An Interesting Delayed Resolution in Hamlet - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 944 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/04/08 Category Literature Essay Level High school Topics: Hamlet Essay William Shakespeare Essay Did you like this example? The great challenge of artists is to make a product the public want while still executing the artistic vision. If a work is focused entirely on artistic intent with no regard for entertainment value, it will likely alienate audiences. This is exemplified by much of the modern school of visual art, which is often ridiculed in the popular sphere for being meaningless and useless. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "An Interesting Delayed Resolution in Hamlet" essay for you Create order While the artistic vision is executed uncompromisingly, the art is appreciated only by a very small number of people. At the other extreme, there has been a rise in the production of pop music which is first and foremost a product designed to entertain, and only by the most liberal of estimates an act of artistic expression. Shakespeare managed to, at least in his time, pull the best of both worlds into his plays. He was a master of creating work his audiences loved while still weaving in deeper layers of meaning. A prime example is Hamlet, in which the protagonist and namesake of the work waits to kill his uncle and thereby avenge his father until the very end of the play. This structure, which delays gratification for the audience as long as possible, makes the play a highly effective work of art because it both maximizes the entertainment value and the artistic value. Artists must both work against human nature and on its behalf. While they seek to appeal to that which makes humans human, they must also dress their work in a certain way if it is to be appreciated by any significant number of people. One aspect of human nature which playwrights (or screenwriters in the modern world) are at odds with in particular is the tendency of people to always choose the path of least resistance. This tendency leads people to consume art rather than appreciate it, that is, to take away only the experiential surface of a work and not any of the hidden insight. The lack of a quick and satisfying resolution at pivotal points in Hamlet forces audience members to more deeply consider the action of the story for the plays entire duration. For instance, Hamlet (referring to the character in this instance) covertly teases the audience in Act III Scene 3 when he nearly kills his uncle, then knelt in prayer, but decides against it at the last moment (Act III Scene 3 lin es 88-89). This ensures that the audience cannot just passively and comfortably accept the satisfaction of a resolution from the play, and therefore is woken into some sort of analysis of the action. People are nowhere more eager to pick apart a situation than when it is frustrating or dissatisfying. In this instance Hamlet justifies postponing Claudius murder by saying that if he (Claudius) were to die in prayer, he would surely go to heaven, but if that if he can be killed without a chance to repent, he would surely be damned (Act III Scene 3 lines 94-96). This scene exemplifies Shakespeares ability to stimulate thought in a reasonably receptive audience member, as it alone could initiate any number of musings, whether about Hamlets real motivation, the nature of sin, et cetera. The more meaning an audience member can draw from a work, the more artistically successful the work is; therefore, the delay of resolution in Hamlet maximizes artistic value available in the play. Another advantage to delaying plot-resolution gratification for the audience until the absolute end of a story is that it keeps the audience attentive throughout the whole work, and simultaneously heightens the drama in the action. When audience attentiveness and drama in the story are maximized, the entertainment value of a work is maximized. The ultimate event the audience anticipates for the whole play is the murder of Hamlets uncle, Claudius. This does not occur until the very end of the play, which is ideal for entertainment value; the play does not drag on after Claudius death, so it does not have time to lose momentum. Another factor of this which is equally important is that it is not clear until the very moment of the twisted kings death whether he will be killed at all. Hamlet acts very erratically, and this makes it difficult for an audience member to feel very surely one way or the other about the nature of his future decisions. While it seems clear when Hamlet says My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth! (Act IV Scene 4 line 66) that he fully intends to exact revenge on his uncle, he is often taken into long philosophical musings, one of which ends in the statement for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so which indicates that he believes there is no objective moral ground for any action. This contrast keeps the audience guessing up until Claudius very final moments. This unsureness about the conclusion of the action of the story keeps the audience engaged and the maintains the dramatic tension to a high level, maximizing the entertainment value of the story. While there is an opportunity to make a case against Hamlet, saying its delayed resolution makes it an ineffective tragedy, in fact the opposite is true. The delay of Hamlets revenge keeps the audience attentive throughout the play, awaiting that very resolution, which leads to a deeper analysis of the hidden meaning of the text, maximizing artistic value, and also to an increased level of engagement in the drama and action of the story, maximizing entertainment value. The structure of the play allows for artistic value and entertainment value to be as high as possible, making the play as effective a drama as could be hoped for.

Utilitarianism, Or The Greatest Happiness Principle

Utilitarianism, or the Greatest Happiness Principle, states that the morality of an action should be judged based on the extent to which it produces happiness, or the opposite of happiness—an action is good as long as the result is happiness, and deemed bad if it results in pain. A clearer understanding of what Utilitarianism is can be gained by John Stuart Mill’s characterization of what it is not. He states, â€Å"I believe that the very imperfect notion ordinarily formed of its meaning, is the chief obstacle which impedes its reception; and that could it be cleared, even from only the grosser misconceptions, the question would be greatly simplified, and a large proportion of its difficulties removed† (Mill, 2007, p. 4). In defining Utilitarianism, Mill dispels common misconceptions that are held about Utilitarianism in order to give the reader a clearer understanding of the doctrine and the rationales that support it. One of the first misconceptions of Utilita rianism that Mill addresses is that it is often interpreted as the opposition of pleasure. Mill corrects this falsehood by stating the following: â€Å"Those who know anything about the matter are aware that every writer, from Epicurus to Bentham, be contradistinguished from pleasure, but pleasure itself, together with exemption from pain; and instead of opposing the useful to the agreeable or the ornamental, have always declared that the useful means these, among other things† (Mill, 2007, p. 5). Utilitarianism is, inShow MoreRelatedUtilitarianism : The Greatest Happiness Principle1574 Words   |  7 PagesUtilitarianism is best referred to as the â€Å"Greatest Happiness Principle.† This means that when one considers himself as a utilitarian, he believes it is only right to judge the rightness or wrongness of an action based on the consequences. In other words, â€Å"actions are considered moral when they promote utility and immoral when they promote the reverseâ⠂¬  (Nubcaek 2011). The principle of utility helps to capture an idea of the good is that which produces the greatest benefit, greatest advantage, orRead MoreUtilitarianism : The Greatest Happiness Principle1176 Words   |  5 PagesUtilitarianism John S. Mill describes utilitarianism, also known as â€Å"The greatest happiness principle†, as a philosophical theory of morality. This theory is focused on the end result (a consequential theory) rather than the motive behind it. It argues that the morality of the action is solely dependent on the action’s results. The action is morally ethical as long as it produces the greatest happiness for the majority of people involved. Mill mentions, â€Å"†¦ the greatest happiness principle holdsRead MoreEssay about Utilitarianism: The Greatest Happiness Principle528 Words   |  3 PagesUtilitarianism was first brought up along the nourishing of â€Å"The Greatest Happiness Principle† introduced by Jeremy Bentham and further developed by John Stuart Mill, who was a follower of Bentham (Sweet, 2013). Based upon its principle, Utilitarianism states that to be good is to generate the greatest possible amount of happiness for the greatest number. In contrast with rational egoism, Utilitarianism focuses more on maximizing the overall net happiness of the majority. When facing a decision toRead MoreUtilitarianism : A Workable Moral Theory? Why Or Why Not?958 Words   |  4 PagesUtilitarianism: A Workable Moral Theory? Why or Why Not? Utilitarianism is one of the most commonly used ethical theories from the time it was formulated by Jeremy Bentham and John Stewart Mill in the nineteenth century. In his work, Utilitarianism, Bentham â€Å"sought to dispel misconceptions that morality has nothing to do with usefulness or utility or that morality is opposed to pleasure† (MacKinnon, 2012, p. 53). To simplify the utilitarian principle, which is one of utilityRead MoreArguments Against Utilitarianism1450 Words   |  6 PagesAs a philosophical approach, utilitarianism generally focuses on the principle of â€Å"greatest happiness†. According to the greatest happiness principle, actions that promote overall happiness and pleasure are considered as right practices. Moreover, to Mill, actions which enhance happiness are morally right, on the other hand, actions that produce undesirable and unhappy outcomes are considered as morally wrong. From this point of view we can deduct that ut ilitarianism assign us moral duties and varietyRead MoreJohn Stuart Mill Is Considered One Of The Most Influential1099 Words   |  5 Pagesphysiological following of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism in a nutshell, is the ethical philosophy in which the needs of the highest number of people in a society over the needs of the lowest number of people is considered the ultimate choice. Mill’s interpretation of utilitarianism is that everything that is desirable is desired because of the pleasure they provide or because they help reduce pain. This interpretation would be later referred as the â€Å"Greatest Happiness Principle†. Today, there is muchRead MoreConsequentialism And Its Effects On The Greatest Happiness Principle1527 Words   |  7 Pagesmovie: enjoying the movie. Utilitarianism is a form of Consequentialism based on the Greatest Happiness Principle. This principle states that actions are right in proportion as they promote happiness and wrong in proportion as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. Utilitarians apply this principle in their belief that one should consider every possible action they may take and choose the one that produces the greatest overall happiness in the world. Utilitarianism is different than ConsequentialismRead MoreThe Concept Of Utilitarianism And Utilitarianism1216 Words   |  5 Pagessatisfaction. Combining the subjects of torture and utilitarianism can cause a large moral dilemma. I believe that torture can be justified by the utilitarian principle, and the example given is acceptable. Yet, I believe that the concept of utilitarianism is idealistic but not realistic. Often related to utilitarianism is the term, hedonism. Utilitarianism is considered to be a type of hedonism. Utilitarianism is all about creating the greatest amount of happiness for the majority of people (Geninet,2015)Read MoreUtilitarianism, By John Stuart Mill1365 Words   |  6 Pages In John Stuart Mill’s book Utilitarianism, he argues for the defense of utilitarianism, an age old theory originally developed by Jeremy Bentham that states the proper course of action is the one that maximizes happiness. The course of action that maximizes general happiness is also the only true standard for moral assessment. Mill also introduces the idea of ‘first principle’ which states that it is not acceptable for individuals to characterize actions as either ‘good’ or ‘bad’, because it isRead MoreEssay on Utilitarianism1031 Words   |  5 PagesUtilitarianism Utilitarianism is mainly associated with the principle of Utility summarised by Jeremy Bentham, a social reformer, in 1768. This principle was to apply ‘the greatest good of the greatest number’ theory to all situations that may arise. This theory was that which is good is the act which provides the greatest

