Tuesday, November 26, 2019

WhatisADD essays

WhatisADD essays What exactly is ADD? This is a question that has remained unanswered for a very long time. ADD, also known as attention deficit disorder, has to do with the brain. This disorder was at one time thought to be related to brain damage. Nowadays however, it is actually quite common. It is reported that about 40 percent of the student body of an average school is ADD. Scientists think that this is at least one student per classroom in a ADD has really been recognized over the past twenty years. This is when most of the research about it has been done. When someone has been diagnosed as having ADD it does not mean that they are lazy, stupid, or crazy. It only means that they have a difficult time trying to pay attention to a subject in which they have little or no interest. This is why ADD is usually first noticed in school. Before much research was done, ADD was not even called ADD. It had a different name. It was called Hyperknetics. This was really just a fancy term for saying that a child is easily distracted, and also very hyper. This was back in the days when doctors also thought that Hyperknesis was caused by some sort of brain damage. This was potentially true however; there were a few rare cases in which some brain damage actually occurred in a child. The brain damage only happened naturally, like when the child was being developed. ADD is something that an individual person is born with, and not something that is developed over time. Many Doctors and specialists have discovered over time that there is more than type of ADD. Doctors now recognize three distinct types of ADD, normal ADD, ADHD, and residual ADD. The second, ADHD is normal ADD coupled with a hyperactive tendency. The third type, residual ADD is the type of ADD that most commonly affects older children and adults. Hyperactivity is not usually associated with residual ADD. When it ...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Definition and Examples of Grammatical Concord

Definition and Examples of Grammatical Concord The word concord is derived from the Latin for agreement. When applied to English grammar, the term is defined as the grammatical agreement between two words in a sentence. Some linguists use the terms concord and agreement interchangeably, although traditionally, concord is used in reference to the proper relationship between adjectives and the nouns they modify, while agreement refers to the proper relationship between verbs and their subjects or objects. Mixed concord, also known as discord, is the combination of a singular verb and a plural pronoun. This structure happens when theres a substantial distance between a noun and its modifier and shows up most frequently in informal or spoken language. Discord is motivated when the abstract preference for a phrases meaning to be in agreement outweighs the desire for the formal subject noun phrase to agree. Concord in English vs. Other Languages Concord is relatively limited in modern English.  Noun-pronoun concord calls for agreement between a pronoun and its antecedent in terms of number, person, and gender. Subject-verb concord, as it relates to numbers, is conventionally marked by inflections at the end of a word. In Romance languages such as French and Spanish, modifiers must agree with the nouns they modify in number. In English, however, only this and that change to these and those to signify agreement. In English, nouns do not have an assigned gender. A book that belongs to a boy is his book, while one belonging to a girl would be her book. The gender modifier agrees with the person who owns the book, not the book itself. In Romance languages, nouns are gender-specific. The French word for book, livre, is masculine and therefore, the pronoun that agrees with it- le- is also masculine. A feminine word, such as window (fenà ªtre), would take the feminine pronoun la to be in agreement. Plural nouns, on the other hand, become gender neutral and take the same pronoun of les. Gender-Neutral Pronouns Recently, with growing awareness with regard to LGBTQ equality, there has been a sociolinguistic shift to accommodate those seeking to identify with the use of gender-neutral pronouns. While its or their are becoming common substitutions for his and her, speaking strictly in terms of grammar, they are not in agreement. As a result, a lexicon of new gender-neutral pronouns has been introduced, although it has yet to be universally adopted. He/She: Zie, Sie, Ey, Ve, Tey, EHim/Her: Zim, Sie, Em, Ver, Ter, EmHis/Her: Zir, Hir, Eir, Vis, Tem, EirHis/Hers: Zis, Hirs, Eirs, Vers, Ters, EirsHimself/Herself: Zieself, Hirself, Eirself, Verself, Terself, Emself The Basics of Subject-Verb Concord In subject-verb concord, if the subject of the sentence is singular, the verb must also be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural as well. The window is open.The windows are open. Of course, these are easy examples but where people tend to get confused is when a phrase is containing another noun is inserted between the subject and the modifying verb and that noun has a different numeric value (singular or plural) than the subject noun. In this example, the first sentence is incorrect: The crates in the warehouse is ready to be loaded.The crates in the warehouse are ready to be loaded. While warehouse is singular, it is not the subject of the sentence. The second sentence is correct. The word crates is the subject of the sentence, so must take the plural form of the vowel (in this case, are) to be in agreement. When two singular subjects are linked in a sentence by either/or or neither/nor, correct usage requires the singular verb. Neither Mary or Walter is available at present. What happens when one subject is singular and the other is plural? Agreement depends on the subject placement in the sentence: Either the dog or the cats are in the basement.Either the twins or Mandy is waiting for you now. Two subjects connected by and take a plural verb. Orville and Wilbur are over by the fence.The rooster and the chickens are missing. There are two exceptions to these rules. The first is when a compound subject is connected with and but through popular use is considered a singular subject. While Bacon and eggs is my favorite breakfast is not grammatically correct, bacon and eggs is considered a singular item on the average American breakfast menu. The second exception is when both subjects are the same entity: The author and illustrator of Where the Wild Things Are is Maurice Sendak. Meanwhile, some plural subjects call for singular verbs: Fifty dollars is too much to pay for that dress.Twenty seconds is all you get before I scream. The following all take singular verbs: each, everyone, everybody, anyone, anybody, somebody, nobody, someone, none, and no-one. Each candle is burning.Everyone is having a good time.Nobody is going to mind if you get to the party on time.Someone is likely to know where the house is.None of us is to blame.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Multiculturalism Integrated in Physical Education Essay

Multiculturalism Integrated in Physical Education - Essay Example There are many ways a coach can do to enhance multicultural integration in physical education. For instance, through culturally responsive pedagogy. This is a learning method whereby it educates students socially, emotionally and politically by using cultural suggestions that explains about different styles of diversity, knowledge and attitudes of the student. Indeed, it promotes appropriate and successful learning when teachers do use pedagogy that base on the students strengths. Therefore, it acknowledges the legitimacy of the cultural traditions of different groups, hence a worthy way to be taught in schools. Secondly, coaches can use racial identity during teaching. Moreover, this racial identity theory deals with educating students of their racial being and also other students racial being as well as respecting each others race. Through this a teacher may create a multicultural assignments with instructions that each student must select a background outside their own. In conclusion, for the implementation of multicultural education to be successful, educator must have the knowledge of embracing different beliefs, perceptions and also experiences. The coaches must be able to take in hand issues related to the controversy. For instance, issues like racism, religion intolerance ageism and many

