Language As A Powerful Tool - 1731 Words

The language as a powerful tool . Language of the heart This essay analyses the role of the language in colonized land by English empire. More in specific, how the colonial and post-colonial poems dealing with this powerful tool which is ‘language’. I will take in consideration Derek Wolcott. Drawing thought two of his poems, I am going to point out the way he uses ‘language’, The S. Lucian poet, for a long time, tried to show the importance of his being â€Å"hybrid†. In one of the most famous and early poem â€Å"A Far Cry From Africa†, he ended this poem with a sequence of question regarded his roots, his being â€Å"divided into the vein â€Å" with the blood of both culture, English and Africa. Questions at which he does not give a reply, by doing this â€Å"the being poison† it is bring a positive status. Does not choose or make predominate on culture than the other, it is acception of the condition of the â€Å"hybrid†. This mingles of culture put out the importance of a suitable poetic voice. Walcott put out in an interview for the journal â€Å"contemporary literature† how the richness of his poetic voice is coming from the multicultural background of/ and language lived in him; â€Å"French creole†, English â€Å"creole† and â€Å"English†. He definitely show the importance of owing this estates, fact that make him unique. By using creole, the poet was able to describe landscapes that are singular and which have the power to claim their complete integrity including the past, degrade, history and its effect.Show MoreRelatedPower Of Language Essay1390 Words   |  6 Pagesbe a tool of inspiration and beauty. It can wreck and torment, yet can also bring life and joy. Language is a very powerful tool used by everyone. Our language and the words we use every day have power to change lives and our world. Language is defined as a â€Å"method of communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured or conventional way (Google Dictionary).† Whether structured papers or rambling thoughts, everything we think has power because of language. LookingRead MoreThe Language Of Oppression1457 Words   |  6 PagesLanguage is common in the world it is the way humans communicate and relate to things with one another.Language is a powerful t ool in the world because it can give power to people and can be used to manipulate through renaming people,stereotyping a person and using a euphemistic approach in addressing a person. Language influence can be witnessed in Haig Bosmajian book â€Å"The Language Of Oppression† where the essay shares   how language can be used to manipulate Names. Names can be used to bring valueRead MoreSonnet 18 By William Shakespeare862 Words   |  4 Pagesgood works of literature to assess. They all have a universal theme, uses of figurative language, and other useful tools to make his points all clear. In â€Å"Sonnet 18†, Shakespeare is showing his love and affection towards one other person. He compares her to several things that are temporary just to prove that one person is the only eternal thing in his life. In â€Å"Sonnet 18†, Shakespeare uses several writing tools to make for a stronger argument and poem all together. The theme that Shakespeare is assertingRead MoreThe Utilization Of Storytelling As A Pedagogical Strategy1689 Words   |  7 Pagesstorytelling as a pedagogical strategy (Lockett, 2011). Storytelling is recently used as an important and powerful teaching strategy for EFL. Pesola (1991) writes that storytelling is the most widely powerful tools to surround the students with the target language. Jones (2001) added that storytelling is playing increasingly an important role in daily routine human experience and, hence, second/ foreign language teachers can give some time in their syllabus to the teaching of storytelling skills. From thisRead MoreTaking a Look at Enterprise Architect UML Tool1252 Words   |  5 PagesQuiz 2: Tool Template 1. Full title or Brief Description: Enterprise Architect is a UML tool developed by SparxSystems. It is visual and powerful UML design tool. It is integrated environment with additional functionalities to user. 2. Technical Specification and Platform Requirements: Enterprise Architect runs on Windows platform without any extra software requirement. Extra software is needed to run Enterprise Architect on Linux operating system. Windows operating system: 1.Read MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Decolonizing The Mind 1109 Words   |  5 PagesResponse: Ngugi â€Å"Decolonizing The Mind† is an essay on language and how it communicates the culture of it’s users. Ngugi begins his essay by telling the reader about his life growing up in Kenya. He states they all spoke â€Å"Gikuyu†, and all told many stories about animals or humans. The overarching theme of these stories were about the â€Å"apparent† weak outwitting the strong, or how a disaster forces cooperation (998). He continues to describe what makes a good story-teller. A good story teller, accordingRead MoreThe Linguistic Revolution:The Relation Between Class, Language, and Ideology In 1984968 Words   |  4 Pagescitizens are held in rigid class structures by the government with the threat of physical harm and, more importantly, through powerful mental conditioning, particularly through the reduction of nuances and shades of meaning within language. Indeed, the manipulation of language plays a vital role in the social stratification of the masses , since without the proper tools of language and thought, the mentality for rebellion is not possible, even if there was enough physical power to do so. According to LouisRead MoreIdeal Website889 Words   |  4 Pageson whether you have the knowledge of coding or not WITHOUT CODING KNOWLEDGE There are basically three ways of doing the same 1) CONTENT MANGEMENT SYSTEMS (CMS) It is the kind of tool that provides you with a readymade interface what you need to do is do some amendments according to your own need. There are lot of tools available however most preferred one are A) Word Press- It is open source software thus enabling you to install it for free. It comes with one theme already installed but you needRead MoreLanguage as aTool of War1002 Words   |  5 PagesLanguage as a Tool of War /Synthesis of â€Å"Hiroshima† by John Berger and â€Å"From Ancient Greece to Iraq, the Power of Words in Wartime† by Robin Tolmach Lakoff/ According to Canadian writer Margaret Atwood â€Å"War is what happens when language fails.† However, authors John Berger and Robin Lakoff in their essays â€Å"Hiroshima† and â€Å"From Ancient Greece to Iraq, the Power of Words in Wartime† both suggest that language, indeed, does not fail, but it is rather a powerful tool of war, used strategicallyRead MoreLanguage And Its Effects On The Individual And Society1527 Words   |  7 PagesBritish novelist George Orwell states, â€Å"The use of language creates different impacts on the individual and society and therefore, elicits different reactions† (2222). Throughout human civilization, the idea of a language has been used to communicate and share ideas with other human beings. Many of these ideas, such as cultural differences, ideals of religion, and how others should be treated, were shared through a language. These gaps of ideas can separate many groups of people, if one group were

Jobless Free Essays

People work hard to get better lives and to accomplish what they want after graduating high school or college. However, they face some difficulties in finding a job. Unlikely, â€Å"Ben† (‘Young†) would not want to be an â€Å"independent adult† (A. We will write a custom essay sample on Jobless or any similar topic only for you Order Now 25). As the rate of youth unemployment is rising, many countries suffer from how to deal this unwelcome circumstance. According to statistic of Margaret’s article, â€Å"In Canada, the jobless rate for young adults is a relatively low 14 per cent. Across the European Union, the jobless rate is higher than 20 per cent. In the U. S. , the jobless rate for high-school-educated men between 20 and 24 – Ben’s generation – has reached 22. 4 per cent† (A25). If the number of jobless people increases, many problems will arise in society. First, youth power could be wasted, and countries could lose human resources. Many jobs require capacity from men for some works that women could not handle. However, some people may argue that women could handle those jobs and there should be no gender discrimination. Although there is less sexual discrimination in work places, discrimination in hiring still exists. Jobs of women are â€Å"much more likely to be part-time, contract work, working through a temporary help agency, or working on their own† (301). Women also have to consider â€Å"child care† that could be â€Å"limits women’s choice of paid employment† (301). Thus, men would be widely used in many jobs for society. Generally, in terms of physical condition, young men are stronger than women so labor and some jobs require physical strength from men. For instance, young women work at building construction; they could have difficulties to carry heavy materials. Consequently, progress of constructing the building could be slower because of lack of strength. The slow progression could create that the time and money be wasted. Secondly, people without work could be effect on the society. Not working is associated in homelessness, criminal problem and social welfare. Unemployment could be homeless because they do not have enough money to buy or rent the house. Homeless people sometimes commit suicide because they cannot afford to buy basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter. It is hard to maintain those requisites if they do not work and there is no financial supports. Poverty from unemployment also could impact on their children. Children who grow upon poverty later suffer from more persistent and several health problems than children who grow up under better financial circumstances. Children raised in poverty also tend to miss school more often, so they could not have a high quality of education. When these children grow up, it is hard for them to find a better career and they could be jobless again as their parents who were unemployment as well. Moreover, people without work make the criminal rate increase because joblessness and homeless could be a major motivator in theft, burglary and violent crimes in order to get money easily. A result of criminal from unemployment may bring that our social security is jeopardized. Lastly, there may be less social welfare for children and disabled people because young men without work have not enough money to pay taxes. The result of fewer taxes could make government’s finance decrease and then government could not support the social welfare. Of course, people would not receive the better social welfare services. Finally, being without work could affect their individual life such as relationship, confidence and health. If they go out and talk with friends or other people who are working, they could not communicate with them because they do not have work experience and do not understand words that worker used. Thus, they will not be likely to go out and interact with other people, and prefer to stay alone at home. Not moving out could make many unemployment not want to get married because youth unemployment could be â€Å"trapped in a twilight world of failure to achieve adulthood† (â€Å"Young†). Indeed, they would have the lack of relationship with people. By not working, people also may begin to doubt their sense of self and abilities, be depressed and not have confidence. The result of emotional effects may give unemployment a huge stress. Suffering from stress is known as to have physical effects on a human body; therefore, they find doctor and do drugs more. Certainly, their health may be at risk. In conclusion, there is a problem that not only youth power but also time and money could be wasted if the unemployment rate keeps rising. In terms of society, people without work could be homeless and a cause of increasing criminal. They also may lead to lack of social welfare services. In terms of each unemployed individual, they may have a low interaction with other people and communication skills. By being jobless, people could have not only emotional effects such as self-esteem, lack of confidence, depression and anxiety, but also physical effects from the stress. Thus, young unemployed people may be the problems to be ironed out in the world. Works – cited Townson, Monica. â€Å"Canadian women on Their Own Are the Poorest of the Poor. † Writing: A Journey. Ed. Lester Faigley and Melanie Rubers. Pearson, 2010. 300-301. Print. â€Å"Young men without work. †Ã‚  Globe ; Mail  [Toronto, Canada] 10 Nov. 2011: A25. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 22 July 2012. 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Soft Drinks free essay sample

