Literary Analysis Step-by-Step Guide and Help Source

Literary Analysis Step-by-Step Guide and Help Source Students are often asked to write a literary analysis because this type of task makes you think how and why a short story, a poem, a novel or a play was written. While writing, you have to keep in mind that author always makes certain choices in his work for a reason. You have to point them out and try to explain these choices, but at the same time, you have to know how to analyze a piece of text from your own perspective. In this post, I will tell you more about how to write a literary analysis so stay tuned. Definition Literary analysis is a practice of looking closely at small parts to understand how they affect the whole, as well as examining and sometimes evaluating a piece of literature. It focuses on how the author uses characters, plot and structure, setting and a lot of other techniques to create a meaning. You have to remember that the point of literary analysis is not about getting to the end of the essay quickly, but rather about the process that makes you understand the work of art as a whole and appreciate it more. How to write a Literary Analysis? Before you start writing, take a few moment to read the task very carefully. Usually, teachers will point out certain aspects that you have to pay attention to, like specific characters, figurative speech and a subject of discussion. While reading a text, take a pen and make small annotations to analyze what you are reading right away. This will help you to remember everything you think about while reading so you don’t have to read the text once again. Make bullet points of the most important events, place of action, characters, antagonist, protagonist, subject, figurative language and system of images. Also, you can add the number of pages to find your annotations fast. How to start a Literary Analysis? Look through your notes once again before you finish working with the material. Make sure you know what you have to write about. Sometimes, a teacher can ask you to analyze the text in general forms, sometimes make an analysis of the certain aspect of the text. Decide on the topics that you want to discuss in the analysis. Analyze the narrative and style of writing. If you analyze a scientific essay, you can analyze the authors style. Discuss the setting. Determine the time and place of the event, the geographical location and other details that are given to the reader for the better understanding of the work. Discuss the authors writing style. You can refer to the same audience as the author did himself. It will be more reliable. Discuss the characters of the work; the presence of a protagonist and antagonist. Think about whether they are imitating other literary characters, how stereotyped they are and their dynamics along the way. Select several topics or a thesis statement for discussion. Pick some quotes to insert into your analysis. Add counter-arguments. Discuss the controversial aspects of the work. Determine the relationship between the work and the readership. Formulate a thesis statement. This sentence (or sentences) reveal the main ideas of your essay and answers the question or questions posed in your work. To write the correct thesis, think about these things: What am I trying to prove? What arguments do I have? How to arrange my arguments/evidence? Literary Analysis Outline. Introduction: Hook, or attention-catcher. A question, quote or statement that will grab reader’s attention. Include the name of the author, title of the book/text you are analyzing, and any other information that you think is important. Background information. Tell why the prompts are relevant or important. Context. Here you need to write about how the essay prompt relates to the piece of literature you are reading. Claim. This is the answer to the question that is being asked in your essay. Body Paragraphs (usually at least 2): Topic Sentence . In each paragraph identify reasons why your claim is true. Support it with a two or three quotes that will be presented as evidence from the text. Add your own commentary to each quote, which will explain how the text supports your topic sentence. Each paragraph should have a conclusion, which will sum up your argument and explain how it connects back to the thesis. Conclusion: Restate your thesis using different words. It must convey all the main statements you made in the previous parts of your literary analysis, but also touch on the implied provisions of your arguments. Do not repeat what you have already said. Suggest the next step. Draw parallels between genre and context. Why do you think what you’ve read is important today? General recommendations. Choose a catchy, interesting name. You should not do this in the beginning of your writing. You can wait until your essay is fully written and the argument is formed and clear. Write in the present tense. Even if the text is written in different time. Write in the third person. Avoid pronouns I or you. Although, sometimes teachers allow students the use of the first or second person. In this case, you can discuss the characteristics of the text that most impressed you, or the reasons why the actions of the main characters seem plausible to you or not. Use literary terms. With their help, your work will look well-prepared, balanced and thoughtful. Here are some examples: allusion indirect or superficial references to famous characters or events; irony a contradiction in a person, a situation or circumstances that are not really what they seem; metaphor a kind of figurative language that states that a certain thing is something else, something that, in fact, is not. Use secondary sources. But keep in mind that they are called secondary for a reason. This is your work and it should not consist of some other person’s thoughts. Just use them as a support for your arguments. Some of them you can find here: MLA International Bibliography, Dictionary of Literary Biography, or ask your teacher. What NOT to do. Do not summarize. Your work should be an analysis, not a summary of the text. Do not confuse the words of the characters with the authors position. These are two mutually exclusive things your statements should concern only one of them. Stay away from plagiarism . Plagiarizing somebody else’s work will be a complete fail of the task. Use your own head. Tips Be concise and make sure you have connected all your arguments and everything you have written with a thesis proposal. Make sure you understand the essay correctly before you start writing the analysis. Your first priority is to follow the instructions and recommendations of your teacher. Before submitting your essay you’d better carefully and slowly review your work to make sure that you do not inadvertently use other peoples thoughts. In other words, check for plagiarism. Stay away from using the same words and statements over and over again. Because it will seem like you do not have much to say and your argument will seem weak. Literary Analysis FAQ What should my papers title be? It depends on what you are writing about, but it is definitely not supposed to be a title of the book you are writing about or â€Å"English Paper†. It should represent the idea of your essay to the reader. How much plot should I include? Almost none. Imagine that everyone knows what the book is about but does not know its meaning. How many quotations should I use in my paper? Use one or two quotations in each body paragraph. Essay Help. I know that you might still be confused and lost in all these outlines, plans and lots of words. So, here is my last piece of advice for you some useful resources: Essay Topic Generator. The name says for itself. If you are struggling with picking a topic for your essay, this site is a real lifesaver. Just enter your essay keywords and a category and voila here is your topic. You can edit it a bit if you like. Essay Examples. If choosing a topic is not a problem for you, but you do not know how to structure your essay and make it look good and right. This link is just for you. Go ahead and look through some examples just to get the idea, make sure not to rewrite from there, plagiarism is never a good thing. Essay Checker. Your essay is done but you still have doubts? Check it for plagiarism, readability level, the relevance of what you have written to the question you asked and fix the style if needed. Essay Editing Service. And the last but not least, if you doubts do not leave your head, just use this editing service to make sure everything is in its best form and sleep tight. Essay Writing Service. It works well if you writings yourself is not your priority or you take interest in a certain subject. Talk to our professional writers and pick the one that fits your writing style. And that is all for this post. I hope that you have found some useful information here and that you analysis skills will be as high as possible now. See you later!