State and Federal Prison System free essay sample

This paper will discuss the state and federal prison systems and their respective histories, recent growth in prisoner populations, different types of facilities, security levels, and types of criminals. American state prisons were originally used as workhouses where prisoners could work off what they owed to the state for their crimes through hard labor, but the purposes for state and federal prisons eventually shifted towards using prisons with the intention of punishment and incapacitating the criminal by removing them from society. Not surprisingly, many of the ideas for the development of the first prisons in the United States came from England. The history of the American prison system began with the Walnut Street Jail in Philadelphia, which served as the first prototype for the Pennsylvania model for prisons where prisoners worked at tasks in solitary confinement in order to pay off their debt to society and theoretically reflect upon what they had done (Johnston, 2010). We will write a custom essay sample on State and Federal Prison System or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Pennsylvania Model was based on the more humane approach that had earlier been spearheaded by William Penn, a Quaker, and focused on isolating the prisoners and preventing idleness, which was seen as a key factor in recidivism. However, the first prototype prison system in the Walnut Street Jail was not as successful as its designers had hoped and led to a host of problems such as overcrowding and the problem of prisoners being left idle during the day. Despite this, several states constructed their own penitentiaries and during the early 19th century two state systems quickly became the most popular: the Pennsylvania System and the Auburn System situated in New York. The Auburn system also utilized a rule of silence to control its prisoners but it was less costly and more efficient than the Pennsylvania System, which emphasized the separate confinement for prisoners and took more space. In the Auburn System, prisoners were now contract laborers performing a wide range of tasks and were subject to harsh discipline. The Auburn system eventually became the common model for most prisons in the United States because it ultimately proved to be less costly to operate due to the fact that inmates could work and eat together instead of remaining separate at all times. The Auburn system was later transformed by the Northern and the Midwestern states into the industrial prison model where prisoners worked long hours in prison factories. In addition, post civil war southern states developed Agricultural prisons to manage large farms in the south. In addition, the South and the West developed work camps where prisoners toiled on public roads, cleared roads, and performed other tasks in complete servitude to the state (Foster, 2006). Growth of the prison system continued after the civil war and paved the way to the American system in use today. Overall, over a million people are now confined to state prisons under what is known as the Department of Corrections and most of the growth of the prison population occurred in the last three decades (Foster, 2006). No single model is used for prison management across all of the states and it is difficult to compare recidivism and other information because these factors vary between one state prison system and another (Foster, 2006). Today, prisons are meant to hold prisoners with sentences usually longer than a year and climbing prison populations across the United States have led to overcrowded facilities. In the 1980s and 1990s, much of the increase in the prisoner population was due to the supposed ‘War on Drugs’, an offshoot of the ‘War on Crime’ which caused both federal and state laws to increase regulations on drug crime sentences. Notably, â€Å"criminals convicted of murder, robbery, sex crimes, kidnapping, and felony assaults make up half [of] the state prison population† (Foster, 2006, p. 141). State prisons are designated or graded by their security level (Foster, 2006). Inmates are sent to a lower or higher security level based on their offense and sentence. These levels include: maximum security, close-high security, medium security, and minimum security prisons. Maximum security penitentiaries hold approximately 12% of state inmates and tend to be older prisons that feature a lower guard to inmate ratio and increased security (Foster, 2006). Close-high security penitentiaries are usually similar to maximum security facilities but feature slightly less restrictive measures. On the other hand, medium security facilities tend to be newer prisons with dormitory style housing or pod-shaped housing sections in place of the cell design that higher security prisons tend to use. Typically, medium security prisons are the starting point for most prisoners entering the system. Finally, minimum-security prisons have fewer internal controls and tend to be smaller facilities that provide more amenities to inmates than other security levels and mainly house inmates who are short-termers, have been sentenced for non-violent types of offenses, or are approaching their potential release (Foster, 2006). The minimum-security level also includes state prison camps, which generally maintain minimum-security standards and often focus on keeping these minimum-security inmates busy and having them perform tasks in work programs for the state. Some penitentiaries may also feature a maximum-security facility as well as a minimum-security facility on the same property or will otherwise feature two or more security levels. These are known as multi-level facilities. In addition, there are also open-security facilities, which are community-based facilities. Notably, medium, minimum, and open security prisons have proved to be critical to the expanding prison system because the developing trend has been that more people are incarcerated for non-violent crimes than violent crimes (Schlosser, 1998). In addition, the overcrowding at prisons resulting from booming prison populations created the need in the 1990s for a super-maximum security facility or unit that is capable of dealing with the most intense and violent criminals that can overwhelm a maximum security prison (Foster, 2006). The supermax level is the highest level of security currently in use and within supermax units, prisoners are kept isolated and in a permanent state of lockdown twenty-four hours a day (Foster, 2006). Some prisons also have special housing units with a similar design to a supermax facility but they are intended to store offenders for shorter periods of time (Foster, 2006). Still, most prison facilities being built or designed today are meant for lower levels of security and for criminals who will most probably reenter society at some point. Federal prisons generally house offenders who are sentenced for offenses that fall under the jurisdiction of federal crimes. There were originally few federal crimes until the Civil War. After the civil war, federal offenses and prisoners began to increase in number. The 1891 Three Prisons Act is an example of one attempt at managing the growth of the federal prison system but the Act did not organize the system at the time (Foster, 2006). The Federal Bureau of Prisons was created by an Act of Congress in the 1930s and placed under the management of the Federal Justice Department in order to more effectively manage the existing federal prisoners (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2010). The 1930s Act by Congress created the position of a director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) and led to the opening of the maximum-security prison called Alcatraz in 1934 (Foster, 2006). Overall, most federal prisons were considered to be better run and to have better funding than state prisons for most of the 20th century. â€Å"The first U. S. penitentiary was the old military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, which began to house federal prisoners in 1895† (Foster, 2006, p. 134). Prior to the opening of this penitentiary and two others that promptly followed, federal prisoners served their time in state or local institutions. The position of the director of the Bureau of Prisons was an important one in how the federal prison system evolved in the 20th century and the contributions of several directors over the decades were significant to the image of the Federal Bureau of Prisons being viewed as a model system. However, the federal prison system has undergone many of the prison population explosion problems that state prisons have encountered in recent decades and is no longer as highly regarded in its management of federal prisoners as it has been in the past. By 2003, â€Å"the system had grown to more than 100 institutions housing [a total of] 140,000 inmates† (Foster, 2006, p. 138). While some state systems have shown a decline in their prisoner growth over the last decade, the federal Bureau of Prisons appears to be continuing to grow at a steady rate. It is also notable that some federal prisoners do reside in state, local, or privately managed prison facilities due to overcrowding issues with some federal prisons or for other reasons. Federal prisons have similar security levels or classifications to state prisons and categorize federal inmates within five primary levels: minimum security, low security, medium security, high security, and administrative security (Foster, 2006). Minimum security inmates are generally held in federal prison camps which help to support larger institutions or military bases through inmate labor programs while low security generally refers to federal correctional institutions with dormitory housing and less than heavy duty fencing. Work and program components are emphasized in low security institutions (Federal Bureau of Prisons, 2010). Next, medium security institutions feature increased internal control and strengthened perimeters from minimum-security facilities. High security penitentiaries are also known as U. S. penitentiaries and feature similar structural elements to state facilities. Finally, the administrative security level can hold a wide range of specially designated inmates and also uses the Administrative Maximum Security Unit, which serves a role similar to the supermax security level used by the states. Federal and state prison systems are difficult to compare because the federal system was at one time viewed as a model system whereas state prison systems will vary from state to state. Notably, federal prisoners were once viewed more favorably than state prisoners but studies conducted in the 1980s served to show that federal prisoners can be just as violent as state prisoners. Overall, approximately 45% of federal prisoners have a violent past and offenders who have been sentenced for felony crimes such as murder, robbery, sex crimes, kidnapping, and felony assaults make up 11% of the federal prisoner population (Foster, 2006). In addition, over half of federal prisoners are doing time for drug-related crimes even though the growth rate in that area has declined slightly since the 1990s. Other common types of criminals in the federal system include inmates sentenced for the illegal possession or use of weapons; those sentenced for arson, and immigration law violators, with each category, constituting roughly ten percent of the federal prison population (Foster, 2006). Finally, white-collar crimes make up less than 10% of the federal prison population and it is notable that three out of every ten federal prisoners originate from other countries. In conclusion, state and federal prisons are important components of the criminal justice system. Both prison systems have separate histories, which are linked in origin because the federal prison system evolved out of need to house federal prisoners apart from state prisoners. The federal prison system also eatures separate security levels and types of prison facilities, although these features of both federal and state prisons do have some obvious similarities. Notably, state prisons serve to hold the majority of prisoners serving over a year of prison time within each state while federal prisons serve to house prisoners who have committed crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of federal law. Finally, both state and federal prison systems are now facing some of the same problems associated with overcrow ding and the need to address prisoner overpopulation issues References Federal Bureau of Prisons. (2010). A Brief History of the Bureau of Prisons. from http://www. bop. gov/about/history. jsp Federal Bureau of Prisons. (2010). Prison Types and General Information. , from http://www. bop. gov/locations/institutions/ Foster, B. (2006). Corrections: The Fundamentals. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Johnston, N. (2010). Prison Reform in Pennsylvania. From http://www. prisonsociety. org/about/history. shtml Schlosser, E. (1998). The Prison Industrial Complex. The Atlantic Online. from http://www. theatlantic. com/doc/199812/prisons

