Definition and Meaning of Illiteracy

Definition and Meaning of Illiteracy Illiteracy is the quality or condition of being unable to read or write. Illiteracy is a major problem throughout the world. According to Anne-Marie Trammell, Worldwide, 880 million adults have been labeled as illiterate, and in the United States it is estimated that almost 90 million adults are functionally illiterate, that is to say that they do not have the minimal skills needed to function in society (Encyclopedia of Distance Learning, 2009). In England, says a report from the National Literacy Trust, Around 16 percent, or 5.2 million adults, can be described as functionally illiterate. They would not pass an English GCSE and have literacy levels at or below those expected of an 11-year-old (Literacy: State of the Nation, 2014).   Observations The subculture of illiteracy is larger than anyone on the outside would ever believe. The National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) conducted a study of illiteracy among adults in the United States in 2003, the results of which were released in December 2005. NAAL found that 43 percent of the total population aged 16 and older, or some 93 million people, ranked at the below-basic or basic level in their reading skills. Fourteen percent of the adult population had below-basic skills in reading and understanding prose texts, a percentage that was unchanged from 1992 when the first NAAL report was released.The gap between the 43 percent at below-basic and basic prose literacy and the 57 percent at intermediate and proficient raises the question: How can those at lower levels compete in a world that demands increasing literacy skills? Not surprisingly, the NAAL study found that among adults with below-basic prose literacy, 51 percent were not in the labor force.(John Corcoran, The Bri dge to Literacy. Kaplan, 2009) Illiteracy and the Internet As teenagers’ scores on standardized reading tests have declined or stagnated, some argue that the hours spent prowling the Internet are the enemy of reading, diminishing literacy, wrecking attention spans and destroying a precious common culture that exists only through the reading of books.But others say the Internet has created a new kind of reading, one that schools and society should not discount. The Web inspires a teenager who might otherwise spend most of her leisure time watching television, to read and write.(Motoko Rich, Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading? The New York Times, July 27, 2008) Literacy as  a Continuum of Skills Illiteracy has fallen from one in five people to almost nonexistent over a century and a bit. But illiteracy clearly isn’t a single on-or-off switch. It’s not just you can read and write or you can’t. Literacy is a continuum of skills. Basic education now reaches virtually all Americans. But many among the poorest have the weakest skills in formal English.That combines with another fact: more people are writing than ever before. Even most of the poor today have cell phones and internet. When they text or scribble on Facebook, they’re writing. We easily forget that this is something that farmhands and the urban poor almost never did in centuries past. They lacked the time and means even if they had the education.(Robert Lane Greene, Schotts Vocab Guest Post: Robert Lane Greene on Language Sticklers. The New York Times, March 8, 2011)

Funny Quotations About Boys

Funny Quotations About Boys Boys grow into men, but at some level, boys remain boys. They never shed their fetishes- be it games, gizmos, or girls. Read these funny quotes about boys and you will find a striking parallel with the boys and men you know. Bart SimpsonInside every hardened criminal beats the heart of a ten-year-old boy. Joseph HellerWhen I grow up I want to be a little boy. James Matthew BarrieWhat is genius? It is the power to be a boy again at will. Napoleon BonaparteNo one knows how it is that with one glance a boy can break through into a girls heart. PlatoOf all the animals, the boy is the most unmanageable. James ThurberBoys are beyond the range of anybodys sure understanding, at least when they are between the ages of 18 months and 90 years. Mark TwainThere comes a time in every rightly constructed boys life that he has a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure. Bertrand RussellBoys and young men acquire readily the moral sentiments of their social milieu, whatever these sentiments may be. Eric BerneThe moment a little boy is concerned with which is a jay and which is a sparrow, he can no longer see the birds or hear them sing. Mark TwainGeorge Washington, as a boy, was ignorant of the commonest accomplishments of youth. He could not even lie. Robert FrostA mother takes twenty years to make a man of her boy, and another woman makes a fool of him in twenty minutes. Ralph Waldo EmersonGive a boy address and accomplishments and you give him the mastery of palaces and fortunes where he goes. Charles DickensA boys story is the best that is ever told. Mickey RooneyI was a thirteen-year-old boy for thirty years. Elvis PresleyWhen I was a boy, I always saw myself as a hero in comic books and in movies. I grew up believing this dream.

Effects of Fast Foods on Obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Effects of Fast Foods on Obesity - Essay Example ave detrimental effects on the health status of the affected people such as a reduced life expectancy and a possible worsening of other medical problems (Pereira et.al 2005). Scientifically, a person is considered to be obese when their body mass index (BMI) which is the calculation of the body mass for every unit of squared height is above 30kg/m2. Specifically, studies and research conducted have shown that obesity increases the chances of diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes, and osteoarthritis and can sometimes lead to other types of cancer. As pertains to the serious and recurrent question as to what causes obesity, there has not been a specific answer. Obesity in individuals is as a result of a combination of factors which directly lead to or facilitate the intensity of the condition. The major factors attributed to the cause of diabetes include diet, genetics, social factors, lifestyle and medical illnesses. However the recent spurts in the rates of individuals developing the condition have been specifically attributed to the combination of high food intake and little to no physical activity of any kind. The cases that result out of the other factors such as medical illnesses and genetics are considered to be minimal. The focus of this paper hence would be on the effect that dietary measures and habits have on obesity, particularly the fast food industry. While genetic and other influences have played a major role in trying to explain and understand obesity, they have not been able to explain the current sporadic increase in the number of obese individuals within the particular countries or on a global scale (Chopra, Galbraith & Darnton-Hill, 2002). Although it has generally been accepted that excessive food consumption has led to obesity on an individual level, the reason for changes on these two factors on a societal and global scale has been subject to much debate. Various theories have been postulated that suggest that the dramatic increase in

