102 Frankenstein and Evaluations Professor Ramos Blog

102 Frankenstein and Evaluations Monster Theory The Question The question I want to consider now is: What does it mean to be human? Arguably, literary texts in charting human actions and emotions and so on, reflect back at us what makes us who we are? What makes us tick? By looking at the monsters we create, we can learn what is means to be human and/or to be humane. What Makes a Good Professor? Rate My Professor Come up with criteria for a good Professor. Start with the good ones you have had. The bad ones teach us just as much. 3 to 5 Criteria Dont pick just 1 and dont pick 20. It needs to be reasonable. Pick the best one. Grading Structure that makes sense. 4 stars 5 stars A,B,C,D,F 1-3 1-4 1-5 1-10 Doesnt matter. It just needs to make sense to you and your reader. This is easy with professors and restaurants because we do it all the time. Now we will apply these to the monsters we are evaluating. Monster Theory We have been talking about Frankenstein the past few days. Which of the seven monster theories apply to it? Thesis I. The Monster’s Body Is a Cultural Body (4) Thesis II. The Monster Always Escapes (4) Thesis III. The Monster Is the Harbinger of Category Crisis (6) Thesis IV. The Monster Dwells at the Gates of Difference (7) Thesis V. The Monster Polices the Borders of the Possible (12) Thesis VI. Fear of the Monster Is Really a Kind of Desire (16) Thesis VII. The Monster Stands at the Threshold . . . of Becoming (20) Monster Theory Class Notes

Top SAT Test Day Tips

Top SAT Test Day Tips SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips For many students, the SAT represents the most nerve-racking day of their young lives. Fortunately, this short list of tips covers everything you’ll need to do to get in and out and score your highest. Some readers may be excited to know, however, that once test day is over, you pretty much never think about it again. So the goal is to get in and out with as little stress as possible, in order to give your brain the chance to work its magic on those little bubbles. Bring These Things...Or Else! In order to get into your seat, you’ll need your Admission Ticket (printable from the College Board website once you register and pay) and a photo ID. In order to take the test, you’ll need to bring your own #2 pencils and an SAT-approved calculator. Be on Time or a Little Early (But Only a Little) The test starts at 8 a.m., so be there at 8 a.m. or a bit earlier. If the test center is your high school and you go there every day, you know exactly how long it’s going to take to get there and when to set your alarm. If you’ve never been to the test center, you might want to give yourself a 15-minute cushion on top of your estimate of the travel time. Here in Boston and other high-traffic places, depending on how far you have to go, you might want an even larger cushion. You don’t want to be late, of course, but if you get there at 8:05, they’ll probably let you take the test. Being an hour early, on the other hand, cuts into your extremely valuable sleep time- and can result in you sitting in the car for 45 minutes working yourself into a nervous frenzy. Keep Yourself Comfortable Each person has his or her own little things that create individual comfort. Some students can’t think straight if they’re hungry, while others might not be able to concentrate if their underwear doesn’t fit right or their socks are itchy. You know what makes you comfortable (and uncomfortable), so plan ahead! Some things that typically affect students’ test-taking comfort are: Height and size of desk: you may have no choice in the matter, but if there are more than one kind of desk in the room, try to grab one that looks the most comfortable for you. Keep in mind that some desk-and-chair combinations are for left-handed people, with support for your writing arm only on the left. Righties, beware! Clothes: you probably already know to dress in layers to be able to adjust to the temperature in the room. But you might not be thinking about other things: how those boots you like so much hurt your feet when you’re sitting down for too long, for instance, or how your jeans fit when you’re hunched over a desk. It’s not fun for anyone to sit in one place for four hours, much less in the wrong clothes. Don’t bother trying to look cute if it compromises your comfort. In five years, when you’re graduating from college on the Dean’s List with a great job waiting for you, nobody’s going to know or care what you wore to the SAT. Time: Some of us really, really like to know what time it is during tests. There will most likely be a working clock in the room where you’re testing, but it never hurts to have a backup. If you like to keep an eye on the time, bring a watch (phones aren’t allowed to be turned on). Food Water: You get two breaks during the test, and most people use this to get a snack. Your brain uses about 20% of the energy your body creates, so it’s important to make sure that energy keeps flowing through the whole test. Especially if you’ve been drinking coffee, make sure to get a little water during the break. The only thing not to do, besides starve, is bring a snack made entirely of sugar and refined carbohydrates (say, a doughnut or a chocolate chip muffin) because the energy those provide is short-term, followed by a crash. If you eat some protein or complex carbohydrates in your snack, you’re much more likely to get sustained, consistent energy for the whole test. Most Importantly: Trust Yourself The nature of a huge test like the SAT is that it makes you nervous, unsure of yourself, and inevitably worried about failure. But excessive worrying is counterproductive- it makes your reasoning shaky and messes with the calm that is crucial to acing the SAT. The best way to avoid excessive worry on test day? Prepare thoroughly and trust yourself. If you’re interested, check out our article on Mindfulness and the SAT. The human mind is an amazing, powerful tool, and you’ve got your very own brain with only 16 or 17 years on it. Train it to jump through the SAT hoops with solid SAT prep (PrepScholar, for example), and on test day just relax and let it do its thing. If you’re interested, below are some resources that elaborate on this post, and to keep up with our blog, hit us with your email address at right- we’d love to have you.