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Number 1A,1948 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Number 1A,1948 - Assignment Example This paper addresses art in the context of what the audience sees in art, the functions of art, and the broader meaning of art. An analysis of the painting named Number 1A, 1948 by Jackson Pollock will be very fundamental. In understanding the functions of art, we ought to analyze the thinking and intentions of the artists at the time of creating the art. We also need to consider the timing and the meaning that the audience derives from the piece of art. Otherwise, the society misunderstands art by taking art out of context. The institutional art concept asserts that an artist has the freedom to make art what they decide it to become since art relates to everything within an artistic context. Arguably, this assertion leads to complexities and uncertainties in defining the meaning and functions of art within the industry and outside the artistic context. For example, artists could not agree on whether the â€Å"drip† paintings by Jackson Pollock (American, 1912-1956) depict real art. Considering that, art has many benefits it worth seeking an understanding on the relationship between art, audience, artists, and they type of art. The meaning of art has evolved with time from the classical meaning, renaissance meaning, post-renaissance meaning, the early 20th century meaning, and postmodernism and the meaning of art. Indeed, the classical definition of art emanated from a Latin word that meant skill or craft, which defined the original meaning of artwork. However, the meaning of art evolved during the renaissance to the post-renaissance period that depicted a separation between fine art and other arts by the end of the 19th century.1 The new meaning of art manifested the moral standards in Europe at the time. The meaning of art during the early 20th century entailed the effects of Cubism that influenced the development of fine art. During this period, Picasso

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Strong and stubborn Maggie Essay Example for Free

Strong and stubborn Maggie Essay After Hobson enters the house Maggie commands him not to be late for dinner. Hobson doesnt like Maggie trying to order him about because she is female, but Maggie doesnt back down. Maggie and Hobson have a battle for dominance because neither one will take orders from the other this shows how strong and stubborn Maggie and her father can be, they have a very similar character but Hobson is sometimes a bit of a snob unlike Maggie. Later on Maggie asks here father how much a week does he give her. Her father answers, Thats neither here nor there. This means it doesnt really matter you still get money, but really they get very little except when they get new cloths every year which Hobson pays ten pounds for each of them which is a lot of money, food and a shelter over their head. Maggie took control of this situation making sure her father would think that he doesnt give them any money which is very wise but also very cunning. Later on in the passage Hobson decides to try and find a wife for Alice and Vicky, but completely excludes Maggie. Even though Maggie is very strong willed and minded this is still very hurtful because she is getting excluded by her own father, this shows how horrible Hobson can be. Even though Maggie is assertive and asks were she comes into this. Hobson is astonished by this and laughs at her, thinking Maggie will never get married. Hobson tells Maggie the brutal truth saying she is a proper old maid, this is saying she is too old to marry. After Mrs. Hepworth enters the shop, she asks who made these boots. Hobson is made a fool when he cant give Mrs. Hepworth a direct answer, but Maggie gives her a direct answer as recognised by Mrs. Hepworth. This shows how Maggie works in logic Mr. Hobson doesnt want to say who because he is proud of how he makes the boots on the premises buy he doesnt make them. Maggie realises how much of a Treasure Willie is, this is the turning point of the play were Maggie thinks of her plan to make a business and move away from her father. Hobson said that Maggie is useful to part with, he recognises her qualities as a business woman but he doesnt treat her with that respect. This shows Maggie is very useful if Hobson can say this because his is a greedy man only looking to make as much money as possible. Maggie tells Willie, Youre a natural born Genius at making boots. Maggie is telling him about how talented he is which shows her nice side but in the same sentence she said Youre a natural fool at all else. Maggie can be nice to him and insult him with no thinking, she doesnt even notice that she insulted him. This may be because she speaks her mind and she just thought it was true. Willies life is ruled by fear because he wont move to a better shoe shop because he fears the fine places, Maggie wants to help him to give him the confidence to be able to go into a better shop, and she is the liberator that wants to help all including her. Willie tells Maggie that she is a wonder in the shop, this may be because Maggie complimented him earlier or he was telling the truth and thinking on the same wavelength as Maggie for a second. As Willie dives to the trap Maggie stops him, this could be symbolic that Maggie is getting him out of Hobsons trap but he is now trapped with Maggie, this is worse because Maggie is a lot cleverer than Hobson and also a lot more demanding. Maggie steps out of the stereotype of women when she asks Willie to marry her. This shows how Maggie is a woman out of her time she is too demanding and cant wait until someone else does it so she has to do it, this shows she is very brave and can do things without thinking of the consequences. Maggie knows this is her last chance to get out because life is so scarce she needs this chance. Willie is worried about what Hobson will say, he is too frightened to hurt someone. This also shows how again he is living in fear, Maggie has brought back the fear because she has put him in an strange situation. Maggie tells him When I make arrangements, my lad, theyre not made for upsetting. This is telling him I wont take no for an answer you are marrying me I have made plans for the future with you and I am going to make them true whatever the cost. This shows hoe determined Maggie can be and also how vicious she can be because she if forcing him to harry her even though he is very reluctant about marrying someone. Later when Ada is mentioned Maggie calls her the sandy haired girl, this could be because sand is easy to find saying she is one of thousands not an individual like Maggie, but straight away Willie said Golden haired is Ada. Gold is a lot less common than sand which makes her to look like an individual and not someone who follows everyone elses tastes. These two comparisons show how they both see this woman Willie sees her in the eyes of a lover but Maggie sees her in the eyes of someone who is maybe jealous at his moment. Maggie later says Ive seen her and I know the breed. The one word that stands out in the sentence is breed, Maggie is comparing Ada to an animal which has with no feelings, this is very cruel and aggressive, this is Maggies aggressive side which is very really seen in the play but when it is seen it is not meant to be liked. Maggie said to Willie its a desperate woman thatll look for protection to the likes of you. This is insulting both Ada and Willie which Maggie found quite easy to do. Maggie is being very cruel to Ada which many people who are watching the play with think is wrong thinking Maggie is a bully like her father. The sympathy for Maggie is shifted to Ada because of Maggie abusive attitude towards her, Maggie doesnt even treat her like a normal human being. Maggie later says shes born to meekness. This is continuing to be abusive to Ada maybe trying to have an argument with her, but Maggie knows that she will walk all over her. Maggie tells Willie that he will be an eighteen shilling bookmaker for the rest of his life, this is to tell him if you marry Ada you will be poor forever but if you marry me I will be able to help you. This is very cunning of Maggie knowing that Willie wants to make the most in his life and he knows he will be stuck in Hobsons for the rest of his life without Maggie, on a wage so low he cant afford the things that he makes. Maggie also tells Willie Youll be a slave, and a contented slave. This is telling him youll be stuck her forever owned by Hobson and if you try to escape youll have to come back just to earn money, you are trapped here without my help. This is showing Maggie hurting someone to help someone and herself which is how her. The play is showing how she is a liberator breaking the chains off Willie and setting him free in the world with her. Maggie said Ive got my work cut out. This shows how she isnt giving up saying I will convince you sooner or later which shows her character as being very strong willed and what she said goes without a question. When Willie wants to be left alone Maggie said So does the fly when the spider catches him. This could be interpreted as Maggie catching him so he is not a free man Maggie has just took him in as a trap like Hobson had him, Maggie may do it with a lot more lenience but still not enough for him to be a freed man. Maggie also says You are my man. This is indicating that she owns him like a slave which is just what her father done but in a worse way, it could be very demining as well because Willie could think that he isnt worth anything being tossed about from Hobson to Maggie like an item of trade. When Maggie tells Willie to hold your hush. This is telling him to shut up using an imperative, many men those days would not allow women to command them to shut up but because Willie is feeble he has no choice so he just goes on with it.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Dialectic of Metafiction and Neorealism in Calvinos Baron in the T