Intro and conclusion for TVR journal entries Essay

Intro and conclusion for TVR journal entries - Essay Example ed to be completely objective as the nature of the term â€Å"journal entries† implies that I am given license to explore avenues of a personal kind as well. My journal entries for the book Mass Media in a Changing World by George Rodman are a personal account of my feelings about the Mass Media and how I feel it has affected the world around me. It is not an objective analysis of the chapters, rather a personal viewpoint with regard being given to latest issues and research. I have not tried to merely pick out scenarios from personal life, but have illustrated examples that most of the people can identify and relate with. Anyone reading the journal entries will not necessary get to know what the book itself contains, but rather s/he will gain an insight into how I, personally, feel about the Mass Media. I have enjoyed writing these journal entries a lot; they have made me learn new things along with reinforcing my beliefs about the Mass Media. Before reading the book and writing these entries, I believed Mass Media to be a two edged sword; not completely good or bad, engaging in these activities has reinforced these beliefs of mine. It is evident to me that the effect the Media has on us depends on the way it is used; when used for the good, it gives positive results and when used badly, it gives negative results. However, I also learned that there is no fine line between wrong and right in the Media and sometimes it is hard to establish what â€Å"ethical† exactly is in a given situation, however, I do hope that with the development of the Media, these ethical dilemmas can be solved and the Media can develop into a strong, positive factor in our lives. I have gained quite a bit of insight through writing these journal entries. I have learned that though the Mass Media is a positive tool when it comes to knowledge and information, it can, and often is, used negatively and focuses on the unusual and sensational. Mostly when corporations are involved, economic

Identification of Food Constituents Essay Example for Free

Identification of Food Constituents Essay Method (testing for reducing sugars) 1. Add 3cm? of whole milk, by using a pipette or syringe to the test tube. 2. Add 5cm? of Benedict’s reagent and place it in the boiling water bath for 8 minutes. Do the same for semi-skimmed milk and skimmed milk. 3. Once all 3 of the test tubes are left to cool in the air, observe the colours. It will be a good idea to set up a range of colour standards from glucose concentrations of 1%, 2%, 3%, 4% and 5% so that you can relate the colours observed to these concentrations. 4. A positive result would be from green to yellow to brick-red colour. Method (testing for non-reducing sugars) 5. Make up the same solution as step 1 but this time, adding 3cm? of dilute hydrochloric acid to break the glycosidic bonds between the monosaccharides. 6. Then add 3cm? of sodium hydroxide solution to neutralise it. 7. Add 5cm? of Benedict’s reagent and place it in the water bath for 8 minutes. 8. Once it’s left to cool, it should now turn brick-red colour. 9. The concentration of a non-reducing sugar can be estimated by first adding a drop of 10% invertase (sucrase) concentrate to 2cm? of the solution to be tested and leaving for 30 minutes at room temperature. The solution is tested for the presence of a reducing sugar. This method is preferable to acid hydrolysis. Method (testing for starch) 10. On each of the three types of milk, just add a few drops of iodine which is dissolved in potassium iodide solution. 11. The sample should change from browny-orange, to a dark, blue-black colour. Method (testing for proteins) 12. Place 2cm? of the three different types of milks on each tube. 13. Then add 2cm? of Biuret reagent and you should see a purple-violet colour developing. The intensity of it is proportional to the protein content. Method (testing for fats) 14. Add 3cm? of the three different types of milk on each test tube and 3cm? of water. 15. Place 1 drop of Sudan III to each test tube and shake gently to mix. 16. Using a microscope, a slide and a cover slip, identify any emulsion of red fat droplets. 17. Alternatively, you could add a drop of each of the milk on a filter paper and see if there is a translucent stain for a positive result. Results table Solution (Milk)TestObservationsConclusion SkimmedBenedict’sLime green (lightest)A slight amount of monosaccharides or reducing sugars present Semi-skimmedBenedict’sLime green (lighter)A slight amount of monosaccharides or reducing sugars present WholeBenedict’sLime greenA slight amount of monosaccharides or reducing sugars present SkimmedInvertaseYellowish-greenHardly any monosaccharides or reducing sugars present Semi-skimmedInvertaseYellowish-greenHardly any monosaccharides or reducing sugars present WholeInvertaseYellowish-greenHardly any monosaccharides or reducing sugars present SkimmedBiuretViolet purpleProtein present. Semi-skimmedBiuretPurpleLot’s of protein present WholeBiuretLight purpleProtein present Conclusion If there were to be a fair amount of monosaccharides to be present all 3 different types of milk, then we would surely see a brick-red precipitate formed when adding the Benedict’s reagent. But according to my range of colour standards from glucose (monosaccharide) concentrations, the lime-green colour given out from each of the 3 milks shows us that it does contain a minor amount of monosaccharides (reducing sugars). Adding a drop of invertase normally should break the glycosidic bonds that are holding the disaccharides together to form monosaccharides. But my results show that it’s a yellowish-green colour instead of a brick-red colour after adding Benedict’s reagent. This shows us that there is hardly any disaccharides present which I thought there would be as lactose, a disaccharide, is mostly present in milks. But this result may have a different view on that. The fact that all 3 milks turned purple after adding Biuret reagent assures us that there is protein present. If there is protein present, that means there is starch present too because starch and proteins are polysaccharides. Evaluation It is noticeable that I haven’t done the test for starch and fats. This is simply due to the fact that I run out of time. Using a 5cm? micro syringe would be more accurate than a pipette. When a precipitate is settled, I could have used a ruler to measure it out (in mm) instead of just using my eyes. Even better, using colorimeter would have provide accurate measurements on the amount of colour present and therefore, give us an indication of how much of the food constituents were present.