Nowadays, a lot of people drink soft drinks every day not knowing how bad they are for our health. Even doctors and experts report that soft drinks are bad for us. In this essay, I will tell you some facts about soft drinks that prove that they are not good to drink them. That some of the people even call drinking soft drinks as drinking poisons. Firstly, soft drinks are bad for our health because they contain lots of sugar and they prevent our body from absorbing water. These affect the circulation of our blood in a bad way and also, they contain high calories which will make us gain weight. Secondly, soft drinks contain a high acidity (ph). It is bad because it causes teeth to erode. It is because the strong acid contained in the drink causes corrosion on the enamel, the thick layer that covers our teeth’s surface to protect our teeth. We will write a custom essay sample on Soft Drinks or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Professor Gwon Ho Geun (2012.02.01) reported that if the acidity in our mouth drops to less than 5ph, calcium in our in our enamel escapes out. And this is one of the reasons that people go to hospital with acid erosion teeth caused by drinking soft drinks. These types of drinks, such as Coca-Cola and Sprite, are ‘poison’ for the people who have liver/kidney problems. To make it easier to absorb in the body, people include sodium in sports drinks which affects badly to kidney/liver. And health drink in pharmacy contains caffeine so if we take or drink it for a long period of time, it is possible to become addicted. And I have another story. One of the elementary students conducted an experiment. He observed as he placed a fish bone into soft drink and tap water. After 4 days, the fish bone in the soft drink was soft and had turned into a lump. Drinking lots of soft drinks causes our bones weaker and it affects growing as well. As it gets weak, there is a bigger percentage of breaking our bones. In conclusion, I really want to say that it is awful to drink soft drinks and  stop drinking it! I hope you understand why soft drinks are bad for you and realize not to drink it anymore.

Women in Theatre free essay sample

Women in theatre in the past have tried to become center-stage rather than a prop and now in the present they are more than a spotlight. The changes from 1970’s to 1980’s gave women a feminist thought to a political one, which encountered different types of development of their role and expressed numerous obstacles they faced as a whole. In the article Cunning Stunts shows the drastic change in women theatre form 70’s to 80’s. The article Constructing Experience expresses attitude towards feminism. And in The Difficulties Facing Feminist Theater article details the obstacles and hardship of this great struggle for women in theatre. During the 1970’s when women who wanted to see more of themselves in theatre turned into a feminist group that consider them to question their role in society. They wanted a change to not only be equal to men but equal in theatre as well. Because theatre is essentially by definition a public, social, and hence a male-dominated art. We will write a custom essay sample on Women in Theatre or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It has been run by and for men throughout most of its history and has for the most part, reflected current political and social realities deferring to the taste of the political majority.The article Cunning Stunts: women’s theatre in the 1970’s and 1980’s by Red Chidgey, was about the rise of the feminist movement of theatre. The author Red Chidgey provides a tantalizing window into the history of women’s theatre troupes sharing the multiple changes in a decade. Women like Adele and Jacqueline shared their testimonies on experience in feminist acts and as well as a political issue. In the 70’s the rise of the feminist revolution was performed in theatre as a message and getting it to new audiences.Their goal was to use theatre to question power structures and shake down patriarchy. Other types of theatre performances on the revolution emphasized the art form, exploring the possibilities of female language, buffoonery, wild satire, mockery, and darken hidden desires. It was not until the 1980’s when feminism became more political. Political theatre influenced people that are able to highlight and define issues by addressing them in the arena of theatrical art, a place where political issues have been examined since the beginning of drama.Political theatre encourages the exploration of universal and central themes and issues to human communities and societies who define themselves as politically conscious. Women politicians started to support women’s theatre groups and invited them to campaign women’s issues on reproductive issues. Politicians felt women should be paid properly as actors and women workers. Then justice finally started to kick in. In theatre there were many roles, characters and other positions that needed to be fulfilled for a scene or performance.In the past history of theatre most women participated in very little scenes or performances, but when they did they was usually bashed and was seen as the â€Å"joke†. They mostly did behind the scene work like; sewing/fitting costumes, doing performing, hairstyling, assisting with stage props, ushers and sometimes technical work such as lighting. It wasn’t until the 80’s women made a name for themselves. The article Constructing Experience by Charlotte Canning was about each generation of women in theatre inventing anew to itself. Charlotte Canning explained how the feminist movement influenced new developments of theatre history.She created The New left which attended ways that women produce and interpret experiences. It was designed to stress the importance of autonomy and self definition. Feminists embraced the importance of lived experience for activism, theory, and history the foreground on personal experience over tradition and abstract knowledge. The development women made were more mental than physical in theatre and in society. They became more aware of society and how it portrayed them to be. They fought back by being less sexual, less of an object and more of a person with morals. They performed roles where they were seen as dominate and much more equal to men. The benefits made women more of a high demand for performances since they created a name for themselves instead of being the joke of the scene extra. Writers even started to let females co-playwright, then it became women writing and producing plays themselves. There is no such thing as fighting a war for 10 years and not having one scar. Women had a long battle with justice in theatre, from feminist to politics, stage props to producers with every battle they fought was a obstacle they had to over come.They fought back society, stereotypes, and prejudices. All along they stayed faithful and keep faith and courage instilled in them to achieve their one common goal. They got what they deserved. But did they really deserved what they went through? In the article The Difficulties Facing Feminist Theatre by Sandra M. Bemis was about the hardships they face not only as a whole as well as an individual. Sandra Bemis showed how despite the difficulties women goals remained the same and didnt change despite any circumstances.Women went through may critiques with society and their idea of what a women should be. Which was a adapted to apply to the gender roles of women in the household or at work, but also remain sexually. Women was degraded in pornography and was treated like a type of animal. When the try to fight for justice they often got pushed back down not because their class, race, sexuality but because their were females. The most target women that was hit the hardest was African Americans. Not only was they bashed but they had to perform stereotypical black ghetto people.

Street Racing essays

Street Racing essays Fast cars, loud exhausts, and secret races, this is what you get at an illegal street race. Racers gather from all around to race their custom built cars against one another. Although, the police break up the races almost every night, the racers still race night after night. Illegal street racing is a dangerous way of life. Bender said there were 16 deaths and 31 serious injuries due to illegal racing in 2002 (Filice). That is an astonishingly large number of deaths and injuries for just one city. Street racing just does not occur in one city there are races being held all over the world. Although this phenomenon occurs world wide, California seems to be a centralized racing area. There has been an alarming rise in street racing since the releases of the movies The Fast and the Furious and 2 Fast 2 Furious. The release of these movies has caused law enforcement and the government to implement stricter laws about cars and their after market modifications. Corona passed an ordinance in May that allows police to seize the cars of street racers. In October, San Diego made watching a street race illegal, and Los Angeles passed a law the same month stiffening penalties for spectators. Two months ago, San Diego gave police the authority to sell the vehicles of repeat offenders (Mehta B5). The cities are doing anything in their power to have control of the street-racing problem. One of the street racers was very outspoken about the laws that were set in place. You can harass us, you can ticket us, you can cuff us, you can block off the street, you can pull us over for no reason at all. But one fact remains... WE ARENT GOING ANYWHERE (Quoted in Gathright). For the racers this is a way of life for them. But in the same respect they also are living a dangerous and sometimes fatal life. One of the ways that governments are trying to stop the racing is thro...