The Dialectic of Metafiction and Neorealism in Calvino's Baron in the Trees. "I agree to my books being read as existential or as structural works, as Marxist or neo-Kantian, Freudianly or Jungianly: but above all I am glad to see that no one key will open the lock". The above quotation perhaps shows more than anything else the ambiguity of Calvino's works. The obsession to label all narratives arises from our compulsion to make sense of this world, as literary generic categories form part of our cosmologies. Calvino's work however, eludes us by drawing upon multifarious techniques and images to create a narrative that defies all generic conventions. Attempting to arrive at a sole conclusion with a single key to unlock Calvino's narrative is to underestimate its full potential, for no single label justifies the ambiguity of his work. Indeed, the bulk of the attention focused on Calvino's work is derived mainly from its elusiveness, and its inability to be placed into any particular category. Critics have long been divided over the polemics of his work, one significant aspect of which lies in whether or not Calvino's fiction can be considered as a fairytale or as a realist story. "realismo a carica fiabiasca" and fiaba a carica realistica" (realis m infused with fairytale and fairytale infused with realism). (Cavino, Introduction) What I am interested in is how the notions of metafiction and neorealism work in Calvino's narratives. Undoubtedly, as I have established earlier, it is not possible to label his work as falling into either one or the other generic category. Rather, I would say that both neorealist tendencies and metafictional elements work to make Calvino's short story. Antithetical as these two notions are in ... ...inburgh UP. 1993. Calvino, Italo. "Baron In The Trees" Our Ancestors. Trans. Archibald Colquhoun. London: Mandarin Paperbacks, 1992. ---. Introduction to gli amori difficili, 2nd ed vii. Turin: Einuadi, 1970. Cannon, JoAnn. Postmodern Italian Fiction. London and Toronto: Associated University Presses, 1989. Carter, Albert Howard. Italo Calvino: Metamorphoses of Fantasy, Studies in Speculative Fiction. Ann Arbor, Michigan: UMI Research Press, 1987. Gabriele, Tommasina. Italo Calvino: Eros and Language. London and Toronto: Associated University Presses, 1994. Lodge, David. "Metafiction." The Art Of Fiction. New York: Viking, 1993. 206-210. Waugh, Patricia. "What is Metafiction and why are they saying Such Horrible Things About It?" Metafiction. Ed. Mark Currie. Harlow: Longman, 1995. 39-54. USP Home | Literary Studies | Students Projects