Patalogy of the Central Nevrvous System: Multiple Sclerosis Essay

Multiple Sclerosis: Pathology of the Central Nervous System Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that commonly found in individuals between the ages of 20 and 40. While men with MS tend to have a faster progressing disease, women are more likely than men to develop it. MS comes in many forms due to the extent of the damage and the amount of lesions, along with how quickly it progresses. All of this collectively forms the MS community today and has resulted in new test methods and forms of treatment developed to both help relieve the symptoms and slow the progression of the disease. This research paper will go through what causes a person to develop MS, what is going on within the body that causes the symptoms people experience, both the objective and subjective findings of MS, as wells as pharmaceutical and natural treatment options. Pathophysiology Multiple Sclerosis is distinguished as a chronic autoimmune disease that results in the demyelination of the central nervous system. The ultimate problem is that myelin within the central nervous system becomes inflamed and scarred which has massive effects on the individual. Huether and McCance (2012) go into great detail about what Multiple Sclerosis is stating that it is a multifactorial disease, meaning that it results when a person is genetically prone to developing MS and then develops a virus in the nervous system. The demyelination and inflammation of the central nervous system is caused by plasma cells, B-lymphocytes, T-cells and proinflammatory cytokines and causes the scarring and the degeneration of axons, which is unfortunately irreversible. Aside from the central inflammation caused by the disease, there is also injury throughout the CNS that is classified as ... ...ve the symptoms associated with the disease. Other, natural options, for people include dietary changes, daily exercise, massage, and herbal remedies to name a few. There are still unknowns about MS, however, there have been great advancements in the diagnosing and treatment of multiple sclerosis that are helping individuals who have the disease every day. References Alnar, O. (2009). Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis. CNS and Neurological Disorders- Drug Targest, 8 (3), 167-174. Cantorna, M. (2006). Vitamin D and its Role in Immunology: Multiple Sclerosis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology, 92, (1), 60- 64. Huether, S. E., McCance, K. L. (2012). Understanding Pathophysiology. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Inc. Wilson, S., Giddens, J. Health Assessment for Nursing Practice. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Inc.

