Pronoun Agreement on ACT English Tips and Practice

Pronoun Agreement on ACT English Tips and Practice SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Pronoun agreement errors are an especiallyconfusing type of ACT English question because peopleoften misuse pronouns, especially when youspeak. In fact, I just made a pronoun mistake: can you spot it? Take a closer look at the second half of my first sentence: "people often misuse pronouns, especially when youspeak." Who is "you" referring to here: "people." However, the correct pronoun for the third person plural is "they." The correct version of the sentence is "people often misuse pronouns, especially when they speak." On the ACT English section, you'll be expected to spot these kind of errors in a variety of different contexts. I'll go overboth the basic rules forpronounsand the common mistakes you'll see on the test, so that you can approach the test with confidence. This post covers the following topics: Pronouns and Antecedents Disagreement in Number Disagreement in Person Unclear Antecedents Spotting Pronoun Agreement Errors on theACT Feature image credit:Chiltepinster (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons A Pronoun Must Always Match Its Antecedent That titlemight seem confusing. What's an antecedent? And what does it mean to "match"? You can probably spot when a pronoun doesn't seem quite right, but let's break down why. What's a Pronoun? A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun- that's it! Usually we think of pronouns as words like I, him, they, or its, all of which are definitely pronouns. But so are words like everyone, which, and each. Any word that replacesa noun is a pronoun. For more detailed information on pronouns, take a look at our guide to parts of speech. What's an Antecedent? An antecedent is the noun a pronoun replaces. (You may also have heard these called referents.) Let's look at an example- the pronoun is in boldand the antecedent is underlined: Anton wanted his own piece of cake. Simple enough, right? "His" is standing in for "Anton's." Let's try a more complicated one: Even though he knew Jenny lovessweets, Anton ate boththeirpieces of cake and didn't apologize to her. There's a lot more going onin this sentence, so I've color coded the pronouns and their nouns. "Their" is purple because it's standing in for "Anton's and Jenny's." No matter how many different pronouns there are in a sentence, each one must have a clear antecedent. What Does It Mean for a Pronoun and Antecedent to Match? Again, though this concept may sound confusing, it's actually pretty intuitive. Let's revisit our example from above, with a slight tweak: Anton wanted theirown piece of cake. This sentence clearly isn't correct. That's because the pronoun "their" and the antecedent "Anton" don't agree.Antonis singular and their is plural, so the words disagree in number. It's also possiblefor a pronoun and antecedent to disagree in person: Anton wanted myown piece of cake. Antonis a proper noun and should take a 3rd person pronoun, not a 1st person pronoun like "my." As a review, the most common pronounsand their correct uses are listed below: I/me/my - first person singular, i.e. the person speaking We/us/ours - first person plural, i.e. the person speaking and others You/your - second person (singular and plural), i.e. the person (or people) being spoken to He/him/his - third person masculine, i.e. a male person or animal who isn't present She/her - third person feminine, i.e. a femaleperson or animal who isn't present It/its - third person neuter, i.e. inanimate objects They/them/their - third person plural, i.e. multiple people or things The key idea here is that pronouns must alwayshave a clear antecedent and agree with the noun that they replace. Now that we've established what that means, let's look at how these errors appear on the ACT English. Anton was a jerk foreating both pieces of cake. (Â ©jshj) Pronoun Disagreement in Number I mentioned above that plural nouns require plural pronouns and singular nouns requiresingular pronouns. Usually, that rule feels pretty obvious: it doesn't make much sense to refer to Jimas "them" or the Avengersas "it." However, we're talking about theACT, so the errors are going to be a little harder to spot. Let's go over some of the trickiest cases and how you can catch them. Distance Between Pronoun and Antecedent In a simple sentence, it's easy to spot number agreement errors: Incorrect: Clarais very protective of theirnovels. Correct:Clarais very protective of hernovels. But in the context of a more complex sentence, or an entire paragraph, these errors get much harder to spot: When Clara ran out of fantasy novels to read, she went to the library to replenish her supply. Unfortunately, they were completely out of them. At first glance, this may seem fine, but it gets a little wonky towards the end there. Let's take it apart and match each pronoun withits antecedent: she=Clara her=Clara's they = the library them = the novels Do you see the problem? The library is singular and can't be referred to as "they." As such, the sentence should read: When Clara ran out of fantasy novels to read, she went to the library to replenish her supply. Unfortunately, itwas completely out of them. When you're dealing with pronouns on the ACT, the first step is always to determinewhat itsantecedent is. This will make it much easier to figure out the correct pronoun to use. The Case of the Non-Gendered Singular Pronoun Even once you determine a pronoun'santecedent, there's still room for confusion- especially when it comes tosingular non-gendered nouns. Let's look at an example of this: Please have your child bring their crayons to school with them. Sounds fine, right? But take acloser look. "Their" is taking the place of "your child's" in this sentence, but "their" is a plural pronounand"your friend" is only one person. Using "their" seems right because we the childcould be a girl or boy and there is no singular non-gendered pronoun for people in English. However, you can't use 3rd person plural pronouns (they, their, theirs, or them) to refer to singular people of unclear gender. Instead, you need to use singular pronouns, as in the versionbelow: Please have your child bring his or hercrayons to school with him or her. Although "he," "she," and "he or she" are all equally correct, on the ACT you will always see "he or she"/"him or her"/"his or her" used to refer to non-gendered singular people. ACT English Practice Example Let's work through an official ACT question, so you can see how these concepts work in context. Let's start by finding the antecedent. So what's covered? "Most kayaks," which is plural, so we immediately know A can't be correct. The next step iseliminating distractors. Pronoun questions on the ACT can be tricky because the test writers tend to include answer choices that seem reasonable but couldn't possible work, confusing what the question is actually about. Here those choices are B and D: when used as a pronoun "one" refers to a person and "which" should come after a comma, not a period (it creates a dependent clause). This leaves onlyC, "They are," which is the rightanswer since "they" is the correct pronoun to stand in for "kayaks." Use "he or she" to replace nouns like "guitarist" that aren't gender specific. Pronoun Disagreement in Person Pronoun agreement in person is a slightly weirder concept than agreement in number, but it's usually pretty easy to spot. The basic concept is that a pronoun must reflect the typeof thing it's replacing.This factmeansthat you must use "it" to replace "the sour candy" but"she" to replace "Jennifer Lawrence." Aswith agreement in number, the first stepis always to makesure that you know what a pronoun's antecedent is and that the pronoun and antecedent agree. Beyond that basic principle, avoiding issues with agreement in person is mostly a question of consistency- if you start a sentence in the first person, you shouldn't suddenly switch to the third person without a clear reason. I was halfway home when I realized that he'd forgotten his science project. This series of events might be possible, but it doesn't make much sense. Another incorrect sentence: The plant grew so large that she no longer fit in the pot. "She" is clearly standing in for "the plant," but you can't use "she" to refer to an inanimate object. The correct pronoun would be "it." On the ACT, pronoun errors with agreement in person are usuallyrelated to consistency- if a passage is in the third person you can't inexplicably introduce the first person halfway through and vice versa. The most common such issue is with "one" and "you."Both are equally correct to refer to a non-specific individual- "you" is simplyless formal than "one"- buta passage should stick to one or the other. (Like this article does!) Let's look at how this conceptworks in a sentence: Incorrect: If one wants to be a professional sushi chef, you must train for many years to master the art of slicing the fish. Correct:If one wants to be a professional sushi chef, onemust train for many years to master the art of slicing the fish. Correct:If youwant to be a professional sushi chef, you must train for many years to master the art of slicing the fish. The incorrect sentence uses two different pronouns, while the corrected versions stick to one or the other. One of the most common mistakes students make on the ACT English is assuming that the more formal choice, in this case "one," is necessarily better. However, it's far more important to be consistent with the passage as written and to make sure pronouns match their antecedents. Let's go through an example question that deals with agreement in person: First, we find the antecedent. Who or what is hearing the songs? Elsewhere in the paragraph, it's "I." Our primary goal with agreement in person is to remain consistent, so it should be the same here- F is the correct choice. G and H might be tempting, but you shouldn't pick an answer that introduces a new pronoun without a clear antecedent.J can't be correct because it creates a sentence fragment. A disagreement between people, not a disagreement in person. (Â ©o5com) Unclear Antecedents We've covered the basic rules for ensuring that pronouns agree with their antecedents, but what do you do when a pronoun doesn'thaveanantecedent? It's important to remember that a pronoun's antecedent must be a noun and you must be able to circle it in the text. In other words, it's not enough for you to know what the pronoun is referring to, the antecedent alsohas to be obvious in the text. On the ACT English, pronouns without clear antecedents appear fairly frequently. You'll need to pick the answer that makes explicit what the pronoun is meant to refer to. Let's look at an example: In order to get the concert ticketsfrom the box office, I need to know whenthey'llbe there. Who does"they" refer to? Presumably, the people who work in the boxoffice, but the noun "employees" doesn't appear, so there's no clear antecedent. A correct version might read: In order to get the concert ticketsfrom the box office, I need to know whenthe employees willbe there. Now it's clear who I'm talking about. The pronouns this, that, these, and those, often appear in questions like this and can be especially confusing, since in casual English we often use the themwithout clear antecedents: Mario: Bowser kidnapped Peach again. Luigi: That's annoying. This construction may be fine in spoken English, but it would beabsolutely incorrect on the ACT. Thought it's clear what Luigi is reacting to, there's no actual noun in the text that is serving as an antecedent for that. This, that, and these and thosemust have clear noun antecedents, just like any other pronoun. However, it's fine for the noun to come immediately after the pronoun. A correct version of the above would be: Mario: Bowser kidnapped Peach again. Luigi: That moveis so annoying. Now its explicit what's annoying: Bowser's move of kidnapping Peach. If this, these or those are underlined, then the question is likely about this type of error. (That being underlined can mean there's an antecedent issue as well, but it's more commonly a relative pronoun question- for more on that type of error, see our post on the topic, coming soon.) Let's look at an official ACT example: As with any pronoun question, the first step here is to determine the antecedent. Since an antecedent must be a noun thatappears in the text, our options are "Banneker," "his studies," and "the paths of the Sun, Moon, and other celestial bodies." However, none of these nouns are things that can be used to predict a solar eclipse- the sentence is trying to say that he used his calculations of the paths to make the prediction. The only answer that makes that fact clear is G. Applying the Pronoun Agreement Grammar Rules on the ACT We've covered the basic rules for pronoun agreement and the types of errorsyou're likely to see on the ACT English. I've rounded up a summary of those rules and the key strategies you should practice for the test. What to watchfor: Underlined pronouns and pronoun/verb combos This, these, those underlined Rules to keep in mind: Every pronoun must have a clear noun antecedent. Pronouns and their antecedents have to match in number, gender, and person. For this, those, that, and these, the antecedent can come immediately after the pronoun. Helpful ACT English tips: Anytime a pronoun is underlined, the first step is to determine the antecedent- be sure to check the surroundingsentences as well. "He or she" is the correct pronoun for non-gendered singularnouns. Pronoun person generally stays consistent throughout a passage. Replace antecedent-less pronouns with nouns. Test Your Skills with ACT English Practice Questions! You can study the rules all you want, but doing sowon't help you on the ACT unless you practice using them ito answer ACT-style questions. I've created some ACT English practice so that you can try out your new skills! 1. Lana didn't enjoy spying on Tim, but he had the information they needed. A. NO CHANGE B. he C. the people D. she 2. You may not want to go looking for the cookbook, but to ensure there are pancakes at breakfast, one must find the recipe. F. NO CHANGE G.you must H. they must J.must 3.One of the books was full of fairy tales, but Jenna couldn't find them on the shelf. A. NO CHANGE B.those C. it D.her own 2. Troy walked all the way down the mountain. After that, he was too tired to stay awake through the movie. F. NO CHANGE G.After this, H. After walking so far, J. So that Answers: 1. D, 2. G, 3. C, 4. H What's Next? If you're struggling with pronoun questions, make sure you also understand pronoun case errors. You may also want to check outsome of our other ACT grammar guides on frequentlytestedtopics like subject-verb agreementand comma usage. For more big-picture strategies, take a look at our posts on the best way to read the ACT English passage and the 5 key concepts you need to ace the ACT English. Looking to build a study plan? Read our complete plan to studying for the ACT, review what the ACT English actually covers, and take a practice test (or five!). Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Examples of Informalization in English