Describe the cognitive processes required when preparing for examinations The WritePass Journal

Describe the cognitive processes required when preparing for examinations Introduction Describe the cognitive processes required when preparing for examinations ). The aptitude to process information selectively through attention, and retain information in a way in which is accessible through the working memory are two imperative aspects of cognitive capacity. While evidence indicates that attention plays little role in the maintenance of information encoded in the memory (Fougnie, 2008), it has been suggested that there are strong links between the working memory and attention faculties of the cognitive mind during the encoding and manipulation process of knowledge acquisition (Cherry 2014; Fougnie, 2008). Theoretical models of the working memory commonly describe a role for attention. However, between these different models, the exact role for attention has not been agreed on and remains vaguely unclear, thus debates about which processing stage that attentional selection occurs (Fougnie, 2008). The most widely accepted model of memory is the Working Memory Model proposed by Baddeley and Hitch in 1974. In this model, attention is the mediator between sensory memory and the central executive, where sub functions such as the phonological store and the visuospatial sketch pad, two short term memory stores, hold short term auditory and visual information respectively. These are known as the ‘slave systems’ and provide evidence as to how humans are able to multitask. According to the working memory model, the information from these slave systems are then transferred back to the central executive whereby they are encoded in the long-term memory (Fougnie, 2008). These findings provide an outline to which cognitive processes occur during exam preparation, where students attempt to retain information that they will later on retrieve. Yet, further research suggests that learning and retaining information for exams may be a more complex procedure than those outlined by memory models (Hill, 2009). Ebbinghaus (1885) investigated the method in which the retention and forgetting of information occur. The establishment of the forgetting curve provided insight into how memories dissipate over a period of time (Groome, Brace, Dewart, Edgar, Edgar, Esgate, Kemp, Pike Stafford, 2006). Similarly, Bartlett’s Story Recall experiment (1932) lent insight to the notion that information is required to hold semantic value in order to be remembered (Groome, et al., 2006). Thus, according to Hill (2009), the most effective ways for students to memorise information for their exams is through repetition, elaboration and organisation. To further elaborate on the suggestions of Ebbinghaus (1885), Bartlett (1932) and Hill (2009), researchers proposed several studies in sustenance. Ebbinghaus (1885) further stated that in order to avoid forgetting and enhance memory, repetition was significantly valuable. Making use of the ‘mind’s voice’, the phonological loop, the cycle o f learning and accurately recalling strengthens the memory, thus making exam preparation easier as less time will be required to re-learn the material, hence why revising for exams more than once improves recall (Hill, 2009). Moreover, in favour of Bartlett (1932), it has been found that information possessing semantic value is recalled more efficiently (Craik Tulving, 1975; Ley, 1978). It may be hypothesised that the explanation of is deduced to the attention function of the working memory selecting meaningful information in order to enhance the individual’s performance based on prior learning and experience. Based on these findings, mnemonics may be suggested as an effective revision tool, since associating information with vivid visual imagery and words has proven enhanced recall (Bower, 1972). Furthermore, presenting information in a structured manner in which meaning is conveyed has been found to facilitate recall (Hill, 2009). By grouping or ordering materials in an or ganised manner, the individual will take advantage of the mind’s existing method of representing information semantically, thus making the information easier to encode and retrieve through memory. For example, Ley et al (1978) found that presenting medical information to patients in an organised and structured way improved their recall up to 25%. Thus, it is suggested that students adequately organise their learning materials in a semantic manner in order to prepare for their exams in the most resourceful way. Although the literature has provided rich evidence to support the notion that the memory and attention faculties play a major role in exam preparation, there are also relevant limitations in need of addressing. The working memory model has been criticised as being invalid, as when new studies propose findings that do not fit with the current working memory model, the working memory model is modified in order to accommodate the new findings. This makes it difficult to falsify the model or replace it with a new one, and indicates that any research findings based on the working memory model are void (Neath Nairne , 1995). Moreover, the findings of Ebbinghaus (1885) have been questioned, as the subject of his study was himself. Without any objective findings, researchers believe the results of the forgetting curve to be unreliable (Hill, 2009). Despite these criticisms, later research based on both the working memory model and the forgetting curve has successfully uncovered new findings on the cognitive processes involved in memory (Groome, et al., 2006). In conclusion, the findings in the literature have lent ample support to the notion that exam preparation heavily relies on the cognitive processes of attention and memory. The literature has indicated that these two faculties work conjointly in order to achieve long-term memory. Studies on the Working Memory Model have identified the specific roles of the two cognitive processes, and the literature has provided further support on how the working memory model is vital in exam revision through detailed descriptions of these functions. Studies on memory retention and forgetting have implicated that repetition, elaboration and organisation are the key skills that an individual needs to employ whist preparing for exams in order to maintain an optimal memory capacity for the revised information. Regardless of the limitations associated with the research done on memory, the working memory model still stands as a strong representative for the cognitive process involved in exam preparation. References Baddeley, A.D. Hitch, G.J. (1974). Working memory, in G.H. Bower (Ed.),  The Psychology of Learning and Motivation: Advances in Research and Theory. Vol. VIII. 47-90, New York: Academic Press. Bartlett, F.C. (1932). Remembering. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Bower, G.H. (1972). Mental imagery and associative learning. In L. Gregg (Ed.), Cognition in Learning and Memory, 51-88. Broadbent, D. E. (1957) A mechanical model for human attention and immediate memory. Psychological Review, 64. 205-215. Cherry, K. (2014). Top 10 Memory Improvement Tips. Retrieved from: http://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/tp/memory_tips.htm Accessed: 12/03/14 Craik, F.I.M. Tulving, E. (1975). Depth of processing and the retention of words in episodic memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology, General, 104. 268-294. Cowan, N. (1995) Attention and memory: an integrated framework. New York: Oxford University Press. Dosher, B.A. (1999) Item interference and time delays in working memory: Immediate serial recall. International Journal of Psychology Special Issue: Short term/working memory, 34. 276-284. Ebbinghaus, H. (1885). ÃÅ"ber das Gedchtnis. Untersuchungen zur experimentellen Psychologie. Leipzig: Dunker Humbolt. Estes, W. K. (1969)  Reinforcement  in human learning. In J. Tapp (Ed.), Reinforcement and behavior. New York: Academic Press. Fougnie, D. (2008). The Relationship Between Attention and Working Memory. New Research on Short Term Memory. 1-45. Groome, D., Brace, N., Dewart, H., Edgar, G., Edgar, H., Esgate, A., Kemp, R., Pike, G. Stafford, D. (2006). An introduction to cognitive psychology. Processes and disorders. Second Edition. East Sussex: Psychology Press. Hill, G. (2009). AS A Level Psychology Through Diagrams: Oxford Revision Guides. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Julesz, B. (1971). Foundations of cyclopean perception. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Kandel, E. R. (1976) Cellular basis of behavior: An introduction to behavioural neurobiology. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman. Livingstone, M.S. and Hubel, D.H. (1988) Segregation of form, colour, movement and depth: Anatomy, physiology and perception. Science, 240. 740–749. Ley, P. (1978)  Memory  for medical information. In Gruneberg, M.M., Morris, P.E. Sykes, R.N. (eds) Practical Aspects of  Memory. London: Academic Press. Lu, Z.L. Dosher, B.A. (2007). Cognitive Psychology. Scholarpedia.2(8), 2769. Luce, D. R. (1959) Individual choice behavior; a theoretical analysis. New York: Wiley. Neath, I. Nairne, J.S. (1995). Word length effects in immediate memory: Overwriting the trace decay theory. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 2, 429-441. Posner, M.I. (1980). Orienting of attention. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 32, 3-25. Roediger III, H. L. (2002) Processing approaches to cognition: The impetus from the levels-of-processing framework. Memory, 10. 319-332. Treisman, A. M. (1969) Strategies and models of selective attention. Psychological Review, 76. 282-299. Ungerleider, L.G. Mishkin, M. (1982) In D.J. Ingle, M.A. Goodale, R.J.W. Mansfield (Eds.). Analysis of visual behavior. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. von Neumann, J. Morgenstern, O. (1944). Theory of Games and Economic Behavior, Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press.