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

The Stupidest Angel Chapter 10

Chapter 10 LOVE, KICKED TO THE CURB â€Å"You did what?† Lena said, then adding, â€Å"And take that bat off your head, it's unnerving to have a hat looking at you like that.† â€Å"Like what?† Tuck said. â€Å"Don't change the subject. You blackmailed Theo Crowe?† She was pacing her kitchen. Tuck sat at the counter, wearing a gold oxford-cloth shirt that complemented the bat on his head while accentuating the sea blue of his eyes. The bat, for once, wasn't wearing sunglasses. â€Å"Not really. It was only sort of implied. He'd figured out that I'd been in your ex-husband's truck. He knew. Now he'll just forget it.† â€Å"He may not. He may have some integrity, unlike some people.† â€Å"Hey, hey, hey. Let's not point the finger here, my ex is still living well in the Caymans on money that I rightfully stole from an organ-smuggling doctor, while yours, need I remind you –  » â€Å"Dale's death was an accident. Everything since then, all this craziness, has been your doing. You come into my life at the worst possible moment, like you had a plan all along, and things have gone more and more out of control. Now you're blackmailing my friends. Tucker, are you insane?† â€Å"Sure.† â€Å"Sure? Just like that? Sure, you're insane?† â€Å"Sure, everyone is. If you think anyone is sane you just don't know enough about them. The key – and this is very relevant in our case – is to find someone whose insanity dovetails with your own. Like us.† He flashed what Lena thought was supposed to be a charming grin, which was somewhat defused by his trying to untangle one of Roberto's wing claws from his hair. Lena turned from him and leaned against the counter in front of the dishwasher, hoping to steel herself for what she had to do. Unfortunately Tuck had just run a load of dishes and the steam from the vent in front was streaming through her thin skirt and making her feel inappropriately moist for righteous indignation. She spun around with resolve and allowed the dishwasher to steam her backside as she made her pronouncement. â€Å"Look, Tucker, you are a very attractive man†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She took a deep breath on the pause. â€Å"No way. You're breaking up with me?† â€Å"And I do like you, despite the situation –  » â€Å"Oh, right, you don't want to have anything to do with an attractive guy who you like, heaven forbid – ; â€Å"Would you shut up!† The bat barked at her tone. â€Å"You, too, fur face! Look, in another time and place, maybe. But you're too – I'm too – you just accept things too easily. I need –  » â€Å"Your anxiety?† â€Å"Would you please let me finish?† â€Å"Sure, go ahead.† He nodded. The bat, now on his shoulder, nodded as well. Lena had to look away. â€Å"And your bat is freaking me out.† â€Å"Yeah, well, you should have been around when he used to talk.† â€Å"Out! Tucker! I need you out of my life. I have too much to deal with – you are too much to deal with.† â€Å"But the sex, it was great, it was – ; â€Å"I understand if you want to go to the authorities – I may even go myself – but this just isn't right.† Tucker Case hung his head. Roberto the fruit bat hung his head. Tucker Case looked at the fruit bat, who, in turn, looked at Lena, as if to say, Well, I hope you ‘re happy, you broke his heart. â€Å"I'll get my stuff,† Tuck said. Lena was crying, and she didn't want to be crying, but she was. She watched Tuck pick up his things around the house and stuff them into a flight bag, wondering how he had spread so much crap around her house in only two days. Men, they were always marking territory. He paused at the door and looked back. â€Å"I'm not going to go to the authorities. I'm just going to go.† Lena rubbed her forehead as if she had a headache but mainly to cover her tears. â€Å"Okay, then.† â€Å"I'm going, then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Good-bye, Tucker.† â€Å"You won't have anyone to sex up under the Christmas tree†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lena looked up. â€Å"Jeez, Tuck.† â€Å"Okay. I'm going now.† And he did. Lena Marquez went into her bedroom to call her friend Molly. Maybe crying over the phone to a girlfriend would bring a sense of normalcy back into her life. Sour Nerds? Cinnamon Geeks? Or Gummy Boogers? Sam Applebaum's mom was picking out a ;nice; reasonably priced Cabernet, and Sam was allowed one item of candy from the rack at Brine's Bait, Tackle, and Fine Wines. Of course the Boogers would last the longest, but they were all mundane green-apple finish, while the Nerds proffered a fruity variety and an impudent little top note of tang. Cinnamon Geeks had a rich nose and a bit of a bite up front, but their tiny certified-public-accountant shape betrayed their bourgeois origins. Sam was learning wine words. He was seven and he very much enjoyed unnerving adults with his wine-word vocabulary. Hanukkah had just ended and there had been a lot of dinners at Sam's house over the last week, with a lot of wine talk, and Sam had joyfully freaked out a whole table of his relatives by pronouncing after the blessing that the Manischewitz blackberry (the only wine he was allowed to taste) was a â€Å"tannacious little cunt of a red, but not without a certain buttery geranium charm.† (He finished dinner in his room over that one – but it was tannacious. Philistines.) â€Å"You are one of the Chosen?† said a voice up and to the right of Sam. â€Å"I destroyed the Canaanites so your people would have a homeland.† He looked up and saw a man with long blond hair wearing a long black duster. A jolt went through Sam like he'd just licked a battery. This was the guy that had scared his friend Josh so badly. He looked around and saw his mom was in the back of the store with Mr. Masterson, the owner. â€Å"Can I get these with this?† asked the man. He had three candy bars in one hand, and a small silver coin about the size of a dime in the other. The coin looked very old. â€Å"That's a foreign coin. I don't think they take it.† The man nodded thoughtfully and looked very sad at the news. â€Å"But Nestle's Crunch is a fine choice,† said Sam, trying to buy time, and keep the guy from going off on him. â€Å"A bit naive, but an undergrowth of ambergris and walnut gives it legs.