Pros and Cons of the Common Core State Standards

Pros and Cons of the Common Core State Standards The full implementation of the Common Core State Standards has come and gone. The true impact that they have on schools and education as a whole may still not be known for several years. One thing that is for sure is this shift to a national set of standards has been revolutionary and highly controversial. They have been highly debated and well discussed with a handful of states once committed to the standards having eventually recanted to go a different direction. As the media continues to evaluate the significance of the Common Core and data from Common Core states begin to pour in, you can bet the debate will rage on. Here, we examine several of the pros and cons of the Common Core Standards that will continue to lead the debate. PROS The Common Core State Standards are internationally benchmarked. This means that our standards will compare favorably to standards of other countries. This is positive in that the United States has dropped considerably in educational rankings over the last few decades. By having standards that are internationally benchmarked that ranking could begin to improve.The Common Core State Standards has allowed states to compare standardized test scores accurately. Up until the Common Core Standards, each state had their own set of standards and assessments. This has made it exceedingly difficult to compare one states results accurately with another state’s results. This is no longer the case with like standards and assessments for Common Core states who share the same assessments.The Common Core State Standards has decreased the costs states pay for test development, scoring, and reporting. This is because each state will no longer have to pay to have their unique tests to be develop ed. Each of the states that share the same standards can develop a like test to meet their needs and split costs. Currently, there are two majors Common Core-related testing consortia. Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is made up of fifteen states and PARCC consists of nine states. The Common Core Standards has increased the rigor in some classrooms and may better prepare students for college and global work success. This is probably the single biggest reason that the Common Core Standards were created. Higher education has long complained that more and more students need remediation at the beginning of college. The increased rigor should lead students to be more prepared for life after high school.The Common Core State Standards arguably has lead to the development of higher level thinking skills in our students. Students today often are tested on one skill at a time. The Common Core assessment will cover several skills within each question. This will ultimately lead to better problem-solving skills and increased reasoning.The Common Core State Standards assessments have given teachers a tool to monitor students’ progress throughout the year. The assessments will have optional pre-test and progress monitoring tools that teachers can use to find out what a student knows, where they are going, and to figure out a plan to get them where they need to be. This gives teachers an avenue to compare an individual student’s progress instead of one student against another. The Common Core State Standards assessments have been more authentic to a child’s learning experience. We will be able to see what all a student has learned across all curricula through the multi-assessment model. Students will no longer simply be allowed to come up with the right answer. Often times they must give an answer, state how they arrived at that conclusion, and defend it.The Common Core State Standards can benefit students with high mobility when they move from one Common Core state into another. States will now share the same set of standards. Students in Arkansas should be learning the same thing as a student in New York. This will benefit students whose families move continuously.The Common Core State Standards has given students stability thus allowing them to understand what is expected of them. This is important in that if a student understands what, and why they are learning something, there becomes a greater sense of purpose behind learning it.The Common Cor e State Standards has in many ways enhanced teacher collaboration and professional development. Teachers across the nation have been teaching the same curriculum. This allows teachers in opposite corners of the nation to share their best practices with each other and apply it. It also provides the opportunity for meaningful professional development as the education community is all on the same page. Finally, the standards have sparked a meaningful, nationwide conversation about the state of education in general. CONS The Common Core State Standards has been a tremendously difficult adjustment for students and teachers. It has been a difficult transition. It was not the way many teachers were used to teaching and not the way that many students were used to learning. There have not been instant results but instead, has been a slow process with many almost refusing to get on board.The Common Core State Standards has caused many outstanding teachers and administrators to pursue other career options. Many veteran teachers have retired rather than adjust the way they teach. The stress of getting their students to perform will likely continue to cause more teacher and administrator burnout.The Common Core State Standards are vague and broad. The standards are not particularly specific, but many states have been able to deconstruct or unwrap the standards making them more teacher friendly.The Common Core State Standards has forced younger students to learn more at a quicker pace than they ever have befor e. With the increased rigor and higher level thinking skills, early childhood programs have become more rigid. Pre-Kindergarten has become more important, and skills students used to learn in second grade are being taught in Kindergarten. The Common Core State Standards assessment does not have an equivalency test for students with special needs. Many states provide students with special needs a modified version of the test. There is no modified test for the Common Core Standards, meaning that 100% of a school’s population has their results reported for accountability purposes.The Common Core State Standards could be watered down when compared to a few states who had previously developed and adopted rigorous standards. The Common Core Standards were designed as a middle ground of the current state standards meaning that while many states’ standards were raised, there were some whose rigor decreased.The Common Core State Standards caused many textbooks to become obsolete. This was a pricey fix as many schools had to develop or purchase new curricula and materials that were aligned to the Common Core.The Common Core State Standards costs schools a lot of money to update the technology needed for the Common Core Standards Assessments. Most of the assessments are online. This created many issues for districts who had to purchase enough computers for all students to be assessed in a timely manner. The Common Core State Standards has led to an increased value on standardized test performance. High stakes testing is already a trending issue, and now that states are able to compare their performances against another accurately, the stakes have only become higher.The Common Core State Standards currently only have skills associated with English-Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. There is currently no science, social studies, or art/music Common Core Standards. This leaves it up to individual states to have to develop their own set of standards and assessments for these topics.

Operations Strategy Evaluation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Operations Strategy Evaluation - Research Paper Example Operational process of leading IT firms includes three different functions. Firstly, it has been observed that the operational managers are concerned to accomplish organizational goals. Secondly, managers focus a lot towards maintaining higher productivity along with high quality (Bratton and Gold, 2000). Finally, operational role of firms includes service provisions for their customers. Apple Inc, IBM, and Samsung are the leading computer hardware, computer software, consumer electronics and digital distributors dealing with a great amount of product and service line. All the firms are dealing internationally and therefore it is imperative for the managers of the respective firms to set unique operational techniques and performance to achieve more success and competency in the global market. Conventional operational model signifies three phases which are input, process, and output. Resources like materials, information and customers are transformed by the management to meet the devi ation of macro environmental factors. Figure 1 provides the conceptual operational systems that are adopted by the leading multinational corporations (Dolk, 2000). Apple Inc, Samsung, and IBM follow the general model and the resources like facilities and staffs are continuously developed as per changing criteria of operational management. Apple Inc and Samsung consistently emphasize on new and innovative designs, improvement of the existing service lines, and planning and control for optimal use of resources.

Evaluate the strategy of Mcdonalds. (A company analysis) Marketing Essay

Evaluate the strategy of Mcdonalds. (A company analysis) Marketing strategy - Essay Example Since the opening of its first store in 1955, the McDonald’s corporation has become extremely sophisticated in most aspect of its business strategy. During the companys’ expansion years which has resulted in the placement of more than 30,000 stores worldwide was the care they employed in choosing their locations. Whether one is a retailer, restaurant owner, financial institution or site dependant business, making intelligent and informed location decisions is critical to a companies’ success. The process of informed and intelligent site selection from a business location is neither happen-stance nor rule of thumb; it now includes such things as, measuring market potential for entry and expansion, setting revenue and market share goals, determination of optimal site development strategy in new markets, understanding critical drivers of site performance and success, identification of what products and services to be offered at a particular location, and determining the most appropriate concept and prototype for a given location. Todd Spangler, in his piece, Keeping the Data Ahead of the Curve, he mentions the methods being used by companies making their location decisions, he points out that; â€Å"Mc Donalds uses geospatial data to scope out locations for new stores, weighing demographic data like population density and income†. (Spangler)