Cultural bias in the assessment of english language learner students Essay

Cultural bias in the assessment of english language learner students - Essay Example English language countries have many rich cultural traditions and features that must be reflected in the assessment of English language learner students and other parts of the learning process. It is also pay attention to the students of different cultures who study English as the second foreign language and their possibilities to understand English through its culture expressed in the language and to compare their native cultures with the English one. It helps to make the learning interesting that improves the results of English language learner students' assessment. 2. It is better to consider the role of culture in English teaching and learning on the examples of some concrete countries cultures of which differ from that of English. The examples of Russia and Japan show considerable features in English language learning and teaching. "Native speaking English language teachers are very much needed in Russia and in most cases they are met with traditional Russian hospitality, get a decent pay according to Russian standards and receive good evaluations and references" (Millrood). Cultural features of Russia influence the teaching process and assessment. English lesson in Russia has some features. "A lesson usually has three-stages, including homework check up, presentation of the new material and reinforcement of the new material" (Millrood). ... "In pairs and small groups learners need a very detailed description of what they are supposed to do, otherwise tending to work individually and/or waiting to be asked by the teacher and to give the prepared answer" (Millrood). In pair and group activities in Russia learners must follow the teacher's instructions, and their assessment directly depends on task performance accuracy according to it. "Whole-language approach is not universally supported. A good lesson is considered to be competence-building. In every lesson, the teacher is expected to organise balanced activities in learning lexis and grammar, as well as in speaking, listening and reading" (Millrood). The learners' assessment is tightly connected with their skills of taking part in these balanced activities. In Russia "a lesson is usually result-oriented and it is the result, which is considered primary, not the activity, which may be very motivating and activating the learners" (Millrood). So, good assessment and a posi tive result are the main orients of the English language lesson in Russia. "At the end of the lesson, each learner usually gets a mark on a five-point scale with a detailed comment from the teacher" (Millrood). This kind of assessment of a five-point scale form doesn't reflect the whole depth of learner's knowledge and cannot be considered as the objective assessment of learning results. In Russian schools "a lesson is usually declared as communicative though in reality, teachers and learners spend a lot of time dealing with grammar structures, bilingual exercises and text understanding" (Millrood). Because of that the learners' assessment is often

