How does Arthur Miller Utilise the marriage of Elizabeth and John Essay

How does Arthur Miller Utilise the marriage of Elizabeth and John Proctor to reflect the events that unfold in Salem in his play The Crucible - Essay Example The play opens in the home of Reverend Parris where the night candle still burns in the breaking morning light and is symbolic of the new beginnings for the town and its people. Yet, these beginnings are filled with tension and mistrust. People are gathering and something is amiss. Act I opens at the preachers home and the characters introduced are a cross section of Salem. The characters are infused with the fear and paranoia that runs through the room. John Proctor still has feelings for his mistress, Abigail, while the towns girls are flirting with the sin of dancing. John Proctor is in the room and we learn he is married when he scolds his housekeeper to return home where "my wife is waitin with your work" (22). Proctor also reports that people are streaming into town and comments that "The towns mumbling witchcraft" (22). Another sign of new beginnings is Proctors past affair and attraction for the young girl Abigail, and his newfound commitment to his wife. When Abigail assumes that Proctor has come to see her, she is in disbelief when he replies, "Abby, youll put it out of mind. Ill not be coming for you more" (23). The use of the nickname Abby instead of the more formal Abigail indicates a familiarity that Proctor still carries with him in his heart. The language is stark and utilitarian reflecting an almost biblical tone that signifies the religious roots of the problem. The town of Salem is undergoing a significant change, while Proctors marriage is also evolving. In respect to the action in the town, and the accusations of witchcraft, Proctor wishes to remain uninvolved in the same way he wishes to remain uninvolved with the young Abigail. Just as witchcraft is perceived as a deep-rooted evil for the town, so is Proctors past affair an issue of trouble for his marriage. Yet, he cannot hope to remain aloof from the

Swatch Case Study Essay Example for Free

Swatch Case Study Essay After Hayek took over as CEO of Societe Suisse de Microelectronique et d’Horlogerie (SMH), he realized that the company’s watch making process needed to be looked at and reanalyzed. No more could they reject the lowest market segment of watches as it was proving to be the most highly profitable, so they decided to introduce the Swatch. The product would be marketed as a watch that was affordable but still carried the prestige of a Swiss watch. Most of all, this new product line was to be innovative- nothing like any other watch on the market. Along with this, Hayek wanted the Swatch to have meaning and emotion, because influencing the customer’s emotion can lead to spontaneity which will positively affect their market demand. This was the most critical element to the brand’s success as these unique design concepts and emotion based marketing strategies, such as hanging the giant watch in Frankfurt, intrigued the younger generation and the demand for these watches exploded around the world and helped SMH cement its place in the lower segment of the watch market. Without this, they probably would not have been able to separate themselves from their competitors spelling doom for the company. Before the Swatch or any other inexpensive watch, people wore watches as a sign of wealth. Most watches were built through hard manual labor and had rubies and other expensive materials making it difficult for an average Joe to purchase it. But after the world war, the Timex was released and this changed everything as these mass produced disposable watches were priced very economically. Sales boomed for the product and the lower segment flourished. But for the wealthy, companies like Rolex still existed to offer a luxurious product for a very premium price, and the most important element for these customers was the prestige of the watch maker and Rolex was just that. Omega, SMH’s most exclusive brand, was also facing failure till the resurgence of Swatch. Success in another market gave Hayek the ability to redevelop Omega as a brand, and restore the prestige that came with the name before the company got greedy and saturated the market with them and by doing so damaged the brands image and for customers who are in more expensive markets, that is a deal breaker. When it came to cheaper watches though, consumers were more interested in its novelty than prestige.

Compare and contrast what the poems My Last Duchess and The Laboratory :: English Literature

Compare and contrast what the poems My Last Duchess and The Laboratory are saying about human relationships. Compare and contrast what the poems ‘My Last Duchess’ and ‘The Laboratory’ are saying about human relationships and how the poet makes the poems interesting. The laboratory is about a woman wanting to poison/ kill her rivals so she can be the kings mistress. My Last Duchess is about a man describing his last Duchess, and how the painter flirted with her, he describes her features that show the painter was flirting with her. Both ‘The Laboratory’ and ‘My Last Duchess’ are of anger and resentment, in ‘The Laboratory’ it is the discarded mistress who is jealous about other women flirting and dancing with the King, and in ‘My Last Duchess’ it is of the Duke, and he is showing dis-pleasure in the way the his last Duchess conducted herself with other men. The quotes that back these up are, In the Laboratory. ‘Soon at the King’s, a mere lozenge to give And Pauline should have just thirty minutes to live! But to light a pastille, and Elise, with her head, And her breast and her arms and her hands should drop dead!’ and in ‘ My Last Duchess’ it was ‘Too easily impressed; she like whate’er. The writer in the poems are trying to say relationships break down for one reason or another, in these cases it’s infidelity, one person casting off someone for others, and in ‘The Laboratory’ she is fascinated with the process of how the alchemist makes the poisons, she thinks the poisons are beautiful, but they are very deadly, she uses beautiful words to make the poisons seem beautiful e.g. ‘ And yonder soft phial, the exquisite blue, sure to taste sweet,- is that poison too.’ She wants the poisons to be quick and effective, and if they suffer it would be a bonus. The poets wrote them this way because they are ballade, and use rhyme and rhythm almost as if telling a story, the poets use alliteration ‘which is the poison to poison her prithee’ and onomatopoeia ‘Grind, Mash, Pound’ and in ‘My Last Duchess’ he uses similes ‘look as if she

What is Typical of Lyrical Ballads Essay -- Wordsworth Coleridge Poems

What is Typical of Lyrical Ballads The group title of the set of poems written by Wordsworth and Coleridge presents an interesting starting point of analysis. The phrase ‘Lyrical Ballads’ is a paradox as the genres of ‘lyrics’ and ‘ballads’ can be defined as in opposition to each other. A ‘lyric’ is ‘a poem about feeling†¦ addressed to the reader in a manner of private and intimate conversation’. A ‘ballad’ is ‘a narrative poem from an anonymous point of view, often relating to characters from public or historical events, such as war.’ Therefore the two genres are combined under the title ‘Lyrical Ballads’, signifying an unexpected and unusual style from Wordsworth and Coleridge. This is further evidenced by Wordsworth, who said the ‘Lyrical Ballads’ should be seen as ‘an experiment’, consisting of ‘poems†¦ materially different from those under the general approbation†¦ present bestowed’ and that they may be read by some with a ‘common dislike’. One aspect of the style of ‘Lyrical Ballads’ that caused much contempt at the time of publication is the simple language, an important characteristic of the poems. Wordsworth tries to avoid the ‘falsehood of description’, instead preferring to record reality in ordinary language rather than attempting a poetic diction. Unlike many of his contemporary poets, Wordsworth did not attempt an ornate and elevated poetic style adorned with extravagant metaphors. However, this does not mean the language is colloquial, but that Wordsworth takes his language and subjects from ‘ordinary life’ hoping to show ‘the language really spoken by men’. This is true for poems such as ‘We are Seven’ in which the narrator meets a ‘little cottage girl’ and questions her about her sibling... ... There are many characteristics that permeate throughout each of the poems in the ‘Lyrical Ballads’ creating a style fundamentally associated with Wordsworth. These qualities have a number of different intentions, for example the simple language and the reference to ordinary life do not alienate readers from a less educated background. Wordsworth’s intention was for his poetry to be inclusive and the ‘Lyrical Ballads’ are infused with ordinary life, responses to loss, growing old and the fear of death. The poems also celebrate a view of rural life and nature as a solution to industrialisation. Consequently, whilst many of the poems aim to engage readers for entertainment purposes, some poems, such as ‘Last of the Flock’ and ‘Simon Lee’ not only offer a story of ordinary life but they provide political protests on the provisions for the poor and the old.

Batas Militar Essay

Batas Militar, commonly known in its English translation as â€Å"Martial Law†. As stated in the 1973 Constitution of the Philippine Republic that the Prime Minister as the Commander-in-Chief may declare Martial Law under the same conditions, â€Å"in case of invasion, insurrection or rebellion, or imminent danger thereof, the public safety requires it. This proclamation also suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus, this suspends the human rights of an accused person to be fight for what he believe is right in front of an authority, but instead his fate depends upon the attitude of the President towards him. On the first days of this proclamation, I believe the country responded well, because they also believe that the Philippines is sick, rebellion against the government has been in power in some rural places and communist armed forces are trying to invade the nation. But I also believed that the authority who is Ferdinand Marcos during that time exceeded to his limitations as t he head of state. During the Martial law, Marcos amended the constitution for several times and I believe he used this for his own good. Democracy has been ceased and no news opposing the Marcos administration can be seen in broadsheet and even in the broadcast media such as radio and television, they also put into closure those media stations that attack the wrong doings and failures of the Marcos administration. They put into prison those people whose only objective is to say what they think is right and what they think is best for the nation. Democracy and human rights has been violated during this time, not to mention the allegations of corruption and violation of its own constitution has been brought to President Marcos. I certainly believed that during the Martial Law era, not to mention the good things that this proclamation brought to us such as discipline, obedience and loyalty to the one who is in power. This proclamation of Martial law has been used by the authorities in such a way that the citizens of this nation will hate them, violating their own constitution, corrupting the money of the people, corrupting the rights of the citizens, corrupting the minds of the military whose prime objective is to defend the nation and not to hurt the citizens. Human Rights should not be sacrificed just to obtain a common goal. In order for us to move forward, we should set our goals and vision with due respect to the rights of the citizens and respect to our own constitution.

Breaking Style

Breaking Style Breaking Style Breaking Style By Mark Nichol DailyWritingTips.com readers frequently email a message or write a comment in which they disagree with me (usually but not always respectfully) about something I’ve written. Occasionally, a reader has misunderstood me. Now and then, I’ve been unclear or I’ve made a mistake. Sometimes, the issue is of a difference between the recommendations of one style guide and another. Regardless, sometimes readers tell me that they are going to do something their way regardless of the â€Å"rules.† Writing (and editing) is both an art and a science, and the guidelines about producing prose are somewhat amorphous, for various reasons. As I mentioned, there’s more than one kind of style: Some writing and editing guides call for serial commas (a, b, and c), for example, while others recommend omitting serial commas (a, b and c) unless they’re necessary for clarity. There’s also a degree of flexibility: Introductory phrases should generally be separated from the main clause of the sentence by a comma (for example, as in â€Å"When the council met again the next day, the mood was somber†), but short phrases are sometimes given a pass (for example, as in â€Å"In effect it acts like a catalyst†). In some cases, the flexibility is a matter of formality: Contractions (such as can’t in place of cannot) are rare in academic prose but ubiquitous in colloquial writing, for example, and both extremes are intrinsically valid. But one thing I always emphasize when readers disagree with my advice is this: If you are writing for your own pleasure, or if you self-publish (whether in print or online), you are the final authority and may choose which rules to follow and which to flout (though consider that, if you actually want other people to read what you write, with great power comes great responsibility). But if you intend for your writing to be mediated if you are submitting it for publication on a website, in a periodical, or in a book you are generally expected to abide with a set of guidelines about grammar, syntax, usage, punctuation, and other issues of style. Exceptions exist, of course and they’re called style breaks, because they break with the standards for style. For example, one book I copyedited was a second edition of a guide to herbs. The author had (erroneously, according to prevailing style) capitalized all the plant names and made other editorial decisions that I thought diminished the book’s authoritativeness, so I lowercased the names and made other style changes. When I received a complimentary copy of the published new edition from the publisher, I noticed that the plant names were capitalized, as before. Apparently, the author had felt strongly about retaining the capitalization and had asked that it be restored (or had done so himself while reviewing the edited manuscript). I should have queried the publisher’s project editor before making such a comprehensive editorial decision, but I am glad that the author did not name me on the acknowledgments page. The decision about whether to allow such profligate capitalization is for the publisher to make, but although most readers may not notice or are unlikely to realize or care that lowercase style is the norm for such usage it looks amateurish, especially when hundreds of references to dozens of herbs appear throughout the book. More recently, an editor for a company that publishes commemorative books for professional sports teams told me to honor a style break for references to sports scores when I edit manuscripts. Normally, a score is set off from the rest of the sentence, as in â€Å"The 49ers beat the Raiders, 28–21, before a sellout crowd,† but I was asked to preserve the omission of commas in such constructions. This type of change is innocuous and nearly invisible, and it happens often. The copy editor simply notes the deviation from the norm on a style sheet, a record of variations in spelling, punctuation, and the like, and other editors involved in the project note and preserve the style break. Feel free to break style in self-published writing or to request that deviations from style be honored when you submit content for publication. But in either case, have a good reason for doing so, or be prepared to accept with good grace a denial of your request. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Program vs. Programme55 Boxing Idioms"To Tide You Over"