Examples of Informalization in English In linguistics, informalization is the incorporation of aspects of intimate, personal discourse (such as colloquial language) into public forms of spoken and written communication  is called informalization. Its also called demotization. Conversationalization is a key aspect of the more general process of informalization, though the two terms are sometimes treated as synonyms. Some linguists (most notably discourse analyst Norman Fairclough) use the expression border crossing to describe what they perceive as the development in post-industrialized societies of a complex range of new social relationships, with behavior (including linguistic behaviour) . . . changing as a result (Sharon Goodman, Redesigning English, 1996). Informalization is a prime example of this transformation. Fairclough further describes informalization as such: The engineering of informality, friendship, and even intimacy entails a crossing of borders between the public and the private, the commercial and the domestic, which is partly constituted by a simulation of the discursive practices of everyday life, conversational discourse. (Norman Fairclough, Border Crossings: Discourse and Social Change in Contemporary Societies. Change and Language, ed. by H. Coleman and L. Cameron. Multilingual Matters, 1996) Characteristics of Informalization Linguistically, [informalization involves] shortened terms of address, contractions of negatives and auxiliary verbs, the use of active rather than passive sentence constructions, colloquial language and slang. It can also involve the adoption of regional accents (as opposed to say Standard English) or increased amounts of self-disclosure of private feelings in public contexts (e.g. it can be found in talk shows or in the workplace). (Paul Baker and Sibonile Ellece, Key Terms in Discourse Analysis. Continuum, 2011) Informalization and Marketization Is the English language becoming increasingly informal? The argument put forward by some linguists (such as Fairclough) is that the boundaries between language forms traditionally reserved for intimate relationships and those reserved for more formal situations are becoming blurred. . . . In many contexts, . . . the public and professional sphere is said to becoming infused with private discourse. . . . If the processes of informalization and marketization are indeed becoming increasingly widespread, then this implies that there is a requirement for English speakers generally not only to deal with, and respond to, this increasingly marketized and informal English, but also to become involved in the process. For example, people may feel that they need to use English in new ways to sell themselves in order to gain employment. Or they may need to learn new linguistic strategies to keep the jobs they already haveto talk to the public, for instance. In other words, they have to become producers of promotional texts. This can have consequences for the ways in which people see themselves.(Sharon Goodman, Market Forces Speak English. Redesigning English: New Texts, New Identities. Routledge, 1996) The Engineering of Informality in Conversationalization and Personalization [Norman] Fairclough suggests that the engineering of informality (1996) has two overlapping strands: conversationalization and personalization. Conversationalizationas the term impliesinvolves the spread into the public domain of linguistic features generally associated with conversation. It is usually associated with personalization: the construction of a personal relationship between the producers and receivers of public discourse. Fairclough is ambivalent toward informalization. On the positive side, it might be viewed as part of the process of cultural democratization, an opening up of the elite and exclusive traditions of the public domain to discursive practices which we can all attain (1995: 138). To counterbalance this positive reading of informalization, Fairclough points out that the textual manifestation of personality in a public, mass media text must always be artificial. He claims that this sort of synthetic personalization only simulates solidarity, and is a strategy o f containment hiding coercion and manipulation under a veneer of equality. (Michael Pearce, The Routledge Dictionary of English Language Studies. Routledge, 2007) Media Language Informalization and colloquialization have been well documented in the language of the media. In news reportage, for example, the past three decades have seen a definite trend away from the cool distancing of traditional written style and towards a kind of spontaneous directness which (though often contrived) is clearly supposed to inject into journalistic discourse some of the immediacy of oral communication. Such developments have been quantified in textual analysis; for instance, a recent corpus-based study of editorials in the British quality press in the twentieth century (Westin 2002) shows informalization as a trend persisting through the twentieth century, and accelerating towards its end. (Geoffrey Leech, Marianne Hundt, Christian Mair, and Nicholas Smith, Change in Contemporary English: A Grammatical Study. Cambridge University Press, 2010)In an experimental study, Sanders and Redeker (1993) found that readers appreciated news texts with inserted free indirect thoughts as m ore lively and suspenseful than text without such elements, but at the same time evaluated them as less suitable for the news text genre (Sanders and Redeker 1993). . . . Pearce (2005) points out that public discourse, such as news texts and political texts, is influenced by a general trend towards informalization. Characteristics include, in Pearces view, personalization and conversationalization; linguistic markers of these concepts have become more frequent in news texts over the last fifty years (Vis, Sanders Spooren, 2009). (Josà © Sanders, Intertwined Voices: Journalists Modes of Representing Source Information in Journalistic Subgenres. Textual Choices in Discourse: A View from Cognitive Linguistics, ed. by Barbara Dancygier, Josà © Sanders, Lieven Vandelanotte. John Benjamins, 2012)