Sop for Computer Science free essay sample

I pursued my undergraduate studies in Computer Science and Engineering at MVSR Engineering College, Osmania University, India. I am planning to pursue my higher education and I really hope to get enrolled into the Masters program, for the term starting Spring 08, at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. In the following paragraphs I have summarized my educational background, motivation for graduate study and my areas of interest. Starting off with my academic’s, I completed my schooling in ****, Warangal, India. My school helped me develop better in the field of science, right from the initial stages, with different techno fests, science expos and I have secured 74% marks in 10’Th standard though I secured 86% in mathematics. Then I said to myself that I am a far better performing student than these marks suggest. Hence to prove my capability to myself I worked hard with sincerity and devotion and obtained valuable marks of 83% in my Board of Intermediate at Sri Chaitanya Junior College, Hyderabad, India. We will write a custom essay sample on Sop for Computer Science or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page At very young age as a student in high school, computer for me was only a means of entrainment as I found it exciting to play games and generating various mathematical series and patterns thorough BASIC programming. I was dumbfounded to know that games are nothing but programs. Curious to know how to program I developed a serious interest in Computers. This keen interest in mathematics along with a strong liking for computers, and particularly programming, prompted me to choose engineering with Computer Science as my major. This decision gave me ample opportunity to consolidate my creative energies and harness my technical aptitude. Early in my undergraduate study I was introduced to basic programming languages of C, C++ and Java. I understood the key features of each language and realized that one was an improvement of the other. Java being the most powerful and robust language of all fascinated me the most. My first computer science project was â€Å"Core Banking†, which performs the operations of creating an account, assigning an account number and handling transactions involving deposits and withdrawals. This program was initially written in C++ following the concepts of object-oriented programming. Later I modified the same program with some improvements like adding a GUI interface using Java. During the second year of my undergraduate studies, I had an opportunity to visit an IT company of my father’s friend. It was here that I actually saw hundreds of computers connected to each other and performing several different operations. I had many questions on my mind – â€Å"How are computers connected and if connected, how can they be managed? † Curious to know the answers and following the advice of my uncle, I read some books on Windows Networking. I was fascinated by the concepts of Domain, Active Directory, Group Policy and DNS. In the third year of my engineering studies, I was introduced to the subject of Computer Networks. Already having a sound knowledge in practical computer networking, I was at ease with this subject. During this course, I learnt the software side of networking i. e. how to actually implement and develop different servers. The sessions in the labs were devoted in developing programs like implementation of connection-oriented and connectionless Echo Servers, concurrent multithreaded File Transfer Server and Chat Server. Currently in my fourth year, area of Distributed Systems and especially Peer-to-Peer Systems are of great interest to me. I undertook a project in Galaxie Software Solutions as an intern to design and develop a E-Care system, is an Help Desk System which can overcome some of the disadvantages of the existing software. My work in Galaxie Software Solutions gave me solid practical knowledge of many technologies and concepts such as Java, Oracle, XML, Object-Oriented Design and Programming.. I have also presented a paper entitled â€Å"Cryptography† at Parikaran 2K7 – a National level technical fest. My predominant research interests have evolved into three categories that I believe are interconnected. The three areas of interest are Computer networks, Distributed systems and Information Security. I would be very eager to work in any of these areas or interrelated areas like Networking or Distributed Systems along with Information Security. I worked as a teaching assistant for juniors in C, C++ and Oracle programming. The teaching experience has helped me to communicate articulately and interact effectively with diversity of peers. During the last two years, besides the college academics I spent most of my time attending a number of extra-curricular workshops, seminars and conferences in different fields of computer science. I look forward to a career in research where I cannot only use my academic background to achieve my research goals but also make original contributions to my field of interest. I believe that graduate studies would provide me with the opportunities to attend advanced courses and would be the stepping-stone to my career in research. University of North Carolina at Charlotte suits my research interests because of its advanced academic curriculum and world-class research groups. I believe that it is the best environment for me to achieve my goals while gaining experience and exposure to a diverse student body and faculty. I believe that no other school provides students with the combination of culture, education and research environment, required for an overall personality development, as offered by your institution. Summarizing all written above, I believe that my serious intention for study, my projects, my certifications and strong academic background in various areas of Computer Science will be beneficial for my graduate studies and research. Attending your prestigious institution would give me an opportunity to receive high-level education under the guidance of prominent professors and excellent teachers. I would regard my admission to University of North Carolina at Charlotte not only as a great honor but also as a great responsibility and challenge to prove myself. Thank you for your time and consideration. High Regards, {NAME}

Definition and Examples of a Predicate in a Sentence

Definition and Examples of a Predicate in a Sentence In English grammar, a predicate is one of the two main parts of a sentence or clause. (The other main part is the subject.) It is usually defined as a word group that comes after the subject to complete the meaning of the ​sentence or clause. The predicate is the portion of the sentence that contains the verb (or verb phrase); in very short, simple sentences, it might be only a verb. The predicate tells what happened to the subject or what state its in. In the case of verbs that arent actions, those that describe states of being are called stative verbs. Examples include is or believe. Key Takeaways: Predicates A clause has a subject and a predicate.To be a sentence (an independent clause), there must be a subject and a predicate, and it needs to be a complete thought.A simple predicate is a verb; a complete predicate is everything thats not the subject. Sentences Vs. Clauses A sentence cannot be complete (independent) unless it has both a subject and a predicate; otherwise, a group of words is just a phrase or a clause. For example, a complete sentence could be Go! It has both a subject (You, understood, is the subject, as the sentence is in the imperative voice) and a verb (go). A complete sentence could also be something like Could you please go there? (Subject: you; predicate: could go over there please). But something like after he heard the news or who was the fastest runner arent full sentences but dependent clauses. The groups of words each have a verb (predicate) and a subject, but they arent a complete thought. (Though posed as a question, Who was the fastest runner? is a complete thought.) Types of Predicates A predicate may be many words or just a single word: the verb. In this first example, the verb laughed is the predicate of the sentence: Felix laughed. A predicate may be a word group made up of a main verb and any helping verbs. In the next example, will sing is the predicate.  Notice that the helping verb (will) comes before the main verb (sing). Winnie will sing. A predicate may also be a complete verb phrase- that is, the main verb and all the words related to that verb except the subject. (This construction is called the complete predicate.) In this last example, the predicate is the verb phrase is always greener on the other side: The grass is always greener on the other side. Depending on how detailed you need to get with your analysis of a sentence and its parts, you can also label compound predicates. A predicate is compound if one subject has more than one verb associated with it, joined with a conjunction. In this example, the subject Sandy has two predicates joined by and. She prefers to run first and then eat breakfast afterward. Sandy prefers to run first and then eat breakfast afterward. Notice that this sentence doesnt have two independent clauses. There is just one subject for both verbs. The words that follow the conjunction (and), do not make up an independent clause. Thus, there is no comma placed before and. (This is a very common mistake in writing. Watch for it.) Whether its just one word or many words, the predicate usually follows the subject and tells us something about it. Finding the Predicate Finding predicates isnt difficult; it just takes some examination of the sentence. You just have to understand who is doing what. First, find the subject and then the verb (or verbs). Anything that isnt the subject of the sentence is the predicate. After the long hike up the mountain, the tour group rested and took in the views. The tour group is the subject, the verbs are rested and took in, and everything but the subject is the predicate. Even though the dependent clause comes at the start of the sentence, it still tells something about when the group rested, making it an adverbial phrase. Its not the subject of the sentence and thus belongs in the predicate. If you are to find the simple predicate, its just the verb or verb plus a helper. If you are asked to find the complete predicate, it consists of all the words besides the subject. Examples of Predicates In each of the following sentences, the predicate is in italics. Time flies.We will try.The Johnsons have returned.Bobo has never driven before.We will try harder next time.Hummingbirds sing with their tail feathers.Pedro has not returned from the store.My brother flew a helicopter in Iraq.My mother took our dog to the vet for its shots.Our school cafeteria always smelled like stale cheese and dirty socks.

Free Essays on American Indian Sovereignty

came from the heart. One of his first points asked of the audience to rephrase a famous quote. â€Å"I think therefore I am† Wilkins stated should be changed to â€Å"I think therefore I compare.† Wilkins suggested that society should compare Indian people and their struggle to past and present applications and relationships with sovereignty. Through numerous examples it is clear that the treatment of Indian people in this country has never been consistent or just. Wilkins also titled the Native Americans as â€Å"Vulnerable People.† There are 2.5 million Native Americans in this country who struggle for representation and political sovereignty of which a 100,000 are denied their citizenship due to their Native Indian heritage. Wilkins also outlined the lack of representation that the Indian people battle for in a number of arenas. As a powerful example Wilkins stated that the State Government considered him a Lummie but that the federal Government did n ot, this lack of national identity is one of many obstacles placed in front of Indians in their continued struggle for sov... Free Essays on American Indian Sovereignty Free Essays on American Indian Sovereignty Sovereignty Symposium The American Indian Symposium on Indian Sovereignty and Self Determination was a powerful collection of keynote speakers who touched on a number of issues revolving around the current status of Indian Sovereignty and their struggle to receive recognition as a separate nation within the United States. Prior to the Symposium I had many questions about how Indian Sovereignty had been restricted and how the numerous nations of Indians had been affected by the political limitations they have encountered. My initial questions were answered, yet I was left with more questions directed at our national and state governments. Through an evaluation of the keynote speakers major points these question will present themselves. The first speaker was Dr. David Wilkins of the Lummie Nation in North Carolina. Dr. Wilkins was a genuine man whose words came from the heart. One of his first points asked of the audience to rephrase a famous quote. â€Å"I think therefore I am† Wilkins stated should be changed to â€Å"I think therefore I compare.† Wilkins suggested that society should compare Indian people and their struggle to past and present applications and relationships with sovereignty. Through numerous examples it is clear that the treatment of Indian people in this country has never been consistent or just. Wilkins also titled the Native Americans as â€Å"Vulnerable People.† There are 2.5 million Native Americans in this country who struggle for representation and political sovereignty of which a 100,000 are denied their citizenship due to their Native Indian heritage. Wilkins also outlined the lack of representation that the Indian people battle for in a number of arenas. A s a powerful example Wilkins stated that the State Government considered him a Lummie but that the federal Government did not, this lack of national identity is one of many obstacles placed in front of Indians in their continued struggle for sov...