How to Study for AP Exams 5-Step Plan

How to Study for AP Exams 5-Step Plan SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Preparing for AP exams can feel like a Sisyphean task. On top of keeping up with the demanding coursework and all your other obligations, you have to prepare for a three-hour, multi-part exam? Yes, you do- butmore importantly, you can! If you don’t know how to study for AP exams, this is the guide for you. I’ll cover all the major steps to AP success, including content review, exam skill-building, and prepping for triumph on test day. 5 Essential Steps to AP Test Preparation Once the school year is underway, it can be easy to get caught up in the whirl of classes and clubs, and completely forget about test prep. And even once you do remember, you might not know how to study for AP tests. Never fear- read on for ourfive-step AP prep plan! Step 1: Establish What You Need to Review/Learn About halfway through the school year is when you’ll want to start studying for AP exams. This is the ideal time since you’ll have plenty of time to prep andwill know enough information to really get into reviewing content. A crucial first step to AP prep is to establish what you need to review or learn for the purposes of the exam.There are a few resources you’ll want to gather in order to do this: Syllabus for your AP class Any of your old tests,quizzes, or papers "AP Course and Exam Description" for the course You can find this last document on the main course page for the class, which you can access onthe College Board’s AP Student list of AP courses.Note that for courses that haven’t been revised in a long time, this is just called the "AP Course Description." This document offersa comprehensive description of the skills and content areas that will be tested on the exam. You’ll want to review, at least on a high level, all the major content areas from your AP course. But since it’s not efficient to try to retain every single piece of information your teacher tells you, your AP prep should be specifically focused on reviewing what you need to know for the exam. Once you have all your documents gathered, compare your class’s syllabus with the AP Course and Exam Description. Your class should cover all the major content areas- the syllabus had to get approved by the College Board, after all! That said, teachers do have some discretion on the specifics of what they can cover within the College Board’s broader structures. By comparing the two documents to see whether there are areas your class syllabus focused on in less (or more) detail than is necessary for the exam, you'll get an idea of what you should target in your own studying. Concepts you covered sparsely in class should be reviewed more closely, whilethings you covered more in-depth might not need to be reviewed as much. Your tests and quizzes are also important in establishing areas you should review. You don’t need to spend as much time reviewing material you got high marks on. By contrast, you should be sure to focus on reviewing content areas for which your test and quiz scores were weaker. The AP Course and Exam Description will also clarify for youwhat exam skills you need to build. Are there free-response math questions? Short answers? Essays? You’ll want to make sure you know how to succeed on all parts of the AP test. So plan to practice working on all question types. In sum, this is what you’ll want to review: Content High-level review of all major content areas of your course/test Focus more on areas where your knowledge is weaker, as determined by your AP quiz and test grades and the AP Course and Exam Description whencompared with your class syllabus Exam Skills Be prepared to answer all question types on the AP exam Student diligentlyreviewing the AP Course and Exam Description (artist's representation). Step 2: Make a Study Plan Once you’ve figured out what you need to review, you'll need tocome up with a review schedule. This doesn’t have to be super specific- you don’t have to know exactly what you are going to cover every single day. But you should have a general idea of what content areas you'll be reviewing and what skills you'll be working on every week leading up to the test. This is another time your class syllabus will come in handy, as you’ll be able to plot out your review schedule in a way that makes sense. You’ll want to review all the major content areas you have covered or will cover in class. But it doesn’t make a lot of sense to review something before your teacher has gone over it! So schedule the things you’re going to learn later for later review. You’ll want to weigh your prep plan more toward content review when you begin to prepare, and thenshift it more toward exam prep asyou get closer to test day. Assuming you're preparing over the course of several months, the first few weeks of your prep schedule should be dedicated almost entirely to reviewing content, and the last few weeks should be dedicated mostly to taking practice exams and doing practice questions. Here’s a sample study plan a studentmight make for the few months leading up to her AP Euro exam: Week Learning in Class Content to Review Prep to Complete 1 Turn of the century Make outlines and flash cards for Renaissance (Italian vs Northern), 100 Years’ War, black plague Look over some old free-response questions and a few sample multiple-choice questions 2 WWI Make outlines and flash cards for Reformation, religious wars Write practice DBQ and get Mr. Smith to score 3 WWI Make outlines and flash cards for Columbus, other explorers, 30 Years’ war Write practice FRQ and get Mr. Smith to score 4 Russian Revolution Make outlines and flash cards for absolutist rulers, agricultural revolution Take complete timed multiple-choice section 5 Between the world wars Make outlines and flash cards for slave trade and colonialism, Enlightenment Work on thesis statements and outlining practice for DBQ 6 WWII Make outlines and flash cards for French Revolution, Industrial Revolution, Napoleon Work on thesis statements and outlining practice for FRQ 7 WWII Make outlines and flash cards for Nationalism, Marxism, socialism Practice DBQ and FRQ and get Mr. Smith to score 8 The Cold War Make outlines and flash cards for Western imperialism, WWI Take complete timed multiple-choice section 9 The Cold War Make outlines and flash cards for Russian revolution, between the wars, WWII, Cold War Take complete practice test 10 Post Cold War Review outlines and flashcards Final practice FRQ (timed) In-class review Review outlines and flashcards Final practice DBQ (timed) 12 (test week!) Final review and test prep! Final outline review/flashcards Rest up! See, this business suit lady gets the importance of making a study plan. Step 3: Find Content Review Resources A high-quality review book is your best friend in AP prep. We currently have guides to the best review books for AP Psychology, AP Biology, AP US History and AP Chemistry.Beyond that, The Princeton Review and Barron’s generally make reliable review books for AP tests. Supplemental resources beyond areview book can also be helpful. Your textbook for the course, beyond providing explanations of key concepts, likelyincludespractice questions or tests at the end of each chapter. You can also look for podcasts, watch YouTubevideos, and use websites such as Khan Academy for content review purposes. Another option is tomake your own resources.I can’t recommend Quizletenough. With this website, you can make your own flashcards and then quiz yourself using various tools. You have to make an account to be able to use it, but the service itself is free. Once you’ve amassed all your review tools, you’ll be ready to review content. However, you’ll still need to practice AP exam questions! Be sure to really drill down in your search for high-quality AP resources. Step 4: Find Practice Exams and Questions In addition to content review materials, you’ll want to find practice exams and questions to build specific AP test competencies.The best AP practice questions and tests are those created by the College Board- the group that makes the AP exams. As a result, their materials will be most similar to the real AP test you’ll take in the spring. So where can you find College Board AP resources? In three places: In the AP Course and Exam Description booklet. Remember the AP Course and Exam Description booklet I mentioned above for figuring out what you need to review? It also has sample exam questions (of all types!) in the back. Hurrah! Official free-response questions.The College Board has kindly released free-response questions (and sample responses) from previous testing years. You can get these by going to the College Board’s AP exam information page and clicking on your desired exam; scrolling down from that page will take you to the free-response questions. The College Board also sometimes releases complete exams from past years for free. You can usually find these on the College Board exam overview page for your specific test; however,some of these are hard to find even though they're hosted on the College Board website. If you're having trouble finding tests for your exam, Google the name of your test along with "previously released materials college board" or "complete released exams college board" to find the free exams. For your convenience, here are the previously released materials pages for some of the most popular AP exams: AP English Literature and Composition 2012 Exam 1999 Exam 1987 Exam AP Chemistry 1999 Exam 1994 Exam AP US History 2017 Practice Exam AP Psychology 2012 Exam 1999 Exam 1994 Exam AP Biology 2013 Exam 1999 Exam AP Statistics 2012 Exam 1997 Exam AP Environmental Science 1998 Exam AP Calculus AB Sample 2014 Questions 2012 Exam 1998 Exam 1988 Exam AP US Government and Politics 1999 Exam AP Macroeconomics 2012 Exam 1995 Exam We’ve also gathered some practice question and exam materials for you here: AP World History AP Psychology AP Biology AP Chemistry AP US History AP English Language and Composition AP Human Geography AP English Literature and Composition Step 5: Get to Work and Stay on Schedule Once you’ve gathered all your materials- content review as well as practice questions and tests- it’s time to get to work! How many hours you need to spend on studying for AP tests every week is going to depend a lot on how much material you need to review and how comfortable you are with the format of the exam questions.In general, though, you should expect to study for several hours a week split over two to three sessions. Setting specific times and places for your AP studying will help you stay consistent and keep pace with your review schedule! With good content review and a solid approach to practice exams (more on this later), maintaining a consistent studying pace and schedule will catapult you to exam success. The true path to AP success: the trebuchet. AP Review: 3 General Tips As you review course material in preparation for your AP exam, here are some things to keep in mind. #1: Be Aware Of Your Own Learning Style Focus on review methods that work for you and not against you. If you’re a visual learner, don’t force yourself to listen to recorded lectures; draw diagrams or mind maps instead. Or if you’re an auditory learner, find podcasts and audio booksto listen to for concept review. #2: Review Material More Than Once It’s generally accepted that you need to encounter a piece of information several times before you really start to retain it. Therefore, plan to review essential information for the test more than once. The more important it is, the more times you should go over it. #3: Engage With the Material The more you interact with the material you're studying, the better you’ll retain it. If you can do some kind of activity with the information- such as practice problems, outline-writing, flashcard-making, etc.- you'll be able to remember it better. Not this kind of engagement! How to Make the Most Of AP Practice Tests Since College Board AP practice tests and resources are limited, you want to make sure you make the most of them.Here are my top three tips for how to do this effectively: #1: Take an Entire Practice Exam Under AP Test Conditions It will be a huge help for you to take an entire practice test under actual AP-like conditions. So with a timer, in a quiet room, with short breaks- the whole nine yards. If you only have one complete practice test you can use, do this toward the end of your prep time (maybe a few weeks before the test), when you’ve reviewed most of the content already. This will help you get a feel for what the actual test day will be like. And themore comfortable you feel, the better you'll do on the exam! #2: Track Your Progress If you have access to more than one complete practice test, it’s a good idea to also take a practice test toward the beginning of your prep timeso you can figure out what areas you need to work on the most.This will give you a rough benchmark of where you're starting, so then when you take another practice test toward the end of your prep, you’ll be able to see how you’ve improved! #3: Prep for Individual Sections Apart from complete practice tests, practice questions serve as great prep for individual parts of the AP test. Because the College Board has released so many free-response questions, you can practice those over and over again. You don’t necessarily have to do a complete, timed essay every time, although you should practice that. You can also practice outlining your essays or even writing thesis statements for prompts. Work specifically on the skills you need to build. In addition, be sure to look over practice multiple-choice questions closely so you can get a sense of the feel and format of AP multiple-choice questions. Make like an astronaut and prepare for everything! Critical Test-Taking Tips for AP Exam Day When test time arrives, you’ll want to maximize your study time investment with positive test-taking strategies.Here are my top tips to remember for test day: Before Your AP Test Get a good night’s sleep the two nights before the exam.This will help you stay alert and remember everything you’ve studied. Pack your bag for test day the night before. You don’t want to stress yourself out running around looking for your calculator five minutes before the bus comes on exam day. Be sure to also pack a snack and water- you can’t have them during the test, but you’ll appreciate the nourishment during the break! Eat breakfast the morning of your test.Again, you want your brain to be running at full power. Try to stick with a balanced meal that isn't too sugary. Bring lotsand lots of pencils and erasers. The College Board requires #2 pencils on exam day, so don't forget to bring a bunch. Also, bring a good eraser for back-ups and mishaps. During Your AP Test Pace yourself.You’ll be under time pressure for every section, so make sure you knowwhat pace you need to be working at. Periodically check that you're on pace. You can (and should) bring a watch, just so long as it doesn’t beep or have an alarm. Maintain positive self-talk throughout the exam. If there’s something you don’t know, don’t waste time beating yourself up about it. Just keep telling yourself that you are awesome and will crush the rest of the test. Don’t get hung up on a question you’re stuck on. This is true even on the free-response section- move on to the second essay if you’re getting stuck on the first. If you try to break through a mental block full-on, you might end up running out of time. Answer every question- there’s no penalty for guessing! Go through the ones that you know first, and then go back over the test and answer any remaining questions in the time you have left. With all these best test-taking practices, you'll be set up to succeed on your AP test, guaranteed! Don't neglect this critical aspect of test day (bananas optional). How to Prepare for AP Tests: Key Takeaways The AP prep process can be overwhelming. To lend you a hand, though, I'vesummarized how to study AP examsinto digestible steps below. Choose an AP Exam Figure out which classes your school offers and which fit into your schedule. Consider your interests and abilities. Consider how much time you’ll have for studying. Prepare for the Test Establish ways you need to review/learn. Make a study plan. Find content review resources. Find (official) practice questions and tests. Get to work and stay on schedule! AP Content Review Tips Be mindful of your own learning style. Review things more than once. Engage with the material! AP Practice Exam Tips Take at least one complete practice exam under full test-day-like conditions- and do this more than once if there is more than one practice test available to you. Practice individual exam sections, especially free response, to work on skills for those specific sections. Look closely at all sections to ensure you're familiar with the way AP questions are worded! AP Test-Taking Tips Do all the usual best test practices- get a good night’s sleep, eat breakfast, pack your bag the night before, and bring extra pencils. Pace yourself and stay on track. Think positive! Don’t get hung up on a single question- it you find yourself stuck, skip it and come back. Answer every question- there’s no penalty for guessing! Ultimately, just remember thatbreaking down the AP into little steps will make it manageable for you to scale the whole AP mountain! AP Mountain (artist's rendition). What's Next? Looking for more information about your AP exam? We've got expert guides to AP US History, AP Chemistry, and AP Psychology. If your AP exam has a DBQ, check out my total overview of the DBQandmy how-to DBQ essay guide. Looking for AP exam resources? Check out our guide to finding quality AP practice tests. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Drown essays