Phase 2 Soil and vegetation Survey report for Roudsea wood Natural Assignment

Phase 2 Soil and vegetation Survey report for Roudsea wood Natural reserve - Assignment Example This paper will review the physical background of the reserve over the period it came to be a national reserve. The climate experienced in this region can mainly be summed up in seasons. There is spring, winter, and autumn. These seasons go throughout the year where the reserve and all its habitants experience a different habitat (Hardy 1973). During some of the seasons, it is highly likely that there are different migrations of animals, and birds in the area. The two types of rock that are present in the chemical nature of the reserve enable the reserve to have different acidic soils. Slate and limestone are the main types of rock that are present in the reserve. The types of rock have an impact on the soil composition. Often, there is a differing acidic composition. A clear topography of the reserve would be the large space of land that is covered with forest trees (Rothschild & Marren 1997). This provides for brilliant scenery. Also, the sloping cliffs present offer the natural reserve a rather varied topography. The vegetation of the reserve includes abundant existence of fungi that have grown over the years. This is considering the climate that presents itself right through the year. Many scarce and rare plants also find their way in the reserve’s vegetation and make up for the reserves flora (Peterken 1996). The marshes present in the reserve aid, in the growth of an expansive area of rare and unique vegetation. Fungi thrives in such an environment, and hence, their abundance. The land use of the natural reserve will remain an area that is protected by English Nature. Access is also granted by this group of conservationists. Conservation of this reserve has to be maintained for many reasons. These reasons include recreation, education, and scientific study. The conservation of such land would be beneficial in the above cases since it can act as

Article Summary Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 8

Summary - Article Example ng strategy with segmentation and positioning, and final consumer and their buying behavior, the book is overly influential to marketing (Perreault et al. 15). In addition, this is a new edition which has been significantly revised, rewritten and updated to echo new concepts, new cases, up to date practices, and to firmly incorporate the best technical tools in the industry for making sure that learners are ready to engage in classroom lectures and chase future marketing and business careers. This is relevant to the marketing course. The student will be updated on basically everything that revolves around marketing that will make him or her ready for the job market and drive the firm they work for to success. I learnt many things from this book such as how to maintain a positive client relationship by dictating their behavior. I also learnt the marketing value to consumers firms and society and the influence technology has of the business environment today. All these are factors that can make it easier for any person or business to succeed in the business world. Therefore, I would recommend the source to anyone willing to study the business field from a marketing perspective. Perreault, William, Cannon, Joseph and McCarthy, Jerome E. Basic Marketing: A Marketing Strategy Planning Approach, 19th edition. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 2014. Web.