Creative Thinking and Critical Thinking Essay

Throughout history, people with creative minds have created original ideas which have been useful in the fields of music, art, technology, medicine, and science. Most of these ideas were once branded as impossible and ridiculous, but as of today, their thinkers are considered to as individuals who achieved enormous breakthroughs which helped the world advance (Coon, 2006). Usually, problem-solving is done through mechanical and insightful means which are based on understanding; this kind of problem solving involves either deductive or inductive thinking in order to achieve solutions. Apart from these, problem-solving may also be done logically (based on previous information or rules) or illogically (based on intuition or personal associations and perceptions). However, such is not the way of creative thinking—creative thinking involves all of these different thinking styles, â€Å"plus fluency, flexibility, and originality† (Coon, 2006, p. 360). Fluency can be defined as the number of ideas or suggestions that an individual is able to make for a particular problem. Flexibility, on the other hand can be defined as the number of times an individual shifts from one class or type of possible ideas to another. As for originality, it is pertains to â€Å"how novel or unusual [the] ideas are† (Coon, 2006, p. 360). These can determine an individual’s creativity or his capacity for divergent thinking. Creative thinking or divergent thinking means thinking out of the box and developing possibilities. Usually, people tend to solve problems with tried solutions, but with creative thinking, individuals produce new and different ideas or answers in order to solve problems (Coon, 2006). Creative thinking is often seen in poems, essays, constructed objects, and drawings (Coon, 2006)—however, it can also be seen in everyday life. In fact, creative thinking can come in various forms, one example of creative thinking would be the ever-changing ideas when it comes to the automobile industry. Manufacturers are always developing new features and improving them based on the old ideas, thus, achieving innovation (Harris, 1998). Another example of creative thinking could involve combining two different ideas in order to come up with a new one which is more effective than the separate ideas, like introducing a dinner theater. Since a lot of people usually go on dates by going to dinner, then watching a film, perhaps, it would be creative to fuse these two concepts together to create a much more efficient one where people can eat dinner and attain entertainment at the same time (Harris, 1998). Critical thinking, on the other hand, is an entirely different concept from creative thinking. According to Austin Cline (2010), critical thinking involves developing a form of intellectual and emotional distance between one’s self and one’s ideas in order to be able to evaluate the validity, reasonableness, and truth of such ideas. If an individual engages in critical thinking, he should develop rational and reliable evaluations as to what is rational and logical. This simply means that if one engages in critical thinking, one must value skepticism, and engage in a search for the appropriate solution to problems. Critical thinking also involves open-mindedness, differentiating emotion from reason, arguing with the use of knowledge, being skeptical about probabilities, avoiding linguistic misunderstandings, avoid common fallacies, and most important, avoiding the temptation to jump to conclusions. An example of critical thinking would be carefully assessing situations in order to find the appropriate actions required; a critical thinker, if perhaps stuck in a situation wherein he is faced with numerous tasks at work, plus the obligation to attend his child’s softball game, would carefully evaluate the tasks at hand, produce a schedule by prioritizing and weighing risks and advantages in order to achieve all goals (Jackson, Ignatavivius, Case, ). Another example would be if an individual is part of a jury, and is listening to the witnesses and the defendant’s accounts of a murder; if the individual engages in critical thinking, then it follows that he should not readily believe either accounts just by taking their word for it. Perhaps the lawyer might call a witness which happens to be the child of the murdered person, and if the individual engages in critical thinking, he must not be swayed by the emotions which are shown by those in the stand, and should be critical in analyzing the facts which are presented in the case. Creative and Critical Thinking Using a Common Example Take for example the phrase speed kills; a lot of people have a general idea about this phrase, that which consists of the fact that it is related to motorists, stating that if they over-speed, they could get into an accident and be killed. If one is to use creative thinking in this particular phrase, the result would often involve creating new means to improve the campaign against over-speeding. Creative thinkers are often finding new means to look at things, as well as different means to present such things; therefore, these ideas would then be utilized into the development of a new, effective means to strengthen the campaign against over-speeding. Since creative thinking is all about finding new and different ideas in order to find solutions for different problems,which, in this case, is the supposed problem regarding over-speeding, which, presumably, can kill an individual if he gets in an accident, the creative thinker would perhaps develop innovative means of educating people about this particular statement, such as developing an integration off billboard advertising and traffic warnings. However, if one is to use critical thinking in this phrase, the result would be different. To a critical thinker, it is not possible to just agree with what the phrase implies and just accept it as it is. It is necessary to analyze what it means and analyze as to whether this assumption is valid. A critical thinker would then look into the scientific proof stating that speed, indeed, kills. Apart from this, the critical thinker would look into statistics, and derive from those statistics as to how reliable this particular statement is. While the critical thinker is not aiming to disprove the phrase which states speed kills, what he would be doing involves strengthen it with reliable sources in order to achieve a conclusion that the phrase speed kills is indeed valid and motorists everywhere should heed its implied advice. It is, of course, necessary to state that if the critical thinker does not find the phrase as valid and reliable, the phrase would then be rendered illogical and irrelevant. Summary As seen in the previous discussion, creative and critical thinking differ in many ways. However, while it cannot be denied that both have their differences when it comes to approaching problems, it must be understand that both have their merits and advantages. It is necessary to understand that neither can be considered better when it comes to finding solutions for life’s everyday problems. Instead, an integration of these thinking styles would be far more beneficial, for not all situations call for either creative or critical thinking only. There are those which call for creative thinking, and there are those which call for critical thinking. It is, therefore, necessary to familiarize one’s self with both styles, for being able to adapt one’s thinking style is essential to effective decision-making processes.