Themes, Motifs and Symbols for the Twelfth Night Essay Example for Free

Themes, Motifs and Symbols for the Twelfth Night Essay Twelfth Night is a romantic comedy, and romantic love is the play’s main focus. Despite the fact that the play offers a happy ending, in which the various lovers find one another and achieve wedded bliss, Shakespeare shows that love can cause pain. Many of the characters seem to view love as a kind of curse, a feeling that attacks its victims suddenly and disruptively. Various characters claim to suffer painfully from being in love, or, rather, from the pangs of unrequited love. At one point, Orsino depicts love dolefully as an â€Å"appetite† that he wants to satisfy and cannot, at another point; he calls his desires â€Å"fell and cruel hounds†. Olivia more bluntly describes love as a â€Å"plague† from which she suffers terribly. These metaphors contain an element of violence, further painting the love-struck as victims of some random force in the universe. Even the less melodramatic Viola sighs unhappily that â€Å"My state is desperate for my master’s love.† This desperation has the potential to result in violence—when Orsino threatens to kill Cesario because he thinks that Cesario has forsaken him to become Olivia’s lover. Love is also exclusionary: some people achieve romantic happiness, while others do not. At the end of the play, as the happy lovers rejoice, both Malvolio and Antonio are prevented from having the objects of their desire. Malvolio, who has pursued Olivia, must ultimately face the realization that he is a fool, socially unworthy of his noble mistress. Antonio is in a more difficult situation, as social norms do not allow for the gratification of his apparently sexual attraction to Sebastian. Love, thus, cannot conquer all obstacles, and those whose desires go unfulfilled remain no less in love but feel the sting of its absence all the more severely. The Uncertainty of Gender Gender is one of the most obvious and much-discussed topics in the play. Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare’s so-called transvestite comedies, in which a female character—in this case, Viola—disguises herself as a man. This situation creates a sexual mess: Viola falls in love with Orsino but cannot tell him, because he thinks she is a man, while Olivia, the object of Orsino’s affection, falls for Viola in her guise as Cesario. There is a clear homoerotic subtext here: Olivia is in love with a woman, even if she thinks he is a man, and Orsino often remarks on Cesario’s beauty, suggesting that he is attracted to Viola even before her male disguise is removed. This latent homoeroticism finds an explicit echo in the minor character of Antonio, who is clearly in love with his male friend, Sebastian. But Antonio’s desires cannot be satisfied, while Orsino and Olivia both find tidy heterosexual gratification once the sexua l ambiguities and deceptions are straightened out. Yet, even at the play’s close, Shakespeare leaves things somewhat murky, especially in the Orsino-Viola relationship. Orsino’s declaration of love to Viola suggests that he enjoys prolonging the pretence of Viola’s masculinity. Even after he knows that Viola is a woman, Orsino says to her, â€Å"Boy, thou hast said to me a thousand times / Thou never should’st love woman like to me.’’ Similarly, in his last lines, Orsino declares, â€Å"Cesario, come— / For so you shall be while you are a man; / But when in other habits you are seen, / Orsino’s mistress, and his fancy’s queen.† Even once everything is revealed, Orsino continues to address Viola by her male name. We can thus only wonder whether Orsino is truly in love with Viola, or if he is more enamoured of her male persona. The Folly of Ambition The problem of social ambition works itself out largely through the character of Malvolio, the steward, who seems to be a competent servant, if prudish and dour, but proves to be, in fact, a supreme egotist, with tremendous ambitions to rise out of his social class. Maria plays on these ambitions when she forges a letter from Olivia that makes Malvolio believe that Olivia is in love with him and wishes to marry him. Sir Toby and the others find this fantasy hysterically funny, of course—not only because of Malvolio’s unattractive personality but also because Malvolio is not of noble blood. In the class system of Shakespeare’s time, a noblewoman would generally not sully her reputation by marrying a man of lower social status. Yet the atmosphere of the play may render Malvolio’s aspirations less unreasonable than they initially seem. The feast of Twelfth Night, from which the play takes its name, was a time when social hierarchies were turned upside down. That same spirit is alive in Illyria: indeed, Malvolio’s antagonist, Maria, is able to increase her social standing by marrying Sir Toby. But it seems that Maria’s success may be due to her willingness to accept and promote the anarchy that Sir Toby and the others embrace. This Twelfth Night spirit, then, seems to pass by Malvolio, who doesn’t wholeheartedly embrace the upending of order and decorum but rather wants to blur class lines for himself alone. Motifs Letters, Messages, and Tokens Twelfth Night features a great variety of messages sent from one character to another—sometimes as letters and other times in the form of tokens. Such messages are used both for purposes of communication and miscommunication—sometimes deliberate and sometimes accidental. Maria’s letter to Malvolio, which purports to be from Olivia, is a deliberate (and successful) attempt to trick the steward. Sir Andrew’s letter demanding a duel with Cesario, meanwhile, is meant seriously, but because it is so appallingly stupid, Sir Toby does not deliver it, rendering it extraneous. Malvolio’s missive, sent by way of Feste from the dark room in which he is imprisoned, ultimately works to undo the confusion caused by Maria’s forged letter and to free Malvolio from his imprisonment. But letters are not the only kind of messages that characters employ to communicate with one another. Individuals can be employed in the place of written communication—Orsino repeatedly sends Cesario, for instance, to deliver messages to Olivia. Objects can function as messages between people as well: Olivia sends Malvolio after Cesario with a ring, to tell the page that she loves him, and follows the ring up with further gifts, which symbolize her romantic attachment. Messages can convey important information, but they also create the potential for miscommunication and confusion—especially with characters like Maria and Sir Toby manipulating the information. Madness No one is truly insane in Twelfth Night, yet a number of characters are accused of being mad, and a current of insanity or zaniness runs through the action of the play. After Sir Toby and Maria dupe Malvolio into believing that Olivia loves him, Malvolio behaves so bizarrely that he is assumed to be mad and is locked away in a dark room. Malvolio himself knows that he is sane, and he accuses everyone around him of being mad. Meanwhile, when Antonio encounters Viola (disguised as Cesario), he mistakes her for Sebastian, and his angry insistence that she recognize him leads people to assume that he is mad. All of these incidents feed into the general atmosphere of the play, in which normal life is thrown topsy-turvy, and everyone must confront a reality that is somehow fractured. Disguises Many characters in Twelfth Night assume disguises, beginning with Viola, who puts on male attire and makes everyone else believe that she is a man. By dressing his protagonist in male garments, Shakespeare creates endless sexual confusion with the Olivia-ViolaOrsino love triangle. Other characters in disguise include Malvolio, who puts on crossed garters and yellow stockings in the hope of winning Olivia, and Feste, who dresses up as a priest—Sir Topas—when he speaks to Malvolio after the steward has been locked in a dark room. Feste puts on the disguise even though Malvolio will not be able to see him, since the room is so dark, suggesting that the importance of clothing is not just in the eye of the beholder. For Feste, the disguise completes his assumption of a new identity—in order to be Sir Topas, he must look like Sir Topas. Viola puts on new clothes and changes her gender, while Feste and Malvolio put on new garments either to impersonate a noble man (Feste) or in the hopes of becoming a nobleman (Malvolio). Through these disguises, the play raises questions about what makes us who we are, compelling the audience to wonder if things like gender and class are set in stone, or if they can be altered with a change of clothing. Mistaken Identity The instances of mistaken identity are related to the prevalence of disguises in the play, as Viola’s male clothing leads to her being mistaken for her brother, Sebastian, and vice versa. Sebastian is mistaken for Viola (or rather, Cesario) by Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, and then by Olivia, who promptly marries him. Meanwhile, Antonio mistakes Viola for Sebastian, and thinks that his friend has betrayed him when Viola claims to not know him. These cases of mistaken identity, common in Shakespeare’s comedies, create the tangled situation that can be resolved only when Viola and Sebastian appear together, helping everyone to understand what has happened. Symbols Olivia’s Gifts When Olivia wants to let Cesario know that she loves him, she sends him a ring by way of Malvolio. Later, when she mistakes Sebastian for Cesario, she gives him a precious pearl. In each case, the jewel serves as a token of her love—a physical symbol of her romantic attachment to a man who is really a woman. The gifts are more than symbols, though. â€Å"Youth is bought more oft than begged or borrowed,† Olivia says at one point, suggesting that the jewels are intended almost as bribes—that she means to buy Cesario’s love if she cannot win it. The Darkness of Malvolio’s Prison When Sir Toby and Maria pretend that Malvolio is mad, they confine him in a pitch-black chamber. Darkness becomes a symbol of his supposed insanity, as they tell him that the room is filled with light and his inability to see is a sign of his madness. Malvolio reverses the symbolism. â€Å"I say this house is as dark as ignorance, though ignorance were as dark as hell; and I say there was never man thus abused.† In other words, the darkness—meaning madness—is not in the room with him, but outside, with Sir Toby and Feste and Maria, who have unjustly imprisoned him. Changes of Clothing Clothes are powerful in Twelfth Night. They can symbolize changes in gender—Viola puts on male clothes to be taken for a male— as well as class distinctions. When Malvolio fantasizes about becoming a nobleman, he imagines the new clothes that he will have. When Feste impersonates Sir Topas, he puts on a nobleman’s garb, even though Malvolio, whom he is fooling, cannot see him, suggesting that clothes have a power that transcends their physical function.

Essay --

There are always a lot of â€Å"buzz† words to describe the latest fad among Christians. There’s been WWJD, purpose driven everything, EE, and on the list could go. One of the biggest discussions and interesting topics of late, concerns â€Å"church health† or â€Å"church growth.† Any Christian bookstore is guaranteed to have no less than ten books on church growth/health. This has come about because of the noticeable lack of growth in membership of churches across the United States. There are countless studies released that indicate churches are either not growing or are in decline. With all the information pointing out the fact that churches are losing their effectiveness, a public consensus seems to agree on one obvious reason—declining church health. Just as a healthy baby will grow, healthy churches should naturally experience growth. The reason there are many books available about how to grow the church make it healthier is due to the fact, there is no general consensus on what makes a church healthy. Church health is a complicated topic so the answer isn’t simple either—it too is c...

Net Neutrality Essay

Over the last decade or so, the net neutrality debate has got all the more intense, particularly with numerous countries contemplating the idea of introducing a legislation about the same. With certain regulations prohibiting practices like child pornography or gambling in place, people are pressing for even more severe regulations which would completely ban the unethical practices involved in Internet access and transmission of data on the Internet. The whole world has been divided into two groups over this issue – one which defend s the concept of net neutrality and another which opposes it. Before we go to net neutrality pros and cons and join the ongoing debate on Internet regulation, let’s try to understand what the concept of net neutrality actually means. What is Net Neutrality? Net neutrality, also referred to as Internet neutrality, is a regulatory concept which eradicate s any type of discrimination in transmission and access of content on the Internet. It is somewhat comparable to the concept of ‘network neutrality’, which regulates various telecommunication networks, including television and telephone. According to the main principle of net neutrality, the websites which provide content and the users who search for it are equal, and therefore nobody should be given preferential treatment at the cost of others. The concept prohibits Internet service providers from blocking or deregulating websites belonging to their competitors. Simply put, the concept of net neutrality ensures that the Internet service providers, search engines and other online service providers do not restrict or filter the traffic to competitor websites. Net Neutrality Pros and Cons As we mentioned earlier, the entire world is divided into two groups on the lines of Internet regulation pros and cons. With no concrete legislation in place, net neutrality is nothing more than a set of professional ethics with no compulsion of implementation. Given below are the details of various pros and cons of net neutrality, which are to be taken into consideration before trying to constitute any rules based on this concept. Pros of Net Neutrality The foremost advantage of net neutrality is that it is helpful in adding competitiveness to the market, as the users are given more options to choose from. The competition between service providers will make each of them come up with their best, and this will directly benefit the end user as he won’t just get options to choose from but also get quality service. Those in support of net neutrality are of the opinion that government control of the Internet would eliminate monopoly, thus ensuring that the big websites do not dominate the market. It will also help in curbing the numerous illegal activities and frauds which can be attributed to the web. Interestingly, most of the websites out there are in support of the concept of net neutrality. Cons on Net Neutrality Those who oppose net neutrality argue that it is a completely pointless exercise as none of the service providers would go about sabotaging their rivals by blocking their content or degrading network performance. They also cite the example of other networks which are functioning properly even with the major contributors being in charge of them. As far as government control of the Internet is concerned, these people argue that it would result in increased Internet censorship and invasion of privacy, both of which wouldn’t go down well with the users. Those were some of the most prominent net neutrality pros and cons which have to be taken into consideration before passing any legislation about it. As the realms of Internet continue to develop, Internet safety has become one of the main concern for the users. That being said, the administration has to step in and implement measures such as net neutrality in order to address this concern. It is only possible to implement such regulatory measures after all the pros and cons of Internet regulation are evaluated. While the United States is yet to come up with any such legislation, countries like Japan already have laws pertaining to Internet access in place. If stalwarts of the field are to be believed, the issue of net neutrality is going to take the whole world by storm in the next few years to come.

Interview Reflection

Ernst & Young – LEAP Internship (Tax) On 1st March, I was really nervous for EY Tax interview. I had another Accounting quiz on the same day itself and I was not really prepared for the interview. And as if I was not nervous enough, I had to forget to bring my IC along! Thank goodness that the security at EY allowed me to enter. Then I went up to EY and saw another girl from NUS for the same tax interview as well. The personnel handed a short written test question to both of us to write in 15 minutes time.The NUS girl (I forgot her name) seems to be really prepared and told me about her friends' experiences and I remembered that she said her friend got a cow farm question for tax interview. I got nervous because truthfully, I wouldn't know how to answer that if it was posed to me. And I got more nervous when I thought it was going to be a group interview – seeing people competing with you for the same interview is just going to be so nerve-wrecking. Also read: Primary and Secondary Reflection ExamplesBut luckily, it was one-to-one and I got a very very nice lady as my interviewer. She's the tax partner at EY for corporate tax (I think) and the questions she asked were within what I expected – group conflict, teamwork, leadership, and time management. I answered to the best that I could and I really hope I can get in. Most importantly, I want to work under her (she said she will be leading the interns) because she just seemed to be a nice boss.KPMG – Audit And for the KPMG interview, though it was my second interview, I screwed it up. The same questions, but I just screwed it up badly because I was too relaxed I think. I didn't answer to my very best and I don't expect myself to get in. But one thing I learnt was – I scored very well for verbal test but below average for numerical test. Guess I am just bad at calculations.