Plato&Socrates Excellence in Virtue Essay Example for Free

PlatoSocrates Excellence in Virtue Essay â€Å"Socrates’ positive influence touches us even today† (May 6) and we can learn a great deal about him from one of his students, Plato. It is in Plato’s report of Socrates’ trial a work entitled, Apology, and a friend’s visit to his jail cell while he is awaiting his death in Crito, that we discover a man like no other. Socrates was a man following a path he felt that the gods had wanted him to follow and made no excuses for his life and they way he lived it. The passage I have chosen from Plato’s Apology is the main passage to which Socrates believed in until his death and gave the basis for his life and they way he chose to live his life. It is this passage that makes clear all of Plato’s writings and perhaps why even in living his own life he chose emulate and follow Socrates and ultimately became one of his better-known students. To prove this, the paper is organized into four sections. In the first section, I will give the key passage, along with some textual context to give background details. In the second section, I will provide some relevant biographical/historical information about the author and the time period for when the text was written. In the third section, I will provide a detailed analysis meaning and arguments of my key passage and in the fourth section; I will explain the meaning of three passages that support the key passage of the paper. However, before we can move any further into this process, I will present my key passage on which this paper is based. key passage. â€Å"As long as I have breath and strength I will not give up philosophy and exhorting you and declaring the truth to every one of you whom I meet, saying as I am accustomed, ‘My good friend, you are a citizen of Athens, a city which is very great and very famous for its wisdom and power-are you not ashamed of caring so much for the making of money and for fame and prestige, when you neither think nor care about your wisdom and truth and the improvement of your soul? ’ If he disputes my words and says that he does care about these things I shall not at once release him and go away: I shall question him and cross-examine him and test him. If I think that he has not attained excellence, though he says that he has, I shall reproach him for undervaluing the most valuable things, and overvaluing those things that are less valuable. This I shall do to everyone whom I meet, young or old, citizen or stranger, but especially to citizens, since they are more closely related to me. This, you must recognize, the god has commanded me to do. And I think that no greater good has ever befallen you in the state than my service to the god. For I spend my whole life in going about and persuading you all to give your first and greatest care to the improvement of your souls, and not till you have done that to think of your bodies or your wealth. And I tell you that wealth does not bring excellence, but that wealth and every other good thing which men have, whether in public or in private, come from excellence. † (Baird Kaufmann 29-30). In this passage Socrates is our speaker and he is presenting his defense against the charges that have been brought against him by Meletus, Anytus, and Lycon. The charges they have brought against Socrates are for corrupting the youth and worshipping gods other than the ones all other Athenians worshipped at that time in Ancient Greece. This passage is one of many times that Socrates brings to light the fact that what he has been doing by going around questioning people about their beliefs is commanded by the gods and that he should not be put to death for doing what has been asked of him. Socrates presents many times that what he is doing in trying to get people to not just question what they believe, but to work on the improvement of their souls. He believes and so states in the passage that wealth and fame do not bring excellence to a person’s life, but you become a better person first by improving your soul and that is actually where excellence can be found. Once a person has done this then they can concern themselves with other matters. Stating that you first turn your attention inward and then outward to the larger society could sum up the general message of Socrates. While he does not explicitly say this one could reasonably interpret from Socrates defense that he believes the reason for the charges that have been brought up against him are due to a lack of understanding by the Athenian public of his mission and purpose as well as the authority he has to do it. This is what he is attempting to do in this passage, explain what he has been doing and that the god of all Athenians commanded him to do this work and that he has done nothing wrong. historical/biographical information. Though Socrates ran no formal school, one can find in any number of books on Plato, that he was a student of Socrates in Ancient Greece. According to Baird and Kaufmann Plato probably first began following Socrates sometimes in his twenties, though one cannot be sure of the exact date (4). The Apology, along with Crito, are just a number of texts written by Plato on the teachings and beliefs held by Socrates. â€Å"The Apology is generally regarded as one of Plato’s first and as eminently faithful to what Socrates said at his trial on charges of impiety and corruption of the youth† (Baird Kaufmann 5). The time of Socrates trial was around 399 B. C. in Athens, Greece and â€Å"many contemporary scholars maintain that Plato’s Apology was writing within the first two to three years following Socrates’ trial and execution† (Brickhouse Smith 1). The charges against Socrates were corruption of the youth and worshipping some other god rather than the ones commonly held to be believed in by other Athenians. It is important to note as reported by Brickhouse and Smith that, â€Å"Athens had only just concluded the Peloponnesian War. The effects of the war had been disastrous on her economy; factions blamed each other for her defeats, and suspicion and power-mongering were rife† (19). By this very fact they were looking for someone to blame for their problems and Socrates was an excellent choice. It should come as no surprise â€Å"that Athenians looked for the guilty among thinkers like Socrates. After all, by their very nature and regardless of their particular persuasions, such intellectual challenge established wisdom and tradition† (Brickhouse Smith 19). Then the charges brought against Socrates and his trial were a course of action that the Athenians could see nothing wrong with at that time. Socrates was definitely a man before his time. Socrates was placed on trial for the questioning he did of others because he was pushing people in their long-held beliefs, which probably gave rise to fear. Even though Socrates felt justified in his actions many did not hold that same theory. In fact, May states, â€Å"most people would be quite irritated if someone criticized their moral beliefs. Imagine conversing with someone who continually pointed out the weakness in your beliefs† (5). There are very few people that when pushed into why they believe what they do can generally come up with a concrete answer as to why they believe that way. In my opinion, much of what people believe in is based on tradition; either from your own family or culturally and many times occurs as a combination of both. Plato’s dialogues are perhaps a fair representation of Socrates’ teachings however, he does not give a consistent portrait of Socrates (May 20). May goes onto say that â€Å"character ‘Socrates’ is portrayed differently in some of Plato’s dialogues because in some of them. Plato is writing in order to chronicle the historical Socrates, whereas in others, Plato uses the character ‘Socrates’ as a mouthpiece of his own philosophical position† (20). â€Å"Although Plato originally started to write his dialogues in order to chronicle the historical Socrates, he eventually started to write dialogues that were devoted to Plato’s actual philosophical views† (20). It was this writing that caused Plato to formulate his own views in an attempt to answer some of the questions that Socrates had posed along the way (May 20). Regardless of which Socrates is speaking the message however is the same in that excellence can be found in virtue over any other thing a person may possess. In addition, Socrates did not do any writing himself so all we have to go on is what Plato presented to us in his various texts. anaylsis In this passage, Socrates is telling the Athenian jury that he is innocent on the charges brought against him and why he is innocent. This passage is of extreme importance of understanding and interpreting Plato’s writings because it is a theme that is repeated throughout his works. Our character Socrates feels that people should be more concerned with the perfecting their souls more than anything else in their life. He believes that in his quest to help people find their way he is actually doing as the gods dictated. Socrates also states that the only reason his is wise is because he knows that the only thing he does know is that he does not know anything worth knowing (Brickhouse Smith 129). In fact he so states in his defense when he says â€Å"I am wiser than this man; neither one of knows anything that is really worth knowing, but he thinks that he has knowledge when he has not, while I, having no knowledge, do no think that I have, I seem, at any rate, to be a little wiser than he is on this point: I do not know what I do not know† (Baird Kaufmann 24). Socrates believes that it is really the gods that are wise and humans do not possess any wisdom. He believes that the best a human can do is to work on improving their souls and it is through this action that a person can achieve a life of excellence. In fact, in a later section of the Apology, Socrates even states, â€Å"an unexamined life is not worth living† (Baird Kaufmann 34). That statement speaks to the true nature of Plato’s writings and how he wanted to impress upon others to live a better life. May even supports this idea when she states, â€Å"Socrates claims that the meaning of Apollo’s oracle that humans cannot possess wisdom. Remember, Socrates does not believe that even he possesses wisdom, as he believes that real wisdom is the property of God† (44). While taking into account the turbulent times of Athens one could easily understand why that anyone questioning â€Å"the establishment† would gain much notoriety and attention. While repeatedly Plato reports that Socrates felt he was doing gods work others were not as easily persuaded. Change is never welcomed by a society, because change means the known is questioned and people are stretched in ways they had not anticipated. One can find numerous examples of this throughout time ranging from slaves being released to live as free men, the flight of Kitty Hawk, Hitler, and even as recent as the presidential race of 2008 which was highlighted by frequent reports that Barak Obama was a terrorist. All of these things created change in the world around them and opened up countless avenues to others while many people stayed behind too scared to move forward. Reeve states that, â€Å"Socrates presents himself†¦ as someone who questions others in the matters of virtue and who examines or refutes them by mean of an elenchus when they have answered inadequately. † (x) An elenchus is Socrates’ characteristic method of inquiry and refutation some might consider it badgering (Reeve x). He also presents himself as a servant of Apollo whose mission has been divinely inspired and it is not simply to question people. â€Å"But to get them to care about virtue and their psyches – their souls – above everything else. † (Reeve x) Even in his later work of the Crito, in which Crito comes to visit Socrates in prison offering him a chance to escape, Plato does not have Socrates change his beliefs and escape to a foreign land. â€Å"In the Apology, Socrates claims that a human being has only one thing to consider namely whether one is acting rightly or wrongly (28c). This is repeated in the Crito when Socrates states that his duty to consider just one question, whether it would be right to escape or wrong† (May 78). As he continues to examine the option before him Socrates cannot come up with any reason why it would be right for him to escape and that to do would be morally wrong and go against everything he has stood for his entire life. The selfish action of escaping would have disastrous results and wipe out years of Socrates work. One can easily see how Plato has carried the message of Socrates throughout his writing and used it to his benefit. In order to be considered wise by Plato, a person needs to examine their beliefs and knowledge to better their soul before any other task is undertaken. It is this that will last far longer than any wealth, power, property or prestige that is attained. Because as Socrates says â€Å"I spend my whole life in going about and persuading you all to give your first and greatest care to the improvement of your souls, and not till you have done that to think of your bodies or your wealth† (Baird Kaufmann 30). supporting passages. This is the first of three passages that supports the fact that the passage quoted at the beginning of this paper and ultimately makes clear all of Plato’s writings and gives further insight into Socrates’ life. â€Å"But then I again proved, not by mere words but by my actions, that, if I may speak bluntly, I do no care a straw for death; but that I do care very much indeed about not doing anything unjust or impious. That government and all its power did not terrify me into doing anything unjust† (Baird Kaufmann 31). This passage comes from Apology shortly after the key passage in which Socrates is defending himself against the charges of corrupting the youth and worshiping false gods. In this passage he is telling how that when ordered by the government to bring Leon the Salaminian to them so that they might put him to death he chose to live by his values even though he was defying the government. He goes onto to explain that it is a person’s actions that mean more than the mere words they utter. He states how that even in the face of death he chose not to anything unjust or impious, but to live according to the gods decree for his life. He goes on to say that if the government of The Thirty had stayed in power he would have certainly been put to death, but he did not care one way or another. He is saying in no uncertain terms that he will not be coerced or bullied into doing anything that goes against the will of god. The position that he takes shows that he is strong-willed and a man who is true to his word and that even if this current group of Athenians puts him to death he will not fight them unnecessarily. This passage relates to the key passage by showing that by following one’s beliefs and doing what is right and just helps to lead a person closer to excellence in virtue and to living a better life. The second passage also appears in the Apology and comes after Socrates has been found guilty by the Athenians of the crimes of which he was accused and now is speaking about what a suitable punishment might be for him. â€Å"And if I tell you that no greater good can happen to a man than to discuss human excellence every day and the other matters about which you have heard me arguing and examining myself and others and that an unexamined life is not worth living, then you will believe me still less† (Baird Kaufmann 34) Plato is once again writing in reference to the first idea presented by Socrates that in order to be great people should first improve their inner self and not worry about things outside of themselves until they have reached that point. It is only by doing this that a person can achieve an excellence in their virtue far greater than any material possession or status one may achieve. Socrates is again stating that he has only been doing what the gods have asked of him and that he has been attempting to impress upon others the importance of personal virtue rather than material gain. He is again stating how he personally did that and was only attempting to get others to see the world as he saw it. In fact, Socrates believes that death is not justice in his case, but since he has lived his life as a pauper that he should be sentenced to life in the prytaneum, which is the town hall of Ancient Greece used to house distinguished visitors and guests (Dictionary.com). He states in there he would be forced to live a life in complete opposite of what he has known since it would be rich and lavish and in addition he would receive three full meals a day. This according to Socrates is the polar opposite of the way he has been living and would actually be a punishment to him since it goes against what he has been doing. This passage relates to the key passage by not only re-stating what was said previously, but provides further evidence that Socrates was committed to the cause of excellence even after he was sentenced to death. This third passage comes from Plato’s Crito when Socrates’ friend Crito visits him in prison. â€Å"Are we to start our inquiry from the premise that it is never right either to act unjustly or to repay injustice with injustice to avenge ourselves on any man who harms us, by harming him in return? Or do you disagree with me and dissent from my premise? I myself believed in it for a long time and I still believe in it. † (Baird Kaufmann 43) Crito actually bribes a guard in order to be allowed into Socrates’ prison cell and Socrates is not at all pleased by that action because it is an unjust act. The purpose of his visit is to convince Socrates to escape and continue to live a free man. Crito informs him that many people are willing to help him escape and continue his work of helping others in another country where he will be free from the narrow-mindedness of the Athenians who have sentenced him to death. While many people would jump at an opportunity to escape and continue to live their lives, even if it meant being a fugitive, Socrates refuses. But here again we see that Socrates is adamant about his position. In the above passage he states that it is wrong to escape because it would mean going against everything for which he has stood and argued for his entire life. He feels that it would a mistake to escape and repay an injustice with an injustice; there is no virtue in that action. He believes even as his death nears that what he has stood for; looking for excellence in virtue and by becoming a better person by looking inward first to improve the soul, that he is correct and nothing will veer him off his course. This passage ties to the key passage by showing how through his actions Socrates believed that living justly and rightly were more important than living a life where a person would simply exist because they were following the dictates of others and not living, as they truly believed. conclusion In conclusion, the key passage from Plato’s Apology that I have discussed here is the critical point of all his writings. In the key passage as well as the three supporting passages I discussed one can see how living a life of excellence as found through virtuous actions was the central theme throughout his writings. One can easily see why Plato would have chosen to be a student of Socrates and spend a great deal of his writing career recalling the events of Socrates life and death. At the time of his writings and Socrates’ death, Athens was in need of a good and moral hero and Plato chose Socrates to help others learn that success was measured not by material goods but through good actions based on right motives. Works Cited Baird, Forrest E. and Kaufmann, Walter. From Plato to Derrida. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. 2008. Print. Brickhouse, Thomas C. and Nicholas D. Smith. Socrates on Trial. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1989. Print. Dictionary. com. n. d. n pag. Web. 22 Nov. 09. May, Hope. On Socrates. Belmont, California: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2000. Print. Reeve, C. D. C. Socrates in the Apology: An Essay on Plato’s Apology of Socrates. Indianapolis, Indiana, 1989. Print.