Comparison of Conrad’s and Achebe’s Presentation of Africans

Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, both take place in the heart of Africa and center around the idea of colonialism held by the European powers in 19th century. The differences between the two novels are ironically as apparent as â€Å"black† and â€Å"white†. As we begin to think about why Conrad and Achebe have used so different tones on such a similar subject, we feel like we are solving a mystery plot. While reading Heart of Darkness we feel as if we are led through a never ending, dark, damp, gloomy and stinky corridor and the novel ends in an atmosphere which is darker, gloomier and filled with hostile people or maybe creatures. After reading Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, immediately our minds revert to a nearby region in Africa, to Umuofia, and we begin to think whether Nigeria is on the same continent as Congo, and if these dark creatures staring at the boat from the riverbank, are really related to Obierika, or even to the never smiling Okonkwo, who are in our minds sharing palm-wine and breaking kola seeds. Conrad’s and Achebe’s different approach to the themes of â€Å"voice of Africans†, â€Å"presentation of colonizers† and the â€Å"effects of colonialism† distinguish the two works from each other. The voice and presence of Africans differ clearly in two works because Conrad is looking through the perspective of the colonizer and Achebe, from that of the colonized. As stated in the introduction, Conrad has been dreaming of seeing the â€Å"dark continent† since childhood and has managed to go to Congo with the ambition to explore it. Marlow, just like Conrad, has always had the interest in maps and he decides to go to this journey after seeing Congo’s map on a shop window. As Marlow says when he is telling his story, â€Å"It had ceased to be a blank space of delightful mystery- a white patch for a boy to dream gloriously over. It had become a place of darkness,† (p 22) we can realize that the mysterious land he was expecting to see didn’t end up being enjoyable and frightened him. We know that when Conrad first travelled to Congo, he was actually shocked with what he saw; but although he was surprised and horrified, he thought all the savage acts of white men as a part of reality and a necessity to keep this colony functioning. The way he refers to natives as â€Å"black things†, â€Å"criminals† or â€Å"unhappy savages† with no indication of pain in his feelings shows that, as a â€Å"civilized† European who is a stranger to this new land, he convinces himself very easily to the idea that the Africans should be treated as â€Å"savages†. When he sees a young African reclining against a tree with sunken eyes, waiting for his death, it is not his condition that strikes him the most but he is more interested in where he might have found the white thread tied around his neck. Also when he admits to himself that the accountant had â€Å"verily accomplished something difficult† (p 37) by teaching a native woman to do the station tasks, we once again understand that he doesn’t see them as of his equal and in some sense regard them as primitive beings with no intellect. Even if Conrad, as a writer who has become a citizen of Great Britain, one of the leader countries of colonialism, regards all the atrocities in Congo as dark memories, he does not help the African voice to be heard and does not provide any chance for an African to express himself properly, except a native’s words, â€Å"Mistah Kurtz, he dead! † (p 112) On the other hand, Achebe is no stranger to this land. He is in fact one of the dark mysterious figures, watching Marlow's boat, sailing up the river. Naturally he has a very different story to tell. In Heart of Darkness, we are given a surreal view about the Africans. On the contrary, Achebe's success, is presenting them as human beings, with names, no different in characters and in feelings than other people living in any part of the world. Although their customs might sometimes seem inexplicable to us, such as the oracle ordering Ikemefuna to be killed for no reason and villagers following his order, they still carry the same feelings any person would. After Ikemefuna’s death, Okonkwo who has loved him like his own child, cannot taste anything for two days because of his sorrow. Similarly, after Okonkwo is exiled from the clan, Okonkwo’s friends destroy Okonkwo’s barn and hut as part of a tradition with no hatred in their hearts. But later on Obierika, Okonkwo’s best friend who was among those people, questions his friend’s punishment. Even though the Africans presented in Things Fall Apart identify themselves with their culture and have to follow the rules set by their ancestors, they always show the reactions expected from any person. These people share the same concerns, affections and flaws as every â€Å"human being† whereas Conrad, chooses to present them as primitive creatures or rather dark threats. As the boat sails on the river in Heart of Darkness, we are reminded of Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth where in similar dark surroundings, the scientists encounter extinct creatures whereas in Things Fall Apart, we get a chance to observe the richness of the Ibo culture and look at Africans from an objective point of view. The comparison of how the colonizers are presented in two novels portrays clearly the recurring opposition between â€Å"civilization and wilderness†. This time, Conrad, openly displays the sinister intentions of the colonizers, their greed more openly than Achebe. When the reader is told about how experienced agent Kurtz is in collecting ivory, how cruelly the Africans are used as labor force and are forced to work until they become exhausted, wear out and starve to death, it is seen that the so-called â€Å"civilizing† mission of the colonizers is actually destroying the Africans. We understand clearly that the colonizers are after wealth, which in fact does not belong to them. Moreover, in both works, there is the irony about the colonizers, who are supposed to be representing â€Å"civilization† but instead acting way more primitively than the colonized Africans who are considered as â€Å"savages†. In Heart of Darkness, Mr. Kurtz who is admired and even worshipped by the Europeans, is collecting the heads of the natives and performing very brutal actions to acquire his ivory. Company Doctor’s comment stating that any change the men undergo in Congo is internal (p 27), is a foreshadowing