† Sam looked around for his mom again. She was still talking wine with Mr. Masterson, flirting about it – Sam could be cut up in pieces and put away in freezer bags and she wouldn't notice. Maybe he could get the guy to leave. â€Å"Look, they aren't looking. Why don't you just take them?† â€Å"I can't,† said the blond man. â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"Because no one has told me to.† Oh no. This guy looked like a grown-up, but actually he had the mind of a dumb little kid inside. Like that guy in Sling Blade, or the president. â€Å"Then I'll tell you to, okay?† Sam said. â€Å"Go ahead. Take them. You'd better get going, though. It's going to rain.† Sam couldn't remember ever talking to an adult like this before. The blond man looked at his candy bars, then at Sam. â€Å"Thank you. Peace on Earth, goodwill toward men. Merry Christmas.† â€Å"I'm Jewish, remember? We don't celebrate Christmas. We celebrate Hanukkah, the miracle of the lights.† â€Å"Oh, that wasn't a miracle.† â€Å"Sure it was.† â€Å"No, I remember. Someone snuck in and put more oil in the lamp. But I will grant a Christmas miracle tomorrow. I must go.† With that, the blond man backed away, hugging his candy bars to his chest. â€Å"Shalom, child.† And in an instant he was just gone. â€Å"Great!† Sam said. â€Å"Just great. Throw that in my face!† Kendra – the Warrior Babe of the Outland, combat mistress of the hot-oil arena, slayer of monsters, menace to mutants, scourge of the sand pirates, sworn protector of the cud-beast herdsmen of Lan, and intramural Blood Champion of the Termite People (mounds seven through twelve inclusive) – enjoyed cheese. So it came to pass, on that twenty-third of December, with her noodles wet and congealing in the colander, that she did raise her well-muscled arm to the sky and call the wrath of all the Furies down upon her higher power, Nigoth the Worm God, for allowing her to leave the mozzarella at the Thrifty-Mart checkout counter. But the gods do not concern themselves in the affairs of lasagna, so the sky did not explode with vengeful fire (or at least not that she could see from the kitchen window) to incinerate the mingy god who would dare desert her in her most dire hour of cheese. What happened was nothing at all. â€Å"Curse be unto yon, Nigoth! Would that my blade was not broken, I would track you to the ends of the Outland and sever your thousand and one eyestalks, just to make sure I got your favorite. Then I would feed them raw to the most heinous –  » Then the phone rang. â€Å"Helloo,† Molly sang sweetly. â€Å"Molly?† Lena said. â€Å"You sound out of breath. Are you okay?† â€Å"Quick, think of something,† said the Narrator, â€Å"Don't tell her what you were doing.† The Narrator had been with Molly almost constantly for the last two days, mostly an irritation, except that he had remembered how much oregano and thyme to use in the red sauce. Nevertheless, she knew that he was a sign she needed to get back on her meds ASAP. â€Å"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, Lena. Just buffing the muffin. You know, gray afternoon, storm coming in, Theo's a mutant – I thought I'd cheer myself up.† There was a long silence on the line, and Molly wondered if she'd sounded convincing. â€Å"Completely convincing,† said the Narrator. â€Å"If I wasn't here, I'd swear you were still doing it.† â€Å"You're not here!† Molly said. â€Å"Pardon?† said Lena. â€Å"Molly, I can call back if this is a bad time.† â€Å"Oh, no, no, no. I'm okay. Just making lasagna.† â€Å"I've never heard it called that before.† â€Å"For the party.† â€Å"Oh, right. How's it going?† â€Å"I forgot the mozzarella. Paid for it, then left it at the check stand.† She looked at the three cartons of ricotta sitting on the counter, mocking her. Soft cheeses could be so smug. â€Å"I'll go pick it up and bring it over.† â€Å"No!† Molly felt a jolt of adrenaline at the thought that she'd have to push through a long girlfriend session with Lena. Things were getting so blurry between Pine Cove and the Outland. â€Å"I mean, it's okay. I can do it. I enjoy cheese – shopping for cheese.† Molly heard a sniffle on the other end of the line. â€Å"Mol, I really need to help you with the goddamn lasagna, okay? Really.† â€Å"Well, she sounds as nutty as you are,† said the Narrator. Molly swatted at the air to shut him up – did a finger-to-lip emphatic rocking shush mime. â€Å"She's a crisis junkie if I ever saw one.† â€Å"I need to talk to someone,† Lena said with a sniff. â€Å"I broke up with Tucker.† â€Å"Oh, I'm so sorry, Lena. Who's Tucker?† â€Å"The pilot I was seeing.† â€Å"The guy with the bat? You just met him, didn't you? Take a bath. Eat some ice cream. You've known him two days, right?† â€Å"We shared a lot.† â€Å"Cowboy up, Lena. You fucked him and kicked him to the curb. It's not like he stole your design for a coldfusion reactor. You'll be okay.† â€Å"Molly! It's Christmas. You're supposed to be my friend.† Molly nodded at the phone, then realized that Lena couldn't hear her. True, she wasn't being a very good friend. After all, she was sworn protector of the cud-beast herdsmen of Lan, as well as a member of the Screen Actors Guild, it was her duty to pretend she cared about her friend's problems. â€Å"Bring the cheese,† she said. â€Å"We'll be here.† â€Å"We?† â€Å"Me. Bring the cheese, Lena.† Theo Crowe showed up at Brine's Bait, Tackle, and Fine Wines just in time to miss everything. Robert Masterson, the owner of Brine's, had called him as soon as he'd seen the mysterious blond man talking to Sam Applebaum, and Theo had rushed right over, only to find that there was nothing to find. The blond guy hadn't hurt or threatened Sam, and the boy seemed fine, except that he kept babbling about changing his religion and becoming a Rastafarian like his cousin Preston who lived on Maui. Theo realized midway through the interview that he was not the guy to enumerate the reasons why one should not spend his life smoking dope and surfing like Sam's cousin Preston because he: (A) had never learned to surf, and (B) didn't have the foggiest idea how Rastafarianism worked, and (C) would eventually have to use the argument: And look at what a complete loser I am – you don't want that for yourself, do you, Sam? He left the scene feeling even more useless than he had after the verb al bitch-slapping he'd taken from the pilot at Lena Marquez's house. When Theo pulled into his driveway at lunchtime, hoping he might be able to patch things up with Molly and get some sympathy and a sandwich, he saw Lena's truck parked in front of the cabin and his heart sank. He debated shuffling over to the commercial pot patch and smoking a sticky bud before going in, but that sounded an awful lot like the behavior of an addict, and he was simply on a little slide from grace, not a blowout. Still, he came through the door humbled, not sure at all how he was going to handle Lena, who might be a murderer, let alone Molly. â€Å"Traitor!