MEDIA ETHICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

MEDIA ETHICS - Essay Example However, he does not take sides with his country, the USA, in its conspiracy. Although the President releases a statement Wilson’s investigation, these are contrary to Wilson’s findings. Wilson does not accept the president’s misinterpretation of the findings. He therefore, goes ahead to publish his own account of the investigation, making it available to the public. This therefore, conflicts with Bush’s statement. Wilson was courageous and stood for the truth, not letting anything to compromise his truth. He refused to sit back and watch how the truth was being violated publicly. Therefore, he acted. By coming out publicly to make the truth available to the people, through publishing this article, I compare Wilson to the philosopher W.D, Ross, who developed a moral system called â€Å"intuitionist,† which claims that individuals are inherently aware of their moral obligations (Plaisance 10). Therefore, when Wilson came out fearlessly and published the article, no one had forced him to do so. Deep down, he knew he had the responsibility of performing his moral duties. Ross’ philosophy also holds that a person has a responsibility of honoring their moral standards and principles (Plaisance 10). Therefore, one of Wilson’s moral values must have been truthfulness, which is why he had to honor it by publishing the article to bring out the truth. In this philosophy, Ross also believed that the moral values one must honor include fidelity, justice, not harming others, and self-improvement (Plaisance 10). The values of fidelity, justice, and not harming others coinc ide with Wilson’s actions. He was against Bush’s propaganda of war with Iraq, since he knew this would cause harm to the Iraqis, as well as the US soldiers, who would die in the war. Wilson upholds justice, because he did not want the USA government to accuse Iraq falsely. Finally, he shows fidelity when he investigates the case, presents truthful findings, and ensures false statements