Historic accuracy of the movie 300 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Historic accuracy of the movie 300 - Essay Example The third correct historical accurate aspect of the movie concerns the words Spartan mothers tell their sons as they go to war: â€Å"Come back carrying your shield, or being carried upon it.† In the movie, Spartan Queen Gorgo {played by Lena Headey} says these words to her husband King Leonidas {played by Gerard Butler} as he prepares to lead his 300 Spartans to war against the Persians (Borza) The first historical inaccuracy in the movie concerns the size of the Persian army lined up against the Spartans in the epic battle of Thermopylae. The movie trailer mentions: â€Å"They {the Spartans} were 300 men against a Million.† The movie relies on the classical historian Herodotus, who estimated the Persian army at 1,700,000 soldiers collected from 46 nations. However, keeping in mind the population structure of the Achaemenid Persian Empire of that era, modern European scholars like Ernst Obst, William Woodthorpe Tarn and Robert von Fischer are in total agreement that the acceptable number was between 100,000 to 200,000. Even if 1,700,000 troops were somehow collected, it would be a monumentally huge logistical miracle to coordinate, put into position and effectively control the massive number of troops from so many nations given that computers and communication technology did not exist at that time. Secondly, if a 1,700,000 strong army had traveled the long distance from Asia to Greece in the absence of the railway and telegraph, the prevalent logistics and supply would be unable to provide sustenance for them (Farrokh). The second historical inaccuracy relates to weapons and armory. Firstly, the swords of both Greeks and Persians are depicted as traditional in size. In historical records, the Persian swords during that time were shorter and resembled daggers, while the swords of the Greeks were longer than traditional swords. The short size of

Development or environmental injustice Essay Example for Free

Development or environmental injustice Essay What does it really take to experience development? What are the defining criteria for development? Is development quantitatively measured or qualitatively evaluated? What are the key indicators of a developing or developed country? The answers depend on the person’s priority and preference. The expansion of metropolitan areas has been referred to as urban development by those who are after the material indicators of development- high rise buildings, wider highways, more cars and more parks. For those who are concerned with the long-term environmental and health effects of urbanization, they call it urban sprawl. For the purpose of having a common point of reference, let me use 1Dr. Howard Frumkin’s definition of urban sprawl: â€Å"the complex pattern of land use, transportation and social and economic development. † This complex pattern requires the extension of urban areas to rural areas, and thus converting the latter to urbanized locality. Urbanization implies vast forest and agricultural lands to be converted to different land uses. Sad to say, the list includes recreational facilities and parks which, for investment and environmental considerations are to be of least priority. Extensive roads construction which provides spaces for suburban dwellers to drive a car just to buy a pack of cigarette in the next block, is not suppose to be of immediate consideration. Besides this qualitative indicators of poor urban sprawl considerations, there are environmental threats of urban sprawl that are needed to be evaluated and be given high priority by the development advocates, as it concerns life of the present and future generations. 2â€Å"Automobile has been a prerequisite to urban sprawl. † (J. E. Anderson) The most adverse effect of heavy reliance to automobiles is obviously air pollution. In the United States, 3about 25% of all trips are shorter than one mile of these, 75% are by car. Another related 4study revealed that only 1% of trips in the US are on bicycle and 9% by foot. Do these figures present impressive urban development rates for the US? I am afraid not because the Netherlands has 30% accounting for transportation on bicycle. These facts rather provide proofs that vehicles are the leading source of air pollution. Despite modern environmental standards, urban air quality remains to be greatly affected by the emission of air pollutants from transport. In the 5US alone, 30% of nitrogen oxide and 30% of hydrocarbon emissions are brought about by mobile sources. In addition, 5carbon dioxide emission, which is the end product of burning fuel such as gas, accounts for 80% emissions. Carbon dioxide is the major greenhouse gas, with global warming potential. Needless to explain, development should no be measured quantitatively, that is by the number of cars that are going to and fro the streets of the cities. Rather, development should be measured qualitatively, that how much does it contribute to the quality of life the residents are to experience when programs relative to urban sprawl are push through. Housing development is a part of urban sprawl, which requires forest fragmentation. 6Chet Arnold of the Center for Land-use and Research at the University of Connecticut said forest fragmentation occurs when â€Å"large, continuous forests are divided into smaller blocks, either by roads, clearing for agriculture, urbanization, or other human development. † This means that housing development requires animal populations in the cleared forests to be thrown out of their natural habitats. Destruction of natural habitats accounts for great loss of biodiversity, which results to ecological imbalance. I agree that man deserve to have decent life and part of it is having a more comfortable living. But humans are not the only residents of the earth. We also have to take into consideration the floras and faunas as part of biodiversity. Let us remember that earth creatures are dependent on each other. Humans, being given the capacity to think and understand over the lower forms of life should see things beyond material and short-term comforts that development brings. Urban sprawl in this context alone is clearly an environmental injustice. Water resources are not exempted from the list of natural resources that are directly affected by urban sprawl. As requisite of urban sprawl deforestation brings forth water pollution. This is besides the effects of pollutants that directly come from factories, sewage treatment plants and local wastes, which are typical to urbanized cities. Rainwater that runs through the deforested lands are not effectively absorbed and thus flows downstream. This process results to lesser groundwater recharge, then water supply shortage follows. Added to the list of negative effects of urban sprawl to natural resources are noise pollution, the heat island effect, soil erosion and the declining fertility rates of soils. The main point of all these is that urban sprawl is the root of many environmental injustices. Air pollution, deforestation, water pollution, soil degradation and the destruction of biodiversity are results of a chain reaction from a single step to what others refer to as urban development. What humans failed to do and still refuse to consider is the future. Development projects, of which urban sprawl is a major player, are focused on comforts and pleasures of today and shortly after tomorrow. The next generation should be taken into serious consideration. There are things that still can be undone, but there are things that cannot. Natural resources that were destroyed can still be replaced, but it takes a century to bring them back to where they used to be. By itself, there’s nothing wrong with development. What makes it undesirable is its planner to consider the future. REFERENCES 1. Frumkin, Howard. Urban Sprawl and Public Health. Public Health Reports. May-June 2002 issue. Volume 117. page 201 2. Anderson, J. Edward. Personal Rapid Transit and Urban Development. Retrieved from http://faculty. washington. edu/jbs/itrans/sprawl. htm on December 19, 2006 3. Koplan, JP, Dietz. Caloric Imbalance and Public Health Policy. JAMA 1999. 282. pages 1579-81 4. Pucher, J. Bicycling Boom in Germany: A Revival Engineered by Public Policy. Transportation Q 1997:51. pages 31-46 5. US Environmental Agency. National Emission Inventory. Air Pollutant Emission Trends. Current Emission Trend Summaries. Retrieved from http://www. epa. gov/ttn/chief/trends/index. html on December 19, 2006 6. NASA. Urban Sprawl: The Big Picture. Retrieved from http://science. nasa. gov/headlines/y2002/11oct_sprawl. htm on December 19, 2006