† Molly said from over a pan of noodles she was layering into a pan with sauce, meat, and cheese. She had sauce on her hands up to her elbows and looked like she'd been engaged in some very messy surgery. The back door out of the kitchen had slammed shut as he came in. â€Å"Where's Lena?† Theo said. â€Å"She went out the back. Why, are you afraid she'll reveal your secret?† Theo shrugged and approached his wife, his arms out to the side in a â€Å"gimme a break† gesture. Why was it that when she was angry her teeth looked really sharp? He never noticed that any other time. â€Å"Mol, I was just doing it so I could get you something for Christmas – I didn't mean to – ; â€Å"Oh, I don't care about that – you're investigating Lena. My friend Lena. You just went to her house like she's a criminal or something. It's the radiation, isn't it?† â€Å"There's evidence, Molly. And it's not that I got high. I found fruit-bat hairs in Dale's truck and her boyfriend has a fruit bat. And the little Barker kid said – † Theo heard a car start up outside. â€Å"I should talk to her.† â€Å"Lena wouldn't hurt anyone. She brought me cheese for Christmas, for Christ's sake. She's a pacifist.† â€Å"I know that, Molly. I'm not saying that she hurt anyone, but I need to find out –  » â€Å"Besides, some fuckers just need killing!† â€Å"Did she tell you – ; â€Å"I think it's the pot that makes you reveal your mutant self.† She had a lasagna noodle in her hand and was waving it at him. It sort of looked like she was shaking a living creature, but then, he was still a little buzzed. â€Å"Molly, what are you talking about, ‘my mutant self'? Are you taking your meds?† â€Å"How dare you accuse me of being crazy. That's worse than if you asked me if it was my time of the month, which it isn't, by the way. But I can't believe that you'd imply that I need to be medicated. You mutant bastard!† She flung the noodle at him and he ducked. â€Å"You do need to be medicated, you crazy bitch!† Theo didn't deal well with violence, even in the form of soggy semolina, but after the initial outburst, he immediately lost the will to fight. â€Å"I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. Let's just – ; â€Å"Fine!† Molly said. She wiped her hands on a dish towel, then tossed it at him. In dodging it, he felt like he was moving in blurred bullet time in the Matrix, but in truth he was just a tall guy who was a little baked and the towel would have missed him anyway. Molly stomped through the little house, into their bedroom, and dropped to the floor on the far side of the bed. â€Å"Molly, you okay?† She came up holding a package the size of a shoe box wrapped in Christmas paper with a few dust bunnies clinging to it. She held it out to him. â€Å"Here. Take it and go. I don't want to see you, traitor. Go.† Theo was stunned. Was she leaving him? Asking him to leave her? How had this gone so wrong so fast? â€Å"I don't want to go. I'm having a really bad day, Molly. I came home hoping to find a little sympathy.† â€Å"Yeah? Okay. Here you go. Aw, poor stoned Theo, I'm so sorry that you have to investigate my best friend the day before Christmas Eve when you could be out playing in an illegal pot patch that looks like the jungle plateau of the gibbon people.† She held out his present and he took it. What the hell was she talking about? â€Å"So it is about the victory garden?† â€Å"Open it,† she said. She didn't say a word more. She put a hand on her hip and fixed him with that â€Å"I am so going to kick your ass or fuck your brains out† look that excited and terrified him, as he wasn't always sure which way she would go with it, only that she was going to get satisfaction one way or the other and he was going to be sore the next day because of it. It was a Warrior Babe look, and he realized fully, then, that she was having an episode. She probably really was off her meds. This had to be handled just right. He backed away a few steps and tore the paper off the package. Inside was a white box with the silver seal of a very exclusive local glassblower, and inside that, wrapped in blue tissue, was the most beautiful bong he'd ever seen. It was like something out of the Art Nouveau era, only fashioned from modern materials, blue-green dichromatic glass with ornate silver branches running through it that gave it the appearance of walking through a forest as he turned it in his hand. The bowl and handle, which fit his hand perfectly, appeared to be cast of solid silver with the same organic tree-branch design seeming to leap right out of the glass. This had to have been made just for him, with his tastes in mind. He felt himself tearing up and blinked back the tears. â€Å"It's beautiful.† â€Å"Uh-huh,† Molly said. â€Å"So you can see it's not your garden that bothers me. It's just you.† â€Å"Molly, I only want to talk to Lena. Her boyfriend threatened to blackmail me. I was only growing – ; â€Å"Take it and go,† Molly said. â€Å"Honey, you need to call Dr. Val, maybe see if she'll see you –  » â€Å"Get out, goddammit. You don't tell me to see the shrink. Get out!† It was no use. Not now, anyway. Her voice had hit the Warrior Babe frenzy pitch – he recognized it from the times he'd taken her to the county hospital before they'd become involved as lovers. When she'd just been the town's crazy lady. She'd lose it if he pressed her any more. â€Å"Fine. I'll go. But I'll call you, okay?† She just gave him that look. â€Å"It's Christmas†¦Ã¢â‚¬  One last try maybe. The look. â€Å"Fine. Your present is on the top shelf in the closet. Merry Christmas.† He dug some underwear and socks out of the drawer, grabbed a few shirts out of the closet, and headed out the front door. She slammed it hard enough behind him to break one of the windows. The glass hitting the sidewalk sounded like a summary of his whole life.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