Evaluating practice through theories and models Essay

Evaluating practice through theories and models - Essay Example These nursing theories essentially provide the scientific bases for the claim that nursing is not only an art but also a science (Parker 2010). In this essay, three nursing theories will be analysed and criticised purposely to understand and learn how to effectively use these theories in everyday nursing practices. Then, Dorothea Orem’s self-care deficit theory will be applied to a case study (see Appendix 1). Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring The Theory of Human Caring, according to Watson (2000), was developed between 1975-1979 as her initial attempt to distinguish nursing from other health professions by combining the seemingly irreconcilable concepts of science and caring. She also regards her theory as â€Å"a humanistic approach to nursing that emphasizes human-to-human responsiveness rooted in upholding humanistic values† (Kim 2006, p.301), as she pays attention not only on patients but also on nurses, believing that both are interconnected. Watson (200 0, p. 2) expands this further by explaining that nursing like teaching is not simply a job that can be mechanically done, but it is â€Å"a life-giving and life-receiving profession for a lifetime of growth and learning† which only becomes possible if caring is incorporated in nurses’ daily works and lives. Thus what distinguishes the nursing profession is caring and love. Watson’s theory is a good reminder to nurses of four important points: that the patients are all human beings that deserve equal care and love; that the knowledge and skills of nurses are only tools to assist them in which therapeutic effect depends on how much nurses care; that healing is a two way-process both in going through the healing process and in benefitting from it; and that nursing as a caring profession is a humane profession because without care humanity may perish. Furthermore Suliman et al.’s (2009) study, which aimed to assess the effectiveness of Watson’s theory in a multi-cultural environment found that Watson’s theory is measurable using the caring Behaviour Assessment Tool and is applicable to patients of various cultural backgrounds. However, it may be argued that Watson’s theory is too subjective as it greatly depends on the nurse’s commitment and caring consciousness. Every individual has his/her own way of expressing and accepting care. Thus, the expression of Watson’s theory may vary along individual personalities and cultural backgrounds of nurses and patients. Remaining two models will be discussed in the assignment 1. Case study, Applying Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory (Case: see Appendix 1) Introduction The author chose the application of Orem’s Self-Care Deficit theory on this case for two important reasons. Firstly, the aim of Orem’s theory fits well in the case. Secondly, Orem’s nursing process is clearly defined in terms of objective and technical components. Thus, thi s will be a good learning exercise for the author as to how nursing for self-care is conducted. In Orem’s theory (1959-2001), the nursing process is the method by which nurses can determine the person’

Is Ham correct that connection between science and naturalism is Thesis

Is Ham correct that connection between science and naturalism is arbitrary - Thesis Example Nye supports science by citing evolution theory to prove that creationism or naturalism is not connected to science. Scientists based their evidence on evolution theory that explains the origin of flora and fauna. Nye also confirms the arbitrary connection between science and naturalism when he says in the debate that creationism should not be offered in school alongside the scientific theory coursework. While Nye argues that the scientific theory is false, Ham arguments are based on religious beliefs that have been captured in the book of Genesis. Additionally, Ham’s interpretation about the creationism in Genesis shows that the earth was created 6,000 years ago through supernatural powers. On the other hand, Nye describes the earth that was formed 4.5 billion years ago by using proof such as homologies, fossil, and distribution of time and space. The disparities in Earth’s age brought forward by Ham and Nye confirms further that the link between naturalism and science is a random occurrence (Etchells). Scientific theories are essential because they are used to explain the historical origin of the phenomena under study. The criteria debunk myths when they provide consistent results to the public. Scientific theory is used in creating awareness through education about the essence of science as a whole. Students use the theories as point of reference when they are given scientific-based prompts. Additionally, scientific theories promote lessons of intelligence and research. Observations that are made are based on theories brought forward by ancient scientists. There would be limited knowledge about natural phenomena if there were no existing theories such as evolution. Ham makes his remarks by quoting importance of science and creationism in school. He reveals that researchers such as Stuart Burgess have embraced both science and creationism as separate entities. However, the professor uses scientific

Understanding tourism behavior

Understanding tourism behavior Introduction Understanding tourism behavior involves knowledge of factors that are by no means obvious because the influences that shape tourism tastes and activities are often so deeply embedded in the individuals personal and cultural biography that the subject is unaware of how they were formed. (Seaton, 1996) This statement sets part of scene of this study and it was a starting point for the final topic to be shaped. Tourism behaviour has been studied thoroughly and many conclusions have been reached regarding the main factors that have an impact on tourists decision-making. Decision-making about destinations is a quite risk process because of the fact that in this kind of purchase the buyers (potential tourists) cannot see the product before they purchase it. According to most consumer behaviour books, consumer behaviour is a function of two basic factors: a.) Social influences, b.) Personal traits. Social influences include culture and subculture, social class, reference groups and influentials, role and family influence, while personal traits involve personality, learning, motivation, perception and attitudes. Since, as mentioned above, the tourism products are intangible and cannot be observed from the potential tourist before they purchase them, prior communication offers them the information that they need and creates images, according to which they take decisions. More specifically, regarding the information in the tourism decision-making, as Seaton (1996) suggests they can be divided into four main categories: a.) Commercially provided information, b.) Non-commercially provided information, c.) Personally provided information, d.) Impersonally provided (media) sources. The last category involves travel programmes, newspaper travel pages, guide books e.t.c. However, thorough personal research and study in all these categories of influences showed that the impact of television on tourism decision-making has actually not been significantly studied before. Given the importance that the media have in our lives, their power and the fact that nowadays all people have access to them, and specially with television, it was quite impressive to observe that the study of this influence is very narrow. Thus the rationale of the narrow focus on the television was that it would be of some value to research the influence of television travel and tourism programmes about destinations on tourists decision-making about destinations. With these in mind, the aim and objectives of the research are: Aim: To evaluate the influence of television travel programmes on potential tourists on choosing a tourism destination. Objectives: To measure if and how much is the influence of travel programmes about decisions on tourist destinations on consumer To check if travel programmes are perceived as an informative tool or just entertainment To analyse the way that consumers perceive what they are seeing on these travelling programmes. According to Malhotra and Birks (2006) the formulation of the marketing objectives can encompass two areas: organizational objectives and personal objectives of the decision-maker. For a research project be successful, it must serve the objectives of the organization and of the decision-maker. With these objectives it will be possible to understand if the Television tourism programmes really exerts influence on the consumers in this market. The long-term purpose is to advance knowledge, to expose more questions that could probably be answered in the future and to recognize concerns about certain things which could be further resolved or tested by more work in the future regarding this field. There are many influences from several different sources in the environment that have an impact on the tourists decisions about holiday. However, research seems to be inconclusive regarding the medium that is most successful at persuading an audience towards a potential tourism destination. Consumers can be affected through several influences of the environment, such as interpersonal conversations with friends and family, advertisements, television, press, brochures and internet. On the same topic area a very interesting research has been made that compares the effects of advertising to publicity for marketing a tourism destination. This was a very important research as well because of the inconclusive results reported by previous comparison studies of advertising and publicity in the general marketplace. This research indicated that publicity is an important element in the marketing mix and that publicity messages have greater credibility than advertising and it suggests that publicity could be more effective than advertising for promoting tourism destinations. Of all information sources mentioned, non-mediated one-on-one personal information sharing is often cited as the most persuasive (Kotler, 1993). This category involves word of mouth conversations among friends and relatives. However it is very hard for marketers to influence this kind of personal information sources as they cannot get involved in this kind of interpersonal relation. Consequently, they have to focus their efforts on other communication tools in order them to persuade potential customers to try a product, in this case a destination. Thus, tourism organizations often rely on publicity as a communication device in order to approach an audience. However, it is still unclear if this device is effective at persuading potential tourists to visit a specific destination, what their attitude is towards destination travel programmes and what their perception is when it comes to these programmes. Despite the fact that many national tourist boards in their annual reports record the number of media in which they have achieved exposure, the amount of exposure in television is inefficient indicator of success and further research and analysis is necessary to determinate the impact of the television travel programmes on the potential tourists. But even thus television has a huge audience do viewers really view television, or do they use it as background noise or a babysitter for their children? Do they scan it occasionally, or instead use it for security when no one is at home? (Kaufman and Lane 1994) There is no concrete proves if even with all the exposition the television, and more specifically the travel programmes, plays an important role on the decision- making on potential tourists when they are deciding a destination. The advertisings and the television programmes can be perceived as just a merely entertainment and not as a really informative tool. This research attempts to evaluate the perceptions and attitudes of tourists towards travel programmes about destinations contained in the British television and what the effects of these programmes are when it comes to destination decision-making, message acceptance and message response. The most important variables that are studied in this research are message strength, attitude toward the destination, perception towards destination travelling programmes, credibility and reliability, and purchase intent.