Nightjohn And Number The Stars :: essays research papers

In Nightjohn there were a number of facts, details and incidents that contribute to the historical accuracy of the book. I have outlined some of the more specific examples as follows:There was a man who risked his life for the sake of teaching the other children in the surrounding plantations how to read and write. The owner of the plantation whipped his slaves for moving too slow and did go out with dogs and two field hands after any of the slaves if they decide to run. He brings two field hands with him so they can see what happens and retell the story back at the quarters. He does this basically so everyone will be horrified and won't decide to escape.Reading and writing was strictly forbidden because the owner wanted to keep them ignorant so they wouldn't rebel against him.Once a female got her "troubles" [menstrual cycle] they would be sent off to the breeding sheds to reproduce.The "mammy" took care of all the young ones until they were old enough to go out and work in the fields.The slaves were forced to eat from a trough like animals. The mammy would pray with her head inside a kettle so that the owners would not hear her pray. Praying, too, was strictly forbidden. Number the Stars contains even more facts, details and incidents that contribute to the historical accuracy of the book. They are outlined below:King Christian X was a King during the time of war in Denmark. He also surrendered to the Germans in 1940 because of the fact that "the country was small and undefended, with no army of any size." (Lowry 134). "It is true that he (King Christian) rode alone on his horse from the palace every morning, unguarded, and greeted his people." (Lowry 134). The German soldiers occupied Denmark for five years. The Germans controlled the rail system, hospitals, schools, government, and even the newspapers.The story about the soldier who saw King Christian ride by on his horse one morning and asked a boy "Where is his body guard?" to which the boy replied "All of Denmark is his bodyguard", is in fact, true. On August 1943, the Danes did sink their entire navy in Copenhagen harbor before the Germans came to take the ships for their own use. Also in 1943, anyone who gathered to worship at the synagogue, were warned by the rabbi that they were going to be taken and "relocated" by the Germans.