Drown essays The story of immigrant struggles is the major theme in "Drown" by Junot Diaz. Every immigrant has a personal story, pains and joys, fears and victories, and DÃ ­az portrays much of his own story of immigrant life in Drown, a collection of 10 short stories. This book captures the fury and alienation of the Dominican immigrant experience very well. Other immigrants' grief's also come up in DÃ ­az's short stories. My argument for this paper delves with the question of is this book merely storytelling or is it autobiographical? Also, it seemed to me as if he uses some symbols and specific words (mostly verbs) to express himself in a manner which the reader can almost feel the story as if it were real. The book tells of the barrios of the Dominican Republic and the struggling urban communities of New Jersey. This book is very strong and these stories tell of a sense of discovery from a young man's perspective. It seems as though for the immigrants, even when things are at their best, a high probability of calamity looms just around the corner. Uncertainty is the only certainty for these outsiders, who live in communities that, are "separated from all the other communities by a six-lane highway and the dump." It tells of a world in which fathers are gone; mothers fight with determination for their families and themselves. Drown brings out the conflicts, yearnings, and frustrations that have been a part of immigrant life for centuries. Diaz himself lived in such a world. In each of his stories Diaz uses a first-person narrator who is observing others. Boys and young drug dealers narrate eight of these tales. Their struggles shift from life in the barrios of the Dominican Republic to grim existence in the slums of New Jersey. These young boys could be the voice of Junot Diaz himself. If so, why would the book be a fiction? The characters in these stories wrestle with recognizable traumas. Yunior and Rafa in "Ysrael" and "Fie ...

Early Twentieth Century, continued Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Early Twentieth Century, continued - Essay Example The manner in which Mine Okubo was treated is perhaps the worst I would expect to come across in a country that I proudly identify with. Placed in her position, I would interpret such form of treatment as betrayal from a country that I expected to protect my rights and freedoms as an American citizen. After undergoing the evacuation and confinement experience, I would relinquish the American citizenship and seek citizenship in my ancestral land rather than continuing living in a country that would turn against its own people on grounds of race in times of trouble. Today, the experiences of Mine Okubo can probably be traced in people belonging to minority or marginalized groups such as the American Indians, African Americans, the Mexican immigrants and people with the Arabic identity (Cadge-Moore 157). Despite being American citizens, Native Americans continue to face discrimination in all aspects of life including education, employment, political participation and health care. Discrimination partially explains why these groups continue to be marginalized and leveraged in poverty in a global economic power base. Terrorism threats currently experienced in America have exposed people with the Arabic identity and other immigrants to similar treatment including confinement in camps and incarceration as terrorism suspects. The war on terror has seen the U.S. Government establish stringent measures at its main entry points to avert illegal immigration. This has indeed contributed to harassment of American citizens in the detention camps as they await verification, a phenomenon experienced by Okubo and other immigrants (Cadge-Moore 146). Therefore, it is clear that some American citizens continue to suffer at the hands of their very own country. Mine Okubo’s art in â€Å"Citizen 13660† serves to depict some of the historical injustices faced by minority groups such as the Japanese Americans and Indian

WEEK 6 LEADERSHIP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

WEEK 6 LEADERSHIP - Essay Example The goal is not to eliminate feelings from the decision-making process. The more the decision maker knows about the decision-making process, the more the intuition (Parker, & Begnaud, 2004). In most cases, great decision makers are great leaders. Leadership entails dealing with people and making decisions that affect the organization. If a leader is not a good decision maker, organizational progress may be hampered. i. Directive style: this involves decision makers with low ambiguity tolerance. The decision-making style is rational, efficient, and employs a logical way of thinking. The style focuses on the short-term and rushes in making decisions. ii. Analytic style: the style has higher ambiguity tolerance. It involves careful decision-making that is well informed. It includes a thorough assessment of the options. The style involves coping with challenging situations (Parker, & Begnaud, 2004). I mainly use the analytic decision-making style. Before making a decision, I try to understand all the issues in depth and conduct a thorough assessment of the available alternatives. I think that some decision-making styles are better suited for public safety leaders that for CEOs of large companies. The behavioral style is best suited for public safety leadership because it entails consideration of all the parties involved in the decision-making process. A Chief Executive Officer of a popular company needs to employ the analytic style to ensure that the process impacts on the organization even in the

Intrapreneurship and Entrepreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Intrapreneurship and Entrepreneurship - Essay Example Still, entrepreneurship is limited in resources (including financial resources) and has fewer possibilities to compete on the global scale. The paper will discuss differences of concepts, their piratical application, the main driven forces and risk related factors. The study of new venture development and entrepreneurship as a process, and the study of the early stages of the business life cycle, belong as much or more to marketing than to any other business function. Indeed, some argue that the very term management may be somewhat in definitional conflict with the term entrepreneurship (Clark and Lee 2006). Further, the entrepreneurial spirit can be hypothesized that marketing is the organizational function most dominated by boundary agents; by open interactive systems; and by truly entrepreneurial activity. Market opportunity analysis, new product development, the diffusion of innovation, and marketing strategies to create growing firms are at the heart of both marketing and entrepreneurship. These also represent the most relevant, existing marketing literature bases. Entrepreneurship as defined by Burns (2001) focuses on opportunity and is therefore particularly relevant to the marketing interface; it is the process of creating value by com bining resources to exploit an opportunity. Although entrepreneurship requires innovation, not all innovation is entrepreneurial. There is an extensive body of knowledge on creativity in science and the arts that does not involve "the commercial or industrial application of something new--a new product, process, or method of production; a new form of commercial, business, or financial organization" (Burns 2002, p. 54). Pinchot and Pellman (2000) explain that "intrapreneurs are linked to the speed and cost-effectiveness of technology transfer from research and development to the marketplace" (p. 45). The researchers claim that Intrapreneurship is often associated with inventions that come up with new products and new processes. There is also considerable research on innovation and the management of research and development that deals with an end product of ideas or objects whose ability to deliver economic value has yet to be tested. In the entrepreneurship literature, innovation is coupled with its ability to create economic v alue. Whether done by an individual or a team, there is general agreement that entrepreneurship involves an act by a motivated individual who innovates by creating value through