Art History essays

Art History essays As man evolved over centuries, his views of art also transformed. Each culture and era presents very distinct characteristics of their art. Through time and experimentation, the views of mankind clearly are seen with art. We must understand how art was used in the past, to know why we need it today. Egyptians were the first people to make a large impact on the world of art. Egyptians needed art for their religious beliefs more than decoration or self-gratification. The most important aspect of Egyptian life is the ka, the part of the human spirit that lives on after death. The ka needed a physical place to occupy or it would disappear. The double that lingered on in the tomb inhabiting the body or even statues of the deceases, but was also independent of man and could move, eat and drink at will. Most of the important men of Egypt paid to have their body carved out of stone. That was where the spirit would live after the man dies. They used stone because it was the strongest material they could find. Longevity was very important. The bodies are always idealized and clothed. Figures are very rigid, close-fisted, and are built on a vertical axis to show that the person is grand or intimidating. Most of the figures were seen in the same: profile of the legs, frontal view of the torso, and profile of the head. The style is called frontalism. In reliefs or paintings, frontailsm means that the head of the character is always drawn in profile, while the body is seen from the front. Like most civilizations, Egyptians put a lot of faith in gods. The sky god Horus, a bird, is found in a great amount of Egyptian art. Little recognition was ever given to the artists. The emphasis was on the patron. Early Greek art was greatly influenced by the Egyptians. Geography permitted both cultures to exchange their talents. The beginning of Greek art is marked by the Geo-metric phase. The most common art during the Geo-metr...

Margaret Sanger Biography - Birth Control Advocate

Margaret Sanger Biography - Birth Control Advocate Known for: advocating birth control and womens health Occupation: nurse, birth control advocateDates: September 14, 1879 - September 6, 1966 (Some sources, including Websters Dictionary of American Women and Contemporary Authors Online (2004) give her birth year as 1883.)Also Known as: Margaret Louise Higgins Sanger Margaret Sanger Biography Margaret Sanger was born in Corning, New York.   Her father was an Irish immigrant, and her mother an Irish-American.   Her father was a free-thinker and her mother a Roman Catholic.   She was one of eleven children, and blamed her mothers early death on both the familys poverty and her mothers frequent pregnancies and childbirths. So Margaret Higgins decided to avoid her mothers fate, becoming educated and having a career as a nurse.   She was working towards her nursing degree at White Plains Hospital in New York when she married an architect and left her training.   After she had three children, the couple decided to move to New York City.   There, they became involved in a circle of feminists and socialists.    In 1912, Sanger wrote a column on womens health and sexuality called What Every Girl Should Know for the Socialist Party paper, the  Call. She collected and published articles as What Every Girl Should Know (1916) and What Every Mother Should Know (1917).   Her 1924 article, The Case for Birth Control, was one of many articles she published. However, the  Comstock Act of 1873 was used to forbid distribution of birth control devices and information. Her article on venereal disease was declared obscene in 1913 and banned from the mails. In 1913 she went to Europe to escape arrest. When she returned from Europe, she applied her nursing education as a visiting nurse on the Lower East Side of New York City. In working with immigrant women in poverty, she saw many instances of women suffering and even dying from frequent pregnancies and childbirths, and also from miscarriages. She recognized that many women attempted to deal with unwanted pregnancies with self-induced abortions, often with tragic results to their own health and lives, affecting their ability to care for their families. She was forbidden under government censorship laws from providing information on contraception. In the radical middle-class circles in which she moved, many women were availing themselves of contraceptives, even if their distribution and information about them were banned by law. But in her work as a nurse, and influenced by Emma Goldman, she saw that poor women didnt have the same opportunities to plan their motherhood. She came to believe that unwanted pregnancy was the biggest barrier to a working class or poor womans freedom. She decided that the laws against information on contraception and distribution of contraceptive devices were unfair and unjust, and that she would confront them. She founded a paper, Woman Rebel, on her return. She was indicted for mailing obscenities, fled to Europe, and the indictment was withdrawn. In 1914 she founded the National Birth Control League which was taken over by Mary Ware Dennett and others while Sanger was in Europe. In 1916 (1917 according to some sources), Sanger set up the first birth control clinic in the United States and, the following year, was sent to the workhouse for creating a public nuisance. Her many arrests and prosecutions, and the resulting outcries, helped lead to changes in laws, giving doctors the right to give birth control advice (and later, birth control devices) to patients. Her first marriage, to architect William Sanger in 1902, ended in divorce in 1920. She was remarried in 1922 to J. Noah H. Slee, though she kept her by-then-famous (or infamous) name from her first marriage. In 1927 Sanger helped organize the first World Population Conference in Geneva. In 1942, after several organizational mergers and name changes, Planned Parenthood Federation came into being. Sanger wrote many books and articles on birth control and marriage, and an autobiography (the latter in 1938). Today, organizations and individuals which oppose abortion and, often, birth control, have charged Sanger with eugenicism and racism. Sangers supporters consider the charges exaggerated or false, or the quotes used taken out of context.

Surveillance and intelligence Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Surveillance and intelligence - Term Paper Example Festinger in his analysis of the cognitive dissonance theory gave the analogy of a fearful person, who could not find commensurate cause for his fear. The person’s knowledge that he is fearful is incompatible with his knowledge that there is nothing to fear. (Wicklund and Brehm1). Cognition or elements of knowledge refer to knowledge one has concerning the environment or himself (Wicklund and Brehm 3). Critical thinkers need to understand the cognitive dissonance and how it impacts on our response to domestic and international developments. According to Festinger, it is this uncertainty in knowledge that culminates in a psychological state known as cognitive dissonance. Cognition also varies in extent to which it has resistance to knowledge. For example, a person’s knowledge of the greenness of grass is immensely resistant to change; a person with normal vision would find it difficult to visualize grass as being any other color than green. Generally, there are two disti nct sources of resistance to change. The first source of resistance to change is difficulty in altering events cognized. What is commonly referred to as facts, for example, the grass is green, those worldly aspects that give us firm and clear cognitions. On the other hand, highly ambiguous events, for example, what will be the quality of life on earth a century from now?, is not clear. The second source of resistance to change is the clarity of reality presented by cognition. Cognitions concerning historical events are immensely resistant to change. On the other hand, contemporaneous events and cognitions related to them are easier to change. For example, if one finds that the air conditioner is too noisy, he or she can simply decide to turn it off. The original statement of Festinger’s cognitive dissonance theory thus notably proposed resistance to change of cognitions and proportion of cognitions that are dissonant. Inclusion of the latter proposition distinguishes cognitiv e dissonance theory from other theories of cognitive balance, and makes it a fertile source of research. Cognitive dissonance theory however overlooks some aspects that characterize it from other theories of cognitive balance (Wicklund and Brehm 3). 2. Go into either â€Å"Factcheck.org† or â€Å"Politifact.com† and checkout one of the â€Å"Pants on fire† presentations. Write a short note why the original claim cannot be substantiated (30 points). The United States of America Congress financial services committee chairman in a house of congress floor speech commented that â€Å"members of Congress†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦are going to be the only people in America to get subsidies in the Obamacare exchanges† (â€Å"GOP rep. Jeb Hensarling Assails,† politifact.com). Obama and his allies created a system in which most Americans who have insurance remain on their existing health insurance plans. The marketplaces were created for Americans who lacked insurance en tirely. Subsidies in Obamacare were rolled out in October 1st, 2013; the same day the shutdown began. Any American with a specified income range and who purchases insurance on the Obamacare market place will be eligible for subsidies in the form of tax credits. Staffers and legislators do not qualify for the stipulated subsidies or tax credits, since their income is very high. Instead they qualify for employer-cost sharing; that is, employer sponsored health insurance plans that long preceded the Obama care health system. Obamacare is

United States vs. Antoine Jones Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

United States vs. Antoine Jones - Article Example As the discussion highlights United States vs. Antoine Jones is a case that looks at the government’s ability to conduct warrantless GPS tracking, in the case of a suspected criminal vehicle. The case looks into partial elements of the fourth amendment, and the case would have an impact on cases that related to the use of technological advances in investigations and the techniques used by the police in assessing potential criminals.This paper discussses that the Supreme Court has reviewed the D.C. circuit’s perception on privacy, which was interesting. D.C. Circuit stated that the case did not challenge the nature of warrantless GPS tracking, stating that it did not intrude on any case of privacy. They considered it a broader measure of law enforcement techniques. D.C. circuit stated that it was a discrete method of collecting discrete public information for a given period. Â  The case may be evidential as to how the law enforcement agencies over-step their boundary, c oncerning ethical and law adhering elements of operation. There was a clear violation of the laws, and they were done in a way that suggests that the agents were acting in accordance to personal judgment, rather than following the parameters that have been established by the law. It serves to prove that the law enforcement agencies operate above the rather than follow the established components that rules and regulations of the United States.