Organizational Impact Essay

Innovation, design, and creativity are important parts of any organization that strives to be a market leader within a given industry. Organizations typically belong to one sector of industry, either service or manufacturer. A company from each sector, Nissan Motors for manufacturing and Verizon Wireless for service are the organizations chosen for evaluation. Nissan Nissan Motors has proven to be a leader in the automobile industry in innovation. When the price of gas increased significantly in 2006, Nissan changed their strategy to include the electric car. With the Toyota Prius already available, Nissan wanted to be the first with a 100% electric car. Recognizing a new market never comes easy for any organization and the impact to the organization can be significant, Nissan took a big risk. Although Nissan began developing an electric car in 1997, the uses for this type of car were not for the public. Initially government agencies and businesses used these cars as fleet cars. With need for alternative fuel sources and public interest, Nissan refocused energy back into the electric car it had originally developed, the Nissan Versa in 2009, renaming the car Nissan Leaf in 2010 (â€Å"Nissan Motor Company,† n. d. ). Nissan showed its innovation and creativity with the introduction of the first environmentally friendly car that requires no gasoline. The designers for Nissan gave the vehicle a look that is attractive to the buyer and will set the stage for how electric cars will look in coming years as these types of vehicles continue to be the new trend (â€Å"Nissan Motor Company,† n. d. ). For the first two years after launching the first affordable, mass market electric car, the Nissan Leaf struggled in sales. Nissan began an aggressive marketing strategy and creating strategic partnerships the Nissan Leaf finally reached growth stage. With the organization’s aggressive marketing push, advertisements gave consumers clear messages on how environmentally friendly this new type of vehicle is, how it saves money on the purchase of gas, and that the price tag makes it affordable to most car buyers. In the end, the impact on the strategy of Nissan was minimal other than overcoming the American car buyers’ love for the gas powered engine. Nissan believes in turning what ifs into what is, and with the Nissan Leaf they have brought the innovation of the electric car to reality. Verizon Wireless Verizon wireless formed in 2000 with the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE (â€Å"Verizon Corporate History,† 2013). Once complete, the merger created the nation’s largest wireless cell phone service company. In 1992 there was the introduction of the first smart phone. This phone called Simon was capable of much more than making phone calls but there was no network available that was capable of handling the data it could send. This innovation laid the ground work for Verizon’s 4G LTE network. Over the next two decades, mobile network technology grew and in 2010 Verizon Wireless revolutionized lives throughout the United States with LTE technology. Today, Verizon is the largest, most reliable 4G LTE network (â€Å"Verizon Corporate History,† 2013). The organization delivers the most advanced wireless technology available. Through innovation, Verizon Wireless 4G LTE can provide services in the fields of transportation, health care, small businesses, and education. With the advanced technology Verizon Wireless provides its customers, street vendors can make payment transactions and EMS personnel can improve on response times and patient care. Verizon Wireless is no longer just a cell phone provider. However, the innovation of this technology over the years has forced Verizon to change its strategy several times to remain the best in the industry. The impact on Verizon’s strategy was a $66 billion dollar investment in their technology and infrastructure (â€Å"Verizon Corporate History,† 2013). Although the policies of Verizon did not change, the marketing of what services they could provide had to. Conclusion Innovation, design, and creativity impact organizations in different ways. For the Nissan Company the impact was minimal because the organization already had a design, prototype, and the infrastructure to make the product. This product affected the marketing strategy the most because the vehicle needed aggressive measures to get the car selling. As technology continues to evolve rapidly there will still be some changes made to the electric car in the years to come. The impact on Verizon was more significant because the organization’s technology needed further development to accommodate manufacturers of cell phones such as the Apple I-phone and the Android. Verizon needed innovation, design, and creativity to develop not only the technology but also the service plans as well. In today’s business environment, organizations, whether they are manufacturers or service-based must be ready to change strategies and evaluate the impact on the organization’s business constantly.