The Difference between Macro and Micro Economics & Price Elasticity of Essay

The Difference between Macro and Micro Economics & Price Elasticity of Demand - Essay Example Microeconomics focuses on the demand and supply of a single product. It studies the behaviour of a particular institute in the market, helping in the management of that institute. It helps in answering various questions such as what type of a product is to be produced; how much of that product is to be produced to meet the market demands; how is it going to be produced; what raw materials are going to be used; what type of fuel would be used; for whom the good is to be produced; and many other such questions are answered via microeconomics. So all the choices a particular person makes comes under microeconomics because he is just concerned with what he is producing rather than the total production of a particular good in an economy. Macroeconomic issues are related to the balance between aggregate supply and aggregate demand. If the aggregate demand gets much higher than aggregate supply, inflation and balance of payment deficit (exports become greater than imports) can take place. O n the other hand, if the aggregate demand gets lower than aggregate supply, recession and unemployment may occur. So it is crucial to maintain the balance between aggregate supply and aggregate demand and macroeconomics helps in doing so. ... Task 2: The Price Elasticity of Demand (PED) measures how much the quantity demanded of a commodity responds to a change in price of that commodity. Price Elasticity of Demand can be calculated by using the following formula: Price elasticity of demand = Percentage change in quantity demanded / Percentage change in price For example, if there is a 40% rise in oil price and the demand for oil decrease by 10% then Price Elasticity of Demand will be -10% / 40% = -0.25. The value of PED is always negative, because demand graphs are mostly downward slopping, meaning that price and demand always go opposite. An increase in price will result in a decrease in demand and vice versa. Thus there will always be a negative figure which would make the sign negative. If the quantity demanded responds substantially to the changes in price, the demand for that good is said to be elastic. On the other hand, if the quantity demanded responds slightly to changes in prices, the demand for that good is sa id to be inelastic. PED helps us in determining whether a good has elastic or inelastic demand. Ignoring the negative sign, if PED is greater than 1 then the demand will be elastic and if PED is less than 1 then the demand will be inelastic. Consider the example of oil. A rise in the price of oil may result in a slight decrease in the demand of oil. The vehicles will continue to use oil, so people would have to pay higher prices. The slight decrease in demand may occur because some people might shift to bicycling. In this case the demand for oil is inelastic. Goods which are classified as necessities have inelastic demand. A patient would have to buy a life saving drug how much expensive it might be

The Sustainability of Seafood Farms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Sustainability of Seafood Farms - Essay Example Sustainability pertains to the â€Å"long-term viability of a community, set of social institutions, or societal practice† (Meadowcroft, 2012, p.944). It aims to align the needs and concerns of present and future generations. Sustainability is a framework that asks companies to consider a triple bottom line when planning and executing business strategies and plans. A triple bottom line integrates the effects of business on profits, people, and planet. The concept of sustainability influenced the triple bottom line of seafood farming by compelling the state, people, and firms to safeguard the ocean from unsustainable aquaculture practices that pollute oceans and negatively affect its biodiversity, as well as harm the livelihoods of small fishermen (Weeks, 2007). This essay first discusses the processes of production, distribution, and consumption in fish farms. Production refers to the â€Å"growing† of seafood for mass consumption. It consists of using ocean pens or net s to culture seafood at faster rates than when these sea creatures are in the wild. In the early 1950s, fish farms produced less than 1 million tons of seas foods every year; in 2004, they are raising 60 million tons of finfish, shell fish, and aquatic plants (Weeks, 2007, p.627). Distribution pertains to the movement of seafood goods among producers, sellers, and consumers. At present, the U.S. cannot meet its seafood demand, so it imports seafood from China, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines (Weeks, 2007, p.628). This means that seafood production generally comes from developing countries and distributed for consumption to developed countries. It also supplements its seafood demand through aquaculture, although its output is not enough for American seafood consumers. Consumption is the using up of seafood resources. Because of increasing health concerns, more and more Americans consume fish. From 1998 to 2005, American per capital consumption of fish increased by 30% (Weeks, 2007, p.628). This essay will now explore the advantages and disadvantages seafood farms. The environmental impact of global fish farming on the world’s oceans and aquatic life are largely destructive. Protecting the Oceans is a video that shows widespread abuse of the oceans by jam-packing fishes and other sea creatures into limited fish farm areas. Weeks (2007) described the process of eutrophication in seafood farms. Wastes from seafood farms are discharged to the nearby environment. Algae and plankton feed on these wastes and since wastes are plenty, they exponentially multiply. High populations of algae and plankton dissolve oxygen from water, making it less capable of supporting life (Weeks, 2007, p.631). Eutrophication also damages coral reefs and sea grass beds and diminishes biodiversity (Weeks, 2007, p.631). In addition, even at a local scale, fish farms significantly pollute the waters: â€Å"An average-size salmon farm with 200,000 fish produces as much fecal mat ter as 65,000 people† (Weeks, 2007, p.631). The 2007 report of the Woods Hole Marine Aquaculture Task Force stressed that fish farms produced lesser pollution than other sources, but they could not determine if the ocean can easily absorb its wastes (Weeks, 2007, p.631). The U.S. also lacks guidelines for monitoring and measuring ocean water quality, so it is hard to monitor aquaculture pollution (Weeks, 2007, p.632). In addition, aquaculture can also produce

The Difference between Macro and Micro Economics & Price Elasticity of Essay

The Difference between Macro and Micro Economics & Price Elasticity of Demand - Essay Example Microeconomics focuses on the demand and supply of a single product. It studies the behaviour of a particular institute in the market, helping in the management of that institute. It helps in answering various questions such as what type of a product is to be produced; how much of that product is to be produced to meet the market demands; how is it going to be produced; what raw materials are going to be used; what type of fuel would be used; for whom the good is to be produced; and many other such questions are answered via microeconomics. So all the choices a particular person makes comes under microeconomics because he is just concerned with what he is producing rather than the total production of a particular good in an economy. Macroeconomic issues are related to the balance between aggregate supply and aggregate demand. If the aggregate demand gets much higher than aggregate supply, inflation and balance of payment deficit (exports become greater than imports) can take place. O n the other hand, if the aggregate demand gets lower than aggregate supply, recession and unemployment may occur. So it is crucial to maintain the balance between aggregate supply and aggregate demand and macroeconomics helps in doing so. ... Task 2: The Price Elasticity of Demand (PED) measures how much the quantity demanded of a commodity responds to a change in price of that commodity. Price Elasticity of Demand can be calculated by using the following formula: Price elasticity of demand = Percentage change in quantity demanded / Percentage change in price For example, if there is a 40% rise in oil price and the demand for oil decrease by 10% then Price Elasticity of Demand will be -10% / 40% = -0.25. The value of PED is always negative, because demand graphs are mostly downward slopping, meaning that price and demand always go opposite. An increase in price will result in a decrease in demand and vice versa. Thus there will always be a negative figure which would make the sign negative. If the quantity demanded responds substantially to the changes in price, the demand for that good is said to be elastic. On the other hand, if the quantity demanded responds slightly to changes in prices, the demand for that good is sa id to be inelastic. PED helps us in determining whether a good has elastic or inelastic demand. Ignoring the negative sign, if PED is greater than 1 then the demand will be elastic and if PED is less than 1 then the demand will be inelastic. Consider the example of oil. A rise in the price of oil may result in a slight decrease in the demand of oil. The vehicles will continue to use oil, so people would have to pay higher prices. The slight decrease in demand may occur because some people might shift to bicycling. In this case the demand for oil is inelastic. Goods which are classified as necessities have inelastic demand. A patient would have to buy a life saving drug how much expensive it might be

Home Schooling and Traditional Schooling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Home Schooling and Traditional Schooling - Essay Example As a result, there have been debates whether it is a good idea to home-school children or if it would be better to send them to traditional schools. One of the arguments presented against homeschooling is that there is no guarantee of quality education because not all parents and tutors have the proper training to teach. Moreover, the lessons that might be presented to the student may not be on the same level of the nationally accepted curriculum such as those taught in school (kidshealth.org). On the other hand, the same argument can also be presented in the traditional school because not all licensed teachers really have the skill of effectively teaching students. In relation to the quality of education given to students, homeschooling prides itself on an intensive program that could be designed for the student depending on the student’s learning speed. The one to one teaching and learning experience can be a catalyst for quantity learning. In contrast to this matter, traditional schools have set schedules that need to be followed so that the quality of learning is greatly affected (Baker & kidshealth.org). For instance, slow learners are often left behind while fast learners get bored with the lessons that are repeatedly discussed for those who have difficulty following the lesson. Another problem that is said of homeschooling is the absence or limited access to the development of social skills in students. Home-schools may organize groups for their children in order to compensate for the socialization they miss while learning alone at home and join group activities such as tours and sports but it is so limited in contrast to the exposures of students in traditional schools. Moreover, the facilities used in homeschooling are far limited than in traditional schools.  

Tyranny of Teams Essay Example for Free

Tyranny of Teams Essay Some alternative perspectives on team behaviour elucidate the ways in which the prevailing paradigm ultimately hinders groups and tyrannizes the individual team member mdash; by camouflaging coercion and conflict with the appearance of consultation and cohesion. Examination of the limits and effects of the ideology provide the basis for an alternative understanding of the strengths, constraints and complexities of group work. Introduction Teams in various forms have become ubiquitous ways of working. As task forces, committees, work groups and quality circles, they are used to provide leadership, accomplish research, maximize creativity and operationalize structural flexibility (Peters and Waterman 1982; Payne The 1988) . prescriptions of much contemporary management thinking are based on a dominant ideology of teamwork. While teams have been narrowly construed as a tool of the Organization Development Model, the ideology is much more pervasive. Teams are embraced as tools of diverse models of organizational reform from organization development (Dunphy 1976) to work restructuring (Poza and Markus 1980), from quality management to industrial democracy and from corporate culture and Japanese management approaches to complex contingency prescriptions. 611 Beliefs about the benefits of teams occupy a central and unquestioned place in organizational reform. It is all the more surprising that, despite some differences in context, the team ideology has been espoused with such consistency. The hegemony of this ideology has been supported by researchers who offer the ’team’ as a tantalizingly simple solution to some of the intracDownloaded from http://oss. sagepub. com at Massey University Library on June 28, 2010 612 problems of organizational life. Teams appear to satisfy everything individual needs (for sociability, self-actualization, participative management), organizational needs (for productivity, organizational development, effectiveness) and even society’s needs for alleviating the malaise of alienation and other by-products of modern industrial society (Johnson and Johnson 1987). However, do work groups deserve the status they have acquired as multipurpose panaceas for organizational problems? As has been powerfully argued in organizational analysis (Burrell and Morgan 1979; Astley and Van de Ven 1983; Reed 1985; Alvesson 1987), the dominance of a particular paradigm has substantial costs in the institutionalization of table at once: mechanisms of control. The purpose of this article is to scrutinize the ideological basis of the prevailing team paradigm. Four sets of assumptions which underpin the ideology are identified: 1. Narrowly conceived definitions of work groups and group work are based on the assumption that mature teams are task-oriented, and have successfully minimized corruption by other group impulses. 2. It is an individual motivation formula and a ’unitary view’ of organizations which assumes confluence, not conflict, between individual, group and organizational goals (Burrell and Morgan 1979: 204). 3. Simplistic views of the superiority of participative leaders are held. 4. The views are also held that power, conflict and emotion are subversive forces which divert groups from work. Research from some alternative critical, psychoanalytic and other perspectives is used to suggest some areas in which the paradigm requires overhaul. A premise of this paper is that teams can contribute to getting work of all kinds done, but not when their application is informed by a narrow framework that nurtures inappropriate expectations. Further, and more critically, the team ideology embraced by these assumptions tyrannizes because, under the banner of benefits to all, teams are frequently used to camouflage coercion under the pretence of maintaining cohesion; conceal conflict under the guise of consensus; convert conformity into a semblance of creativity; give unilateral decisions a co-determinist seal of approval; delay action in the supposed interests of consultation; legitimize lack of leadership; and disguise expedient arguments and personal agendas. Definitions of Teams and Group Work theorists have defined a ’team’ as a distinctive class of which is more task-oriented than other groups, and which has a set group, of obvious rules and rewards for its members (Adair 1986). According to this view, high-performing teams substitute collective goals and an inter- Management Downloaded from http://oss. sagepub. com at Massey University Library on June 28, 2010 613 est in the task at hand for individual agendas and inter-personal conflicts. Group theorists have noted the parallels between therapeutic groups and other types of work groups (Foulkes 1964: 110). However, the emphasis of team ideology on the task-orientation of teams has tended to idealize and resist recognizing that groups with a task still experience anti-task behaviour, and indeed have much in common with other types of groups. Seeking to understand both individual and group work, researchers have, on the whole, been dogged by the search for discrete or measurable outputs of work. Work has many forms. Some definitions of individual ’performance’ and ’effectiveness’ in administrative and managerial (Likert 1967; Sorenson 1971) with creativity and innovation in research or scientific contexts (Gordon 1961; Sch6n 1963), yet such experimental measures often seem to bear little resemblance to individual experiences of work (Terkel 1974) . Efforts to define group work by researchers in the team ideology tradition have produced a range of measures referring either to the output or to the quality of group process.