Television, What A Waste Of Time :: essays research papers

Television, What A Waste of Time How much does television mean to you? Would you sacrifice your mind, your health, and your well-being just to keep ahold of it? Most people would. They are unaware of the severe effects that TV has on our lives and on our future. I think that television should be banned from all American households because of the negative ideas it exploits, the creative minds it destroys, and the growing amount of kids and adults that are making this place a bigger and lazier country. In the last decade, the amount of vioilence on television has greatly increased and so has the number of senseless homicides and suicides in our country. The promiscuity and violence shown regularly on household televisions has intrigues us as Americans and numbed our sense of what's right and what's wrong in society. What shocked us at first has now become customary dinner-time cinema. With the increase in the number of television sets in America, more and more young people have been robbed of their creativity. With TV, hardly anything is left to the imagination. Before the existence of television, all people wre forced to create their own opinions and images of things in their own minds. But with TV, all the images are created for you and almost all the arguments are one-sided. With TV, you no longer create your own ideas; you are told them. Television has a great impact on the health of America. The seductive topics and biased broadcasts shows daily across America are luring more and more people to the confines of their living room couch for a greater amount of time. Inactivity and overeating are a common result of this decision made by adults and kids alike.

Edgar Allan Poe’s “Ligeia” Essay

Though there is no mention of race or slavery in Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"Ligeia,† the story is suffused with the symbolic interaction of light and dark, white and black, pallor and pigment. In a situation so fully charged with the symbolics of race, and in a story written in antebellum America by an author raised in Virginia, the lack of any mention of slavery is enough to indicate that this story, despite its studied silence on the matter, has something to tell us about the psychology of racialism in the United States. In the conflict between Ligeia and Rowena—though it takes place almost out of sight, at the edge of the real and of vision—Poe sets up Ligeia as the dark lady and Rowena as the fair one. The reader might expect this to play out as either an abolitionist or racist affirmation of equality or racial supremacy. The situation is complicated, however, by the presence and perceptions of the narrator, who is outside of the highly charged color scheme. Poe positions the reader as an observer of racialist dynamics, rather than as a racialized participant, to allow the reader a view of how a passive, dominant white class depends on, and is crippled by its dependency on, a black underclass that stands for everything it lacks and fears. The dichotomy of black and white emerges relatively late in the story, only after Ligeia has died and the narrator has taken Rowena as his new wife, but the coloring of Ligeia is present from the start. Among her other sublime attributes, the narrator writes that â€Å"She came and departed as a shadow† (111). However, she is also very pale. She has a â€Å"lofty and pale forehead –it was faultless† and â€Å"skin rivalling the purest ivory† (111). Her whiteness, though, is framed by â€Å"the raven-black, the glossy, the luxuriant and naturally-curling tresses† (111). Her eyes, the windows of the soul, are also â€Å"the most brilliant of black, and, far over them, hung jetty lashes of great length. The brows, slightly irregular in outline, had the same tint† (111). While her skin is very white, every other feature of Ligeia is exceedingly black. In her shadowiness, Poe depicts her very being as dark. Ligeia’s white skin might be attributed to Poe’s desire as an artist to keep this story from being overtly racialized or didactic or scandalous. His presentation of intense blackness as the frame of intense whiteness, however, is actually a better representation of race in America than a simple schematization of white versus black. Over against the â€Å"one drop† rule that determined a person to be â€Å"black† if they had any black ancestors, the reader determines Ligeia to be â€Å"white† based on one attribute against many dark ones. In fact, Ligeia’s blackness is more than skin (or hair) deep. She is a mystery even to her lover, the narrator, who associates her with the religious mysteries of ancient civilizations. Like the African slaves brought to America, she has a connection to a cultural past that is lost to the narrator and which can only play on his fancy. Her family, which he does not know the paternal name of, â€Å"is of a remotely ancient date. † Musing on his ignorance of his beloved’s family name—which must seem a little unusual to any reader—he wonders why this is: â€Å"was it a test of my strength of affection, that I should institute no inquiries upon this point? or was it rather a caprice of my own –a wildly romantic offering on the shrine of the most passionate devotion? † (111). The proposed solutions ironically obscure the possibility of repression, that he does not know because he does not want to know, that he is afraid to know. The narrator can only imagine that he does not know her name because he loves her so much. The narrator’s conspicuous forgetting begins to trace the mechanism by which Americans repress blackness, and the dependence of whiteness on a black contrast, for the sake of keeping whiteness unquestioned as a positive attribute. Part of the narrator’s madness, though, is that he continues to fixate on the blackness in Ligeia as the symbol of depth and plenitude. Through this obsession with blackness in what is supposed to be a white face, Poe uses â€Å"Ligeia† to pose an inquiry into American racialism that escapes from traditional dualisms of good versus bad into an examination of the psychological mechanisms that make such a debate possible. At the same time that the depth of Ligeia’s learning provides a viable historical representation of the white slave-holder’s ignorance of African cultures, it also comes to assume sublime proportions that simultaneously remove that knowledge from history. Using the fetishization of Orienal cultures as a model, the narrator transports Ligeia’s difference into a realm beyond the earthly. The same mechanism was applied to blackness in America: when whites could not fathom the difference between European cultures and African cultures, they wound up believing that blacks and blackness were unfathomable. This set the stage for blackness to be aligned with other things white European culture did not understand—with animals, for example, or sexual appetite. The narrator’s visible obsession with Ligeia’s blackness as a symbol for his inability to comprehend her exposes the way in which American culture could both deify African culture as more authentic and denigrate it as more base. For the narrator, of course, this dissonance takes the form of his love for Ligeia. He cites Bacon on beauty: â€Å"’There is no exquisite beauty,’ says Bacon, Lord Verulam, speaking truly of all the forms and genera of beauty, ‘without some strangeness in the proportion’† (). The narrator agrees that there is something strange about Ligeia but he cannot find it. Each individual part, it seems, is perfectly wrought. The strangeness, though, is as Bacon would have it: in the proportion of all these perfections to each other. Metaphorically, the perfection of the white and black face is the perfection of a racially segregated society viewed from within the heavily repressed white perspective. The concepts used all make sense by themselves: that Africans have different cultures, blackness and whiteness are beautiful in their own ways, some things are beyond human understanding—but the particular way they are connected in a slave-holding society has more than a little â€Å"strangeness in the proportion. † Poe’s presentation of the narrator’s consciousness directs the reader to precisely this perspective, focusing not any individual part but on the framing of the whole, because it is here that the psychological dependence of whiteness on misappropriated conceptions of Africanism functions. The narrator’s repression of blackness into a transcendental white worldview—in which blackness only exists at the