Isolation of Vibrations Caused By Human Sources Essay

There are many different forms of vibrations that occur on account of human interactions and human involvement. In theory, these vibrations could cause a lot of problems for those who are trying to manage their buildings and structures. There are many different types of vibrations that can be caused by humans. These types of vibrations can include vibrations from trains, cars, airplanes, people who are outside of the structure, and the vibrations caused by small equipment. There are many different things that are done to structures in order to improve their ability to be able to handle the vibrations that are available for both inside the structure as well as what are available when building the structure. These precautions can help the building to be able to withstand the vibrations without causing structural damage or problems. The objectives will be to look at the overall importance of structures being able to withstand vibrations as well as the general knowledge that is needed in order to ensure that the vibrations do not cause structural damage in any form. Through Chapter 2 a literature review this report will look at the various reports and information that are available about vibrations and the various types of vibrations. The report will also look at the different types of problems that could occur within the structure as a result of the vibrations. The various types of precautions that are used to reduce the likelihood of structural damage from vibrations will also be looked at. As will the information that is new and shows the new research and technology that is available. This will all be done through a thorough review of the literature that has been written about the subject. In Chapter 3 the theory being discussed is the idea that structures are subject to a variety of vibrations at all times on account of human interaction with the structures. The theory is that there needs to be precautionary measures taken in order for the structures to be able to withstand the vibrations and therefore not have any structural damage as a result. These types of precautions can include both structural improvements within the structure as well as protecting certain parts of the structure. There are many different types of precautions that can be made and all of them have their own ways of protection for the structure from the dangerous vibrations. However there are many new things being developed through technology that could vastly improve the structure’s chances of withstanding the harmful vibrations. In Chapter 4 a lot of research will go into this report on how these improvements which will be discussed through the previous chapters can truly be the most affective. Analytical analysis of the problems as the solutions as well as the benefits of new technology will be discussed. Both the positive and negative aspects of said reports will be looked at and in the end the structures involved will be able to have the best structural chances possible at this time. These conclusions will be brought forth by information that has been researched and reviewed and through the process of analytical thinking to come up with ways that there can be improvements as well as things that should be continued or discontinued based on their probability of working. Through Chapter 5 it will be noted as to how the conclusions were made in Chapter 4. It will discuss the ideas, thoughts and theories behind the analytical conclusions and how these things were processed. This section will discuss the key points and the validity of the conclusions that were discussed in the previous chapter as well as how these things can be beneficial in being able to make further structural improvements. In Chapter 6 there will be a summary of the information included in the paper. There will also be conclusions that were obtained through the research as well as the information that will help to improve the structural components in being able to identify and withstand varying levels of vibrations. The main purpose of this report will be able to offer information that can be used in order to be able to better manage the overall design concepts and challenges in relations to being able to assist in having structures that can better withstand varying levels of vibrations.