The Importance Of Age In Sla

The Importance Of Age In Sla There are many theories if age affects second language acquisition. Some authors saying that, to learn a second language when you are child is easier than to learn a second language when you are older. We can define children ages from 3 to 18 that are in school and adults or older learners from the ages of 18 and above. However the critical period hypothesis it can also play a role in the learning and also the implicit and the explicit shift hypothesis. Below will examine what authors point out. What is the difference of learning a second language in early stage or later, the benefits and the negatives. And when is easier to start learning a second language. To start with, in critical period hypothesis suggests that there is a period when language acquisition takes place naturally and effortlessly. Penfield and Roberts (1959 in Ellis, 1985:107) argued that the optimum age for language acquisition it starts the first ten years of life. Because in this time of period the brain retains plasticity but with the onset of puberty this plasticity begins to disappear. They suggest that this is a result of the lateralization of the language function in the left hemispheres of the brain, and slowly concentrated in the left hemisphere for most people. Thus, increased difficulty which learners supposedly experience as a direct result of a neurological change. According to Lenneberg (1967 in Ellis, 1985:107) to support the critical period hypothesis found that injuries to the right hemisphere caused more language problems in children than in adults. He also found that in cases of children who underwent surgery of the left hemisphere, no speech disorders resulted, whereas with adults almost total language occurred. Furthermore, Lenneberg provided evidence to show that whereas children rapidly recovered total language control after such operations, adults did not do so, but instead continued to display permanent linguistic impairment. This suggested that the neurological basis of language in children and adults was different. However, Lennebergs evidence does not demonstrate that is easier to acquire language before puberty but he assumed that language acquisition was easier to children. According to Lightbown and Spada (1999:61) most studies of the relationship between age of acquisition and second language development have focused on learn ers phonological (pronunciation) achievement. In general, these studies have concluded that older learners almost inevitably have a noticeable foreign accent. However, another interesting cognitive theory is the implicit and the explicit shift. This suggests that the age affects the decreasing in language learning capacity in SLA and it happens because of the declining role of implicit learning and memory in the language acquisition process, and at the same time increase the role of explicit learning and memory. This statement is supported by a wide agreement that learners process their late-learnt language differently than their native language, but the results of the performance are rarely the same. Paradis (2004 in Dornyei 2009:256-257) point out that a particular strength of the implicit and the explicit shift hypothesis is that they can account of the age effects in naturalistic SLA and in formal school learning: first, the dominating learning mechanism is the implicit thus the younger we are, the better we can capitalize. Second the limited amount of L2 exposure and cognitive structure input is typically favours explicit learning and learning we can benefit from this language environment more in older age when the implicit and the explicit shift is on the way and thus prepared us for utilizing explicit learning mechanisms. Although it is often assumed that the loss of the implicit learning that is forces the second language learners to rely in the explicit learning, which uses a cognitive system different from that the native language is support. Dekeyser (2000 in Dornyei, 2009:241) point out that if the Critical Period Hypothesis (CPH) is constrained, however in the implicit learning mechanisms appears that there is more than just a sizable correlation. Also early age confers an absolute that there may well be no exceptions to the age effect. Between the ages of 6-7 and 16-17 , everybody loses the mental equipment that requires for the implicit induction of the abstract patterns that underlying the human language, thus the critical period deserves its name as DeKeyser mention. DeKeyser and Larson Hall (2005 in Dornyei 2009:241) point out, that this approach is also accepted by Lenneberg (1967 in Dornyei 2009:241) who had the original observation of the CPH that automatic acquisition from mere exposure to a given language seems to disappear after this age. Also many scholars agree with DeKeyser (2000 in Dornyei, 2009:242) that the qualitative disparity between adult (post Critical period) and child language acquisition shows that somewhere along the line there is bound to be break that it caused from maturational constraints. Studies have repeatedly found that age causes a gradual decline in acquiring language with an attainment curve with a sharp discontinuity at the terminus of the period. Although there is a theory the younger the better whereas Dornyei points out that language learning is easier when one is young. For example a family of immigrates to a new country for a 5 year old child will be far easier to learn a L2 proficiency than the 30 year old father, but he would be better than 60 year old grandma. I can agree with Dornyei view, as for a child it can be easier to learn the second language because of the school context, but for the father it depends from the working or the environment he will be surrounded, thus it can be more difficult for older learners. As Dorney (2009:249) explains, a young immigrant child who will start primary school in the new country at the age of 5-6, will be able to learn as often optimal conditions are provided by the school experiences. However, for an adult immigrant whose social network involve people from the same ethno linguistic group and has few native speaking colleagues at work the learning conditions are far from the ideal. It is also the same for a student that contact a L2 onetime per week in a school context. Some other authors that agree with Dornyei, is Kuhl (2008 in Dornyei, 2009:249) who states, There is no doubt that children learn languages more naturally and efficiently than adults and N.Ellis (2005 in Dornyei, 2009:249) also concludes, It is an incontrovertible fact that ultimate second language attainment is less successful in older than younger learners According to Gass and Selinker (2001:342) children are more successful second language learners than adults and there various explanations: First, there social psychological reasons why adults learn languages less easy than children. There many different versions of this hypothesis. Some suggest that adults dont want to give up the sense of identity that the accent provides them. And other suggests that adults dont want to surrender their ego in the extent that required adopting a new language, which combines with a new life-world. Second the cognitive factors are also responsible for the weakness of the adults to succeed in learning. Adults have greater cognitive abilities than children. Adopting the cognitive abilities in language learning task has less successful learning in children, which according to the hypothesis where supposed to rely a greater extent in a specific language acquisition device. Third, there are neurological changes that prevent adults to use their brain with the same way that children learn language learning tasks. This usually presented as a loss of plasticity or the flexibility in the brain. Fourth, the children are exposed to a better input for language learning thus children are provided with better data about the language. On the other hand, some other authors disagree with that point of view and point out that the older the better by state that a 5 year old student probably will occur to less progress in learning language in school context than an older learner age of 15 or 30, even 60 years old. According to Dornyei (2009:235) Anglophone children in French immersion who entered the immersion programme relatively late, around 9 to 11 years old, very quickly manage to caught up with the early immersion of students, who start he immersion programme in kindergarten or when entering the primary school. Also Dornyei (2009:250) point out that in school settings older students make better progress than their younger peers, particularly in acquiring morphosyntactic and lexical aspects of the second language and sometimes also in acquiring phonological aspects. Also Dornyei (2009:250) states that younger the better principle suggests that younger children learn better in educational settings in the sense of going further but not faster. Singleton and Ryan (2004 in Dornyei, 2009:250): Extrapolating from the naturalistic studies, one way plausibly argue that early formal instruction in an L2 is likely to yield advantages after rather longer periods of time than have so far been studied. Over the last few years two investigations took place in Spain, to examine the older the better issue. They examine three groups of Basque learners of English who attended the fifth year in primary school, the second year in secondary school and the fifth year in secondary school who had 600 hours of instruction, Cenoz (2003 in Dornyei, 2009:251) reported that the oldest group had the highest proficiency in English, followed by the intermediate group and the youngest group. The youngest learners where only better in attitudinal and motivational disposition from their older peers. The second study investigated Catalan learners of English in the Barcelona Age Factor (BAF) project and they found very similar findings. Several groups of learners (total N= 1928) with different AoA were examined three times, after 200 hours, 416 hours, and 726 hours of instruction. In the results older learners where progress faster in learning a foreign language than younger learners. Munoz (2006 in Dorny ei, 2009:251) concluded that after linger periods of time, younger starters did not outperform later starters, and the extensive span and size of this investigation makes this finding particularly robust. However, many authors point out that in formal language contexts younger learners are not better but worse. Thus, in recent initiatives they attempt to push forward the starting age of learning a foreign language as a school productive. Lightbown and Spada (2006 in Dornyei, 2009:251), conclude that older learners are possible to achieve a better use in L2 learning in limited time. When the goal is the basic communicative ability for all students in an educational system, and when the childs native language will remain the primary language, it may be more efficient to start learning a second or a foreign language teaching later. When the learners receive few hours of teaching per week, the learners who start later between 10 to 12 years old often are likely to caught up with the learners who start earlier. Some second or foreign languages programmes that start with very young learners and provide minimum of contact, usually they do not lead to much progress. On the other hand Ellis gives some facts of younger and older learners. According to Ellis (1994:491-492) adult learners have an initial advantage of learning, where rate of learning in concerned, particularly in grammar. Eventually adult learners can overtake the child learners that are exposed to L2. This is less likely to happen in instructional than in naturalistic settings because the critical amount of exposure is usually not available in the former. First, only child learners are able to acquire informal learning contexts. Long (1990 in Ellis, 1994:491-492) point out that the critical period is age 6, but Scovel point out that there is no evidence to support it and argues for a pre-puberty start. Also Singletton (1989 in Ellis, 1994:491-492) point out that children are able to acquire a native accent only if they are exposed to massive L2 learning. However, some children still do not manage to acquire a native like accent possible because they try to maintain active use of the ir L1. Adult learners may be able to acquire a native accent if they have an assistance of instruction, but more researchers have to take place to substantiate this claim. Second, children are more likely to acquire a native grammatical competence, as the critical period of grammar may be able to be later than for pronunciation, around 15 years old. But some adult learners, might achieve to acquire native levels of grammatical accuracy in speech and writing and linguistic competence. Third, children are more likely to reach higher levels of attainment in pronunciation and grammar than adults. Fourth, the process of acquiring a L2 does not really affected by the age, but the acquiring of pronunciation can be. Beside if younger learners or older learners are better, age can affect the mastery of native like learning as we saw above. Also Mark Patkowski (in Lightbown, 1999:61-62) studied the effect of age in acquisition of features of a second language, despite the accent. He pointed that even if the accent was ignored only the learners who start learning a second language before the age of 15 they could achieve full, native-like mastery of that language. Patkowski also examined the spoken English of 67 highly educated immigrants to the United States. The learners started to learn English in different ages, but all of them lived in the United States more than 5 years. Also 15 native-born Americans English speakers of spoken English from similarly high level of education take place to the research to show the validity of the research. In the research, a lengthy interview with each of the subjects in the study was tape recorded. Because Patkowski wanted to remove the possibility that the resu lts would be affected, he did not ask rates to judge the tape-recorded interviews themselves. Instead, he transcribed five-minute samples from the interviews. These samples were rated by trained native-speakers judges. The judges were asked to place each speaker on a rating scale from 0, representing no knowledge of the language, to 5, representing a level of English expected form an educated native speaker. The main question in Patkowskis research was: Will there be a difference between learners who began to learn English before puberty and those who began learning later? However, in the light of some of the issues discussed above, he also compared learners on the basis of other characteristics and experiences which some people have suggested might be as good as age in predicting or explaining a learners eventual success in mastering a second language. For example, he looked at the relationship between eventual mastery and the total amount of time a speaker had been in the United States as well as the amount of formal ESL instruction each speaker had had. The findings were remarkable, because thirty-two from the thirty-three learners who start learning English before the age of 15 years old scored 4+ or the 5 level. The homogeneity of the post-puberty learners seemed that the success of learning a second language was almost inevitable. On the other hand, was a variety in the levels that the post-puberty achieved. The majority of the post-puberty learners achieved +3 level, but a wide if distribution of levels achieved. The variety of the performance of this group were look more like the performance range were expected if someone were measuring success in learning, almost in any kind of skill or knowledge Patkowskis (in Lightbown, 1999:62-63) first question, Will there be a difference between learners who began to learn English before puberty and those who began learning English later?, was answered with a very resounding yes. Thus Patkowski found that the age of acquisition is very important factor for the development of native-like m astery of a second language and that does not only affect the accent. The experience and the research showed that native-like mastery of spoken language is difficult to achieve by older learners. Also, the ability to distinguish grammatical and ungrammatical sentences in a second language seems that is also affected by the age factor. However, according to Dornyei (2009:242) learners who are young enough in the critical period are still failing to master the L2 to a native like level. And, on the other hand are adult learners whose AoA is late, for example learners in their twenties, that has to be after the offset of the Critical Period and they succeed in acquiring native like proficiency. Also, there are evidences against the Critical Period hypothesis, an example that provided by Flege (2006 in Dornyei, 2009:242) are young learners of L2 whose L1 influence the pronunciation and it could still be detected after a long period in the host environment. And in another investigation that took place in 2007 by Jia and Fuse is that none of the ten immigrant children whose development followed by five year period in the USA manage to master the regular past tense -ed suffix at a minimum of 80% accuracy level, even thought the youngest children were 5 to 6 years old in the arrival and when the participated in mainstream schooling with additional English teaching. Birdsong (2006 in Dornyei, 2009:243) point out that few studies that have identified in early starter L2 learners that they should achieved native like proficiency but they do not as the Critical period defeating, native like adult L2 learners has received more attention in the literature. Common figures of post pubertal learners who reach a native like level range between 5 to 10% of learners in naturalistic environments. However there are two important points that adults can also do it. First, Birdsong (2007 in Dornyei, 2009:244) observed in his study that the late learners can success in phonetic training and also are having highly motivated to improve L2 pronunciation. Second, it appears that if you dig deep enough you can find chinks in the L2 armour, or even the most successful L2 adult learner. There various ways of accessing the native-like speaker judgment of L2 pronunciation, oral and written production tasks, even grammaticality judgements in more sophisticated probes such as examining subtle phonetic differences in voice onset time or intonation contour. It seems that even if standard measures identify someone to belong within the native-speaking range obtained of performance-usually within two standard deviations of the mean rating obtained for a native-speaking norm group- more elaborate techniques can still detect subtle deviations from the native norm. To conclude, there are many beliefs if age affects second language acquisition, if younger learners or older learners are better, if younger learners or older learners can achieve a native like language and if there is a critical period. In my opinion, learning a second language in younger age is more effective because is easier to save or remember new things, however if you are older learner there is a benefit to be able to practise the second language. And for my personal experience practising your second language and use the second language is how you learn it, instead of just learning a second language only in school context, through books, exercises, etc. In the second part of the native like proficiency I do not believe that the age matters but it matters from the person. Some people are more motivated to achieve a native like proficiency and they will try more, but other they just want to speak a second language and be able to understand them, nothing else. And for the third p art, if there is a critical period, I will agree as they say the children are like sponge, I will also agree with the part that says there is a time you stop learning as I believe in some point in your life you cannot handle new things, new words or new grammar but it happen in different stages for every person.