fringes to serve whiteness and make it more beautiful, both literally and metaphorically—results logically in the death of Ligeia and her replacement by a very white English girl of known parentage but not much depth of soul. The Lady Rowena is â€Å"fair-haired and blue-eyed,† a perfect Aryan, in contrast to Ligeia’s dark hair and eyes, and her family, like the economic system of chattel slavery, is enthralled to a â€Å"thirst of gold. † When the narrator describes their wedding his memory catches more on the blackness of their surroundings than on the European whiteness of his bride. â€Å"I have said that I minutely remember the details of the chamber—yet I am sadly forgetful on topics of deep moment,† like Ligeia’s parentage or the wedding itself (). The details he remembers include a â€Å"bridal couch—of an Indian model, and low, and sculptured of solid ebony†¦a gigantic sarcophagus of black granite†¦[and a tapestry with] patterns of the most jetty black† (111). The blackness that he has banished from the person of his bride he has recreated in their surroundings. The composition of black and white is by now recognizable to the reader: the alabaster centerpiece that was Ligeia’s face is now the person of Rowena, and the black hair and eyes of Ligeia are the room and its contents. The tableau that was beautiful when contained within the frame of Ligeia’s face becomes, when extrapolated onto the greater scale of the mansion or estate, somber and terrifying. Blackness looms everywhere in the bridal room. By being marginalized, blackness also comes to surround whiteness and threaten it. The climax of the story comes from just such an incursion of blackness into the white center. Ligeia seemingly poisons Rowena from beyond the grave and uses her body as a medium for return. From the narrator’s earlier adulation of Ligeia, it seems that he might be happy with this turn of events, but he has enough of his wits about him to be terrified that a ghost has returned to life. His terror also has a deeper cause. The displacement of blackness that has guided the story’s logic thus far means that the narrator is at last implicated in authorizing a racial economy. In the black room (with black curtains) Ligeia has supplated Rowena—and now Ligeia really is a dark figure, bearing with her the real abyss of death—the only place for whiteness to flee is into the face and person of the narrator. Throughout the story, however, the narrator has been fully invested in a white moderate-centrist repression of race, as seen in his convenient forgettings and fetishizations of Ligeia. Furthermore, the version of blackness that he has set up is dangerous to whiteness; blackness holds such an anxious sway over his mind that he sees it everywhere, and now it everywhere threatens to engulf him. The anxiety that invigorates the finale differs from the immediate horror of â€Å"Ligeia,† the transgression of the natural order through the return of the dead, in that here the horror is not within the story as an object of narration but surrounding the story as the ground on which it stands. For the reader, the immediate shock is Ligeia’s reanimation, but at the subconscious level this is enacted through reader response as the experience of the text stepping beyond its boundaries and into the real, the objective correlative of a corpse stepping beyond the boundary of death back into life. The doubling of conscious and unconscious horror in the story’s climax gives it affective power in that the reader is now fully identified with the narrator: as the text reaches its unholy apotheosis in moving beyond itself, the next target in the spread of the imaginary blackness is the reader. This movement might provoke a strong reaction formation—the condemnation of the work as unliterary or obscene—or, in a more tolerant reading, a shudder. All of the above explication of how darkness forms an invasive dialectical presence in â€Å"Ligeia† allows us to expand an interpretation of the work from the formal interplay of light and dark to the real, instantiated, and historical discourse of domination and slavery. On this ground, the message of â€Å"Ligeia† about slavery is as tangled as the rendering of color. Ligeia, the dark lady, seems to dominate the narrator from the beginning of the tale, and in her return via the corpus of Rowena she exerts power not only over another person—one marked as fair, as white—she demonstrates her mastery over life and death itself. Ligeia’s empowerment seems paradoxically at odds with aligning this story with the historical circumstances of slavery: black African slaves were legally considered chattel, moveable property, and had all the same rights that cattle or the like would have, that is, virtually none. If we remember, though, that as a tale of the grotesque—an imaginative exaggeration that partakes of the inversions and reinvestments of the subconscious—â€Å" Ligeia† does not disclose its truths at the level of literal or represented but in the language of (bad) dreams. What correlates the play of power in â€Å"Ligeia† with the logic of slavery is that the very idea of total domination—or rather, since we are dealing in inversions, the total subjugation of the narrator—can operate so freely in the story. The historical domination of the white slave owning class is represented here in its inverted form as the grotesquely hyperbolic empowerment of blackness through occultation. Ligeia’s transcendent power does not correspond to the real configuration of social forces in 1830s America, which was already being marked by ambivalence toward the national sin, but to the idealized racial superiority that white ideology purported to itself—though it could not, ever, live up to its own fantasy of itself either in terms of exacting submission or conversion of the â€Å"heathens†Ã¢â‚¬â€and to the equally idealized mystery of blackness empowered through an assumed (and constructed by apathy) opacity. The form of domination operating in the story is evidenced largely by the formal construction of the narrator’s discourse. Instead of pronouncing at the outset his obsession with Ligeia, the narrator demonstrates his relationship of submission/domination by overwhelming the reader with intricate, over-detailed descriptions of Ligeia. The narrator is dominated by his own telling, by discourse itself, and the telling is fully possessed by the body and soul of Ligeia. Rather than willfully presenting her domination over the narrator, and thus exposing herself to revolt or to a failure to live up to the role of â€Å"master,† Ligeia’s domination is represented through the narrator’s willed submission. His total submission—undemanded, uncoerced, almost unasked for—attributes to Ligeia a total form of power that the master cannot arrogate to himself but which exists exclusively in the mind of the imagined slave. The countercurrent of this is that the story is told by the slave though discourse is supposed to be the exclusive domain of the master. Yet the thrall is narrator is truly what the master class of a slave-owning society requires to receive the adulation is craves, and is in keeping with the logic of slavery. The slave class exists to labor on behalf of the master class; the final step in establishing an absolute and horrific slavery is for the labor of discourse to become the burden of the slave. Poe’s story works through a mounting intensity of the motifs of white and black, starting small and growing to a climax in which blackness appears everywhere. Through this progression, Poe’s story shows that even though a white perspective gets to tell the story of â€Å"Ligeia† and of U. S. history, it is not safe from a backlash. To the contrary, in trying to secure itself absolutely from blackness, the whiteness of the American mythology has invented a racialized other that it cannot escape. The black fear that haunts the narrator and the American reader assumes the massive proportions of the problem of racial chattel slavery itself. Beyond the scale of the actual ambivalences of the play between owner and slave is the nightmarish dimension of absolutes that the ideology of such a society demands. The model for this absolutism is, of course, the dichotomy between life and death: a clear transition that is irreversible. The horror of the American mind, which must reconcile an absolute division between master and slave with a contingent division between classes that are actually interpenetrating, is brought into the light of representation in Poe’s horrific tale of the risen dead.