The Suppression of the Indian Religion and Culture in the New World Ess

Thesis Statement: I believe that a profound effect on Indian religion practiced in the New World was caused by Columbus and the Age of Discovery. Historical evidence proves that, before there were Europeans on this continent, there were native peoples living in communion with their environment and, very often, each other. Their religious practices were interwoven with their daily lives and religion held a prominent, significant place within their culture. The intrusion by Europeans into this peaceful world had profound effects on the Indians, especially their religious practices. What had been a peaceful, harmonic lifestyle changed dramatically that fall of 1492. The Europeans entered the native people's world in search of a trade route to the Indies. They felt it their "duty" to save these poor creatures in the name of the King of Spain. "It wasn't so much that Europe discovered Americas as that it incorporated it and made it a part of its own special, long-held and recently ratified, view of nature."(Sale p. 75) This arrogance would have profound effects on these natives to last throughout all time, including the present. Let us begin our search for truth by asking ourselves this question: Why are native peoples in the Americas referred to as Indians? The naming of these peoples is credited to Columbus. It was "Columbus, who gave to the peaceable multitude of the islands the name, indios - because he considered their habitat to be "the Indies", of course, but perhaps also because he thought of them as living "in God". (Sanders p. 95) The Spanish word for God is "Dios". Columbu... ...bert F. Jr. The White Man's Indian. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1978. Goodykoontz, Colin Brummitt. Home Missions On The American Frontier. New York: Octagon Books, 1971. Lunenfeld, Marvin. 1492 Discovery, Invasion, Encounter. Lexington: D.C. Heath and Company, 1991. Ronda, James P. and Axtell, James. Indian Missions. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1978. Royal, Robert. Columbus On Trial: 1492 v. 1992. (Royal-01 ART and Royal-02 HIS). Sale, Kirkpatrick. The Conquest of Paradise. New York: Plume, 1991. Sanders, Ronald. Lost Tribes And Promised Lands. New York: Harper Perennial, 1992. Shirk, Willis. Encounter With The New World: European Psyche Confronting Its Own Dragons. (Shirk-01 HIS). Usner, Daniel H. Jr., Indians, Settlers, & Slaves In A Frontier Exchange Economy. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1992.

General course on philosophy Essay

The world is comprised of various types of personalities and my personal experience can attest to that. My class is composed of young male and female adults of varying shapes, sizes, heights and colors. During class, I could also imagine that our instructor would perceive us as a sea of hues, all blending together within the space of the classroom. If our instructor did not focus of each one of our faces, it would be impossible for him to differentiate each one of us because we get along well enough to proceed and complete each classroom meeting. Despite the nature of viscosity of our identities, there are also times when certain members of our class would go to opposite directions, especially when philosophical concepts are being discussed. When our instructor would present a controversial topic such as euthanasia, there would be at least three distinct responses from our class. In general, there would be the group that would approve of the concept and the other group would extend an outright disapproval of the topic. The third yet silent group would be that of the neutral ones, who are always known to be nonreactive amidst all the outbursts around them. One should understand that the variations in the responses of the members of our class are not simply comprised of three general reactions. Our instructor is aware that each broad group can be further differentiated according to the principles and beliefs of each individual. For example, if euthanasia were approved in the entire country, the members of the group that is against euthanasia would aggressively react to this. The implementation of euthanasia could be equivalent to the crumbling of their world, as they would envision deaths that are at the mercy of physicians and other healthcare personnel. Looking closer into the reasons behind the disapproval of these individuals to euthanasia may be different for each individual. It is possible that one student disapproves of euthanasia because he is a strong believer of the Catholic religion, which raises the bar in terms of the value of life. Another student may not be in support of the concept of euthanasia because he has lost a loved one through such medical-ethical approach. It is also possible that another student disapproves the topic of euthanasia because his estranged father is a physician who actively participates in such technique, and thus his disagreement is not really about the topic but against his former role model. In order to shed more detail into the finer variations behind the reactions, the instructor should thus know each one of the members of the class. The class is big, as it is mainly a general course on philosophy and thus there are around 200 students in the room. When the instructor walks over to the podium and starts his lecture for the day, our eyes may seem to be tiny lights that would flicker at the very point when he utters a serious topic that needs to be discussed for an hour. He may or may not push some buttons in some of us, resulting in our reactions of support and condemnation. As for the other explosive topics, it may not be a simple button pushing for a number of students, but more of shoving a concept to our faces and asking us to express of thoughts and ideas. The course may be considered as general subject for undergraduate students, yet little do we know that we are unconsciously learning skills on how to analyze concepts. More importantly, these classroom discussions could pave the way to a clear journey for all of us, as we start our movement through an endless tunnel. It may be dark inside this tunnel of the unknown, yet after this long walk, there would be light at the end of the tunnel, leading us to a place that would cushion our identities and provide us slumber. PART II A metaphor can affect a person’s emotions because it allows the writer to symbolize his ideas using things, as well as adjectives, in order that the reader may have a better feel of the narration. A metaphor therefore facilitates in the cognition of an idea, thing or event that the writer wants to describe. This form of language can increase the impact of a narration because it can fully describe thoughts, as well as actions, by the use of transference (Hovecses, 2010). This approach allows the writer to define a certain topic through the use of comparison of two concepts that are generally considered as fully dissimilar yet may be the same in some aspect, viewpoint or perception. A metaphor can affect a person’s emotions because it assists in describing a topic through the use of descriptors of another matter (Wormeli, 2009). It should be understood that the other matter could be something else that is totally different from the topic in mind, yet the application of the descriptors of this matter can increase the weight and impact of the topic in focus. It is probably human nature to employ certain descriptors of one thing in order to provide information on another topic. The use of metaphor allows the narrator to transfer certain features that are unique to one item onto the topic of interest, resulting in a better understanding of the idea that needs to be conveyed. A simple example of a metaphor that could stimulate the emotions of a reader is to use items that are important to the reader, such as the words life, love and world. When a small item means so much to a certain person, the writer could signify this importance by claiming that this small item is equivalent to the life of that person. Once the reader sees this description, he will then feel that the item being presented is indeed so important, thus influencing his emotions to go with the narration. Language can empower or limit the expression of our thoughts because it allows the writer to use analogy in describing a certain topic (Kennedy & Gioia, 2009). The writer is therefore given the freedom to choose which words to employ for his narration. If the writer chooses to use strong words, his ideas are then delivered with great impact, influencing the reader to perceive the same emotions that the writer feels about the topic. On the other hand, a writer may employ subtle words when he feels that there is no need to purposely impart strong emotions regarding a specific matter. Language is therefore a strong tool because it could sway the reader into any direction that the writer wants provide. Every writer has a large reservoir of words that he could employ when describing or explaining a particular topic. In narration, language can be forceful if there is a need to emphasize a certain emotion. Language is empowered through the use of metaphors and other forms of speech because it allows the writer to represent certain topics by analogy (Applebee et al. , 2005). It focuses on describing a certain topic by tapping on the perceptions of the reader through the use of symbolism and analogy. The choice of words that generate a sentence may impact a reader because the writer has the capacity of employ analogy in presenting his ideas. He is capable of identifying one topic by describing features of a separate item, using the latter’s features to emphasize certain points of the former topic. Language is thus a powerful tool that could affect the perceptions and emotions of readers and this is mainly based on the writer’s capacity to apply certain form of speech such as metaphors and similes. Language can take the reader to a place where the writer has been, without physically going to that place. This successful and complete narration of a certain place mainly depends on the capacity of the writer to select words that would fully convey how he feels and sees in the place of interest. It is possible to perceive all the information that we create if we use the correct words that would impart the same effect on the reader. If we would like an audience to feel what we are actually feeling, we can use two general approaches. One approach would be to describe that condition in a straightforward manner, expressing the actual emotion. Another approach would be to employ metaphors, which assist in describing certain topics through the use of analogy. We can therefore present features that are inherent in other matters yet when applied as a descriptor for our topic, it purposefully imparts a sensation in the reader. Metaphors employed as form of speech are thus very helpful in describing and imparting certain emotions that the reader may be directly feel, yet when presented through the use of transference and analogy, could be equivalent to what the writer actually feels. In order to deliver a complete description of a certain topic, we should initially describe the general environment of the topic. For example, if we are describing a person, then the general physical features from a farther point of view should first be presented. These features may include the adjectives such as tall or short in height, lean or heavy in body size and so on. Once this has been provided, finer details of the individual can then be presented, such as wide eyes, or puckered lips or unkempt hair. The organization of the presentation of details of a certain topic is essential in conveying a message to the reader or the audience. This organization of information could significantly influence the reader’s understanding and perception of the topic being presented. If the writer or narrator does not employ this approach, the reader may not fully comprehend the scenario or the topic that is being presented. A disorganized delivery of information to the audience may therefore result in a different understand, emotion and perception of the topic and it may be totally different from what the writer intended to convey. REFERENCES Applebee, A. N. , Bermudez, A. B. & Blau, S. (2005). The language of literature. San Francisco: Holt MacDougal, 1548 pages. Hovecses, Z. (2010). Metaphor: A practical introduction, 2nd ed. London: Oxford University Press, 400 pages. Kennedy, X. J. & Gioia, D. (2009). Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, drama and writing. Los Angeles: Longman Publishers, 2256 pages. Wormeli, R. (2009). Metaphors and analogies: Power tools for teaching any subject. New York: Stenhouse Publishers, 264 pages.

Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 58~59

58 Malink's Song â€Å"They're flying the new pilot in tomorrow,† said Sebastian Curtis. â€Å"I told them that Tucker wouldn't fly, so he had to be eliminated. They weren't happy about losing the heart and lungs.† Beth Curtis sat at her vanity, putting on her eye makeup for the appear-ance of the Sky Priestess. The red scarf was draped over the back of the chair. â€Å"Did you check the database? Maybe we can send another set of or-gans back with them. I can pick the chosen tonight and keep them in the clinic until tomorrow morning.† â€Å"The customer already died,† Curtis said. â€Å"Well, I guess he really was sick, then.† She laughed, a girlish laugh full of music. Sebastian loved her laugh. He smiled over her shoulder into the mirror. â€Å"I'm glad you're not concerned about Tucker Case. I understand, Beth. Really. I was just jealous.† â€Å"Tucker who? Oh, you mean Tucker dead-at-sea Case? ‘Bastian, dear, I did what I did for us. I thought it would keep him under control. Write it off as one of life's little missteps. Besides, if he's not dead now, he will be in a day or so.† â€Å"He made it here on the open ocean. Through a typhoon.† â€Å"And with the navigator. Remember, I've seen him fly. He's dead. That old cannibal is probably munching on his bones right now.† She checked her lipstick and winked at him in the mirror. â€Å"Showtime, darling.† Malink trudged through the jungle, his shoulders aching from the basket of food he was carrying. Each day he had been taking food to Sarapul's hiding place. It was not that he didn't trust his people, but he did not want to burden any of them with such a weighty secret. The last of them to see the cannibal saw him covered with blood, gasping in the sand. Malink had told them that Sarapul was dead and that Malink had given his body to the sharks. A chief had to carry many secrets, and sometimes he had to lie to his people to spare them pain. After the third day, Malink was ready to let the cannibal go back to his house on the far side of the island. The guards were no longer searching, and the Sorcerer had stopped asking questions. Perhaps things would go back to the way they were. But maybe that wasn't right either. Malink didn't want to, but he believed the pilot. The Sky Priestess and the Sorcerer were going to hurt his people. He was too old for this. He was too old to fight. And how do you fight machine guns with spears and machetes? He paused by a giant mahogany tree and put the basket down while he caught his breath. He saw smoke drifting in streams over the ferns and looked in the direction it was coming from. Someone was there, obscured by a tall stand of taro leaves as big as elephant ears. There was a rustling there. Malink crouched. â€Å"You're not scared, are you, squirt?† Malink recognized the voice from his childhood and he wasn't scared. But he knew he didn't have to say so. â€Å"I am not a squirt. I am old man now.† Vincent swaggered out of the taro. His flight suit and bomber jacket looked exactly as Malink remembered. â€Å"You're always gonna be a squirt, kid. You still got that lighter I gave you?† Malink nodded. â€Å"That was my lucky Zippo, kid. I shoulda hung on to it. Fuck it. Spilt milk.† Vincent waved his cigarette in dismissal. â€Å"Look, I need you to build some ladders. You know what a ladder is, right?† â€Å"Yes,† Malink said. â€Å"Of course you do, smart kid like you. So I am needing you to build, oh, say six ladders, thirty feet long, strong and light. Use bamboo. Are you getting this, kid?† Malink nodded. He was grinning from ear to ear. Vincent was speaking to him again. â€Å"You're talkin' my ear off, kid. So, anyway, I need you to build these ladders, see, as I am having big plans for you and the Shark People. Large plans, kid. Hugely large. I'm talking about substantial fuckin' plans I am having. Okay?† Malink nodded. â€Å"Good, build the ladders and stand by for further orders.† The flyer began to back away into the taro patch. â€Å"You said you would come back,† Malink said. â€Å"You said you would come back and bring cargo.† â€Å"You don't look like you been shorted on the feedbag, kid. You got your cargo in spades.† â€Å"You said you would come back.† Vincent threw up his hands. â€Å"So what the fuck's this? Western Union? Don't go screwy on me, kid. I need you.† The pilot started to fade, going as translucent as his cigarette smoke. Malink stepped forward. â€Å"The Sky Priestess will tell us orders?† â€Å"The Sky Priestess took a powder fifty years ago, kid. This dame doing the bump and grind on my runway is paste.† â€Å"Paste?† â€Å"She's a fake, squirt. A boneable feast to be sure, but she's running a game on you.† â€Å"She is not Sky Priestess?† â€Å"No, but don't piss her off.† With that the pilot faded to nothing. Malink leaned back against the mahogany tree and looked up through the canopy to the sky. His skin tingled and his breath was coming easy and deep. The ache in his knees was gone. He was light and strong and full, and every birdcall or rustle of leaves or distant crash of a wave seemed part of a great and wonderful song. 59 Call in the Cavalry They had missed Guam and Saipan (passing at night) and all the Northern Mariana Islands (drifting in fog) and Johnston Island and all ships at sea (no reason, they just missed). The sunscreen had run out on the seventh day. The drinking coconuts ran out on the fourteenth. They still had some shark meat that had been smoked and dried, but Tuck couldn't choke down a bite of it without water. They had had nothing to drink for a full day. They were at sea for three days before Sepie came out of her catatonia, and after a day of sobbing, she started to talk. â€Å"I miss him,† she said. â€Å"He listen to me. He like me even when I am being mean.† â€Å"Me too. I treated him badly sometimes too. He was a good guy. A good friend.† â€Å"He love you very much,† Sepie said. She was crying again. Tuck looked down, shielding his face so she couldn't see his eyes. â€Å"I'm sorry, Sepie. I know you loved him. I didn't mean to put him in danger. I didn't mean to put you in danger.† She crawled to his end of the canoe and into his arms. He held her there for a long time, rocking her until she stopped crying. He said, â€Å"You'll be okay.† â€Å"Kimi say he would sail me to America someday. You will take me?† â€Å"Sure. You'll like it there.† â€Å"Tell me,† she said. She grilled Tuck about all things American, making him explain everything from television to tampons. Tuck learned about men, about how simple they were, about how easily they could be manipulated, about how good they could make a woman feel when they were nice, and how much they could hurt a woman by dying. Telling the things that they knew made them each feel smart, and sharing the duties of sailing the boat made them feel safe. It was easier to live in the little world inside the canoe rather than face the vast emptiness of the open ocean. Sepie took to curling into Tuck's chest and sleeping while he steered. Twice Tuck fell asleep in her arms and no one steered the boat for hours. Tuck didn't let it bother him. He had accepted that they were going to die. It seemed so easy now that he wondered why he'd made such an effort to escape it on the island. Roberto hadn't spoken since the first night. He hung from the lines and pointed with a wing claw when Tuck called to him. When Tuck was still reckoning, he reckoned that they were traveling at an average speed of five knots. At five knots, twenty-four hours a day, for fourteen days, he reckoned that they had traveled well over two thousand miles. Tuck reckoned that they were now sailing though downtown Sacramento. His reckoning wasn't any better than his navigation. On the fifteenth day Roberto took flight and Tuck watched him until he was nothing but a dot on the horizon, then nothing at all. Tuck didn't blame him. He accepted his own death, but he didn't want to watch Sepie go before him. At sunset he tied off the steering oar, took Sepie in his arms, and lay down in the bottom of the boat to wait. Sometime later – he couldn't tell how long, but it was still dark – he woke with a parched scream when a tube of mascara dropped out of the sky and hit him in the chest. Sepie sat up and snatched the tube from the bottom of the boat. â€Å"To make you pretty,† she said. Her voice cracked on â€Å"pretty.† Tuck was too disoriented to recognize what she was holding. He took it from her and squinted at it. â€Å"It's mascara.† â€Å"Roberto,† Sepie said. Tuck looked around in the sky, but didn't see the bat. It was beginning to get light. â€Å"You brought us mascara? We're dying of thirst and you brought us mascara?† â€Å"Kimi teach him,† Sepie said. Tuck didn't think he had the energy left for outrage, but it was coming nonetheless. â€Å"You†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Sepie put a finger to his lips. â€Å"Listen.† Tuck listened. He heard nothing. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Surf.† Tuck listened. He heard it. He also heard something else, a rhythmic stirring in the water much closer to the canoe. He looked in the direction of the noise and saw something moving over the water toward them. â€Å"Aloha!