Hitler Essay -- essays research papers fc

Hitler’s Rise to Power Which Created New Germany Hitler’s first step of being chancellor was to call for elections to be held in the March of 1933. Before the elections were held, however, on the 27th of February a week before the election the Reichstag burnt down. A Dutch communist, Marinus van der Lubbe, was caught inside the burning building with lighters and matches on him. Hitler used this event to arrest many communists and to request Hindenburg to issue an emergency law, For the Protection of the People and State. (German Aircraft of WWII† by Kenneth Munson, 1978 pg45-75) The Nazis won 288 seats Hitler now persuaded the Reichstag to pass the Enabling Act, which would change the constitution and give him the ability to pass laws without the consent of the Reichstag. By a vote of 441 to 94, the Enabling Act was passed. He was now the legal dictator of Germany. Hitler’s plans for Germany were three points: *Rearmament *Employment *Expansion Almost as soon as the Nazis came to power, Germany began to change. In October 1934 Hitler authorized an increase in the size of the German Army, and in two months it had grown to 280, 000 soldiers. In March 1935 he announced the reintroduction of conscription, with plans to build up the army to thirty-six divisions or 500, 000 soldiers. The existence of the new German Air Force known as the Luftwaffe was made public. Hitler intended to ignore the military clauses of the Treaty of Versailles. The navy was not overlooked. The Kriegsmarine was given the task of making the construction of submarines, which had proven to be an effective weapon in World War I. Submarines construction began in 1934 and the number of Unterseeboots or U-Boats grew to fifty-seven. In 1935 the pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee was launched, followed by the Scharnhorst and the Gneisau. The new German Air Force, called the Luftwaffe, took the task of rebuilding Germany’s air power with enthusiasm. By 19 39 it boasted 4200 front-line aircraft. In September 1936 Hitler introduced the Four Year Plan that aimed to make Germany totally self-sufficient in essential commodities such as oil, iron ore, textiles and food. When the Nazis came to power there were six million Germans unemployed, which equated to one-third of the workforce. The Nazis regarded unemployment as an urgent and growing issue. Unemployment in Germany dropped due to ... ... The Bf109G or Gustav had very good high-altitude performance, so a new high pressure cabin had to be fitted. The aircraft was very heavy. It was fast but it did not handle well. Engineers then fitted a nitrous oxide injection system, which resulted in 406mph at 28 500ft. The Gustav, which had started to come off production lines in 1942, was perhaps the first aircraft to be designed as a platform for a variety of weapons systems. A well-flown Gustav presented the RAF’s Spitfire pilots with a formidable foe- they could out-turn the Spitfire, yet the Gustav was out-gunned. During 1942 a total of 2664 Messerschmitt Bf109s were produced. The Gustav was camouflaged by a three-tone grey color scheme proved effective over the low countries and the North Sea. The Bf109F and G as well as earlier variants served in the all of the major campaigns in Europe and Africa, but the most significant was the Battle of Britain. Messerschmitt Bf109 Bibliography *â€Å"German Aircraft of WWII† by Kenneth Munson, 1978 *â€Å"The Guide to Axis Fighters of WWII† by Bill Gunston, 1980 *â€Å"Take Off† by Chris Dorrington, 1993 *â€Å"Republic to Reich†by K.J Mason, 1996 *†www.Google>com†

Semiotics and Instructional Technology Essay -- Signs Writing Symbols

Semiotics and Instructional Technology Abstract The purpose of my paper is to define and discuss semiotics and relate it to instructional technology. Discussing Semiotics Huyghe says that if you are a semiologist, then you study systems of signs (Huyghe, 1993, p.1). This area of discussion can cover a broad range of topics from hieroglyphic writing to "Masks and the semiotics of identity." "In semiotic terms, an icon is a variety of sign that bears a resemblance to its object; a diagram, for example, is an icon of that which the diagram represents (Pollock, 1995, p. 1). In Bourland-Davis’ article, she draws from Johnson and Hackman to discuss semiotics as a form of symbolic communication (Bourland-Davis, 1998, p. 2). In Bourland-Davis’ article (Bourland-Davis, p. 2), Johnson and Hackman state that ‘human (symbolic) communication †¦ generates new and relevant combinations of associations of existing elements (materials, words, ideas, facts, sounds, movements, colors, lines, mathematical notations, procedures, etc.) through lateral (divergent) thinking’ (as cited in Johnson and Hackman, 1995, p.15). Sometimes the most effective way to represent an abstract problem is by using symbols, as students learn to do in high-school algebra (Matlin, 1998, p. 347). Often by comparing an idea to an object that can be symbolically related somehow, the level of understanding is increased, and then that object can later be used as a trigger mechanism for recalling the specifics of that concept (Matlin, 1998, p. 351). "†¦a visual image can let us escape from the boundaries of traditional representations. At the same time, however, the visual image is somewhat concrete; it serves as a symbol for a theory that has not yet bee... ...of identity. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute: Vol. 1 (pp. 581-597). Scott, Robert Ian. (1995). Messages and meanings: An essay/review – Messages and Meanings: An introduction to semiotics by Marcel Danesi. Et Cetera: Vol. 52 (pp. 482-486). Winn, William. Toward a rationale and theoretical basis for educational technology. ETR&D: Vol. 37 (pp. 35-46). Zenger, Weldon F. & Zenger, Sharon K. (1999). Schools and curricula for the 21st century: Predictions, visions and anticipations. NASSP Bulletin: Vol. 83 (pp. 49-60). Textbooks Used: Anglin, Gary J. (1995). Instructional Technology: Past, Present and Future. (2nd ed.). In Barbara L. Grabowski, Message Design: Issues and Trends. (pp. 222-225). Colorado: Libraries Unlimited, Inc. Matlin, Margaret W. (1998). Cognition. (4th ed.). Texas: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.