How does Shakespeare present Romeo’s character Essays

How does Shakespeare present Romeo’s character Essays How does Shakespeare present Romeo’s character Paper How does Shakespeare present Romeo’s character Paper Essay Topic: Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet are the children of the Capulet and the Montague, who are the chief family of Verona and have been enemies for years. Romeo and Juliet meet accidentally at a ball where they fall in love and gets married secretly. They are shown going through so many hurdles to succeed in their love and whether they succeed at the end or not is the story. Shakespeare has presented Romeo’s character in different shades through out the play. At the beginning of act 1 scene 5 Romeo is shown as a lover boy who is madly in love with Rosaline and is very upset for the fact that she doesn’t like him. This is when Benvolio, Romeo’s cousin persuades him to go to the ball which has been arranged by the Capulets. Benvolio is Romeo’s cousin and is also a very good friend of him. He always tries to do the right things and stay put of trouble. † I pray thee, good Mercutio, let’s retire: the day is hot, the Caples are abroad, and if we meet we shall not escape the brawl. Romeo sees Juliet for the first time at the ball, and forgets himself the moment he sets his eyes on her. He thinks she’s the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen â€Å"ine’er saw a true beauty till this night† and falls in love with her. This shows that Romeo doesn’t give a thought about what he’s doing and just rushes in to what ever his mind tells him to do. Romeo not only forgets himself but also throws words of poetry when he walks towards her to draw her attention to him. â€Å"O she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night, as a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear beauty too rich for use, for earth to dear: So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows as yonder lady o’er her fellows shows. When Romeo and Juliet are departed, Romeo becomes very anxious in seeing her again. Romeo’s action and movements are overtaken by his love for Juliet which results in marriage with in twenty four hours. Romeo’s mood changes from sadness to happiness in a short amount of time. So far Romeo has been shown as a lover boy but in act 3 scene 1 is where you see other side of Romeo. Act 3 scene 1 is where Romeo’s best friend Mercutio is killed by Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin. Mercutio is a very lively person; he’s full of energy and is always making jokes or teasing someone. Even when he knows he’s dying he still makes jokes â€Å"ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man†. Romeo gets very angry with Tybalt for killing Mercutio and kills him. This is where you begin to see Romeo’s dangerous side. He doesn’t think about what he’s doing he doesn’t think Juliet and the marriage either at that moment; all that’s in his mind is that his friend has been killed and he’s very furious about the fact that he let it happen. Shakespeare has portrayed Romeo in a very romantic and soft way through out act 1 scene 5 and has hidden the other side of Romeo. Romeo’s character is hidden by his love in these scenes. In these scenes Romeo’s character fails to understand that there is another world beyond love. His love for Juliet becomes stronger although both their families are enemies, this shows that Romeo is not afraid of the consequences that he is to face in near time. But in act 3 scene 1 Shakespeare has shown Romeo’s character in a much stronger way he has shown him as a person who is not afraid to fight to the death and is ready to do anything for his loved ones without thinking. So in these scenes Romeo has been shown as a lover boy, a strong person and also he’s been shown as a person who is not very steady with the decisions he seems to be making decisions without even thinking. Shakespeare also made the characters of Benvolio and Mercutio to represent Romeo’s character in a way Romeo is like Benvolio a very soft character and doesn’t want to get in to trouble and in some scenes he‘s making fun with his two best friends like Mercutio. If Romeo slowed down and thought about what he was doing he wouldn’t have got into so much trouble and he wouldn’t have missed his loves ones.