to the transition Kurtz goes through in the jungle. â€Å"Wilderness† has changed him; he is no longer a member of a civilized society having lived together with the natives in wilderness. Also, when the Manager claims that Kurtz’s â€Å"methods are unsound† (p 101), we start questioning the accuracy of the Manager’s own methods. The company responsible for extracting ivory is operating under a hierarchy, with many business principles so since Kurtz is a part of this chain, it can be argued that the methods of the colonizers are also as â€Å"unsound† as Kurtz’s. When Marlow agrees with the Manager and says that he sees no method at all in Kurtz’s actions, we can understand how Kurtz, as a colonizer has separated himself from civilized methods. Therefore, there is the contrast in between his reputation as a remarkable agent among colonizers, and his denial to play the game by the rules of a civilized society. On the other hand, the colonizers in Achebe's Things Fall Apart, are given a more humane approach. They, like the natives are described as ordinary people whom you can meet on the street, in your everyday life. Their most apparent feature are their arrogance and in fact their lack of knowledge and understanding. Achebe also emphasizes the irony about Africans turning out to be more civilized than the colonizers in many ways. When there is a confrontation between missionaries and Africans caused by Mr.  Smith, the new intolerant leader of the church, Ajofia’s words, â€Å"We cannot leave the matter in his hands because he does not understand our customs, just as we do not understand his. We say he is foolish because he does not know our ways, and perhaps he says we are foolish because we do not know his,† (p191) show that in fact the villagers are wiser, more mature and more â€Å"civilized† in way of thinking than the colonizers. Africans can accept to be wrong in certain points, whereas the colonizers disregard anything outside their own agenda. Even if Heart of Darkness gives us a better opinion about the cruel and uncivilized characters of the colonizers, Achebe also portrays the destruction of African villages so dramatically that in general, we can say that both works demonstrate the corrupted souls of the colonizers effectively. The destructive effects of colonialism are presented both by Achebe and Conrad, but Conrad does not bring up the criticism of colonizing a country, whereas Achebe underlines its tragic results clearly. At the time Heart of Darkness was published, there were many people in the world who thought that there was nothing wrong with colonialism and in fact it was the right move to take for a powerful country. It was believed by many that the natives were nothing but savages. Therefore, what Conrad says about colonialism, is well ahead of his time, but still the argument of whether he had to go along with the idea of seeing natives as â€Å"dark savages† , is of course questionable. From the beginning of the novel, Conrad shows the suffering caused by colonization through Marlow’s observations. We see natives each having an iron collar on their neck, all connected together by chains, empty paths that were used to belong to villages in which the population had cleared out. All these unpleasant images show the devastating results of colonialism but since Marlow, who experiences these brutalities with his own eyes, does not reach to the conclusion that all these are a result of human greed, it is not possible to say that Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is a direct critique of colonialism. However Achebe, having lived in a colonized country, knows what it feels like to have lived under the command of others. He intentionally emphasizes the presence of a government, besides the church and shows that the white man, does not only want to convert the natives to Christianity or take away their ivory and gold but also wants to rule them. Achebe does not hesitate to show how Okonkwo’s own people, although they might not be from his own clan, have joined the colonizers and are serving them as their messengers. When the messengers tell the villagers that they should pay a fine of two hundred and fifty cowries to release the several arrested men from the clan including Okonkwo, they plan to keep the fifty cowries for themselves and give the rest to the district commissioner who had initially decided on the fine as two hundred cowries. As it is seen, colonialism has not only caused the suffering of many Africans but also it created such a corruption that the people of the same land ended up betraying and fighting against each other. Even if both writers have based their story on the terrible outcomes of colonization, Achebe, as a representative of the African voice emphasizes the moral tragedy that leads to the formation of a chain of never-ending treasons between Africans. Colonization may work for the benefits of the colonizers, but for those who are being colonized, it gives only suffering, death, loss of identities, in short destruction and humiliation. The general attitude displayed by the colonizers, in justifying their actions, is their claims of bringing civilization to savages, faith and order to cannibals, technology or health care to the poor or ignorant. The fact that Heart of Darkness, begins on the river Thames, right in the heart of London, the river described as calm and beautiful, and moves into Congo river, its waters rough, full of dangers, dark, threatening, offering nothing but unexpected and unknown menaces, shows us the exact mentality of the colonizers, as they view Europe and Africa. It is a clear account of how they believe that, their civilization is superior, giving them the right to expand their interests to wherever they see fit. A boat trip on the Congo River, according to them, is a measuring device which will reveal how primitive the Africans are. The further you travel, the degree of primitivism rises. Just as Thames River is the antithesis of Congo River or Africa, with Conrad, Achebe's characters show that the Africans are not subhuman or part of a different species, but are members of the human race with their flaws and virtues. Achebe's last words in Things Fall Apart are â€Å"The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger†, the name of the commissioner’s book, is the very cliche colonial powers live by. It is in fact the most tragic ending to these sad stories of shattered lives, erased cultures and a whole continent torn apart, by colonialism.