Free Essays on Linear Perspective

Use of perspective in art finds its root in one man, Filippo Brunelleschi. Although we don’t know for sure, it is likely that Brunelleschi also invented linear, or scientific perspective. Donatello’s â€Å"The Feast of Herod† is the earliest surviving example of scientific perspective, which is established through the use of a â€Å"vanishing point†, an imaginary single point on the page in which all the parallel lines meet. Donatello’s Feast of Herod was a groundbreaking work by that day’s standards, and a complete failure in the fulfillment of compositional requirements of traditional classical or medieval standards. The focal point of the piece, the presentation of St. John’s head to Herod, is in the far left corner, and the crowd watching is clustered into the right corner. Upon examination of the action, however, Donatello’s intention is clear; by placing the people in this way, the gesture and emotion of the scene is more implicit and effective. It is also more clearly established that the scene does not end at the focal point, it in fact continues off into every direction, an impression more clearly made with his use of scientific perspective. This â€Å"window† view into the scene was a radical step, and would influence how the picture plane was to be seen from that point on. Equally powerful is the vast expanse of the almost surreal background. The spatial clarity, established by the use of mathematically precise perspective, is the influence of Brunelleschi. To me, art has never been about expressing oneself or conveying a message to others, but simply creating an image for the sake of beauty and perfection. The Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio is Baroque art style. It is a painting depicting the climactic moment of Matthew’s calling. Caravaggio deftly portrays the psychological action and reactions of the moment. We see Jesus pointing to the tax collector Matthew, who gestures with disbelief toward himse... Free Essays on Linear Perspective Free Essays on Linear Perspective Use of perspective in art finds its root in one man, Filippo Brunelleschi. Although we don’t know for sure, it is likely that Brunelleschi also invented linear, or scientific perspective. Donatello’s â€Å"The Feast of Herod† is the earliest surviving example of scientific perspective, which is established through the use of a â€Å"vanishing point†, an imaginary single point on the page in which all the parallel lines meet. Donatello’s Feast of Herod was a groundbreaking work by that day’s standards, and a complete failure in the fulfillment of compositional requirements of traditional classical or medieval standards. The focal point of the piece, the presentation of St. John’s head to Herod, is in the far left corner, and the crowd watching is clustered into the right corner. Upon examination of the action, however, Donatello’s intention is clear; by placing the people in this way, the gesture and emotion of the scene is more implicit and effective. It is also more clearly established that the scene does not end at the focal point, it in fact continues off into every direction, an impression more clearly made with his use of scientific perspective. This â€Å"window† view into the scene was a radical step, and would influence how the picture plane was to be seen from that point on. Equally powerful is the vast expanse of the almost surreal background. The spatial clarity, established by the use of mathematically precise perspective, is the influence of Brunelleschi. To me, art has never been about expressing oneself or conveying a message to others, but simply creating an image for the sake of beauty and perfection. The Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio is Baroque art style. It is a painting depicting the climactic moment of Matthew’s calling. Caravaggio deftly portrays the psychological action and reactions of the moment. We see Jesus pointing to the tax collector Matthew, who gestures with disbelief toward himse...