Nervous System and Drug Use Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nervous System and Drug Use - Essay Example Many drugs are at the exposure of many students, with universities and colleges registering the highest number of users around the globe. Drugs are prohibited for a reason, mainly because of their negative effect to the health and performances of people. Majoring on the three commonly abused drugs in the world; methamphetamine, cocaine and alcohol. It remains a fact that the abuse of the three is far much below anywhere near an end to abuse. From my point of view, the question at stake remains on the remedy to these drugs in terms. Years of research and campaigns have done little in stopping the rampant use of these drugs. As a student, I am at the exposure of the same drugs with the highest risk possible since most drug addicts do refer to their college times as the commencement of their addiction. Parties are always the order of events with almost any function being characterized with the latter. Though alcohol is at the forefront in terms of use, methamphetamine and cocaine are in creasingly catching up at an alarming rate. Obviously, with a mention of increased use, college or campus life is the most affected. This calls for an inner depth study of the three drugs. Alcohol destroys the liver and affects the brain in irreversible conditions. Cocaine causes problems to hefty smokers especially in the respiratory system while methamphetamine is a popular party drug with over seventy thousand users. . Meth, crystal, ice, crank†¦ is the one drug that stops at nothing. It is capable of keeping one high for a constant twelve hours or more; methamphetamine is a super speed drug, three or even four times stronger than cocaine. It is very popular, especially among young college adults in the United States. Costing as cheap as twenty-five dollars for a quarter gram, the drug is swallowed, snorted, smoked and shot straight in the veins by use of needles. The drug originated from the western parts of the United States of America knowing no borders or social class; s preading through Nebraska to the eastern cities. As by 2008, there existed a whole bunch of 25 million users of the drug. For instance, in London, Meth is a popular party drug with over seventy thousand users. That demonstrates how much this drug is nothing near a passing phenomenon. It has and shows no signs of stopping its teeth from sinking into our society. According to police in various states, crime committers are the very victims of the drug. They steal property, assault, murder and always possess needles and fake ids. A quick glance at Portland jail reveals that for every four inmates, one is a meth addict. The victims appear ashamed and always hallucinating. Crosschecking at the digital records office, the pictures immediately reveal that the victims appear older; more like the living dead. Even individuals with strong and tough looks are not to spare, the scenario is a devastating one. They suffer many problems. Meth teeth for instance, set in when the acids and bacteria r esulting from meth corrode the gum and the teeth. Imagine ripe fruits falling on a tree; that is the fate of a crack addict’s teeth. This is because the victims rarely brush their teeth nor seek dental attention. The reason is obvious; they only have money to purchase the crystal. The brain on the other hand reacts immediately to meth. It results to euphoria, confidence and an energetic feeling; this is key attraction to the drug. The drug was originally engineered to trick the brain.

Motivated You To Study Social Work Education Essay

Motivated You To Study Social Work Education Essay My motivation to study social work comes from my passion about helping people who are less advantaged. Having spent the last five years working in a social care environment helped me to realise that my passion lies in helping the most vulnerable members of our society. I found working as a Care Assistant extremely challenging but also rewarding.   Attending a multi-disciplinary care reviews gave me a great insight  Ã‚   into a social worker role. I found out that social work can help service users maintain their dignity and independence, give wider choices of support, protect from abuse as well as reduce admissions to hospital. I hope that studying social work will give me a valuable skills and knowledge needed for effective professional practice as a social worker. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚   What type of learner are you? Last year on the Access course through the exercise on the class I have identified my learning style [Appendix 1].   Knowing and understanding my learning style helped me to learn more effectively and identify opportunities to improve my learning. According to Honey and Mumford (1982) Learning Style Model I perform strongly as a Reflector.   As a Reflector I learn by observing and thinking about what happened. I like to stand back and observe experiences from many different perspectives. I like to collect information (the more that better), and prefer to think about it thoroughly before coming to any conclusions. I prefer to take a back seat in meetings and discussions. I always listen to others before making my own point. I learn less well when being thrown in at the deep end with no time to prepare and when acting as leader or role-playing in front of others. Having identified my learning style, I now understand that as a reflector I am a slow learner and require more time to study, that is why it is important to plan my study effectively. I also need to try to get involved more in meeting and discussions instead of sitting back and listen. My preferred style of learning was also determined by completing the Learning Styles Questionnaire on C_Space [Appendix 2]. According to the questionnaire I learn best by visual way. Information presented in pictures, diagrams or charts is easily remembered.   I like to watch the lecturer closely and be able to see the teacher body language to fully understand the content of a lesson. I also like to use colours in my studies such as coloured markers to highlight information.   As a visual learner it is important to make sure that I sit always in a position in the classroom where I can see things clearly. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚   How do others perceive your values and abilities? Recently I asked my best friend how they perceive my values and abilities. The feedback I have been given was as follow: You are sensible, cautious, careful practical. I see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone whos extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expects the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over if that trust is ever broken. My fellow students see me as confident, open minded and positive person. So far, the feedback form my tutors was always positive, however I am prepared to can take negative feedback. Receiving feedback is great opportunity to gain useful information and insight into what we need to develop or improve in order to grow professionally. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚   How do you approach learning? How have you improved your skills for study (including IT)? Having developed a number of strategies and techniques on last year course enabled me to make the most efficient use of my time, resources, and potential. I approach my studies strategically and systematically by working out where to invest my time and energies. Choosing the right place to study is important as I work most effectively in a well organised study area. I like to work in a comfortable and free from distractions place with a good lighting and a room to spread my book and papers. Time management is a vehicle that can carry you from wherever you are to wherever you want to be (Tracy 2007:2) Time management in the key skill to handle my coursework and to get it done on time. Good time management skills enable me to utilise my time in a more effective way and allow me to accomplish more tasks in a shortest possible way. A study time table is an essential ingredient in effective time management. I have created a weekly time table [Appendix 3 ]   to help me organise my day-today tasks, which keeps me positive and focused on my studying, and helps me achieve my targets. I have also learned to prioritise my work by doing the small and easy tasks first and taking them out of the way, before trying to tackle larger pieces of work. I have created things to do list [Appendix 4]. I use it to set daily priorities and to reduce decision making and worry. The ability to make clear and concise notes is another important skill that I have developed through my study. Taking notes helps me to gain a deeper understanding of the subject and capture the essential points of the topic. It also helps to make sense of what is to be learned and to remember it later. Having identified my preferred learning style I know now that I work well with patterned notes, such as nuclear, spider grams, diagrammatic and mind maps. This method was described by Buzan (1992) in his book Use your head. He calls the technique Mind Mapping. Mind maps allow for greater activity when recording ideas and information, as well as allowing the note-taker to associate words with visual representations (Buzan, 1992). Patterned notes involve writing the main topic in the centre of the page, and then write related ideas around it and link them up to show their relationship to the main idea. Pattern notes are more visual, and are very active form of learning. For example of m y note taking please see [Appendix 5]. I have also learned how to read effectively by being selective, scanning, skimming and questioning as I read. Computer helps me to study in many different ways. It helps me to research online for information, make structured notes, creating charts, graphs and tables and to organise and keep track of my studies. Although I have used computer in the past there was areas that I still had to improve. Last year on the access course I have learned how to work with spread sheets, databases, and create a power point presentation, which helped me to improve my IT skills. [Appendix 6] 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚   What factors affect your learning? Having many responsibilities as an adult learner I must balance against the demands of learning. Personally, the factor affecting my learning is English as a second language I do find it hard at the times to express myself in the way that I wish to. It also lower my confidence and self esteem. Being subject to jokes about my funny accent in the past made me feel nervous when speaking in front of others. However, my confidence in that area improved dramatically since starting the course. Distractions while studying could be another area that affects my learning. I need a quiet and organised place to study without any interruption. I have learned to minimise distractions while I work by encouraging others to respect my rights to work without interruption. I keep my phone off when I am studying to avoid phone calls that could disturb my learning. Self esteem and lack of confidence.   Before I took an Access Course my self esteem as well as confidence were very low. I did not believe in my abilities and felt very anxious about going back to education after a long break. Having a positive feedback from the tutors as well as fellow students helped me to build up my self- esteem and become a confident student. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚   How do you become an effective problem solver in your life? Problem solving is one of the key skills in social work practice. Social workers use a problem solving approach in working with individuals, families, groups and communities. As a social work student, it is very important to me to become an effective problem solver. In my personal life I have learned confronting rather than avoiding problems. I tend to solve my problems using a simple technique. The first stage is to define the problem. To understand why the problem exist and looking at the root cause of the problem. Secondly I explore the problem by looking at how does the problem affect me or others? The next step is looking for possible solutions and selecting a realistic solution that is most relevant to me. Finally I put my solution into action. It is however important to evaluate the effectiveness of my solution. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚   How do you become more effective, independent and confident self- directed learner? Self-directed learning is a process in which individuals take the initiative, with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing and implementing appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes(Knowles, 1975:14). According to Malcolm Knowles (1984) adults learn differently than young people. In his theory of adult learning Knowles pointed that adults are self- directed in their learning.   As a person matures his self-concept moves from one of being a dependent personality toward one of being a self-directed human being   (Knowles, 1984:12). As an adult student I take responsibility for my learning processes, such as goal-setting, instructional design and evaluation of my learning process. Being organised helps me to manage my studies effectively. In order to become more independent learner I need to be motivated to learn, able to manage my time effectively, and reflect upon my learning. Effectiveness of learning depend on having your state of mind, space, time, and materials organised in the ways that best suit your learning (Cottrell, 2008:67). 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚   How did you work cooperatively with others I am a part of a Care team working in a care home for people with dementia. Being a part of the team I have learned how to work co- operatively with my work colleagues. As a team member I have learn contribute to achieving the goal of meeting the needs of clients. Apart from work I also work co operatively with others in group work tasks on classes. We were put to groups to complete specific task. I worked cooperatively by sharing my ideas, being and active listener, respect other people views, work together with the members of group to complete the task successfully. Working in groups gave me a great opportunity to gain confidence and develop interpersonal skills, such as active listening and questioning and communication skills. 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚   How do you relate your learning to the contemporary context of social work practice? Working in a Social Care as a Carer my role involves providing practical support, and enabling service users to maintain their independence to lead fuller and secure life. I also build partnerships with people I work with, trying to win them trust and encouraging them to cope and get most out of life. I relate my learning to the contemporary context of social work by implementing my current skills and knowledge to my work settings. Skills such as interpersonal skills help me to understand the importance of actively listening and empathising with service users in order to enter the world from their point of view.   I am also more aware about the group dynamics in my work place and importance of effective team working in order to achieve the desire outcomes.   Since doing the degree I also developed an anti discriminatory practice. I started to relate the theories to practice to understand the causes of discrimination and ways to challenge it effectively.