Los Angeles lab report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Los Angeles lab report - Essay Example The test of reference is done on the fraction size 10/14mm. In order to understand the operation of the Los Angeles test, an experiment was set to determine the resistance to fragmentation. Apparatus The apparatus that would be used in this experiment include: Los Angeles Machine Recycled Concrete Aggregate Scale Tray Sieve Method. A 5kg of Recycled Concrete Aggregate was introduced in the cylinder via a hatch. The thecharge of eleven steel balls, with each ranging between 45mm and 49mm in diameter, while weighing in totallity between 4690g to 4860g was also added. The hatch lid was bolted in place with the cylinder being rotated about 500 revolutions at a given rate of 31 to 33 RPM (Revolution Per Minute). The machine was operated in a soundproofed cabinet. A built-in counter stopped the machine after 500 revolutions. The hatch was opened, and the contents of the cylinder were emptied into trays set underneath the opening. The balls were removed and the aggregate was sieved using a 1.6mm sieve. For the fraction that was retained on the sieve, was weighed. The result, the Los Angeles Coefficient, was calculated using . All the data collected was recorded in table 1. Table 1: Data collected. Type of aggregate Recycled Concrete Aggregate Initial mass of sample (g) 5000 Mass retained on the 1.6mm sieve (g) 3790 g Type of aggregate Thames Aggregate Initial mass of sample (g) 5000 Mass retained on the 1.6mm sieve (g) 3943 Calculations The Los Angeles Coefficient, LA, was calculated as follows: Aggregate with a LA value of less than 30 (LA30) is considered strong enough for use in coating and road surface treatments (i.e. surface dressing). For example, a faulty scale or a faulty Los Angeles machine may automatically affect the readings of the experiment. It is recommended that for experimental errors to be reduced the following steps should be followed. During the experiment one should ensure that at least three readings for a particular step are taken then an avera ge of the reading obtained to minimize the errors of parallax. The experiment needs to be done at least twice to confirm the recorded values and minimize the errors. The Los Angeles Machine and all the apparatus used for the experiment should always be checked before the start of the experiment to ascertain their efficiency (BS 1377-4, 1990). The experiment could also be done in an area with vacuum conditions in order to minimize the interferences in obtaining the readings demonstrated to air resistance. Whenever the capacitor is by-passed by an emitter, and capacitance of the coupled capacitor is large in regards to the AC frequency signal, the capacitors would be approximated as a circuit that is short (BS EN 1097-2, 1998). Whenever the input signal or voltage is increased the output voltage and the signal would be further vary around the dc bias point that has been established (Highways Agency , 2009). This effect would continue up to when the limiting condition of the voltage is reached. For the current in the circuit, the limiting condition would be VCC/RC, at the end, considered to be high, and a zero at the end considered to be low of the swing. The voltage of the emitter collector and the supply limit reaches a limit when they have a zero and VCC. Additionally, the voltage output and the varying current around the point of bias gives out ac power towards the load (Highways Agency, 2009). The delivered ac power is made to go through the load referred to as RC. AC signal, on

Witnessing the Paranormal by Using the Five Senses Essay

Witnessing the Paranormal by Using the Five Senses - Essay Example The reason scholars assume opposing positions on the paranormal is primarily because things that are paranormal do not have any empirical methods of being understood. This is why the possibility of witnessing the paranormal by using five senses has proven to be such a big challenge. Since paranormal activities are activities that transcend the normal, it is only natural for people to believe that perceiving anything paranormal requires some other senses other than the normal five senses. Thus, some persons have said that there are senses other than the five which have already been established. Contrastively, it would not hurt if one gave a chance to the argument about the possibility of perceiving the paranormal just through the normal five senses. It is logical for one to think that all human beings are normal and no human is extraordinary. Thus, those that have the capacity to perceive the paranormal, only do so by using their five senses. The argument may also be put forth that all humans are capable of using their normal senses to perceive the paranormal but only a few have been able to do so because these few are the one that have been able to effectively use their senses in ways others have not dared to (Westrum & Marcello 69; Wescott 13). These extra capabilities of these few may be placed side by side with the capability of some individuals to, for instance, pass in class more than others in an examination. As living beings, we are able to partake in life by putting into proper use the five senses which are natural to us. We have heard stories of people who at some points were disconnected from the normal processes or activities of life.

Where Should We Look to Find the Causes of Educational Inequalities Essay Example for Free

Where Should We Look to Find the Causes of Educational Inequalities Essay In this essay, I will be attempting to explain where I believe the causes of educational inequality lie. I will be focusing on 3 of the reasons that I believe there are such deep rooted inequalities in the education system. I believe that gender, ethnicity and class have the biggest impact on inequality in education. These are the issues which I will be discussing. The statistics are daunting, as Asthana, A (2010) states: boys are falling behind girls in 11 out of 13 learning categories by the age of five and Caribbean pupils are three times more likely to be excluded than any other ethnic group. I have chosen to focus on gender, ethnicity and social class in my essay, though these are by no means the only problems within the education system. I will start by discussing gender and educational inequality. Gender inequalities in education The impact on child attainment Women have always been allowed formal education, though formal education for all children has only been an ideal since about the mid-19th century. There were always a large proportion of people of both sexes who could not read or write, and many for whom formal education never went beyond basic reading and writing and simple arithmetic. Practical skills were more important for most people. Girls in ancient Greece and Rome for example, were educated, it was normal for women to be able to read and write, though most would not have had the same degree of education as boys. For girls, learning the practical skills to run a household would have been the most important part of their education. But some women did manage to make their mark as writers; Sapphos poetry was admired more than any other poet in ancient Greece except for Homer. Girls were often educated at home, though in medieval times for instance there were schools that educated children of both sexes. And upper-class girls sometimes went as boarders to nunneries. Among the upper classes it was commonplace for girls to be more literate than boys, because reading and writing were usually regarded as effeminate pursuits, a boys proper occupation was warfare. Grammar schools were normally only for boys, and in England, universities were open only to male students, though the proportion of boys who went there was tiny compared to the number who go today. Education for girls was of a fairly low standard during the 17th and 18th centuries, but from the early 19th century in America, and the mid-19th century in the UK, it was increasingly the case that all children were expected to attend school. Although boys and girls went to the same schools, they were not in the same classes and certainly were not taught the same subjects. Girls learnt subjects such as embroidery, needlework, music and writing as it was thought more important for them to study ‘accomplishments’ rather than academic subjects. Although a lot has changed regarding the differences between boys’ and girls’ education, there are still some issues that concerns us; the gender gap for example. The gender gap is the difference in attainment with boys and girls. In recent years, there has been a lot of worrying about the growing gap in attainment between boys and girls. By the age of 5, 53% of boys had reached the expected writing level compared with 72% of girls. They then underachieve at GCSE and not as many go on to university. Even once there, they are less likely to achieve a 2:1 or a first (Asthana, A 2010). Some contribute boys’ lower attainment to the changing notions of masculinity and differing attitudes to schoolwork. As Renold, E (2001) stated, many boys learnt the hard way early in their school careers that studiousness and academic success conflict with conventional forms of hegemonic masculinity. Renold (2001) then goes on to argue that as a result of the contradictory masculinities produced by the school, the boys invented an array of strategies and techniques to avoid what were perceived as ‘non-masculine’/ or ‘feminine’ classroom behaviours and to disguise both their desire for and the achievement of, academic success. As Connell (1996, cited in Renold, E 2001) claims, when he discusses ‘gender strategies for schools’, existing patterns of gender relation can only be altered or changed by paying close attention to the ‘dynamics of masculinity’, especially the means by which alternative masculinities are construed (peer support/ collectivity) and resisted (gender and sexualised bullying). Another issue is, of course the same sex school debate. I believe that Co-educational schools are better for children as it teaches them things that are not on the curriculum. It teaches kids maturity with members of the opposite sex. We can logically conclude that members from a coeducational school are generally more understanding of their opposing sex than those who are in a single-sex school. This doesn’t apply to students who have no siblings or are in relationships. It applies to the vast majority of students with any form of schooling. A sibling only has one personality, a girlfriend or a boyfriend only possess one personality. One must be able to understand and cope with members with different personality types to be counted as mature. Also, in a co-ed school, pupils form more diverse relationships. More diverse friendship types would supposedly lead to a bigger and better social life, which is important to have for school students as they progress in life. The logic behind this reasoning is that once you are in the working force, you must be able to deal with anyone that you work with, work for and assign work to. In the real world, we are not separated from the opposite sex so why are we separated in schools? Ethnicity and Inequality in education Ethnicity and inequality of education has always been, in my opinion, a delicate subject. There’s always the possibility of appearing racist or as though discriminating in some way. Rob Meyers (1994) when talking of educational inequality states; â€Å"with the passing of slavery, equality of education was one of the rights formerly held back that was now for Black people to take advantage of. With this equal starting ground, social integration would be a realizable dream. Yet after over 120 years, equality of education had been denied to Black children, thus preventing them from the amount of financial success white children have in life after school. Through benign neglect and the goal of some to find a genetic link to race and intelligence, Black students have been railroaded into low end jobs and inescapable poverty. As Bowles and Gintis have stated, the purpose of education is to preserve the existing class structure. Since the abolition of slavery, racist whites have used the educational system to keep their thrones and to keep blacks poor. Ideas of minority inferiority are spread, and the misinformed fall into the trap of believing that race determines intelligence, using skewed test data to help support their ideas. † Although I’m sure Meyers work has some implications of truth, I don’t believe that this is all about racism and it certainly isn’t all about black children. There are ethnic minorities from all over the globe who experience educational inequality and discrimination. For example, while some ethnicities like Caribbean boys receive negative discrimination I. e. teachers thinking that they won’t perform to as high a standard as the other children, thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy, other ethnicities such as Chinese girls receive positive discrimination; teachers thinking that they will be able to perform naturally higher than other students for example, thus putting added stress and pressure on the students. Though one could argue that the fact Asian girls excel is not due to positive discrimination but because their families, friends and societies value hard work, discipline and educational achievement. It is however, very important to maintain high expectations for all students, no matter the race, social background or ability. In the UK, there is evidence that points toward black Caribbean pupils being excessively moved into for lower tier maths and science exams at age 14. Strand (in press, cited in Twining 2012) has shown that black Caribbean students are the only ethnic group to be regularly under represented, relative to white students in entry to higher maths and science test tiers. Furthermore, this under-representation is not a by-product of their lower prior attainment; nor of variances in gender, social class, and a wide range of contextual variables. Strand concludes it is possible that teachers’ conclusions of black Caribbean students’ academic possibility may be distorted by observations of their behaviour as more challenging than it actually is. This may, in turn, lead to a inclination to miscalculate their academic capability (Twining 2012). While black Caribbean children (especially the males) have been consistently labelled as being the underachievers in secondary level education, research has shown that white working class males actually make up around half of the number of low achieving school leavers (Kingdom and Cassen, 2007; Cassen and Kingdom 2007, cited in Twining, 2012). As Asthana (2010) convincingly states, â€Å"Once it was a story of black and white, in which racial discrimination was a major driving force. But in tomorrows report, the story of ethnicity is a complicated one – in which poor black boys underachieve, as do those from Irish Traveller families, but poor Chinese girls overachieve; Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities see different outcomes to Indian ones; and there is a growing group of mixed race children who in themselves have complex outcomes. Other issues students from other cultures face is the need to conform to British culture. I believe that the classroom would be a more efficient place to learn if students were allowed to incorporate knowledge from their cultures into it. Or perhaps teachers should be trained to understand other cultures and to try to teach students by referring to things they may have learnt in their communities.