† came out of the dark, followed by a middle-aged white man in an ocean kayak. â€Å"I guess I'm not the only one who likes to get out early,† he said. In their first hour at the Waikiki Beach Hyatt Regency, Sepie flushed the toilet seventy-eight times and consumed two hundred and forty dollars' worth of product from the minibar (five Pepsis and a box of Raisinets). â€Å"You poop in here and it just goes away?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"In this big bowl?† She pointed. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"You poop?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"And you push this?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"And it goes away?† â€Å"That's right.† â€Å"Where?† â€Å"To the next room.† Plumbing. They hadn't talked about plumbing. â€Å"And they push this and it goes away?† â€Å"Look, Sepie, there's a TV in here. You push this and it changes the picture.† Tuck couldn't be sure because they'd never had sex and because she'd told him about how she could fool a man, but he thought she might have come right then. He made her promise not to leave the room and left her there flushing and clicking while he went to the police. The desk sergeant at the Honolulu police department listened patiently and politely and with appropriate concern right up until Tuck said, â€Å"I know I look a little ratty, but I've been at sea in an open boat for two weeks.† At which point the sergeant held up his hand signifying it was his turn to talk. â€Å"You've been at sea for two weeks?† â€Å"Yes. I escaped by boat.† â€Å"So how long ago did these alleged murders happen?† â€Å"I don't know exactly. One about a month ago, one longer.† â€Å"And you're just getting around to reporting them now?† I told you. I was trapped on Alualu. I escaped in a sailing canoe.† â€Å"Then,† the sergeant said, â€Å"Alualu is not a street in Honolulu.† â€Å"No. It's an island in Micronesia.† â€Å"I can't help you, sir. That's out of our jurisdiction.† â€Å"Well, who can help me?† â€Å"Try the FBI.† So Tuck, on the cab ride to the FBI offices, changed his strategy. He'd wait until he got past the front line of defense before spilling his guts. The receptionist was a petite Asian woman of forty who spoke English so precisely that Tuck knew it had to be her second language. â€Å"I'm sure I can help you if you will just tell me what it is that you'd like to report.† â€Å"I can't. I have to talk to an agent. I won't be comfortable unless I talk to a real agent.† She looked offended and her speech became even crisper. â€Å"Perhaps you can tell me the nature of the crime.† Tuck thought for a moment. What did the FBI always handle on television? Al Capone, Klansmen, bank robberies, and†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Kidnapping,† he said. â€Å"There's been a kidnapping.† â€Å"And who has been kidnapped? Have you filed a missing persons report with the local police?† Tuck shook his head and stood his ground. â€Å"I'll tell an agent.† The receptionist picked up the phone and punched a number. She turned away from him and covered her mouth with her hand as she spoke into the mouthpiece. She hung up and said, â€Å"There's an agent on his way.† â€Å"Thanks,† Tuck said. A few minutes later a door opened and a dark-haired guy who looked like a mobile mannequin from a Brooks Brothers window display entered the reception room and extended his hand to Tuck. â€Å"Mr. Case, I'm Special Agent Tom Myers. Would you step into my office, please?† Tuck shook his hand and followed him though the door and down a hallway of identical ten-by-twelve offices with identical metal desks that displayed identical photos of identical families in identical dime-store frames. Myers motioned for Tuck to sit and took the seat behind the desk. â€Å"Now, Rose tells me that you want to report a kidnapping?† Special Agent Myers unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. â€Å"You allowed to do that?† Tuck asked. â€Å"Casual Fridays,† the special agent said. â€Å"Oh,† Tuck said. â€Å"Yes. Kidnapping, multiple murder, and the theft and sale of human organs for transplant.† Myers showed no reaction. â€Å"Go on.† And Tuck did. He began with the offer of the job on Alualu and ended with his arrival in Hawaii, leaving out the crash of Mary Jean's jet, the subsequent loss of his pilot's license and pending criminal charges, anything to do with cargo cults, cannibals, transvestites, ghost pilots, talking bats, and genital injuries. As he wrapped up, he thought the edited version sounded pretty credible. Special Agent Myers had not changed position or expression once in the half hour that Tuck had talked. Tuck thought he saw him blink once, though. Special Agent Myers leaned back in his chair (casual Fridays) and templed his fingers. â€Å"Let me ask you something,† he said. â€Å"Sure,† Tuck said. â€Å"Are you the Tucker Case that got drunk and crashed the pink jet in Seattle a few months ago?† Tuck could have slapped him. â€Å"Yes, but that doesn't have anything to do with this.† â€Å"I think it does, Mr. Case. I think it affects the credibility of what is already an incredible story. I think you should leave my office and go about the business of putting your life in order.† â€Å"I'm telling you the truth,† Tuck said. He was fighting panic. He worked to stay calm. â€Å"Why would I make up a story like that? As you pointed out, I've got enough on my plate just rebuilding my life. I'm not so stupid that I'd add charges for filing a false crime report to all the others. If you have to take me into custody, do it. But do something about what's going on out on that island or a lot more people are going to die.† â€Å"Even if I believed your story, what would you like me to do?† And there Tuck lost it.† ‘Special agent.' Does that mean that you had to take the little bus to the academy?† â€Å"I was at the top of my class.† A rise. â€Å"Then act like it.† â€Å"What do you want, Mr. Case?† Tuck jumped up and leaned over the desk. Special Agent Myers rolled back in his chair. â€Å"I want you to stop them. I want covert action and deadly technology. I want Navy SEALS and snipers and spies and laser-guided smart stealth gizmos out the ying-yang. I want surgical strikes and satellite views and a steaming shitload of every sort of Tom Clancy geegaw you got. I want fucking Jack Ryan, James Bond, and a half-dozen Van Damme motherfuck-ers who can jump through their own asses and rip your heart out while it's still beating. I want action, Special Agent Myers. This is evil shit.† â€Å"Sit down, Mr. Case.† Tuck sat down. His energy was gone. â€Å"Look, I'm giving myself up. Arrest me, throw me in jail, beat me with a rubber hose, do whatever you want to do, but stop what's going on out there.† Special Agent Myers smiled. â€Å"I don't believe a word you've told me, but even if I did, even if you had evidence of what you're claiming, I still couldn't do anything. The FBI can only act on domestic matters.† â€Å"Then tell someone who handles international matters.† â€Å"The CIA only handles matters that affect national security, and frankly, I wouldn't embarrass myself by calling them.† â€Å"Fuck it, then. Take me away.† Tuck held out his arms to receive handcuffs. â€Å"Go back to your hotel and get some rest, Mr. Case. There are no outstanding warrants for your arrest.† â€Å"There aren't?† Tuck felt as if he'd been gut-punched. â€Å"I checked the computer before I brought you in here.† Myers stood. â€Å"I'll show you out.† After another cab ride and another truncated telling of his story, Tuck was also shown out of the Japanese embassy. He found a pay phone and soon he had been hung up on by both the American Medical Association and the Council of Methodist Missionaries. He found Sepie curled up on the king-size bed, the television still blaring in the bathroom, three minibottles of vodka empty on the floor. Tuck considered raiding the minibar himself, but when he opened it, he opted for a grapefruit juice instead of gin. Getting hammered wasn't going to take the edge off this time, and at this rate, the money he'd left on deposit at the desk in lieu of a credit card – the money that Sarapul had found in Tuck's pack – would run out in two days. He sat down on the bed and stroked Sepie's hair. She had put on mascara while he was out and had made a mess of it. Funny, she'd walked into the hotel wearing one of Tuck's shirts – the first time she'd worn a top in her life – looking very much the little girl and now she had on makeup and was passed out drunk. Tuck had a feeling that coming to America was not going to be easy on either of them. He kissed her on the forehead and she moaned and rolled over. â€Å"Perfume tomorrow,† she said. â€Å"You get me some, okay?† â€Å"Okay,† Tuck said. â€Å"A woman who smells good is a woman who feels good.† The phrase rattled off the walls of his brain. He snatched up the phone and punched up information. When the operator came on, he said, â€Å"Houston, area code 713†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 

