clone a sheep they could do bigger and better things! But thankfully there are many articles telling people it is wrong so hopefully it will put more people off. Frankenstein probably was the best story to show us what can happen and Im sure Mary Shelley intended to do that. It is a very good book and sends across a very strong point. I believe that it is always men because people think that the word men or man seems more powerful and stronger I myself dont believe this and I think especially in this day and age woman have the same right as men. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Mary Shelley section.

South India and Maharashtra Essay Example for Free

South India and Maharashtra Essay Maharashtra is a state in the western region of India. It is the second most populous state after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India. Maharashtra is the wealthiest state in India, contributing 15% of the countrys industrial output and 13.3% of its GDP. Maharashtra is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Gujarat and the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the northwest, Madhya Pradesh to the north and northeast, Chhattisgarh to the east, Karnataka to the south, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast and Goa to the southwest. The state covers an area of 307,731 km2 (118,816 sq mi) or 9.84% of the total geographical area of India. Mumbai, the capital city of the state, is Indias largest city and the financial capital of the nation. Maharashtra is the worlds second most populous first-level administrative country sub-division. Were it a nation in its own right, Maharashtra would be the worlds twelfth most populous country ahead of Philippines. Etymology The modern Marathi language developed from the Maharashtri Prakrit,[7] and the word Marhatta (later used for the Marathas) is found in the Jain Maharashtri literature. The terms Maharashtra, Maharashtri, Marathi and Maratha may have derived from the same root. However, their exact etymology is uncertain.[8] The most widely accepted theory among the scholars is that the words Maratha and Maharashtra ultimately derive from a compound of Maha (Sanskrit for great) and rashtrika.[8] The word rashtrika is a Sanskritised form of Ratta, the name of a tribe or a dynasty of petty chiefs ruling in the Deccan region.[9] Another theory is that the term is derived from Maha (great) and rathi or ratha (great chariot driver), which refers to a skillful northern fighting force that migrated southward into the area.[9][10] History The Nashik Gazetteer states that in 246 BC Maharashtra is mentioned as one of the places to which Mauryan emperor Asoka sent an embassy, and it is recorded in a Chalukyan inscription of 580 CE as including three provinces and 99,000 villages.[11][12] The name Maharashtra also appeared in a 7th-century inscription and in the account of a Chinese traveller, Hiuen-Tsang.[11] In 90 AD Vedishri,[13] son of the Satavahana king Satakarni, the Lord of Dakshinapatha, wielder of the  unchecked wheel of Sovereignty, made Junnar, thirty miles north of Pune, the capital of his kingdom. It was also ruled by Kharavela, Satavahana dynasty, Western Satraps, Gupta Empire, Gurjara-Pratihara, Vakataka, Kadambas, Chalukya Empire, Rashtrakuta Dynasty, and Western Chalukya before Yadava rule. Maharashtra was ruled by the Maurya Empire in the 4th and 3rd century BC. Around 230 BCE Maharashtra came under the rule of the Satavahana dynasty which ruled the region for 400 years.[14] The greatest ruler of the Satavahana Dynasty was Gautamiputra Satakarni. The Chalukya dynasty ruled Maharashtra from the 6th century to the 8th century and the two prominent rulers were Pulakesi II, who defeated the north Indian Emperor Harsha and Vikramaditya II, who defeated the Arab invaders in the 8th century. The Rashtrakuta Dynasty ruled Maharashtra from the 8th to the 10th century.[15] The Arab traveler Sulaiman called the ruler of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty (Amoghavarsha) as one of the 4 great kings of the world.[16] From the early 11th century to the 12th century the Deccan Plateau was dominated by the Western Chalukya Empire and the Chola dynasty.[17] Several battles were fought between the Western Chalukya Empire and the Chola dynasty in the Deccan Plateau during the reigns of Raja Raja Chola I, Rajendra Chola I, Jayasimha II, Somesvara I and Vikramaditya VI.[18] In the early 14th century the Yadava dynasty, which ruled most of present-day Maharashtra, was overthrown by the Delhi Sultanate ruler Ala-ud-din Khalji. Later, Muhammad bin Tughluq conqu ered parts of the Deccan, and temporarily shifted his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in Maharashtra. After the collapse of the Tughlaqs in 1347, the local Bahmani Sultanate of Gulbarga took over, governing the region for the next 150 years. After the break-up of the Bahamani sultanate, in 1518, Maharashtra split into and was ruled by five Deccan Sultanates: namely Nizamshah ofAhmednagar, Adilshah of Bijapur, Qutubshah of Golkonda, Bidarshah of Bidar and Imadshah of Berar. These kingdoms often fought amongst each other. United, they decisively defeated theVijayanagara Empire of the south in 1565. Also present area of Mumbai was ruled by Sultanate