Essay --

In 1877, Elias moved to California, when he met his wife flora, in 1890 they moved to Chicago, they had 5 children, Herbert Arthur, Raymond Arnold, Roy Oliver, Walter "Walt" Elias Disney, and Ruth Flora Disney. Walt was born in Chicago in 1901, 4 years later his parents moved to Marceline, which was the most important phase in his life, it was his hometown, and they lived on a farm. Walt had special feelings towards animals. The first time I heard Walt Disney’s story, was in this class, and it was told in a creative way by my professor. At the beginning of each class, our instructor played us a minute or two of Walt Disney’s songs, which brought back happy and comforting memories of my childhood. Walt lived in Marceline, a perfect small town. He attended the town’s school where he showed interest in things that other kids didn’t. As soon as he learned how to use a pencil, he fell in love with drawing. He also liked acting; the first role he played was Peter Pan, who then became an inspiration to him. When Walt was ten years old, the family moved to Kansas City, Missouri. His father Elias had sold his farm for 5175$ and bought a distributorship for the morning Times and the Star newspaper. Walt and his brother then started working for their father. They used to wake up early in the morning and deliver papers before going to school. In 1917, Elias moved his family back to Chicago. Walt went to high school there and became the cartoonist for the school’s paper. During his lecture, our instructor showed us a small part of Walt’s documentary movie, how he used to make cartoons come to life, as well as techniques he had used. Walt wanted to go to Europe and join the army, but his father was against his idea and was refusing to si... ...come source, he met with the head of Universal picture; this man gave him an idea about re-releasing his old films, like Snow White, it was re-released almost 10 times. Walt Disney was a true inspiration to children as well as adults, he made dreams come true, and every single one of his films was a success. He built an empire following his dreams, and achieved his main goal, which was entertaining people all over the world. Walt Disney was one of the most successful men in our era. He built an Empire following his dream; entertaining people. His achievements made him an inspiration for children as well as adults to never give up on their dreams. Unfortunately his addiction to nicotine, lead to a tumor in his lungs that took over his life on December 15th 1966 when he was only 65 years old. Although he’s passed away one can’t deny that he’s still a living legacy.

Disembodied Existence After Death Is Entirely Possible

Lauren Cole ‘A disembodied existence after death is entirely possible’ Discuss. Plato takes a dualist view and therefore believes that a disembodied existence is entirely possible and the soul is distinct from the body. At our death, the soul is set free from the body where it has been ‘imprisoned’ and it is now able to achieve its ultimate goal and reach the world of the forms. The soul is the only immortal part of the body and survived the world of the forms before it came entrapped in the body, thus when we learn we are simply recalling what our soul knew before.Plato holds a negative view of the body as it distracts the soul from seeking the forms with its trivial worldly desires such as sex. If we want to be true philosophers we need to avoid distractions and concentrate on gaining knowledge of the forms. In order to further explain this Plato uses the chariot analogy in which the mind and body are out of control horses and the soul is being driven by t he in the chariot so needs to reign them in and control them.The soul outside of the body is simple and without parts yet the soul inside the body is complex and has different aspects such as reason, spirit and desire. Peter Geach disagreed with Plato and questioned what is can mean for the disembodied soul to see the forms, given that seeing is a process linked to the body and the bodies’ senses. Plato has two main arguments to prove the existence of the soul; the first is the argument from knowledge which argues that learning is simply remembering what the soul has previously known in the world of the forms.We just need to remember it, and this shows that things exist before we learn them for example; gravity existed before we knew it. However, many people argue that learning is not a matter of remembering, but instead is a matter of acquiring new knowledge. The second is the argument for opposites in which Plato argued that the physical world consists of opposites such as big and small, light and dark, sleeping and waking. The opposite of living would be death, yet for death to be an actual thing and not just nothing, the soul must exist.Aristotle believed that the soul in the form and shape of the body and is a substance like matter because matter can be given a form and be many different things, but what gives matter its function is its form. By suggesting this, Aristotle means that; the soul gives shape to the matter which is the body and the soul is the principle of life or activity of the body. Aristotle argued that there is a kind of hierarchy of faculties in the soul and suggested that the faculties are nutrition, perception, desire, locomotion and intellect.Plants have the faculty of nutrition, they obtain food and this is what keeps them alive however, animals not only have this capacity but also other capacities such as perception and desire. The faculty of intellect distinguishes humans on the hierarchy. Thus he believes that the soul is à ¢â‚¬Ëœthe cause and principle of the living body’ and therefore it cannot survive after death as the Form of the body is inseparable from the body. However, confusion has been caused as Aristotle did suggest in his writings that intellectual thought could possibly be separated from the soul and be eternal.The identity theory claims that mental activities are centred in the brain and this is supported by scientific research surrounding the modification of mood, character and behaviour by drugs. If drugs affect our character surely this suggests mental activity is not linked to an immortal soul or a separate identity, but to the brain. Hence, when physical life ends, mental activity ends and we cease to exist and have knowledge. This theory has been criticized by T.Davis who argues that identity theory has been concurring how ‘intentionality’ can be explained. Brain activity does consist of nerves functioning in the brain and when you make a decision you form an in tention, yet neural activity has no intentionality, therefore perhaps a soul or other entity controls our intentionality. Davis also points out that mental events are private and have no physical location as they are very personal to the individual.Although Richard Dawkins was a strict atheist he believed in a disembodied existence after death for other reasons, arguing that individuals cannot survive death completely, but do continue to live through memories and genes. He points out that genes do not have any direction although they are ‘potentially immortal’ as they are ‘the basic unit of natural selection’. For those that do not believe in religious teachings, Dawkins theory is convincing as we remember those that have died through many generations and their genes have also been passed down through their family.

drugs and alcohol on college students Essay

Drugs and alcohol, do they have a significant impact on the lives of college students or just the ones that fall short to the influence? There is a major problem with students using and abusing these substances, not only does it have negative effects on the user, but on the user’s friends and family as well. A lot of drugs and alcohol become easily available to college students over the course of their college years. What can be done to help prevent students from abusing drugs and alcohol? Overall, drugs and alcohol do have a serious effect on the lives of college students. In college it is extremely hard for some students to have self-control. According to the article, â€Å"Alcohol and Drug abuse†, a study indicated that 90% of students admitted to have consumed an alcoholic beverage in college, while 50% of the students also admitted to smoking marijuana. These statistics show that most students will be around drugs or alcohol at one point during their experience. Additionally, One of the many reasons that students drink or do drugs is because it is their first taste of freedom away from home. Not to mention, no parents on their back, no rules, and you can go â€Å"home† (dormitory, apartment, house, etc†¦) anytime you want, why would a teen not take full advantage of this opportunity? That is one of the main issues and students do not know how to say the word as simple as no sometimes. Not only do students get hooked on this kind of behavior but also could potentially take it too far. Some say drinking is a stress reliever from school, work, or even personal problems. Furthermore, alcohol, as well as drugs, are very addictive and can cause many problems for one down the road. At least once a month, half of the college students in America drink or abuse drugs. A conducted survey showed around 22% of students have a higher rate abusing substances compared to the general public. Nonetheless, these students claimed they use drugs to help forget about problems and help relax  and reduce stress. Since 2005, the students that claim they abuse marijuana has more than doubled, but the amount of students that claim to use alcohol has stayed average. (insert info). This sort of behavior very rarely stems from the choice made of a single individual but is mostly influenced by peer pressuring friends as a way to fit in. Alcoholism does have an effect on the social lives of students. Some say â€Å"you are who your friends are†, in some aspects they are right. The friends chosen to spend the days with throughout college do have a significant role in a lifetime. Whatever their decisions may be, could influence the person one strives to be. The influence others can make in life seems daring and unbelievable. Research states that students Frat houses and sororities also have an impact on drinking habits developed throughout college.  Greek life can be a big part of ones college experience. Membership in fraternities or sororities may play a part in drinking in college. Greek life does play a part throughout campus by typically throwing open house parties and social gatherings including none greek life students. Statistics show that greek members do more drinking than regular students and is also known as â€Å"the greek effect†. However, this does not mean that these same developed habits will stay with them following the college years. They say after students graduate and leave the college atmosphere that their studies do suggest a decrease in drinking. Once they leave they are not involved in a socially acceptable atmosphere for heavy drinking and partying. Greek life or not, drinking still raises a concern for college students. Drugs and alcohol are huge concerns across the United States. A Harvard University study showed that underage students who drink are more likely to over abuse their tolerance level compared to twenty-one year olds, which is also the legal drinking age in America. It is unbelievably easy to access alcohol for many underage students and could be a reason to why they turn to drinking. Some could even argue that alcohol is the biggest gateway drug. A study from the University of Florida explains why they believe alcohol is  a bigger gateway drug than marijuana. The study showed that substance use begins with the most sociably acceptable drugs, being alcohol and tobacco, then proceeds to marijuana use and lastly on to other illegal, harder drugs, like cocaine. Furthermore, students who used alcohol exhibited a significantly greater likelihood up to sixteen times of illicit and licit substance use. Alcohol is what’s being put on a pedestal, so students seek it out. When majority of students drink, they binge drink. This is one of the worst ways to consume alcohol and have harsh side effects. Campuses do not realize how harmful this is to the student body and mind. There should be more programs to raise awareness and inform students of the effects of alcohol abuse. If peers, professors or other influential members of the community see a problem within a student they should be able to refer them to counseling and seek proper help needed. Peers do play an influential role in pressuring others to party and do drugs, especially roommates. Male students that consumed alcohol or abused drugs in high school that came to college and became roommates with another male that was similar to them in high school could have negative effects on each other and are probable to increase their consumption into college. Female students were found to not be as pressured by their roommates and were more probable to carry on their individual high school ways throughout college. Drinking alcohol as a young adult will more than double the chances of neurotoxicity and cause harmful cognitive effects as oppose to people that start drinking later in life. Almost every community in America is affected by underage drinking. Every year the statisitics of how young kids will start to drink increases. Children from the ages of twelve to seventeen that first encounter alcohol has increased by over one million in a span of five years. (The neurocognitive effects of alcohol on adolescents and college students). Here are many consequences to extreme drinking. Every year there are on average 1,825 deaths from injuries and car accidents caused by people  driving while intoxicated. (insert info). Assault and sexual assault chances also increase when alcohol is thrown into the equation. Studies show how poorly students perform on exams, papers, and also how far they fall behind because of acquired drinking habits. 19% of students fall into the category of alcohol dependence.