The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution Essays

The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution Essays The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution Essay The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution Essay The fourth Amendment of the Constitution The fourth amendment to the US constitution was adopted as part of the Bill of Rights in 1791. This amendment forbids any person (especially those directly associated with the government) to search a persons home, businesses, or things to be seized without a warrant obtained by using due process. When the beginning government of the United States came to be, the fourth amendment stated that, The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized (US Const. Art. 4, Sec. 4).With the 4th Amendment, there has to be a reason to believe that the object being searched/seized for is at the place where the search warrant is issued.The passing of the Patriotic Bill of 2001 by Pres. Bush after terrorist attacks to the US has changed what the 4th. Amendment is all about.People are losing their rights as citizens by trailing their invasion of privacy in the following examples:First, telephone and internet conversations between two parties could be listened or read by someone else without knowing about it; and secondly, searching residence without a search warrant obtained by a judge following due process is no longer necessary if someone is labeled as a domestic threat to the nation. According to Pres. Bushs Patriotic Act Bill, courts are required to order the installation of a pen register and a trap and trace device to track both telephone and internet dialing, routing, addressing, signaling information and content, to obtain information ongoing criminal investigation. By intercepting all forms of Internet and telephone activity, the government wants to make it easier to seize the grou

How to Find Your Career Type Based on Your Personality

How to Find Your Career Type Based on Your Personality Decades from now, when you’re sipping some bubbly at your retirement party, what do you want the theme of the day to be? â€Å"She didn’t hate her career all of the time†? â€Å"He broke the record for the number of career jumps in a 10-year period†? Of course not. You want that day to be a celebration of a career that was satisfying and fruitful for you. But in the meantime, how do you achieve that long-lasting career satisfaction? The folks at LifeHacker have a system for determining your career personality, or the type of job that fits your own skills, abilities, values, and preferences. This is important for a variety of reasons.This flowchart from  Truity helps you find your career personality type:  It’s your path forward.Basically, knowing your career personality can not only help you settle on a specific path, but it can also help you set goals. If you have trouble visualizing a five-year plan for yourself, it might very well be because you’re on a career path that makes you uncomfortable. If you majored in accounting in college because it seemed like the thing to do at the time, but now you want to scream after spending hours knee-deep in spreadsheets, well†¦maybe you and accounting aren’t a good match.Figuring out your career personality can help you avoid that spreadsheet rage by narrowing down what would interest and challenge you. Maybe you and your accounting degree would be better suited to a different kind of financial environment- or maybe you should be on cable news talking about the economy. There are ways to adapt skills and interests to different career paths, but you won’t know how to take advantage of that until you take the time to figure out what you can do, and where you should be doing it.Money shouldn’t be the only career consideration.Yes, of course you want the job that pays your bills and maybe even lets you save up for that dude ranch vacation you’ve b een eyeing on Groupon. But if that paycheck comes at the expense of a job that bores the heck out of you, or an intense office environment that leads to epic crying jags in the restroom, that doesn’t seem like a great career investment. Know yourself, know your limits, and know what will make you a satisfied employee.It’s never too late to make a change.Think about the choices you made when you were young. That haircut. The summer you spent as a boy band groupie. The first boyfriend/girlfriend, whose cringe-inducing Facebook posts always make you wonder, â€Å"What was I thinking?† It stands to reason that a career choice you may have made just out of high school or college wouldn’t line up with your life and interests as you get older.Gone are the days where you’d start entry-level with a company, then park there for 40 years. You’re not tied to a particular job, and you’re not even tied to a particular career. It’s totally le gitimate to re-evaluate who you are right now, and what you want out of your professional life. Figuring out your career personality is an excellent first step.You can always do some fine-tuning.If you take the time to map out your career personality, you might figure out you’re on the right general career path. If so, that’s fantastic! You chose well. Your next step should be taking that knowledge, and deciding whether you’re getting all you can out of your career. Perhaps your values and skills would be a better fit at a different company within your field. That’s the kind of self-knowledge that will come in handy if/when you decide to make a job change and start searching for your next step.It makes you a stronger employee.Much like you want to find a workplace that aligns with your own needs and personality, companies are seeking new hires who mesh well with their day-to-day operations. One of the main purposes of a job interview is talking with candi dates and evaluating how they’ll fit in with not only the job, but the company’s existing employees and culture. Knowing where you fit best will make it easier for you to demonstrate confidently how and why you’d be a great hire.So think about what you want, what makes you tick career-wise. You have plenty of time before that retirement party, so make the most of it!

Timeline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Timeline - Essay Example The definition of the computer used today is based primarily in von Neumann’s conception that the computer is a device, which is capable of accepting data input, processing data, storing it and producing data output. The history of computing has progressed from the vacuum tube to the transistor, ultimately to the microchip and modem. This paper will provide a comprehensive timeline of the history of computing, describing the evolution of various computing items through timelines such as 2400 BC–1949,  1950–1979,  1980–1989,  1990–1999,  2000–2009,  2010–2019. 2400 BC–1949 In this period, computing devices focused primarily on enhancing people’s capacities to make calculations. The initial devices used for calculation were tally sticks, with the Lebombo bone being the first known to modern archeology. However, the abacus, developed in 2400BC is the first ever calculator, invented by the Babylonians to enhance sim ple arithmetic. The Chinese abacus (suanpan) was invented in 200BC and was widely used before the invention of present day’s calculator (Isaacson, 2011). ... In 1930, American Vannevar Bush developed a partly electronic difference engine with the capacity to solve differential equations. In 1939, German Helmut Schreyer completed a prototype memory using neon lamps and a 10-bit adder prototype using vacuum tubes. In 1942, Americans Atanasoff and Berry made a special-purpose calculator for system solutions of linear equations, later known as the Atanasoff-Berry-Computer (ABC). German Konrad Zuse created the S1, which was the first process computer that measured the surface of wings (Turner, 2006). In 1944, IBM developed the second program machine, which was 51 feet long and weighed nearly 5 tons. In British, in 1949, the Manchesteer Mark 1’s final specifications were completed. This machine was the first computer to utilize the equivalent of index registers, which entered the second generation computing architecture in 1955. 1950–1979 This period appeared to focus intently on the creation of computer communication and intellig ence. In 1950, the Pilot ACE computer, having 800 vacuum tubes with mercury delay lines as its main memory became functional in the UK (Black, 2001). In 1951, Americans J. Prespert Eckert and John Maunchly designed the first commercially operational electronic computer, UNIVAX, which handled both textual and numeric information. This machine’s implementation was the real start of the computer age (Isaacson, 2011). In 1951, the CIRAC (Council for  Scientific and  Industrial  Research  Automatic  Computer) became the first digital computer used to play music. In 1952, IBM introduced the IBM 701, which was the initial computer in its 700 and 7000 series of large scale machines. In 1960, the initial ordered, technical programming

Study skills used by Gateway students Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Study skills used by Gateway students - Thesis Example A major contributing factor to the success of students in various examinations rests with the kind of study skills adopted by students (Koduah, 2010). The Education Atlas (2011) explains that a study skill involves a whole lot of concepts including â€Å"developing effective study skills, improving reading comprehension, discovering your own personal study style, learning to manage your time more efficiently and learning the best way to prepare for exams.† This is to say that the study skills adopted by a student envelope the entire study or learning program of the student. Indeed, there cannot be any successful educational program without a study skill in place. Study skills are commonly adopted by students. However, it is very important that educators of the student, most especially teachers of the student play a role in selecting the most appropriate and workable study skill that would work best for a student. This is because not all strategies work best for all teachers. With the professional knowhow of teachers however, they are in a better position to discovering the study skills that work best for each students. The selection of study skills should therefore be a collaborative activity between students and educators. Problem statement The Gateway to College â€Å"serves youth, 16 to 21 years old, who have dropped out of school or are significantly behind in credits and unlikely to graduate† (Gateway to College Organization, 2011). The researcher embarked on this course project to find out the various study skills adopted by students in the Gateway Course; the factors that influence the selection of the various study skills and how the study skills are impacting on the academ ic success of the students. Research Questions The following questions were designed to be delimitation in guiding the researcher in the course of the research. This is to say that data and information collection shall be based on the research questions and not outside the research questions. Again, the research aims and objectives shall be crafted around the achievement of the research questions. The research questions are: 1. What are the factors that account for the selection of particular study skills by Gateway students? 2. What role do educators play in the selection of study skills by Gateway students? 3. What are the commonest study skills used by Gateway students? 4. What are the principles necessary in the selection of a study skill for an individual? 5. How does the study skill used by a student affect his or her learning outcome? Objectives The research is being embarked on to achieve the following objectives: 1. To identify the factors necessary in the selection of stud y skills by students. 2. Identify the role educators (most importantly teachers) can play in the selection of study skills for students. 3. To be abreast with the commonest study skills adopted and used by Gateway students. 4. To scrutinize principles necessary in the selection of study skills for and by students. 5. To identify the role study skills play in the general success of students. Justification This course project is an assignment for a class I am taking in the Gateway to College class. Indeed there were a lot of topical areas that I could have decided to write on. I however decided to write on the study skills adopted by students for a number of justifiable reasons. In the first place, the researcher acknowledges the important role that study skills play in the success of students’ examinations. With the objective of the Gateway to College program being to help students with low academic standings to advance to the higher level, it is extremely important that all