of Gujarat before capturing by Portugal in 1535 and Faruqi dynasty ruled Khandesh region between 1382 and 1601 before Mughal annexation. Malik Ambar was the regent of the Nizamshahi dynasty of Ahmednagar from 1607 to 1626. During this period he increased the strength  and power of Murtaza Nizam Shah and raised a large army. Malik Ambar is said to be the one of proponent of guerilla warfare in the Deccan region. Malik Ambar assisted Shah Ja han wrestle power in Delhi from his stepmother, Nur Jahan, who had ambitions of seating her son-in-law on the throne. By the early 17th century, Shahaji Bhosale, an ambitious local general in the service of the Mughals and Adil Shah of Bijapur, attempted to establish his independent rule. His son Shivaji succeeded in establishing Maratha Empire which was further expanded by Bhonsle of Nagpur, Gaekwad of Baroda, Holkar of Indore, Scindia of Gwalior and Peshwas (prime ministers). The Marathas defeated the Mughals, and conquered large territories in Northern and Central parts of the Indian subcontinent. After the defeat at the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761, the Maratha restored their supremacy and ruled central and north India including New Delhi till the end of the eighteenth century. The Third Anglo-Maratha war (1817–1818) led to the end of the Maratha Empire and East India Company ruled the country in 1819. After Indias independence, the Deccan States, including Kolhapur were integrated into Bombay State, which was created from the former Bombay Presidency in 1950. In 1956, the States Reorganisation Act reorganised the Indian states along linguistic lines, and Bombay Presidency State was enlarged by the addition of the predominantly Marathi-speaking regions of Marathwada (Aurangabad Division) from erstwhile Hyderabad state and Vidarbha region from the Central Provinces and Berar. Also, southernmost part of Bombay State was ceded to Mysore one. From 1954–1955 the people of Maharashtra strongly protested against bilingual Bombay state and Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti under the leadership of Dr. Gopalrao Khedkar was formed. Mahagujarat Movement was also started for separate Gujarat state. Gopalrao Khedkar, S.M. Joshi, S.A. Dange, P.K. Atre and other leaders fought for a separate state of Maharashtra with Mumbai as its capital. On 1 May 1960, following mass protests and sacrifice of 105 human lives the separate Marathi-speaking state was formed by dividing earlier Bombay state into new states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The demand of the local people of merging some of the Marathi speaking areas of Karnataka namely Belgaum, Karwar and Nipani is still pending. Geography Maharashtra encompasses an area of 308,000 km ² (119,000 mi ²), and is the  third largest state in India. It is bordered by the states of Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast, Karnataka to the south, and Goa to the southwest. The state of Gujarat lies to the northwest, with the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Havelisandwiched in between. The Arabian Sea makes up Maharashtras west coast. Pune is located at the confluence of theMula and Mutha rivers. The Western Ghats better known as Sahyadri, are a hilly range running parallel to the coast, at an average elevation of 1,200 metres (4,000 ft). Kalsubai, a peak in the Sahyadris, near Nashik City is the highest elevated point in Maharashtra. To the west of these hills lie theKonkan coastal plains, 50–80 kilometres in width. To the east of the Ghats lies the flat Deccan Plateau. The Western Ghats form one of the three watersheds of India, from which many South Indian rivers originate, notable among them beingGodavari River, and Krishna River, which flow eastward into the Bay of Bengal, forming one of the greatest river basins in India. Protected areas Several wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and Project Tiger reserves have been created in Maharashtra, with the aim of conserving the rich bio-diversity of the region. As of May 2004, India has 92 national parks, of which six are located in Maharashtra.There are 4 project tiger areas in Maharashtra. viz Tadoba-Andhari, Melghat, Sahyadri and Pench. A large percentage of Maharashtras forests and wildlife lie along the western Ghats or western Maharashtra and eastern Vidarbha. Navegaon National Park Nagzira wildlife sanctuary Tadoba Andhari Tiger Projec Sanjay Gandhi National Park, also known as Borivali National Park is located in Mumbai and is the worlds largest national park within city limits. Apart from these, Maharashtra has 35 wildlife sanctuaries spread all over the state. Aashadi Ekadashi is one of most important festivals celebrated across Maharashtra. It is also referred to as Wari and pilgrimage from all over Maharashtra, Karnataka and other parts of India walk to Pandharpur from their respective villages. Devotion to the god Ganesh is celebrated in the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in August–September of every year.[64] Town of Pen in Raigad district is famous for Ganesh Idols made of special Shadu Clay. Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati,Lalbaugcha Raja, Shri Siddhivinayak Temple, Shri Ashtavinayakas are the major holy places for Maharashtrians.