How to Say Nothing in Five Hundred Word Essay

Paul McHenry Roberts (1917-1967) taught college English for over twenty years, first at San Jose State College and later at Cornell University. He wrote numerous books on linguistics, including Understanding Grammar (1954), Patterns of English (1956), and Understanding English (1958). Freshman composition, like everything else, has its share of fashions. In the 195Os, when this article was written, the most popular argument raging among student essayists was the proposed abolition of college football. With the greater social consciousness of the early ’60s, the topic of the day became the morality of capital punishment. Topics may change, but the core principles of good writing remain constant, and this essay as become something of a minor classic in explaining them. Be concrete, says Roberts; get to the point; express your opinions colorfully. Refreshingly, he even practices what he preaches. His essay is humorous, direct, and almost salty in summarizing the working habits that all good prose writers must cultivate. — Editors’ note from JoRay McCuen & Anthony C. Winkler’s Readings for Writers , 3rd ed., Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1980 It’s Friday afternoon. and you have almost survived another week of classes. You are just looking forward dreamily to the weekend when the English instructor says: â€Å"For Monday you will turn in a five hundred-word composition on college football.† Well, that puts a good hole in the weekend. You don’t have any strong views on college football one way or the other. You get rather excited during the season and go to all the home games and find it rather more fun than not. On the other hand, the class has been reading Robert Hutchins in the anthology and perhaps Shaw’s â€Å"Eighty-Yard Run,† and from the class discussion you have got the idea that the instructor thinks college football is for the birds. You are no fool. You can figure out what side to take. After dinner you get out the portable typewriter that you got for high school graduation. You might as well get it over with and enjoy Saturday and Sunday. Five hundred words is about two double -spaced pages with normal margins. You put in a sheet of paper, think up a title, and you’re off: WHY COLLEGE FOOTBALL SHOULD BE ABOLISHED College football should be abolished because it’s bad for the school and also for the players. The players are so busy practicing that they don’t have any time for their studies. This, you feel, is a mighty good start. The only trouble is that it’s only thirty-two words. You still have four hundred and sixty-eight to go, and you’ve pretty well exhausted the subject. It comes to you that you do your best thinking in the morning, so you put away the typewriter and go to the movies. But the next morning you have to do your washing and some math problems, and in the afternoon you go to the game. The English instructor turns up too, and you wonder if you’ve taken the right side after all. Saturday night you have a date, and Sunday morning you have to go to church. (You can’t let English assignments interfere with your religion.) What with one thing and another, it’s ten o’clock Sunday night before you get out the typewriter again. Y ou make a pot of coffee and start to fill out your views on college football. Put a little meat on the bones. WHY COLLEGE FOOTBALL SHOULD BE ABOLISHED In my opinion, it seems to me that college football should be abolished. The reason why I think this to be true is because I feel that football is bad for the colleges in nearly every respect. As Robert Hutchins says in his article in our anthology in which he discusses college football, it would be better if the colleges had race horses and had races with one another, because then the horses would not have to attend classes. I firmly agree with Mr. Hutchins on this point, and I am sure that many other students would agree too. One reason why it seems to me that college football is bad is that it has become too commercial. In the olden times when people played football just for the fun of it, maybe college football was all right, but they do not play college football just for the fun of it now as they used to in the old days. Nowadays college football is what you might call a big business. Maybe this is not true at all schools, and I don’t think it is especially true here at State, but certainly this is the case at most colleges and universities in America nowadays, as Mr. Hutchins points out in his very interesting article. Actually the coaches and alumni go around to the high schools and offer the high school stars large salaries to come to their colleges and play football for them. There was one case where a high school star was offered a convertible if he would play football for a certain college. Another reason for abolishing college football is that it is bad for the players. They do not have time to get a college education, because they are so busy playing football. A football player has to practice every afternoon from three to six and then he is so tired that he can’t concentrate on his studies. He just feels like dropping off to sleep after dinner, and then the next day he goes to his classes without having studied and maybe he fails the test. (Good ripe stuff so far, but you’re still a hundred and fifty-one words from home. One more push.) Also I think college football is bad for the colleges and the universities because not very many students get to participate in it. Out of a college of ten thousand students only seventy-five or a hundred play football, if that many. Football is what you might call a spectator sport. That means that most people go to watch it but do not play it themselves. (Four hundred and fifteen. Well, you still have the conclusion, and when you retype it, you can make the margins a little wider.) These are the reasons why I agree with Mr. Hutchins that college football should be abolished in American colleges and universities. On Monday you turn it in, moderately hopeful, and on Friday it comes back marked â€Å"weak in content† and sporting a big â€Å"D.† This essay is exaggerated a little, not much. The English instructor will recognize it as reasonably typical of what an assignment on college football will bring in. He knows that nearly half of the class will contrive in five hundred words to say that college football is too commercial and bad for the players. Most of the other half will inform him that college football builds character and prepares one for life and brings prestige to the school. As he reads paper after paper all saying the same thing in almost the same words, all bloodless, five hundred words dripping out of nothing, he wonders how he allowed himself to get trapped into teaching English when he might have had a happy and interesting life as an electrician or a confidence man. Well, you may ask, what can you do about it? The subject is one on which you have few convictions and little information. Can you be expected to make a dull subject interesting? As a matter of fact, this is precisely what you are expected to do. This is the writer’s essential task. All subjects, except sex, are dull until somebody makes them interesting. The writer’s job is to find the argument, the approach, the angle, the wording that will take the reader with him. This is seldom easy, and it is particularly hard in subjects that have been much discussed: College Football, Fraternities, Popular Music, Is Chivalry Dead?, and the like. You will feel that there is nothing you can do with such subjects except repeat the old bromides. But there are some things you can do which will make your papers, if not throbbingly alive, at least less insufferably tedious than they might otherwise be. AVOID THE OBVIOUS CONTENT Say the assignment is college football. Say that you’ve decided to be against it. Begin by putting down the arguments that come to your mind: it is too commercial, it takes the students’ minds off their studies, it is hard on the players, it makes the university a kind of circus instead of an intellectual center, for most schools it is financially ruinous. Can you think of any more arguments, just off hand? All right. Now when you write your paper, make sure that you don’ t use any of the material on this list. If these are the points that leap to your mind, they will leap to everyone else’s too, and whether you get a â€Å"C† or a â€Å"D† may depend on whether the instructor reads your paper early when he is fresh and tolerant or late, when the sentence â€Å"In my opinion, college football has become too commercial,† inexorably repeated, has bought him to the brink of lunacy. Be against college football for some reason or reasons of your own. If they are keen and perceptive ones, that’s splendid. But even if they are trivial or foolish or indefensible, you are still ahead so long as they are not everybody else’s reasons too. Be against it because the colleges don’t spend enough money on it to make it worthwhile, because it is bad for the characters of the spectators, because the players are forced to attend classes, because the football stars hog all the beautiful women, because it competes with baseball and is therefore un-American and possibly Communist-inspired. There are lots of more or less unused reasons for being against college football. Sometimes it is a good idea to sum up and dispose of the trite and conventional points before going on to your own. This has the advantage of indicating to the reader that you are going to be neither trite nor conventional. Something like this: We are often told that college football should be abolished because it has become too commercial or because it is bad for the players. These arguments are no doubt very cogent, but they don’t really go to the heart of the matter. Then you go to the heart of the matter. TAKE THE LESS USUAL SIDE One rather simple way of getting into your paper is to take the side of the argument that most of the citizens will want to avoid. If the assignment is an essay on dogs, you can, if you choose, explain that dogs are faithful and lovable companions, intelligent, useful as guardians of the house and protectors of children, indispensable in police work — in short, when all is said and done, man’s best friends. Or you can suggest that those big brown eyes conceal, more often than not, a vacuity of mind and an inconstancy of purpose; that the dogs you have known most intimately have been mangy, ill-tempered brutes, incapable of instruction; and that only your nobility of mind and fear of arrest prevent you from kicking the flea-ridden animals when you pass them on the street. Naturally personal convictions will sometimes dictate your approach. If the assigned subject is â€Å"Is Methodism Rewarding to the Individual?† and you are a pious Methodist, you have really no choice. But few assigned subjects, if any, will fall in this category. Most of them will lie in broad areas of discussion with much to be said on both sides. They are intellectual exercises, and it is legitimate to argue now one way and now another, as debaters do in similar circumstances. Always take the that looks to you hardest, least defensible. It will almost always turn out to be easier to write interestingly on that side. This general advice applies where you have a choice of subjects. If you are to choose among â€Å"The Value of Fraternities† and â€Å"My Favorite High School Teacher† and â€Å"What I Think About Beetles,† by all means plump for the beetles. By the time the instructor gets to your paper, he will be up to his ears in tedious tales about a French teacher at Bloombury High and assertions about how fraternities build character and prepare one for life. Your views on beetles, whatever they are, are bound to be a refreshing change. Don’t worry too much about figuring out what the instructor thinks about the subject so that you can cuddle up with him. Chances are his views are no stronger than yours. If he does have convictions and you oppose him, his problem is to keep from grading you higher than you deserve in order to show he is not biased. This doesn’t mean that you should always cantankerously dissent from what the instructor says; that gets tiresome too. And if the subject assigned is â€Å"My Pet Peeve,† do not begin, â€Å"My pet peeve is the English instructor who assigns papers on ‘my pet peeve.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ This was still funny during the War of 1812, but it has sort of lost its edge since then. It is in general good manners to avoid personalities. SLIP OUT OF ABSTRACTION If you will study the essay on college football [near the beginning of this essay], you will perceive that one reason for its appalling dullness is that it never gets down to particulars. It is just a series of not very glittering generalities: â€Å"football is bad for the colleges,† â€Å"it has become too commercial,† â€Å"football is big business,† â€Å"it is bad for the players,† and so on. Such round phrases thudding against the reader’s brain are unlikely to convince him, though they may well render him unconscious. If you want the reader to believe that college football is bad for the players, you have to do more than say so. You have to display the evil. Take your roommate, Alfred Simkins, the second-string center. Picture poor old Alfy coming home from football practice every evening, bruised and aching, agonizingly tired, scarcely able to shovel the mashed potatoes into his mouth. Let us see him staggering up to the room, getting out his econ textbook, peering desperately at it with his good eye, falling asleep and failing the test in the morning. Let us share his unbearable tension as Saturday draws near. Will he fail, be demoted, lose his monthly allowance, be forced to return to the coal mines? And if he succeeds, what will be his reward? Perhaps a slight ripple of applause when the thirdstring center replaces him, a moment of elation in the locker room if the team wins, of despair if it loses. What will he look back on when he graduates from college? Toil and torn ligaments. And what will be his future? He is not good enough for pro football, and he is too obscure and weak in econ to succeed in stocks and bonds. College football is tearing the heart from Alfy Simkins and, when it finishes with him, will callously toss aside the shattered hulk. This is no doubt a weak enough argument for the abolition of college football, but it is a sight better than saying, in three or four variations, that college football (in your opinion) is bad for the players. Look at the work of any professional writer and notice how constantly he is moving from the generality, the abstract statement, to the concrete example, the facts and figures, the illustrations. If he is writing on juvenile delinquency, he does not just tell you that juveniles are (it seems to him) delinquent and that (in his opinion) something should be done about it. He shows you juveniles being delinquent, tearing up movie theatres in Buffalo, stabbing high school principals in Dallas, smoking marijuana in Palo Alto. And more than likely he is moving toward some specific remedy, not just a general wringing of the hands. It is no doubt possible to be too concrete, too illustrative or anecdotal, but few inexperienced writers err this way. For most the soundest advice is to be seeking always for the picture, to be always turning general remarks into seeable examples. Don’t say, â€Å"Sororities teach girls the social graces.