Free Essays on Daisy Miller

Daisy Miller Daisy Miller starts out in a hotel in Vevey, Switzerland when a gentleman named Winterbourne meets Daisy, a young, beautiful American girl traveling through Europe. Daisy, her younger brother Randolph and her mother, Mrs. Miller, are traveling all over Europe while her father is home in Schenectady, New York. While Daisy is in Europe, she does not accept European ideas to be her own. Winterbourne, to the contrary, has been living in Europe since he left America when he was younger. Winterbourne takes a strong liking to Daisy even though his aunt, Mrs. Costello, does not approve of him even speaking to Daisy. Winterbourne claims that Daisy is an innocent person, but his aunt believes she is too common and not refined enough for him. Winterbourne and Daisy spend much time together, and even had a date at a close by castle named Chillon. Winterbourne then returns to Geneva where he is studying, but agrees to visit Daisy again that winter in Rome. When winter comes around Winterbourne goes to Rome to visit Daisy. While Winterbourne was away Daisy met a suitor named Mr. Giovanelli. Later, when a mutual friend named Mrs. Walker throws a party, Daisy arrives with Giovanelli. Mrs. Walker does not approve of Daisy being seen in public with all of these men and makes the decision to stop speaking to Daisy. Daisy is not happy about Mrs. Walker snubbing her, but still continues to be with Giovanelli. Daisy continues to be with Giovanelli even while Winterbourne is visiting. Winterbourne inquires as to whether or not Daisy is engaged to Giovanelli which she doesn't answer right away. One night, Winterbourne decides to stop by the colosseum on his way home from a party and he encounters Daisy and Giovanelli. He advises them to leave and he too becomes fed up with Daisy’s behavior. Shortly after, Daisy becomes ill with Roman Fever. When Winterbourne goes to visit Daisy in the hotel, Mrs. Miller gives him a message f... Free Essays on Daisy Miller Free Essays on Daisy Miller Daisy Miller Daisy Miller starts out in a hotel in Vevey, Switzerland when a gentleman named Winterbourne meets Daisy, a young, beautiful American girl traveling through Europe. Daisy, her younger brother Randolph and her mother, Mrs. Miller, are traveling all over Europe while her father is home in Schenectady, New York. While Daisy is in Europe, she does not accept European ideas to be her own. Winterbourne, to the contrary, has been living in Europe since he left America when he was younger. Winterbourne takes a strong liking to Daisy even though his aunt, Mrs. Costello, does not approve of him even speaking to Daisy. Winterbourne claims that Daisy is an innocent person, but his aunt believes she is too common and not refined enough for him. Winterbourne and Daisy spend much time together, and even had a date at a close by castle named Chillon. Winterbourne then returns to Geneva where he is studying, but agrees to visit Daisy again that winter in Rome. When winter comes around Winterbourne goes to Rome to visit Daisy. While Winterbourne was away Daisy met a suitor named Mr. Giovanelli. Later, when a mutual friend named Mrs. Walker throws a party, Daisy arrives with Giovanelli. Mrs. Walker does not approve of Daisy being seen in public with all of these men and makes the decision to stop speaking to Daisy. Daisy is not happy about Mrs. Walker snubbing her, but still continues to be with Giovanelli. Daisy continues to be with Giovanelli even while Winterbourne is visiting. Winterbourne inquires as to whether or not Daisy is engaged to Giovanelli which she doesn't answer right away. One night, Winterbourne decides to stop by the colosseum on his way home from a party and he encounters Daisy and Giovanelli. He advises them to leave and he too becomes fed up with Daisy’s behavior. Shortly after, Daisy becomes ill with Roman Fever. When Winterbourne goes to visit Daisy in the hotel, Mrs. Miller gives him a message f... Free Essays on Daisy Miller While In Switzerland Miss Miller meets a man named Winterbourne. Winterbourne, brought up by a socially elite group is continually warned by his aunt of his newly found friend. Mrs. Costello states, â€Å"They are very common†¦ They are the sorts of Americans that one does one’s duty by-not accepting† (p. 13). Mrs. Costello, Winterbournes aunt does not accept this flirtatious behavior of Miss Miller and actually refuses to meet her. Winterbourne’s views were quite different from his aunt due to his â€Å"old attachment from the little metropolis of Calvinism, he had been put to school there as a boy, and he had afterwards gone to college there-circumstances which had led to his forming a great many youthful friendships. Many of these he kept†(p.2). Winterbourne’s education and his liberal nature allowed him to continue his friendship with Miss Miller, a women of whom he was very attracted to. Although he was quite aware of the standards set in Europe in regard to young men. In Europe it is understood that young men are not at liberty to speak to unmarried women except under rare conditions. Winterbournes values were based on a larger societal perspective due to his continued education and travel. He understood the norms and customs of European’s and there countries and while he followed many of them his ability to see the big picture allowed him to pursue different friendships, his most recent being Miss Miller. While Winterbourne was able to look past the views of many of the citizens of Europe he could not convince his aunt to do the same. Like Mrs. Costello, the Europeans continued to hold their perceptions of Miss Miller and constantly judged her actions. Not realizing her status in Europe she was not invited to many of the events and parties in which the society held. Ultimately creating her own unfavorable perceptions of the countries in Europe. While speaking to Winterbourne she states, â€Å"The only thing that I don’t l...