Essay --

Introduction An anonymous narrator request the narrator of this poem to write of a lover that he had in the past to remember her youth and how he loved here. In the poem â€Å"When You Are Old† by William Butler Yeats, the author reveals that the central idea is the love for a woman a man had but the woman never loved him back. The author expresses the theme of this poem through tone, diction and poetic devices. The tone helps the reader understand the poem’s theme and emotions. He helps communicate the tone of the poem through his choice of words. In the first stanza, the tone seems to be calm and cozy because when the author quotes; â€Å"And nodding by the fire, take down this book†. Following, the second stanza states a more romantic tone. The author is trying to say that he out of all of the men loved her truly for how she was. He expresses this by the use of words. Finally, the third stanza communicates a more sad tone. The author is trying to express how â€Å"love fled† and how he is at his last moments and because she didn’t love him back in his youth she will feel remorse. The au... Essay -- Introduction An anonymous narrator request the narrator of this poem to write of a lover that he had in the past to remember her youth and how he loved here. In the poem â€Å"When You Are Old† by William Butler Yeats, the author reveals that the central idea is the love for a woman a man had but the woman never loved him back. The author expresses the theme of this poem through tone, diction and poetic devices. The tone helps the reader understand the poem’s theme and emotions. He helps communicate the tone of the poem through his choice of words. In the first stanza, the tone seems to be calm and cozy because when the author quotes; â€Å"And nodding by the fire, take down this book†. Following, the second stanza states a more romantic tone. The author is trying to say that he out of all of the men loved her truly for how she was. He expresses this by the use of words. Finally, the third stanza communicates a more sad tone. The author is trying to express how â€Å"love fled† and how he is at his last moments and because she didn’t love him back in his youth she will feel remorse. The au...

Investigating Number of Stomata on a Leaf

Lab Design â€Å"Investigate the effect of a factor on the number of stomata of a leaf. † Research Question: How do differing leaf heights affect the number/density of stomata of a leaf? Hypothesis Stomata are pores, typically found under the leaf (lower epidermis), that control the gas exchange of transpiration, where water vapor leaves the plants, and carbon dioxide enters. I predict that the stomatal density on high leafs is higher than on low leafs. During photosynthesis the chloroplasts in the leaf cells synthesize ATP from ADP as a result of exposure to light, while oxygen is produced as a by-product of the photosynthetic reaction.Carbon dioxide, which enters the plant through diffusion via the stomata, is needed for this process (photosynthesis) to occur. When the chloroplasts in the leafs cell is exposed to higher light intensities, more ATP is synthesized from ADP, while production of the by-product oxygen also increases. This increase in the rate of photosynthesis ca lls for more â€Å"fuel†, i. e. Carbon dioxide. So for a higher concentration of carbon dioxide to diffuse into the plant, the plant must grow a greater stomatal density (higher number of stomata).This will create a larger surface area for carbon dioxide diffusion, the excretion of water vapor (transpiration) and the large amounts of oxygen being produced. As the higher leafs are exposed to higher light intensities I predict the stomatal density to be high. Lower leafs are exposed to lower light intensities due to, for example, shading by top leafs, and will so have a lower stomatal density than high leafs. Variables Controlled: Type of plant- The type of plant that is going to be used will stay the same, i. e. controlled.The type of plant that is used for this experiment is called Quercus Ilex. Amount of leafs (10 ‘high' leafs, 10 ‘low' leafs)- the ensure fair testing the number of leaves tested from each variable will be the same. Apparatus used- Same set up eac h time. Microscope magnification (400x)- Magnification at which the number of stomata will be counted at is at a magnification of 400x. Independent Variable: Leaf Source- The leaf source regarding to the ‘high' and ‘low' leafs is the variable which will be changed to test the difference in number of stomata of the two variables.Distance between high/low leafs- The distance between the height at which ‘low' and at which ‘high' leaves were picked each time had to be of a minimum of 20cm to ensure plausible results. Lower epidermis of leaf used to count stomatal density- Because Quercus Ilex is a dicotyledonous plant, the number of stomata on the lower epidermis will be higher than on the upper epidermis. This is because dicotyledonous plants hold up their leaves horizontally, which directly illuminates the lower epidermis. So, to prevent water loss, fewer stomata will then be located on the upper epidermis. Dependent Variable:Stomatal Density of high leafs Stom atal Density of low leafs Apparatus/Material 10 high leafs 10 low leafs Clear nail polish Slides Pincette Microscope Clear Tape Calculator Method Find a leaf source that has a significant height from which you will be collecting your leafs from throughout the entire experiment. Determine a low area, of little height from the ground, on the source from which you will pick 10 ‘low' leafs. Repeat step 2, except that the area must be at an increased height distance of at least 20cm, to ensure a fair test and collection of ‘high' leafs from a higher area than that of the ‘low' leafs.Choose a leaf of which the stomatal density is to be examined but don't pick it off the plant. This is so that the plants photosynthetic process will not be disturbed which could lead to change in the leafs natural state and affect your results. Paint a layer of clear nail polish on the lower epidermis of the leaf and wait until it has dried. Use your tweezers to gently peel off the dried la yer of nail polish. Gently peel the area of dried nail polish from the leaf completely. You should see a cloudy impression of leaf surface on the piece of tape. This is the leaf impression. Place the leaf impression to a clean slide.Label the slide for identification if necessary. Focus the leaf impression under a microscope magnification of 40x until it is focused and observe the leaf impression. Find an area that is clean of thumbprints, away from the edge of impression, has no damaged areas or big leaf vein impressions in view. When focused, observe the impression under an increased microscope magnification of 100x and make sure it is focused. When focused, observe the impression under an increased microscope magnification of 400x, the magnification at which you will count the number of stomata, and focus.Count the number of stomata you see in the field of view and record the number in a table under the relevant variable (‘high' or ‘low' leaf). To ensure a fair test, repeat steps 9-13 two times by choosing a new spot on the same leaf to focus on. Use the higher number of the 2 repeats to find the average later on. Repeat steps 1-14 ten times for the 10 high leafs and 10 low leafs. Raw Data: How differing leaf heights affect the number/density of stomata of a leaf One manipulation that was done to the raw data to help make it more useful for interpretation was the rounding off of ? Average # of stomata of ?Final?.. etc? , because firstly a stomata cannot be present in the quantity of a decimal and secondly, so that when drawing the graph all numbers have the same number of significant figures which will produce a neater and more accurate graph. Processed Data: How differing leaf heights affect the number/density of stomata of a leaf Magnification: 400x Field of View (FOV) diameter: 0. 45 mm Radius (r ): 0. 225 mm Surface Area (SA)/mm? N (? r? ) : 3. 14 x (0. 225)? = 0. 159 mm? |Leaf |# of stomata of ‘High' Leafs per 0. 159 mm? 2 Stomata) | | |1 |2 |Final | |1 |39 |35 |39 | |2 |52 |56 |56 | |3 |32 |38 |38 | |4 |50 |40 |50 | |5 |37 |34 |37 | |6 |53 |47 |53 | |7 |45 |42 |45 | |8 |43 |50 |50 | |9 |53 |49 |53 | |10 |42 |39 |42 | |Average # of stomata of ‘Final' per 0. 159 mm?  ± 2 Stomata) | | | |46 | Graphs Graph including processed data trial 1 & 2 for High and Low leafs: Blue: # of stomata on High leafs per 0. 159 mm? , trial 1 Red: # of stomata on High leafs per 0. 159 mm? , trial 2 Yellow: # of stomata on Low leafs per 0. 159 mm? , trial 1 Green: # of stomata on Low leafs per 0. 159 mm? , trial 2 Graph including processed data ‘Final's results for High and Low leafs: High Leafs: Mean value line with value 46. 3, standard deviation: 6. 993 Low Leafs: Mean value line with value 26. 2, standard deviation: 2. 3 Calculations Difference in mean > 46. – 26. 2 = 20. 1 Difference in S. D. > 6. 993 – 2. 3 = 4. 693 Because the standard deviations are much less than the difference in the mean numbe r of stomata, it is very likely that the difference in the mean number of stomata between High Leafs and Low Leafs is significant. T-TEST Null hypothesis: The number of stomata on high leafs and low leafs are not different. The differences in the data sets are the result of chance variation only and they are not really different. Mean of # of stomata on High Leafs: 46. 3 Mean of # of stomata on Low Leafs: 26. 2 t=8. 63 Degrees of freedom= (10+10)–2= 18 Critical value for t=2. 101 (P= 0. 05) Conclusion