† Say, â€Å"Sorority life teaches a girl how to carry on a conversation while pouring tea, without sloshing the tea into the saucer.† Don’t say, â€Å"I like certain kinds of popular music very much.† Say, â€Å"Whenever I hear Gerber Sprinklittle play ‘Mississippi Man’ on the trombone, my socks creep up my ankles.† GET RID OF OBVIOUS PADDING The student toiling away at his weekly English theme is too often tormented by a figure: five hundred words. How, he asks himself, is he to achieve this staggering total? Obviously by never using one word when he can somehow work in ten. He is therefore seldom content with a plain statement like â€Å"Fast driving is dangerous.† This has only four words in it. He takes thought, and the sentence becomes: In my opinion, fast driving is dangerous. Better, but he can do better still: In my opinion, fast driving would seem to be rather dangerous. If he is really adept, it may come out: In my humble opinion. though I do not claim to be an expert on this complicated subject, test driving, in most circumstances, would seem to be rather dangerous in many respects, or at least so it would seem to me. Thus four words have been turned into forty, and not an iota of content has been added. Now this is a way to go about reaching five hundred words, and if you are content with a â€Å"D† grade, it is as good a way as any. But if you aim higher, you must work differently. Instead of stuffing your sentences with straw, you must try steadily to get rid of the padding, to make your sentences lean and tough. If you are really working at it, your first draft will greatly exceed the required total, and then you will work it down, thus: It is thought in some quarters that fraternities do not contribute as much as might be expected to campus life. Some people think that fraternities contribute little to campus life. The average doctor who practices in small towns or in the country must toil night and day to heal the sick. Most country doctors work long hours. When I was a little girl, I suffered from shyness and embarrassment in the presence of others. I was a shy little girl. It is absolutely necessary for the person employed as a marine fireman to give the matter of steam pressure his undivided attention at all times. The fireman has to keep his eye on the steam gauge. You may ask how you can arrive at five hundred words at this rate. Simple. You dig up more real content. Instead of taking a couple of obvious points off the surface of the topic and then circling warily around them for six paragraphs, you work in and explore, figure out the details. You illustrate. You say that fast driving is dangerous, and then you prove it. How long does it take to stop a car at forty and at eighty? How far can you see at night? What happens when a tire blows? What happens in a head-on collision at fifty miles an hour? Pretty soon your paper will be full of broken glass and blood and headless torsos, and reaching five hundred words will not really be a problem. CALL A FOOL A FOOL Some of the padding in freshman themes is to be blamed not on anxiety about the word minimum but on excessive timidity. The student writes, â€Å"In my opinion, the principal of my high school acted in ways that I believe every unbiased person would have to call foolish.† This isn’t exactly what he means. What he means is, â€Å"My high school principal was a fool.† If he was a fool, call him a fool. Hedging the thing about with â€Å"in-myopinion’s† and â€Å"it-seems-to-me’s† and â€Å"as-I-see-it’s† and â€Å"at-least-from-my-point-ofview’s† gains you nothing. Delete these phrases whenever they creep into your paper. The student’s tendency to hedge stems from a modesty that in other circumstances would be commendable. He is, he realizes, young and inexperienced, and he half suspects that he is dopey and fuzzyminded beyond the average. Probably only too true. But it doesn’t help to announce your incompetence six times in every paragraph. Decide what you want to say and say it as vigorously as possible, without apology and in plain words. Linguistic diffidence can take various forms. One is what we call euphemism. This is the tendency to call a spade â€Å"a certain garden implement† or women’s underwear â€Å"unmentionables.† It is stronger in some eras than others and in some people than others but it always operates more or less in subjects that are touchy or taboo: death, sex, madness, and so on. Thus we shrink from saying â€Å"He died last night† but say instead â€Å"passed away,† â€Å"left us,† â€Å"joined his Maker,† â€Å"went to his reward.† Or we try to take off the tension with a lighter clichà ©: â€Å"kicked the bucket,† â€Å"cashed in his chips,† â€Å"handed in his dinner pail.† We have found all sorts of ways to avoid saying mad: â€Å"mentally ill,† â€Å"touched,† â€Å"not quite right upstairs,† â€Å"feebleminded,† â€Å"innocent,† â€Å"simple,† â€Å"off his trolley,† â€Å"not in his right mind.† Even such a now plain word as insane began as a euphemism with the meaning â€Å"not healthy.† Modern science, particularly psychology, contributes many polysyllables in which we can wrap our thoughts and blunt their force. To many writers there is no such thing as a bad schoolboy. Schoolboys are maladjusted or unoriented or misunderstood or in the need of guidance or lacking in continued success toward satisfactory integration of the personality as a social unit, but they are never bad. Psychology no doubt makes us better men and women, more sympathetic and tolerant, but it doesn’t make writing any easier. Had Shakespeare been confronted with psychology, â€Å"To be or not to be† might have come out, â€Å"To continue as a social unit or not to do so. That is the personality problem. Whether ’tis a better sign of integration at the conscious level to display a psychic tolerance toward the maladjustments and repressions induced by one’s lack of orientation in one’s environment or — † But Hamlet would never have finished the soliloquy. Writing in the modern world, you cannot altogether avoid modern jargon. Nor, in an effort to get away from euphemism, should you salt your paper with four-letter words. But you can do much if you will mount guard against those roundabout phrases, those echoing polysyllables that tend to slip into your writing to rob it of its crispness and force. BEWARE OF PAT EXPRESSIONS Other things being equal, avoid phrases like â€Å"other things being equal.† Those sentences that come to you whole, or in two or three doughy lumps, are sure to be bad sentences. They are no creation of yours but pieces of common thought floating in the community soup. Pat expressions are hard, often impossible, to avoid, because they come too easily to be noticed and seem too necessary to be dispensed with. No writer avoids them altogether, but good writers avoid them more often than poor writers. By â€Å"pat expressions† we mean such tags as â€Å"to all practical intents and purposes,† â€Å"the pure and simple truth,† â€Å"from where I sit,† â€Å"the time of his life,† â€Å"to the ends of the earth,† â€Å"in the twinkling of an eye,† â€Å"as sure as you’re born,† â€Å"over my dead body,† â€Å"under cover of darkness,† â€Å"took the easy way out,† â€Å"when all is said and done,† â€Å"told him time and time again,† â€Å"parted the best of friends,† â€Å"stand up and be counted,† â€Å"gave him the best years of her life,† â€Å"worked her fingers to the bone.† Like other clichà ©s, these expressions were once forceful. Now we should use them only when we can’t possibly think of anything else. Some pat expressions stand like a wall between the writer and thought. Such a one is â€Å"the American way of life.† Many student writers feel that when they have said that something accords with the American way of life or does not they have exhausted the subject. Actually, they have stopped at the highest level of abstraction. The American way of life is the complicated set of bonds between a hundred and eighty million ways. All of us know this when we think about it, but the tag phrase too often keeps us from thinking about it. So with many another phrase dear to the politician: â€Å"this great land of ours,† â€Å"the man in the street,† â€Å"our national heritage.† These may prove our patriotism or give a clue to our political beliefs, but otherwise they add nothing to the paper except words. COLORFUL WORDS The writer builds with words, and no builder uses a raw material more slippery and elusive and treacherous. A writer’s work is a constant struggle to get the right word in the right place, to find that particular word that will convey his meaning exactly, that will persuade the reader or soothe him or startle or amuse him. He never succeeds altogether – sometimes he feels that he scarcely succeeds at all — but such successes as he has are what make the thing worth doing. There is no book of rules for this game. One progresses through everlasting experiment on the basis of ever-widening experience. There are few useful generalizations that one can make about words as words, but there are perhaps a few. Some words are what we call â€Å"colorful.† By this we mean that they are calculated to produce a picture or induce an emotion. They are dressy instead of plain, specific instead of general, loud instead of soft. Thus, in place of â€Å"Her heart beat,† we may write, â€Å"her heart pounded, throbbed, fluttered, danced.† Instead of â€Å"He sat in his chair,† we may say, â€Å"he lounged, sprawled, coiled.† Instead of â€Å"It was hot,† we may say, â€Å"It was blistering, sultry, muggy, suffocating, steamy, wilting.† However, it should not be supposed that the fancy word is always better. Often it is as well to write â€Å"Her heart beat† or â€Å"It was hot† if that is all it did or all it was. Ages differ in how they like their prose. The nineteenth century liked it rich and smoky. The twentieth has usually preferred it lean and cool. The twentieth century writer, like all writers, is forever seeking the exact word, but he is wary of sounding feverish. He tends to pitch it low, to understate it, to throw it away. He knows that if he gets too colorful, the audience is likely to giggle. See how this strikes you: â€Å"As the rich, golden glow of the sunset died away along the eternal western hills, Angela’s limpid blue eyes looked softly and trustingly into Montague’s flashing brown ones, and her heart pounded like a drum in time with the joyous song surging in her soul.† Some people like that sort of thing, but most modern readers would say, â€Å"Good grief,† and turn on the television. COLORED WORDS Some words we would call not so much colorful as colored — that is, loaded with associations, good or bad. All words — except perhaps structure words — have associations of some sort. We have said that the meaning of a word is the sum of the contexts in which it occurs. When we hear a word, we hear with it an echo of all the situations in which we have heard it before. In some words, these echoes are obvious and discussible. The word mother, for example, has, for most people, agreeable associations. When you hear mother you probably think of home, safety, love, food, and various other pleasant things. If one writes, â€Å"She was like a mother to me,† he gets an effect which he would not get in â€Å"She was like an aunt to me.† The advertiser makes use of the associations of mother by working it in when he talks about his product. The politician works it in when he talks about himself. So also with such words as home, liberty, fireside, contentment, patriot, tenderness, sacrifice, childlike, manly, bluff, limpid. All of these words are loaded with associations that would be rather hard to indicate in a straightforward definition. There is more than a literal difference between â€Å"They sat around the fireside† and â€Å"They sat around the stove.† They might have been equally warm and happy around the stove, but fireside suggests leisure, grace, quiet tradition, congenial company, and stove does not. Conversely, some words have bad associations. Mother suggests pleasant things, but mother-in-law does not. Many mothers-in-law are heroically lovable and some mothers drink gin all day and beat their children insensible, but these facts of life are beside the point. The point is that mother sounds good and mother-in-law does not. Or consider the word intellectual. This would seem to be a complimentary term, but in point of fact it is not, for it has picked up associations of impracticality and ineffectuality and general dopiness. So also such words as liberal, reactionary, Communist, socialist, capitalist, radical, schoolteacher, truck driver; operator, salesman, huckster, speculator. These convey meaning on the literal level, but beyond that — sometimes, in some places — they convey contempt on the part of the speaker. The question of whether to use loaded words or not depends on what is being written. The scientist, the scholar, try to avoid them; for the poet, the advertising writer, the public speaker, they are standard equipment. But every writer should take care that they do not substitute for thought. If you write, â€Å"Anyone who thinks that is nothing but a Socialist (or Communist or capitalist)† you have said nothing except that you don’t like people who think that, and such remarks are effective only with the most naive readers. It is always a bad mistake to think your readers more naive than they really are. COLORLESS WORDS But probably most student writers come to grief not with words that are colorful or those that are colored but with those that have no color at all. A pet example is nice, a word we would find it hard to dispense with in casual conversation but which is no longer capable of adding much to a description. Colorless words are those of such general meaning that in a particular sentence they mean nothing. Slang adjectives like cool (â€Å"That’s real cool†) tend to explode all over the language. They are applied to everything, lose their original force, and quickly die. Beware also of nouns of very general meaning, like circumstances, cases, instances, aspects, factors, relationships, attitudes, eventualities, etc. In most circumstances you will find that those cases of writing which contain too many instances of words like these will in this and other aspects have factors leading to unsatisfactory relationships with the reader resulting in unfavorable attitudes on his part and perhaps other eventualities, like a grade of â€Å"D.† Notice also what etc. means. It means â€Å"I’d like to make this list longer, but I can’t think of any more examples.†