Slim and George in chapter 3 of Of Mice and Men Essay Example

Slim and George in chapter 3 of Of Mice and Men Essay Example Slim and George in chapter 3 of Of Mice and Men Paper Slim and George in chapter 3 of Of Mice and Men Paper Essay Topic: Of Mice and Men We discover about Slim’s many qualities such as his ability to bring out the secrets of others from them. This is shown in Chapter Three in which he questions George about him and Lennie going around together. Slim’s cunningness is shown not through the dialogue but through the description such as â€Å"Slims’ calm invitation to confidence† which reveals to us that he made George comfortable. The writer shows that this is what leads George to continue talking. The reason why Slim wants to find out more about George and Lennie’s relationship is that he finds it odd that two people are going to places together. Slim knows that George wants to talk and after he begins, he knows that he can be â€Å"receptive† which is why he believes that he does not need to encourage George into saying more. The writer reveals Slim’s intelligence in this scene and his superiority in the sense that he was able to bring out the past of George. This becomes useful in the next scene with Candy’s Dog and how he is key to the decision in the end. Slim’s qualities of being attentive and a good listener are further emphasised through the words â€Å"Godlike†Ã¢â‚¬  and the repetition of the words â€Å"calmly†. We also find out about George in this section and his past. The fact that he used to bully Lennie by making him do random things for entertainment shows how he is not perfect either although he does regret his past. George answers â€Å"defensively† when Slim asks him about his relationship with Lennie. He believes that there is nothing wrong with this although he does know it is not that common. However, he then begins to reveal the past. The same characteristic of him is again shown when Candy asks them about the land that they want to buy. George begins by talking defensively but then eventually begins to reveal more about the piece of land. George â€Å"wanting to talk† to Slim about the past shows how he wanted to share his past and concerns with others rather than be lonely as he could not tell anyone about Lennie and the girl in Weed. This also reflects the reason for which he goes to places with Lennie which is they get lonely and they become sad. George says this to Slim â€Å". guys that go around ranches. That ain’t no good†. Although the reader first feels that Lennie needs George to look after him, we find out here that George needs Lennie for company. Lennie’s past with a women in Weed is a foreshadow what will happen in the end. The writer brings this story here to tell us the reason for which George and Lennie moved ranches and also to warn the reader of what is to come. This is then developed on with the attack on Curley, the puppy dying and then finally Curley’s wife’s death. The atmosphere in this scene is very significant in setting the mood for the conversation. Firstly, we are told about â€Å"the evening brightness† outside and the â€Å"dusk† inside which represent the happy relationship we seem to see between George and Lennie and how it never used to be like this before with the â€Å"dusk† inside. The dusk setting also shows that the coming up scene is negative. The pool of light also focuses on the two characters giving importance to them in the scene. This is used to focus the scene more on George as he becomes the one that talks more. Slim â€Å"moved back slightly so that the light was not on his face†. This was also used to show that he did not want George to see his facial expression during the question as he did not want to give away his intention for asking. Jeya Packiarajah 11X Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Steinbeck section. Download this essay Print Save Not the one?

6 Forms of the Subjunctive Mood

6 Forms of the Subjunctive Mood 6 Forms of the Subjunctive Mood 6 Forms of the Subjunctive Mood By Mark Nichol Are you in a subjunctive mood? Then you should frame sentences in one of the six following forms. The subjunctive mood is used in cases in which what is expressed is not necessarily real, as opposed to the indicative case, which is applied to factual statements. The key difference is a change in the form of a given verb: Am or was is supplanted by were, be takes the place of are, or singular active verbs lose their -s or -es endings. In conversation, it is common for speakers to fail to distinguish between the moods, but in careful writing, the distinction must be made. 1. Counterfactual In this subjunctive construction, the writer expresses a notion contrary to fact, such as â€Å"If I were you, I’d return it to the store.† 2. Imperative In this class of the subjunctive mood, commands and demands are expressed: â€Å"I demanded that she walk away.† 3. Necessity This subjunctive form refers to requirement: â€Å"It is necessary that she fill out the form first.† 4. Proposition This category applies to proposals and suggestions: â€Å"We proposed that they reconsider the offer.† 5. Supposition In this form, the writer expresses a possibility: â€Å"If I were to accept the position, I’d have to relocate.† 6. Wish This type of subjunctive form deals with expressions of desire: â€Å"I wish that I were able to go back and do it over again.† The subjunctive case also survives in such idiomatic phrases as â€Å"as it were,† â€Å"be that as it may,† â€Å"be they [one thing or another],† and â€Å"would that it were.† 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 Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a UK Business LetterCapitalization Rules for the Names of GamesThe "Pied" in The Pied Piper

Global warming Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Global warming - Research Paper Example This document will examine how human beings are contributing to global warming. There have been many studies on the topic of global warming, but experts say that humans are the cause for the drastic climate changed going on around the world due to resource consumption, resource disposal, and population growth. According to Watts (2007), human activities have influenced the atmospheric temperatures across the globe. The rising global temperatures have become an issue of concern due to the impact it has on animal and plant lives across the globe. Increasing human population has resulted to increase in consumption and generation of materials and all contribute to global warming (Casper, 2009). The climate change has affected the activities of human by changing the land use and human struggle to reverse the situation. The understanding of how man has contributed to global warming can be gained by considering the impact of the human population, consumption and disposal of waste influence the atmospheric temperatures (Watts, 2007). Also, the knowledge is essential because it can direct organizations and the states to design policies that can regulate human activities hence reducing global warming. According to Casper (2009), there is an increasing global demand for energy and other commodities both processed and unprocessed goods. Developed nations are the major consumers of fossil fuels hence they are leading in greenhouse gas emissions. For example, the United States has about five percent of the world population but contributes about twenty five percent of carbon emissions in the globe (Murtaugh & Schlax, 2009). Murtaugh and Schlax (2009) further argues that the United Nations Population Fund suggested that, by the year 2050, the world growing economies such as India and china will contribute more than fifty percent of the carbon emissions. The level of emission of greenhouse gas

Experience in Music Technology Personal Statement

Experience in Music Technology - Personal Statement Example The degree will help me to apply as a permanent faculty member in the College where I am teaching right now. Apart from this, it would further help me to take part in other graduating programs of music technology that will eventually help me in my teaching career. Music Technology is basically the art of producing music, it not only covers the entire process of getting an idea of delivering the completed product but it also focuses on the science of music. Music Technology gives you an experience of working with equipment like analog tape machines to the latest computer software and digital audio workstations. The first course I would like to discuss is Public Speaking that satisfied Oral Communication. The importance of this course cannot be neglected due to the fact that oral communication is an integral part of any type of learning. This course enhanced my communication skills to an extent that my pronunciation improved drastically and my day-to-day communication also improved. The greatest impact was on my vocabulary that increased emphatically. I always liked giving presentations in the class as it brought a lot of confidence in me. The next course I will reflect upon is English Composition 1 that satisfied Written Communication, this course as the previous one, helped me immensely. My writing skills were not very good before taking this course but after completing it, my written communication became fluent and grammatical mistakes almost vanished. Practicing essay writing helped me develop a good writing habit that would certainly help me in my teaching career. Now coming to the next course that is Ecology/Natural Resources that satisfied Natural Science. Learning about natural resources was a really good experience for me. I learned about the different energy resources of our country and how they are extracted. This was an exciting course and learning about other equipment other than related to music was always stimulating. The next course would be the Buddhist Religion that satisfied both Global Understanding and Non-U.S. History and Culture.