Definition and Examples of Language Change

Definition and Examples of Language Change Language change is the phenomenon by which permanent alterations are made in the features and the use of a language over time. All natural languages change, and language change affects all areas of language use. Types of language change include sound changes, lexical changes, semantic changes, and syntactic changes. The branch of linguistics that is expressly concerned with changes in a language (or in languages) over time is historical linguistics (also known as diachronic linguistics). Examples and Observations For centuries people have speculated about the causes of language change. The problem is not one of thinking up possible causes, but of deciding which to take seriously...Even when we have eliminated the lunatic fringe theories, we are left with an enormous number of possible causes to take into consideration. Part of the problem is that there are several different causative factors at work, not only in language as a whole but also in any one change...We can begin by dividing proposed causes of change into two broad categories. On the one hand, there are external sociolinguistic factors - that is, social factors outside the language system. On the other hand, there are internal psycholinguistic ones - that is, linguistic and psychological factors which reside in the structure of the language and the minds of the speakers.(Jean Aitchison, Language Change: Progress or Decay? 3rd ed. Cambridge University Press, 2001)Words on the Way OutAmidst and amongst are all rather formal, almost affected, now, and are more usually encountered in high-brow writing, less usually in speech. This suggests that these forms are on the way out. They will probably bite the dust, just as betwixt and erst have done...(Kate Burridge, Gift of the Gob: Morsels of English Language History. HarperCollins Australia, 2011) Anthropological Perspective on Language ChangeThere are many factors influencing the rate at which language changes, including the attitudes of the speakers toward borrowing and change. When most members of a speech community value novelty, for example, their language will change more quickly. When most members of a speech community value stability, then their language will change more slowly. When a particular pronunciation or word or grammatical form or turn of phrase is regarded as more desirable, or marks its users as more important or powerful, then it will be adopted and imitated more rapidly than otherwise...The important thing to remember about change is that, as long as people are using a language, that language will undergo some change.(Harriet Joseph Ottenheimer, The Anthropology of Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology, 2nd ed. Wadsworth, 2009)AÂ  Prescriptivist Perspective on Language ChangeI see no absolute Necessity why any Language would be perpetually changing.(Jonathan Swift, Proposal for Correcting, Improving, and Ascertaining the English Tongue, 1712) Sporadic and Systematic Changes in LanguageChanges in language may be systematic or sporadic. The addition of a vocabulary item to name a new product, for example, is a sporadic change that has little impact on the rest of the lexicon. Even some phonological changes are sporadic. For instance, many speakers of English pronounce the word catch to rhyme with wretch rather than hatch...Systematic changes, as the term suggests, affect an entire system or subsystem of the language... A conditioned systematic change is brought about by context or environment, whether linguistic or extralinguistic. For many speakers of English, the short e vowel (as in bet) has, in some words, been replaced by a short i vowel (as in bit), For these speakers, pin and pen, him and hem are homophones (words pronounced the same). This change is conditioned because it occurs only in the context of a following m or n; pig and peg, hill and hell, middle and meddle are not pronounced alike for these speakers.(C.M. Millward, A Biography of the English Language, 2nd ed. Harcourt Brace, 1996) The Wave Model of Language Change[T]he distribution of regional language features may be viewed as the result of language change through geographical space over time. A change is initiated at one locale at a given point in time and spreads outward from that point in progressive stages so that earlier changes reach the outlying areas later. This model of language change is referred to as the wave model ...(Walt Wolfram and Natalie Schilling-Estes, American English: Dialects and Variation. Blackwell, 1998)Geoffrey Chaucer on Changes in the Forme of SpeecheYe knowe ek that in forme of speeche is chaungeWithinne a thousand yeer, and wordes thoThat hadden pris, now wonder nyce and straungeUs thinketh hem, and yet thei spake hem so,And spedde as wel in love as men now do;Ek for to wynnen love in sondry ages,In sondry londes, sondry ben usages.[You know also that in (the) form of speech (there) is changeWithin a thousand years, and words thenThat had value, now wonderfully curious and stran ge(To) us they seem, and yet they spoke them so,And succeeded as well in love as men now do;Also to win love in sundry ages,In sundry lands, (there) are many usages.](Geoffrey Chaucer, Troilus and Criseyde, late 14th century. Translation by Roger Lass in Phonology and Morphology. A History of the English Language, edited by Richard M. Hogg and David Denison. Cambridge University Press, 2008)

The Dew Breaker Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Dew Breaker - Assignment Example nt is a building block, ever so delicately placed, that Danticat employed in order to give a hint as to his fathers own relationship with his memories, his past deeds, and his life in general. His fascination with mummies and the past, that they last for thousands of years, reflects his own fascination with his own past, and the dark secrets that lay there. His dark secrets, Danticat wanted to hint at, likewise has the ability to last for thousands of years, haunting his father even as he tries to live a new and placid life in America with his daughter. That anecdote on the grieving practices of the ancient Egyptians is a hint on top of other hints, much like the title of the book is a hint of what his father was in a past life, a torturer and a prison guard of proven cruelty (Danticat; Corbett). We get a sense that this is so, that the mummies are really representative of artifacts of guilt and shame, and in some ways of the actual terror and cruelty that his father, as a â€Å"dew breaker†, inflicted on many people during his watch as prison guard. There is a sense in some analyses of the novel, for instance, that point to this way that Danticat portrays the guilt and the terror that people, both victims and perpetrators, feel all the way to the present, even though they try so hard to live new lives and to escape from their past. This paper asserts that the fascination with the grieving process,and the reference to mummies living on for thousands of years, is in fact a symbolic representation of how, for the torturers like his father,and for the victims of that torture, there is no escaping the past, because the past lives on, like mummies which will not disintegrate and be completely forgotten. This paper asserts that this is a valid point to make. As far as victi ms go, for instance, there is the story that seems to mirror the fathers fascination with the past, and with it an unseen bag of bones, so to speak, that hides in the fathers psyche, a bag of bones