Definition and Examples of Subjunctive Mood in English

Definition and Examples of Subjunctive Mood in English In English grammar, the subjunctive is the mood of a verb expressing wishes, stipulating demands, or making statements contrary to fact.  Etymologically, the word subjunctive is from the  Latin, subjoin, bind, subordinate.  Pronunciation:  sub-JUNG-tif  mood The present subjunctive is the bare form of a verb (that is, a verb with no ending). It does not show agreement with its subject. (Example: I strongly recommend that he retire.) Two patterns of the present subjunctive are generally recognized: Formulaic SubjunctiveMandative Subjunctive The only distinctive form of the past subjunctive is the word were. It is used with singular subjects in conditional sentences and with the subordinating conjunctions as if and as though. (Example: I love him as if he were my son.) Guidelines for Using the Subjunctive The subjunctive may be used in the following circumstances in formal writing. Contrary-to-fact clauses beginning with if:If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?(Abraham Lincoln)Contrary-to-fact clauses expressing a wish:At that moment, I had the most desperate wish that she were dead.(Harrison Ford as Rusty Sabich in Presumed Innocent, 1990)That clauses after verbs such as ask, demand, insist, propose, request, and suggest:I demand that he leave at once.Statements of necessity:Its necessary that she be in the room with you.Certain fixed expressions:as it were, be that as it may be, far be it from me, heaven forbid, if need be, so be it, suffice it to say Additional Examples and Observations I wouldnt bring up Paris if I were you. Its poor salesmanship.(Humphrey Bogart as Rick in Casablanca, 1942)Even the dog, an animal used to bizarre surroundings, developed a strange, off-register look, as if he were badly printed in overlapping colors.(S.J. Perelman, quoted by Roy Blount, Jr., in Alphabet Juice, 2008)Well sir, all I can say is if I were a bell, Id be ringing!(Frank Loesser, If I Were a Bell. Guys and Dolls, 1950)If music be the food of love, play on.(William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night)The public be damned.(William Henry Vanderbilt, Oct. 8, 1882)If I see one more shirttail flapping while Im captain of this ship, woe betide the sailor; woe betide the OOD; and woe betide the morale officer. I kid you not.(Humphrey Bogart as Lt. Commander Philip Francis Queeg in The Caine Mutiny, 1954)If there were a death penalty for corporations, Enron may have earned it.In the night he awoke and held her tight as though she were all of life and it was being taken away from him.(Robert Jordan in For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, 1940) The Were-Subjunctive (Irrealis Were) Teachers call this by a formidable word, subjunctive, meaning lacking in reality. What it refers to is actually the Fairy Tale Syndrome. If I were a rich man, could be such a mood. It refers to something that is not possible. If the possibility exists, the sentence would read: If I was a rich man. (Val Dumond, Grammar for Grownups. HarperCollins, 1993)Unlike the mandative subjunctive, the were-subjunctive in counterfactual if-clauses is a recessive feature of standard written English. It is not being replaced by a modal but, instead, by indicative was. Would be instead of were in counterfactual if-clauses is still largely confined to informal, spoken English. It is meeting with strong prescriptive reaction, especially in the US. One side-effect of this, so to speak, is hypercorrect use of were in non-counterfactuals. (Geoffrey Leech, Marianne Hundt, Christian Mair, and Nicholas Smith, Change in Contemporary English: A Grammatical Study. Cambridge University Press, 2012) Advice As with the misuse of whom instead of who, . . . using the subjunctive wrongly is worse than not using it all, and will make you look pompous and silly. (David Marsh and Amelia Hodsdon, Guardian Style, 3rd ed. Guardian Books, 2010)The subjunctive mood is in its death throes, and the best thing to do is put it out of its misery as soon as possible. (Somerset Maugham, A Writers Notebook, 1949) The Lighter Side of Subjunctives Detective Sergeant Lewis: All that stonework, must take months to do the pointing.Chief Inspector Morse: Youre not a bloody mason, are you?Detective Sergeant Lewis: No such luck. I might have been a Chief Inspector by now if I was.Chief Inspector Morse: Were, Lewis, if you were. Youll never get on if you cant master your subjunctives. Keep touching your forelock, we may be back in Oxford before lunch.Detective Sergeant Lewis: Shouldnt that be might?(Kevin Whately and John Thaw in Ghost in the Machine. Inspector Morse, 1987)Dancer: [reading a book titled English Grammar and Usage] Julie, you take this whole business about the subjunctive. I dont know.Julian: All right, Dancer, all right. Whats so difficult about the subjunctive?Dancer: Well, you take this, for instance: If I was you. You know? Thats all wrong. It says here, If I were you. How far can you go with this speech stuff?Julian: It sets you up, Dancer. It sets you up. Remember that. How many characters do you know hang around street corners can say, If I were you? How many, huh?Dancer: If I were you. If I were you.(Eli Wallach and Robert Keith in The Lineup, 1958)

Bullfighting in spain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bullfighting in spain - Essay Example Osborne took the challenge and engineered a twenty three foot, nine thousand pound bull. It became an instant landmark. The bull, like many other advertisements around the Spanish country side, where part of an intricate cultural display that attracted foreigners and kept the country’s identity. It was categorized among other cultural phenomenon such as Escorial, the Acueduct, Giralde, and the flamenco show all of which are major tourist attractions in Spain (Garry, 28). Today there are over 90 Osborne bulls around the country serving as land marks and tourist attraction all over the country. During legislative crack down on the relevance of the Osborne bull since it stopped being associated with the distillery anymore, it was revered as not only an advertisement or a tourist attraction, but also a true representation of the Spaniards’ culture of bull fighting. The culture is so wide spread around the country and so deeply embedded within the society that go as far as embossing on clothing, mugs among other decorative objects. Regional mascots can be found around the country giving the sport the recognition and passion it requires. Nevertheless, bullfighting has not been accepted with open arms because it can be seen as animal cruelty since the bull is â€Å"tortured† before it is killed. Animal activists all over the world have come up with reason after reason have the practice banned in Spain. In Catalonia, for instance, they consider this behaviour uncivilized and are more often than not protesting against it at their Spanish Embassy. They posse an ethical challenge insisting that no human with their limit of morality would go through the process of bull fight and come out unscathed (Bradley, 34). Before the bull is put into the ring or corrida it has to undergo cruel three steps, also known as tercio, to ready it for the oncoming spectacle. In the first step,