The Protection of Cultural and Ethnic Diversity - A Common European Value

The Protection of Cultural and Ethnic Diversity - A Common European Value The European Union is a family of citizens who are fighting to realize nationally and internationally the social cohesion. It is a Europe capable to answer all the challenges and to respect the national and regional identity, same as the cultural inheritance of its citizens. The European citizen should not be separately seen, but should be seen in the social, cultural and ecologic context being influenced by its national identity. The common European identity can only amplify or develop the national essence.The goal of the European Union is to promote and develop the democracy, to modernize the economic and social structures and to fight against social exclusion and poverty. The Europe is an economic and political entity, same as social and reach of cultural diversity. All other the continent, the social protection had become a part from our identity.European Union Customs Union and Customs Union of ...The social rights are fundamental ones and had become integral to the European cit izenship. The Union gives to all its citizens the opportunity to benefit from solidarity, their rights recognition. This thing implies a social harmonization which makes possible the coordination of salary policy and establishment of collective agreement recognized in all the Union. For all these we need a Europe that protects the public services and which is keeping its competence.The European Union value is to respect and appreciate all its citizens. It is consolidating the action plans on social inclusion and reducing the poverty. These plans are having common index of realization, therefore allowing all citizens to live in dignity.The European Union should be a union based on solidarity and freedom. It should adopt a common system of economic migration and a sure and correct system of asylum. The European Union should promote the needs and the rights of the youth. So that the action...

The Impact of Unemployment on the Economy Term Paper

The Impact of Unemployment on the Economy - Term Paper Example The success of a business relies on not only the own particular market and its own decisions but also the macroeconomic environment it operates within. The macroeconomic environment has a direct effect on the profitability and success of a business. This paper aims at dealing with one of the essential aspects of the macroeconomic environment of business, i.e. unemployment. This paper will deal with unemployment in detail and will include aspects like the meaning of unemployment, and the costs of unemployment. Also, a focus will be on the labor markets and unemployment. The study will also touch upon the two main types of unemployment, i.e. Disequilibrium unemployment and Equilibrium unemployment. Here an attempt will be made to explain the two types of unemployment and the various subcategories of these will also be touched upon. However, before moving on, it is essential to understand the meaning of a few terms like labor force, number unemployed, unemployment rate, and unemployment . Claimant Unemployment: This refers to the people who receive unemployment-related benefits (Sloman and Sutcliffe). This mainly measures all those who receive the unemployment-related benefits and claim the benefits to cover their expenses until they have a job. Standardized Unemployment Rate: This is an unemployment rate that is used by the International Labor Organization and the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (Sloman and Sutcliffe). Here unemployed refers to people of the working age and who are without work. b) Costs of unemployment: Unemployment leads to numerous costs and these costs do not only influence the person unemployed but others as well. There are three main costs that are involved with unemployment are as follows: i) The first and most obvious costs involved are that incurred by the unemployed themselves.

Credit rating of small business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Credit rating of small business - Research Paper Example Small businesses play an important role in the economy of many countries. More importantly, many of them rely on banks to finance their businesses. Granting of loans to small businesses is an intricate matter that requires the bank to gather information that helps it to assess the businesses’ ability to pay back the loan and not default (Frame & White, 2004). Hence, banks are resulting to using credit rating scores to determine if or if not to grant a loan to the business. The question is if bad credit rating means a bank should not grant a loan to a small business owner to expand or invest in his business? Why and why not? According to Petrovic and Davidovic (2011), loan granting to small businesses poses a test to banks. However, banks should give loans to small businesses based on their credit rating. It has been found that small businesses having in-between credit ratings are likely to rely on loans from banks. Conversely, for small businesses that have low ratings, evaluation fails to avail reason to grant loans as they are thought to have nothing to lose if they default (Petrovic & Davidovic, 2011). The credit rating of a small business borrower functions to envisage future acts that the borrower will without evaluation. Hence, a bad credit rating will imply that the bank should not grant a loan to the business as the credit rating serves to predict the actions of the business after getting the loan. The credit rating obtained aids in the formation of the bank’s decision (Diamond, 1991). On the other hand, bad credit rating should not be used to deny a small business a loan grant because banks do not have all the information concerning the borrower. Even if the bank obtains a good credit rating concerning the borrower that allows a bank to grant the small business a loan, the borrower may opt to default even if the business does