Canadian Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Canadian Cinema - Essay Example Mostly, his films follow a non-linear plot structure meaning that events are placed in a sequence manner to bring out emotional reactions from the audience by withholding key information. Most of his films end with opretic emotional and are mostly rooted in the romantic search through intimacy. David’s style in filmmaking involves exploring people’s fears of body transformation and infection. He tries to combine psychology with physical. From the viewer’s point of view, of of Egoyan’s work has been highly influenced by cronenberg’s sense of remoteness from emotions in his style and narrative. Line of specialization Atom Egoyan is one of internationally recognized figure is known as a stage director and a film maker. On the other hand, David Cronenberg is a known as an actor, film maker and screenwriter. The only similarity between these two Cinema Icons is that they are both filmmakers. Career and commercial success Egoyans career can be classified as pre and post Exotica. Prior to Exotica, the first major release in America, Egoyan was only recognized in Canada for his ultra-low budget films which the government subsidized partially. Such films include Next of Kin (1984), Speaking Parts (1989) and Family Viewing. Exotica, was first produced in the year 1994. The release of Exotica in 1994 made him gain local and international recognition as it marked a transition point in his artistic work. In 1997, he made another film that gave rise to international recognition called The Sweet Hereafter based on an American Novel by Russell Banks. The film made him the winner of 8 GENIE Awards in Canada. In 1998, he was nominated for two awards at the Hollywood academy awards after the release of the sweet hereafter ... In 1998, he was nominated for two awards at the Hollywood academy awards after the release of the sweet hereafter Awards David Cronenberg has several awards. In 2004, he was named 2nd best director in the history of genre by the science Fiction magazine, strange Horizons. In the same year, he was listed 9th among world’s best 40 directors by the guardian. In the year 2007, he was named 17th greatest director by the Total Film. Aton Egoyan has won four awards at the cannes Film and Toronto International festivals. In april 2012, he received TARA Awards. History of studio D It was created as a branch of the National film board to make films and documentaries for and about women in Canada. This happened in 1974 when Kathleen Shannon gave this idea as a recommendation to the Canadian parliament. Kathleen had joined NFB in 1956 and was among the more influential persons who fought for the improvement of the status of women in the board. Initially women occupied a minority role at t he NFB and were give duties as support stuff instead of key roles such as film directing and production. In that year 1974 with the anticipation of the a world’s women day she presented the idea of creating a new studio that would be dedicate to women and their contribution in the film making, to the board. This created a motivating factor for the women working at the NFB to demand for changes and pressurize the government and the public sector to reconsider and improve on the position of women in these institutions. Shannon was then appointed as the pioneer executive producer of the studio d. Some of the things that set studio D films aside from other NFB films Iconic women documentaries production films created by NFB since it was dedicated to development of films

Association football and soccer Essay Example for Free

Association football and soccer Essay Soccer is the world’s most popular sport. It is the national sport of most European and Latin-American countries and many other nations. Millions of people in more than 140 countries play soccer. Soccer is one of the most famous international sports. There are three distinct reasons that soccer is so widely popular. I- Soccer is a relatively easy game to learn and play. II- It provides many physical benefits and III- Has the ability to benefit cultures by bringing countries together. I- Soccer is an easy game to learn. Many children start to play the game around the age of three. Actually, as soon as most kids learn to walk they learn to kick a ball around which is a key component of soccer. Very little equipment is needed to play soccer. This adds to its accessibility to the masses. All that is needed to play the game of soccer is a soccer ball, shin guards, and goalie equipment. A soccer game may be played either indoors or outside. It is played on a rectangular field with a goal net on each short side of the field. A soccer team is comprised of 11 players. All players must hit the ball with their feet or body and only the goalie is allowed to touch the ball with his or her hands. A soccer game begins with a kick off en the center of the field. A coin is flipped to decide which team will kickoff. The other team kicks of at the start of the second half. At this time the teams also switch sides or nets. After a team scores the other team gets to kickoff to begin play again. The kickoff takes place in the middle of the field. When the ball is kicked it must travel the circumference of the ball and touch another player before the kicker can touch the ball again. After the ball is in play it remains in play unless it crosses a goal line or a touch line. All players attempt to stop the ball from coming in there zone while at the same time trying to score a goal. A player may kick the ball into the net with any part of the body except the hands and arms. If the ball goes out of bounds the play is restarted with a corner kick, a goal kick, or a throw-in. The referee decides what type to use. If the ball crosses the goal line and the defensive team touched it last then there is a corner kick by the offense. If the offense touches the ball last and crosses the goal line then it is a goal kick. A throw in happens when the ball crosses the touch line. When it crosses the touch line the team that did not touch it last throws the ball in bounds. The ball is thrown over their head with two hands. Fouls are called when a player does not obey the rules and acts unsportsmanlike. When a foul is called the opposite team receives a either a penalty kick, a direct free kick or and indirect free kick. Although, it may sound complex, very young children are able to learn the game quite easily. II- Soccer is a good sport to play if you like to stay physically fit. There are many exercises that are required for the soccer player to be at their peak performance. Exercises that strengthen your legs and improve flexibility are ideal. Physical conditioning is important if you plan on being good at soccer. Here are five important exercises I will discuss that are ideal for soccer: 1. Running: running helps to improve cardiovascular fitness. In soccer there is lots of running for the ball so endurance and a speed is a must. 2. Leg Extension: using weights can help strengthen the legs. Using weights makes you kick harder and makes the ball travel farther; as a result you become a better player. 3. Leg Machines: exercising all muscles in the leg makes you kick harder and prevents injury when you are diving all over for the ball. The strong muscles help prevent injuries. 4. Stretching: stretching allows you to be more flexible. Sometimes soccer players need to kick the ball in the most awkward positions. Flexibly helps the player to kick the ball in those positions more effectively. 5. Weight Training: all around weight training makes a soccer player even better. A stronger body helps prevent injury and improve all around performance. Practice helps the soccer player become more skillful and physically fit. Soccer drills like dribbling the ball and head butting add to a players endurance and physical agility. Soccer can be a very demanding sport. A players strength, flexibility, and overall physical condition is put to the test. Soccer players are able to stay healthy, strong, and obtain â€Å"life long† fitness due to their preparation and participation in the game. Another added benefit is the stress relief that is found in participating in a strenuous sport such as soccer. III- Lastly, soccer has the ability to be a great unifier. Soccer can be a unifier of countries, their people, and spirit. In every society and culture, there are many things in common and many differences but there is one thing that links us all. The link is the world of sports. Sports are a way of life in many nations and cultures. There are many types of sports, but there is one sport that is known in every corner of the world. This sport is soccer. Soccer is a sport that is played in every continent in the world; it is the one and only sport without borders. Millions of people watch soccer, which is why people know other cultures. I am from Pakistan. Our national game is field hockey, but everybody prefers to watch cricket. I remember in the year 1992 when Pakistan won the first and only world cup of cricket. Everybody praised the team because they were the heroes of the nation. After two years, in 1994, Pakistan had four world cups in four different sports: field hockey, cricket, snooker and squash. After that, Pakistan never won another world cup in any sport till now. In the 1999 cricket world cup final Pakistan suffered a humiliating defeat by the Australians that disheartened the people. After a bad 2003 world cup performance, Pakistanis took less interest in cricket and took more interest in soccer. Now days most people prefer to watch soccer, even though Pakistan does not have a soccer team that plays an international game. Why do I like soccer? The main reason is the passion and the thrill of the game. Millions of soccer fans like me like soccer because of tactics: how the player tackles ball, how they make moves, how they use skills. The more skillful the soccer player the better. That’s my life experience. Now I watch soccer more than cricket. It takes less time to watch and it is an interesting game. My cousins and friends are also fans of soccer. We are all fans of different teams and players. We all watch mostly European Leagues such as English Premier League, UEFA Cup etc. Why those leagues? We prefer these leagues because the clubs pay high prices to buy world class players to play for the clubs. Those leagues play every year. We have a craze for soccer. When we watch games how we support the team or players we like, wearing the shirts, shouting and even praying for them. Soccer has the ability to unify  us as a people, to unify our hearts and minds. When I was over there, and even here, when I talk to someone we always talk about soccer. My opinion is that soccer affects the Pakistani culture very much. How does soccer affect the culture of the United States? Outside the United States and Canada the game of soccer is called football. Soccer is very popular among American youth and has the most professional players out of any nation in the world. Chuck Klosterman in â€Å"George Will vs Nick Hornby† writes â€Å"Soccer will soon become part of the fabric of this country and will be as popular as any other game here. † â€Å"According to the Soccer Industry Council of America, soccer is the No. 1 youth participation sport in USA. There are more than 3. 6 million players under the age of nineteen registered to play and that number has been expanding at over 8 percent a year since 1900†. Those are going to be a fans, players, referees, coaches etc. for the future of United States Soccer. His favor is a critic. Klosterman criticizes soccer in â€Å"George Will vs Nick Horby. † He says we will never care about soccer in United States because soccer is inherently un-American, is it Outcast Culture. He also mentions is most that children do not love soccer. Most youth soccer players end up joining the debate team before they turn fifteen. Youth do not like soccer the way it is played. He compares soccer with baseball. Baseball is most common sport played by youths. He wonders why we care that soccer is the most popular game on the earth and is played by millions of people. To love soccer is to say you believe in enforced equality more than you believe in the value of competition and the capacity of the human spirit. I disagree with his criticism of soccer because most people like soccer. Why did the soccer star David Beckham come here to teach soccer? Why does America have a soccer team play in almost every World Cup? I agree that soccer is not as common as other games, but still people play soccer here. In fact, the biggest reason for soccers failure in the United States is that it doesnt conform easily to the demands of television. The reason soccer isnt as popular in the US is not because it isnt physical enough. I play and I know for certain that it is, and I used to live in US. I just recently moved to Pakistan in Asia. I used to watch soccer all the time, of course it was international soccer, but I watched it on ESPN sports. Soccer hasnt reached its peak in the US, to be frank. I see people beginning to take interest in it. Of course, the most unrecognized form of soccer is womens soccer, but that is a different subject all together. The reason is because the major US sports Baseball, Football (Rugby) , Basketball seasons take up the entire year. I think there may be 1-2 days in a year where none of the sports is played. Also, the major sports cover everything that soccer does, scoring in a net NBA, physical roughness NFL Football, hitting an object MLB. The major US sports had already established themselves in the US, so there is not really a good entry point for soccer. In conclusion, you can see that I am crazy about soccer. It is a sport that is very easy to learn and takes very little money to participate in. It is a sport that can easily get a person into top physical shape and develop â€Å"life long† fitness. But most importantly, it is a sport that allows many countries to become unified through their love of the game. That is why I love soccer.