Music and Magic in the World of Arda

MUSIC AND MAGIC IN THE WORLD OF ARDA In Tolkien’s legendarium, magic as it appears in contemporary sword-and-sorcery stories does not exist. Tolkien makes it clear in essays and debates that his magic is far more complex than the waving of a wand, and does not follow strict, clear-cut rules. Instead, power over the laws of nature and reality lies to a great extent in song and music.The first act of creation in the â€Å"Ainulindale†, by which the foundations for Arda’s creation were laid, was the singing of the Music of the Ainur by Iluvatar and the divine beings beneath him. When the beings of Arda create song, the result is often ‘magical’, whether in an emotional sense or if it has a tangible effect upon the world around it. In both the â€Å"Ainulindale† and â€Å"Of Beren and Luthien† this is quite evident.Singing in Tolkien’s legendarium is in some ways a magical act, in that any of the Children of Iluvatar engaged in it ar e reflecting the original creative acts of the Ainur, sub-creating and greatly affecting the world around them, and that the only limits on a being’s ability to create music are its purpose – whether to dominate or to create – and the sheer force of will it places behind its magical, musical intent. Singing has a variety of effects within Tolkien’s works, but the most dramatic ones by far are those visible in the â€Å"Ainulindale†.Here, singing is synonymous with creation itself. The notes of the many Ainur, including Melkor, as well as those of Iluvatar, all coalesce in order to form the basis for Arda and its history. The act of song-making as creation is not metaphorical: the Ainur originally conceive of the world through music, and the voices of the Ainur are even described as â€Å"like unto harps and lutes, and pipes and trumpets, and viols and organs, and like unto countless choirs with words† (Tolkien 4).Even the conflict between Il uvatar, who seeks to create a world of beauty and freedom for its future inhabitants, and Melkor, who seeks to dominate all that is, is done through their respective melodies. No music existed before that of the Ainur in their acts of creation, and although a great deal of music existed afterward, none was ever as powerful or influential in shaping the world, as the passage reads â€Å"Never since have the Ainur made any music like to this music† (Tolkien 4) This original music created the first true polarization between good and vil – through the conflict between Iluvatar and Melkor – and initiated the creation of the world. The fact that the Music of the Ainur created the world itself is no less visible than when Iluvatar declared â€Å"behold your music! † and the Ainur first saw the world (Tolkien 6). In fact, all later music stemmed from this music, in that the Music of the Ainur set the stage for the genesis of all Children of Iluvatar and the music they would go on to produce. The effects of song are equally as visible, if not quite so dramatic, in the tale of Beren & Luthien, particularly through Luthien herself.Throughout the story, many of Luthien’s actions revolve around music and song. When Beren first sees her, he is spellbound by her appearance, and it is not until she sings out loud and â€Å"flowers [spring] from the cold earth where her feet had passed† that he is released from his shock enough to call out to her (Tolkien 194). Her music is also powerful enough to put the great wolf Carcharoth, as well as Morgoth himself in Angband, to sleep. In addition, it aids her and Huan in combating Sauron at Tol-in-Gaurhoth.Finally, her heartfelt song of sorrow at Beren’s death at the end of the tale proves moving enough to warrant restoring Beren to life, and allowing Beren and Luthien to spend their final, mortal years together in peace. Indeed, it is stated that â€Å"The song of Luthien before Mandos was the song most fair that ever in words was woven, and the song most sorrowful that the world shall hear† (Tolkien 221). She is not the only character who uses song to great effect, however. When King Felagund and Sauron battle in the dark lands of Morgoth, they duel with words and songs of power rather than physical weapons.Felagund fights with inspirational songs, harkening up images of â€Å"trust unbroken† and â€Å"resisting†, while Sauron utilizes songs of â€Å"treachery† and â€Å"betrayal† (Tolkien 201). Sauron proved more powerful however, and once he defeats Felagund, the others are entirely helpless against him. In these particular stories, the greatest singers are either connected to the Ainur, or are Ainur themselves. This point is fairly obvious in the case of the â€Å"Ainulindale†, in which all participants of the Music were Iluvatar’s â€Å"Holy Ones† , but is also quite evident in â€Å"Of Beren and Luthie n† (Tolkien ). There, Luthien is half-Maia as the daughter of Melian, and her power is extraordinary for a Child of Iluvatar. She proves capable of contending with a fallen Valar, a powerful Maia, and a vicious beast-servant of Morgoth through her skills with song. Sauron himself is also quite skilled in the art of song as a Maia, and in a duel with a mortal he â€Å"had the mastery† (Tolkien 201). The reason for the magical superiority of the Ainur is quite simple: they were involved in the original music of the world.They were originally formed by Iluvatar for the express purpose of creating â€Å"in harmony together a Great Music† and through it the world, and so it is far more natural to them (Tolkien 3). Although Luthien herself has no experience with true creation, as Sauron and her mother do, she nonetheless has the blood of a being that was essentially created for song, as Melian also sprang from the mind of Iluvatar for the purpose of creating the world. By no means are all great singers in Tolkien’s world Maiar however, or even those related to them, as the example of Felagund illustrates.While Felagund may not be able to best a Maia such as Sauron, he is still able to compete with a Maia for what appears to be the majority of their conflict, and it is outright stated that â€Å"the power of the King was very great† in the conflict (Tolkien 201). He lacks the experience and inborn purpose for song that any Maia would possess as a being originally born to create Arda, but he remains a force to be reckoned with, and he is unquestionably more powerful through his skill with song than most other characters in the tale.It is clear, then, that force of will and drive can – to an extent – mitigate the difference in natural ability between a Child of Iluvatar and an Ainu. Luthien’s exemplary skill with song in the latter half of the tale may have thus been influenced by her drive to help Beren and the â €Å"weight of horror† that her love caused her to feel at the possibility of his death (Tolkien 202). The act of song-making in the â€Å"Ainulindale† is, at its core, an act of creation.What is present throughout â€Å"Of Beren and Luthien† however – and, for that matter, all other stories set in Middle-Earth during the First through Fourth Ages – is sub-creation. Just as Iluvatar created the Ainur originally for the purpose of creation, the Children of Arda and those that Iluvatar would – humans, elves, hobbits, and dwarves – were made to sub-create. In other words, they were meant to create even further, through art, literature, and above all, song. By attempting to emulate the song of creation, the Children would make the world even more vibrant, rich, and pleasant than the Valar had originally managed.Tolkien states in his letter to Milton Waldman prefacing â€Å"The Silmarillion† that for the Elves, magic is â€Å"Art, d elivered from many of its human limitations†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"Art not power, sub-creation not domination and tyrannous re-forming of creation† (Tolkien xvi-xvii). The effect of song in â€Å"Of Beren and Luthien† was somewhat different. If songs made by the Valar were what originally brought about and shaped the world, then songs made by the Children could do the same, beyond merely in terms of producing music for pleasure’s sake.As exemplified by Felagund, a sufficiently strong, refined will could sub-create in a way that mirrored creation itself, and shape the world despite lacking the natural affinity for song that an Ainu possesses. What this evidence points to is a notion that at first may seem ridiculous: that the magical song-making of the Ainur and the Children are fundamentally exactly the same. The ability of several of the Children in â€Å"Of Beren and Luthien† to contend with Ainur in contests of power through song already lends credenc e to this idea, suggesting that the music created by the Ainur is the same, only greater.It would appear that the difference between the use of songs by the Ainur and the Children merely results from the inherently greater willpower of the Ainur. As beings that are not only older but are also â€Å"the offspring of [Iluvatar’s] thought†, their wills are considerably more refined and honed than those of the Children (Tolkien 3). Theoretically however, any elf, man, hobbit, or dwarf with sufficient mental discipline and/or training could make music as great as that of an Ainu.Thus, the closeness to the natural world and ‘magic’ of the elves is simply a consequence of their having spent more time amongst the Valar and within the world than the other Children, gaining more competence with song and closeness to the musical skill of the Ainur as a result. In addition, the ability of Melkor to overpower the songs of the other Ainur in the â€Å"Ainulindale† resulted from him having â€Å"been given the greatest gifts of power and knowledge† and resulting musical affinity, and that greater force of will alone was that set him apart (Tolkien 4).The two sections being discussed point to one other significant notion: that there is an inherent difference between the music produced by the Children and good Ainur, and the music produced by the Dark Powers of Morgoth. The â€Å"Ainulindale† indicates that the Music of the Ainur was initially harmonious, with â€Å"endless interchanging melodies woven in harmony† (Tolkien 4). It was only once Melkor, desiring to overpower and control the course of the Music, decided to interfere, that the Music became disjointed and violent.Eventually, Iluvatar himself steps in, at which point it is clear that the melodies of Iluvatar and Melkor are diametrically opposed, and that only Melkor’s music â€Å"hath not its uttermost source in [Iluvatar]† (Tolkien 6). The music o f the other Ainur, which was harmonious with that of Iluvatar, was gentle, melodious, and pleasant. Melkor’s music was violent and aggressive. To an extent, the musical conflict between Felagund and Sauron in â€Å"Of Beren and Luthien† mirrors this, though in that case Sauron’s aggressive, spiteful song proves victorious due to his superior will.While the songs produced by the forces of good and evil are somewhat similar, their basic nature and purpose – to create, and to dominate, respectively – are polar opposites, and the dominative nature of evil is the source of the violence and cacophonous nature of the songs. Indeed, Tolkien’s statement of the Elves’s magic as â€Å"Art not Power, sub-creation not domination†¦Ã¢â‚¬  in contrast with that of Melkor and Sauron, supports the notion that the nature of their magic – and this applies to all other forces of good as well – is irreconcilable with that of Melkor and his minions (Tolkien xvi-xvii).In the â€Å"Ainulindale†, as well as â€Å"Of Beren and Luthien†, Tolkien reveals the true nature of magic and song: in his world, they are synonymous. While there may be major differences in the fundamental nature of the songs used by good and evil, only force of will and purpose make the song of an Ainu such as Morgoth any greater than that of a half-Maia such as Luthien, or a mere elf-king such as Felagund. Keeping these conclusions in mind, one may reach a single, overarching definition of magic in Tolkien’s works: an act of musical creation or sub-creation with enough force of will behind it to tangibly affect the world.There is no need to understand the mechanics of music in the legendarium, only that any being is capable of it and that it is the source of all magical acts. Truly, the significance of song in Tolkien’s work, especially for the purpose of understanding the magic of the world and the nature of the confl ict that spans the entire legendarium, cannot be overstated. WORKS CITED Tolkien, J. R. R. , and Christopher Tolkien. The Silmarillion. 2nd Ed. Del Rey Books, 2001. Print.