St. Matthew and St. Luke

The books of the New Testament tell the story of Jesus Christ and the birth of Christianity from a number of different points of view.   Each book basically tells the same story.   The reader is taken through Christ’s birth, teachings and death, but each is told in a different manner.   Each book not only emphasizes different parts of the story, and to a different degrees, but they also place different levels of value on the people Jesus interacted with and what each individual took from his teachings. The books of St. Matthew and St. Luke, for instance, vary from one another greatly.   Matthew, overall, appears to take a stronger, harsher tone from the very beginning of the story.   More emphasis is placed on Jesus’ lectures, and on punishment and the importance of prophecy.   Luke, on the other hand, places more importance on the relationships between Christ and those around him as well as a changing social structure and ethics. This difference is obvious immediately when reading the two books side-by-side.   The book of Matthew begins the New Testament by discussing the lineage of Jesus through his earthly father Joseph.   Not only does this establish Christ as being from a pre-chosen line, but allows for the suggestion of prophecy coming true, mainly that the Savior will come from the line of David.   It shows the value in tradition; when the very bloodlines you come from make a difference. At the conception of Jesus, Matthew mentions at length the concerns of Joseph as to Jesus’ parentage, further increasing the importance of the bloodline and tradition.   Also, there is much justifying of Jesus’ divinity by the use of prophecy.   For example, Matthew 1:22 states â€Å"Now this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚   This line and others like it are used many times throughout Matthew to justify various events and actions, showing the importance of not just lineage, but also past religious leaders and beliefs. The book of St. Luke, however, has Mary and her cousin spending three months together, both delighted over their upcoming motherhood.   There is more emotion and bonding shown between family members, rather than suspicion and mistrust.   The book even begins with the story of John the Baptist’s birth and the relationship between their mothers, rather than with mention of Jesus himself.   His paternal parentage is not taken note of until Luke 3:23-38. It is interesting to note when comparing the first two pages of each book, that while Matthew is concerned first and foremost with the paternal lineage, only Mary’s family is noted in the early pages of Luke. It is also important to observe that in Matthew, John the Baptist is rarely mentioned at all, other than his baptizing of Jesus and his death.   Luke, however, places him as a character of much greater importance.   This again shows the greater significance placed on the surrounding relationships and family.   John is the cousin of Jesus and also a miracle of God.   He is conceived (also with divine intervention) by a very old, religious couple in order to be a prophet and pave the way for the birth of His Son. In Matthew, however, there is little implication that the two even know each other well, if at all, before the baptism.   Jesus is the only miracle birth and the central figure of the story.   John is not even mentioned as a person of very great importance except for his interactions with Jesus.   Even after his death, his main talking point seems to be that Jesus is mistaken several times for John the Baptist having returned from the dead. In the description of the Christ’s birth, the differences continue.   While very little is said in Matthew about Jesus’ birth in the barn or the shepherds, the three wise men and their riches, along with the jealousy of Herod, are told in detail.   Once again, the importance of prophecy is brought into play.   â€Å"And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet.†Ã‚   Herod’s slaughter of the children of Bethlehem and the flight of the newborn child and his family make for a colorful and somewhat scary tale. In Luke, rather than wise-men bearing riches and the flight of the new family, there is a much calmer story.   In this version, the tidings are brought by humble shepherds, not rich wise men.   The travels of the new family are done by tradition, not by fear of a murdering tyrant. The difference is emphasized, specifically stating â€Å"And when they had preformed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.†Ã‚   This is a much different story from Matthew, which reads â€Å"†¦he (Joseph) was afraid to go thither notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:   And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth (Matthew 2:22-23).† Very little is mentioned of the Christ’s childhood in either story.   Matthew mentions only the baptism by John in which Jesus’ age is not given.   Otherwise, childhood is skipped over completely.   Luke, however, gives brief mention of Jesus at age 12, touching on his seemingly inborn understanding of scripture and man’s relationship to God.   â€Å"And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers (Luke 3:47).† Again, while Matthew appears to have a harsher tone, going straight into the stories of temptation and evil, Luke allows a momentary bit of bliss in the story of a child, separated from his parents and found again in a house of the Lord. One of the most important scenes in Jesus’ life is the story of his temptation by the devil.   This is possibly one of the most important scenes showing the differences between Matthew and Luke.   The first verses can be compared to summarize this easily.   Looking at these two lines: â€Å"Then was Jesus led up of the Sprit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil (Mark 4:1).† â€Å"And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness (Luke 4:1).† In the first telling of this story, Matthew suggests Jesus being hauled out into the woods in order to confront and be tested by Satan.   In the later version, there is a much gentler tone, with the Holy Ghost leading Jesus into the woods after his baptism.   The rest of the tale is much the same, yet just as headlines often set the reader’s mind a certain way for a news article, so this first line can set the reader’s mind to see the same story in a very different light. Many of the same stories do appear in both books, sometimes almost word-for-word.   For instance, many of Jesus’ parables are similar or identical, such as the tale of the husbandmen in the vineyard.   Both tales tell of a man who buys a vineyard, sets it up and then places it in the hands of others to work. In return for work and a place to live, they will provide him with the fruit at harvest.   In both version of the story, these men betray the landowner, injure his servants and kill his son.   They themselves are destroyed in turn, and the land is put in the care of more trustworthy men. Even in these very similar tellings however, there are differences.   In Matthew, the servants, as well as the son are killed, while in Luke they are only injured.   However, the main point of the story remains true in both cases.   The evil men in the story are the men who seek to destroy Jesus’ reputation for their own gain, and in each case, Jesus warns them that they will be destroyed by it. Why are these books so different while telling the same story?   The answer to this is there for the reading in each book.   Different books were written by different men.   One might imagine that Matthew was a traditionalist, studying the Jewish tradition for years and therefore seeing the story of Jesus through his chosen tint. Luke, on the other hand, could easily be imagined as a younger man, less studied in tradition and more moved by the plight of those around him.   It is interesting to note that in many of the stories where there are similarities, the major differences lay in the fact that Luke gives his characters names, while Matthew refers to them only by occupation (â€Å"the fisherman†) or gender (â€Å"a man†). Anyone studying these writings could easily be given a very different vision of what Christ was like, and therefore how Christianity should be followed.   A reader of Matthew might believe that the way to heaven is through absolute adherence to traditional laws and beliefs.   It is likely that it is from Matthew that Christians have developed the belief in absolution as long as they worship God.   It is in this book, after all, that one reads â€Å"All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men (12:31).† Those who prefer Luke’s version might take a less strict outlook and believe that being kind to one’s neighbors and turning the other cheek were the most importance lessons that Jesus had to teach.   Even those who make mistakes can be forgiven, as in the parable of the Prodigal son.   In this story, a son requests and is given his inheritance early by his father.   He then squanders it all, and when a famine comes is broke and starving.   In response â€Å"†¦his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him (15:20).† It is important not to overlook, however, that the book of Saint Luke is not without its more vicious moments as well.   â€Å"Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth?   I tell you, nay; but rather division (Luke 12:51).†Ã‚   Yet, even in these moments, Matthew 10:34 makes Luke look peaceful.   â€Å"Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth.   I have come to bring not peace, but the sword.† It is due to these different takes on a very complex individual that Christianity has so many branches.   Some may be more forgiving, allowing for the imperfections in human nature and placing more importance on trying to do good for your neighbors.   Others may be more inclined to stress tradition and the letter of the law, so to speak, rather than the spirit.   While these differences may seem small to the outside observer, it is these differences which can often cause conflict.   Even the difference of one sentence can cause for great rifts in any religion.   There is, after all, a major difference between being divided from ones family, and putting them to the sword.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