Rose Ziegler :: Biography

Rose Ziegler grew up in Pennsylvania Amish Country. After marrying, she moved to Oklahoma where she made her living primarily in traditional medicine, but her avocation has always been the study of Mental Science. Though she admits much of what is known of the mental sciences is steeped in Eastern religious philosophies, her emphasis has been on the science behind such principles. Rose Ziegler grew up in Pennsylvania Amish Country. After marrying, she moved to Oklahoma where she made her living primarily in traditional medicine, but her avocation has always been the study of Mental Science. Though she admits much of what is known of the mental sciences is steeped in Eastern religious philosophies, her emphasis has been on the science behind such principles. Rose Ziegler grew up in Pennsylvania Amish Country. After marrying, she moved to Oklahoma where she made her living primarily in traditional medicine, but her avocation has always been the study of Mental Science. Though she admits much of what is known of the mental sciences is steeped in Eastern religious philosophies, her emphasis has been on the science behind such principles. Rose Ziegler grew up in Pennsylvania Amish Country. After marrying, she moved to Oklahoma where she made her living primarily in traditional medicine, but her avocation has always been the study of Mental Science. Though she admit s much of what is known of the mental sciences is steeped in Eastern religious philosophies, her emphasis has been on the science behind such principles. While in Oklahoma, Rose spent seven years in a formal study of Metaphysics and served as Director of a school branch for several years. She has taught hundreds of students and has had various articles published in newspapers and magazines.

Ebonics and Education Essay

A Persuasive Research Paper on the Why Education Should Pave Way for Ebonics All a person needs to do is turn on the television or browse the Internet to see the proof that there are very important changes in the society. Among those changes is how the use of language increased and how its forms have greatly grown. With much slang, dialects and language transformation and combinations, the number of languages all over the world and not just in the United States, have significantly grown larger and bigger. However, the question of whether this continuous dynamic change in languages is for the better remains to be seen. This is because, though languages have changed and grown, problems caused by miscommunication and misunderstandings are still rampant and present. Although language and all its combinations with other languages aimed to bridge the gap between nations and cultures, different people with different origins and speech are still unable to bridge that gap. There are still many issues concerning the cropping up and usage of new languages. Most common among those is the problem that languages which are combined or which undergo a linguistic blend tends to be disruptive of formal, correct and grammatical language. A simple example would be those music videos which feature artists that combine and contract structure of words to make the song more likeable or even more attuned to the rhythm of the song. However, this has a negative effect as people, most especially young adults and children, become familiar with such language usage to the point that they begin to emulate them. Such debate has long been the topic in educational boards and institutions of whether they should correct and put stop to such language usage or encourage such exchange of words since clearly, the young are affected. In fact, Ebonics or Black English or African American English has become such a heated topic when it was quite obvious that there is a problem among the academics of African American students because they have such low grades and low performance levels that could be attributed to the usage of Ebonics. Many people sided against and for the encouragement of Ebonics. Study after study ensued to prove that Ebonics was an important and integral part of the many pupils and students since that is the language they actually use while others also discouraged its usage. Through this paper, it can be argued that Ebonics is not a mere slang which African American students can do without and that it is not something which should be corrected just because it is seen as ungrammatical. Instead, what the educational boards and institutions should do is cater to their learners and use Ebonics to implement knowledge transfer among their pupils and students and eventually make them learn and use Standard English. Ebonics is formally known as African American English or AAE according to the Center for Applied Linguistics (n. p. ). It is a kind of sociolect or social dialect where it is often used by people who are of African American origins in particular surroundings or situations. The difference of Ebonics with American English is its structure wherein African dialects and sounds are combined, blended, mixed with American English. American English is also sometimes contracted with African dialects or sounds to be inserted within the contractions. Such example is presented by John R. Rickford in his discussion of Ebonics as presented in the Website of the Stanford University. In the example, Rickford uses a simple sentence which is grammatically correct: â€Å"I asked Alvin if he could go† (n. p. ). He then conveys the example to a student known to use Ebonics and the student gives his own version of the sentence: â€Å"I as’ Alvin could he–could he go† (Rickford, n. p. ). Ebonics is not the mere transformation of structure of words to ungrammatically correct versions. In fact, though not completely grammatically acceptable, Ebonics is still considered a structured and coherent dialect. As what the Center for Applied Linguistics or CAL states, â€Å"AAE (or Ebonics) is a regular, systematic language variety that contrasts with other dialects in terms of its grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary† (n. p. ). Thus, Ebonics is not wrong or incorrect, it is merely different and a contradiction with other languages, in this case, the language of American English or Standard English. The origin of Ebonics is unclear but the origins of why it became a topic of heated arguments and debate is quite known. Because nations cater to other nations, and migration and immigration (and even simple leisure travel) are inevitable, it is also natural that the language which people of different cultures use would also be transferred and assimilated by other people with other languages. According to Ladonna Lewis Rush’s argumentative paper on the Ebonics debate titled The Ebonics Debate, the origins of Ebonics can be explained by Smitherman who wrote in Talking and Testifyin: Black English and the Black Experience that: Black English contains elements of Standard English, elements of West African languages, and elements unique to African-Americans. The structure of speech in Ebonics can be analyzed and related to African language structures as well as to the black experience in America. (as cited by Rush, n. p. ) Thus, Ebonic came about because the African Americans needed the language which they could adapt to and use while in America who used American English for their communication. Like what the CAL stated, Smitherman and Rush also believe that Ebonics is not mere slang which is featured and used by African American music artists but it is considered as a distinct dialect all on its own. The concept of Ebonics must have been unknown to most people before the year 1996 but because of a certain state in America, Ebonics and everything related to the dialect and term suddenly exploded to the point that it became a topic of debate. According to Tracey L. Weldon in her write up titled Reflections on the Ebonics Controversy which appeared in American Speech, the Oakland Unified School District in California passed a resolution on the month of December year 2006 that â€Å"recognized the legitimacy of Ebonics† and it called â€Å"for teachers in the district to be better educated about the rules governing the variety (Ebonics)† with the aim that the teachers would be able to improve â€Å"the teaching of standard English to Ebonics speakers† (275). The issue sparked up debate after debate because linguists approved the resolution stating it was correct and adequate while Ebonics speakers and family members of African American origins complained that it was an obvious tactic of discrimination and identification of who were the students that does not have the ability to speak the â€Å"proper English† (Weldon 276). Ebonics and the usage of the dialect is quite obvious in the society as it can be heard from people in most social gatherings, informal meetings and even in the media. According to Rickford, many terms and structures in Ebonics are used by common people because of what they have learned from â€Å"rap, hip hop† and other means of â€Å"popular Black culture† (n. p. ). As what Rickford uses to describe this massive usage of Ebonics in popular Black culture, it becomes â€Å"an icon of youth culture itself† wherein young African Americans are immediately identified as being users of Ebonics. Since Ebonics is a mere means of communication among African Americans, then it should not be a great deal of a problem. However, unfortunately, the usage of the sociolect has become increasingly an issue most especially in educational institutions wherein grammatically correct and linguistically sound structure and vocabulary should be used and encouraged. Rush points out the case why Ebonics has become a problem among pupils and students in schools and this is because they manage to have poor academic standing and it was revealed that because of this dialect that the students have such appalling results. Rush writes in her paper that â€Å"language skills are directly related to success in academics† (n. p. ). This is obviously true since language is used to communicate and interact with other people. Poor language skills or inability to produce and understand the language would make it for one’s self and for other people to have a clear conversation and communication. It is also Rush who pointed out that African American students have a high rate of being suspended (around 80%) and that the students are â€Å"lagging behind in measures of academic success† (n. p. ). There was also an article which appeared on NEA Today that interviewed Lisa Delpit who is a professor an author that focused on Ebonics. In the interview, Delpit mentioned the reason why Ebonics is important and why the resolution passed by the school district was commendable: Most of the African-American children in Oakland were performing miserably. But one school, the Prescott School, consistently performed near the top of the district. Its students were all low-income African-American children. And it adopted a program called the Standard English Proficiency, which uses the children’s home language and culture to teach them Standard English. (17). If Ebonics will be used to relate to the students and slowly pave their learning for Standard English, then there is a high possibility that African Americans’ percentage of academically challenged students would significantly decrease. The question then is how does one go on solving such problem to ensure a fool proof way of solving the issue? This of course lies with the educational board and teachers. Teachers in formal schools teach Standard English because it something which society and the rest of the English speakers use. There is no problem with using Ebonics if it is outside professional and academic grounds; it is after all part of the African American culture. However, Standard English should be the language that is encouraged by the teachers to be used by their students because it would help them in the long run. Based on different discussions on the resolution passed by the school district of Oakland, the debate on whether Ebonics should be studied by the district’s teachers and used to pave the way to teach Standard English should not even be a topic of debate. This is because the debate started because of a mere misunderstanding about the resolution, another proof that language does not only bridge gaps it also creates them, when people saw Standard English as the only form of English that linguists identified as â€Å"proper English†. Linguistically speaking, there is indeed a Standard English as what Weldon has stated but the term â€Å"proper English† is incorrect since there is no wrong or right English. If it can be remembered, Ebonics is even identified as being a dialect that is structured thus, it is very much acceptable. In conclusion, the issue that Ebonics be used to gap and slowly push the learners toward Standard English (as aimed by the resolution) is created by the definition and need of the Standard English. Standard English is not the only English nor is it the only form of the language which is encouraged to be used; instead, Standard English is something which is needed to make all forms of English languages coherent and uniform in the sense that there would be no linguistically and communicatively wrongly structured words. It is the same case of having a one school uniform designated to students of a school to identify who are the members of that school or the generally approved legal age for drinking or voting or driving. There is a common factor which envelopes the entities of a school, a state or a nation. Standard English therefore is needed by the Ebonics speakers if they are desirous of being successful in society which is also the language used by the many. Ebonics is not slang, wrong nor should it be discouraged. However, the Ebonics speakers should be able to understand that learning the Standard English is important since it would make them socially adept at communicating with other people. With all the turmoil and misunderstandings that society is currently under, it needs all the unity and harmony it can get—even if it just comes from having a language they can all understand and speak. Works Cited â€Å"A New Take on Ebonics and Teaching. † NEA Today 17. 2 (1998): 17. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 26 July 2010. Center for Applied Linguistics. 2010. â€Å"Dialects – African American English†. Cal. org. Web. 26 July 2010. Rickford, John R. 1996. â€Å"Ebonics Notes and Discussion†. Stanford. edu. Web. 26 July 2010. Rush, Ladonna Lewis. â€Å"The Ebonics Debate†. Princeton. edu. College of Wooster. 1997. Web. 26 July 2010. Weldon, Tracey L. â€Å"Reflections on the Ebonics Controversy†. American Speech 75. 3 ( 2000): 275-277. Project MUSE. Web. 26 July 2010.