John Gottmans work

John Gottmans work Free Online Research Papers There are many theories that we have discussed in class that I can see are applicable to my life. I believe the point of this class, in essence, is to help people see what normally goes unseen. Although I am completely and irrevocably in love with all the material that was introduced to me through the course, there is one man that I appreciate the most: John Gottman. Gottman’s work on relationships has been as remarkable to me as the theory of evolution has been to man. It is both practical and myth-dispelling. Without further adieu, I want to share some of my favorite theories Gottman has researched and discovered. In his â€Å"love lab† at the University of Washington, Gottman analyzes human behavioral relations. Here are some of his interesting theories regarding styles of interaction amongst couples:  · Validation: couples compromise often and calmly work out their problems to mutual satisfaction as they arise.  · Volatility: in which conflict erupts often, resulting in passionate disputes.  · Conflict-avoidance: in which couples agree to disagree, rarely confronting their differences head-on. Gottman says as long as both members of a couple approach romantic problem-solving the same way, a healthy relationship can be achieved. Red flags start flying, however, when each relies on a different strategy (say, one person is volatile and the other is conflict-avoiding) His point is that anger and negativity do not necessarily promise a relationship’s demise (again, provided both partners deal with these emotions in a similar way). Instead, what Gottman found to be a sure sign of doom is a repeated occurrence of any of the following behaviors (which he calls, memorably, the â€Å"Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse†)  · Complaining/criticism: (†I can’t believe how you acted at that party!†)  · Contempt: (disgust, scorn, sarcasm, eye rolls, icy feelings)  · Defensiveness: (whining, excuses, acting innocent, denying)  · Withdrawal: (†stonewalling† or emotionally â€Å"checking out† of the situation; saying things like, â€Å"Fine Whatever†) I think that at some point of any relationship we are all guilty of one, if not several, of these behaviors. I chose Gottman because I can apply his work directly to my life. My case in point is with my boyfriend turned fiancà © and fiancà © turned boyfriend (depending on the day and the levels of oxytocin flowing through our brains). I have asked with more than one failed relationship, â€Å"Why is love just not enough?† Furthermore why do I feel so compelled to share my life with someone? The answers that I have gotten from psychosocial sciences are interesting yet, to me, not entirely compelling. In my research, women and men just get categorized and then labeled into a sort of scientific caste system. They’re just waiting to be freed from that theory by some new hotshot theorist that has come to prove the other’s theory wrong. I admit that I have become jaded with the answers that psychology has to offer. I am truly fed up with the renditions of my nature as a â€Å"woman† and feeling the need to â€Å"nest† and so on and so forth. I’m sorry but it’s not a sufficient explanation to why I think that my boyfriend doesn’t understand me. I don’t think that psychology is inaccurate; I just think it’s robotic in its methodology. Therefore, it’s clear to see why I might like Gottman so much. He understands the fundamental anatomical difference between men and women but sees the inherent emotional similarities also. Here is a conversation with my partner that I have analyzed – It is Thanksgiving dinner. The table is set, the food looks great and I have consumed at this point 3 vodka sodas (delivered to me by my partner, also his own drinks). My partner is very close to his four siblings. Out of those four, there are three present at the dinner. My partner and his siblings have this way of sarcasm and mockery that they find funny and like to use as coping mechanisms to various emotions they maybe feeling. I don’t understand it at times and I also think it may be cultural. I found it to be very offensive and rude when my partner’s siblings stared to mock their mother at the dinner table in a sarcastic and obtusely rude manner. I don’t know how to explain the sarcasm because if I could, I’d understand it. Nonetheless I was offended and I spoke up saying- â€Å"God! How can you talk about your mother like that?† After what seemed like an eternity of silence on the table I excused my self and went on to the other table. Later on I was informed by my lover in less then a loving manner the offence I had caused to his family. This news, especially at the time, was odd for me because I feel that they are the ones who should feel bad for talking about their mother in that manner. The disconfirmation and the simply not having my partners support or backing on the matter led me to feel so secluded and betrayed. I was even pulled out by his brother who proceeded to yell at me, saying how â€Å"You don’t know my mother!† and that â€Å"you have no right to comment†. Even at this point I tried to explain that I might not have gotten how exactly they might have been meaning the remarks that I took offence to. I asked and pleaded with him like a dog, saying that maybe I was mistaken or that maybe we can speak of perspectives (things I have learned in class on conflict)on how we see the situation. It seemed, however, that no matter what I said or how I said it I was still being yelled at and belittled with no one to my rescue. It was never my intent to offend them as a family. And yet it seems that they intended to incriminate me as a family so that I know next time that even If I think I belong, I don’t. The behaviors that came out in my partner were those that were very much sided with his kin. I remember sobbing and asking to leave and asking my partner to take me home, to which an abrupt and rude response of â€Å"NO!† was shouted in my face. I don’t think that my partner and I are very sound as a couple. The proof of this is in Gottman’s four horsemen of the apocalypse. This is how we spoke that night – Complaining/criticism : â€Å"Partner- my brother is right you should have kept your mouth shut, it wasn’t your place to say that to us about our mom. Plus if you wanted to say something you should have said it later.† Me: â€Å"How can you say that to me? After all, you have told me a lot about your mom! We have had endless conversations about your mom. How could you not even protect me? How can you think I deserve to be talked to like that?† Contempt: Partner- â€Å"Well Neha, it’s not hard when you fuck up like you do all the time. You were just trying to get drunk , everyone kept asking me is Neha drunk?† Me: â€Å"No I am not drunk! I was buzzed, but that went away real fast when you brother screamed his head off at me. Also I most the people at the place had divulged in a bottle of alcohol by themselves by the point dinner was served. So who was saying that to you? Are you sure they just weren’t drunk? Because as far as I know your brother had been drinking since noon and he sure was.† Defensiveness: â€Å"Partner: â€Å"Whatever, Neha. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I’m done talking about it. Thanks for saying you’re sorry I guess.† Me: â€Å"Wow! So now that I am asking you things that you don’t have the answer to you are just going to cut me off like that?† Withdrawal: Partner: â€Å"Whatever, I am not falling for your games I’m fucking tired I’m going to bed.† Me: (sobbing and wondering how I ever got to be so helpless) â€Å"Why are you doing this to me? Do you even love me? How can you just go to bed when i am sitting here in pain?† I don’t know what lies in store for my partner and me. We are the epitome of the volatile attachment theory. That being said, I think sometimes we forget who we are as individuals in our relationship. I would like to get us some help and I think we both love each other enough to do that soon. Still though, sometimes it so difficult to let go of someone you love. Logically, I know the four horsemen of the apocalypse entered my relationship a long time ago. For some reason, though so did the 3 angels of resurrection. Let me further clarify what I mean and introduce to you â€Å"Neha’s theory on the 3 Angels of Resurrection: 1) Utter trauma/loneliness causes bouts of faith (loved one dying /fighting for life, break ups with husband/boyfriend.) 2) Instant faith causes relief (prayer, calling to any higher power other than you.) 3) Relief from life is sedation (relief- also spells sticking to what we know – begging or pleading for a boyfriend , fear of losing a loved one and wanting to control it. So we can stick to that relief we all want from the situation.) How this applies to me: My partner and I fight. We break up, and instant faith for me kicks in. I say mantras in my head thinking maybe he’ll change his mind. The very notion of obsessively praying to anything spells relief and soothes me in a dishonest way. And there you have it, I feel sedated. I start to think â€Å"well things can be different.† Why not, right? We are just as good as our thoughts right? If I lose him, then I lose control over my life. I must do all that I can to save it. After all, it’s just a stupid fight. Gottman has done remarkable work and I can apply his theories to my life. But I can also apply mine. It would be silly and obtuse to think that my theories can even compare to Gottman’s, however they are mine and someday I will refine them. As educational as this has been, I still believe we have a ways to go when it comes matters of the heart. Research Papers on John Gottman’s workThree Concepts of PsychodynamicComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoCapital PunishmentThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseTrailblazing by Eric AndersonResearch Process Part OneRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenHip-Hop is Art

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Tale of Troy or Iliad - The Story Behind the Trojan War

Tale of Troy or Iliad - The Story Behind the Trojan War During the time when gods were petty and cruel, three of the leading goddesses had a contest to determine who was most beautiful. They contended for the prize of Eris golden apple, an apple no less dangerous than the one in the story of Snow White, despite its lack of consumable poison. To make the contest objective, the goddesses hired a human judge, Paris (also called Alexander), son of the Eastern potentate, Priam of Troy. Since Paris was to be paid according to the largesse of the winner, the contest was really to see who provided the most attractive incentive. Aphrodite won hands down, but the prize she offered was the wife of another man. Paris, after seducing Helen while a guest in the palace of her husband, King Menelaus of Sparta, went blithely on his way back to Troy with Helen. This abduction and violation of all rules of hospitality launched 1000 (Greek) ships to bring Helen back to Menelaus. Meanwhile, King Agamemnon of Mycenae, summoned the tribal kings from all over Greece to come to the aid of his cuckolded brother. Two of his best men one a strategist and the other a great warrior were Odysseus (aka Ulysses) of Ithaca, who would later come up with the idea of the Trojan Horse, and Achilles of Phthia, who may have married Helen in the Afterlife. Neither of these men wanted to join the fray; so they each devised a draft-dodging ruse worthy of M.A.S.H.s Klinger. Odysseus feigned madness by plowing his field destructively, perhaps with mismatched draft animals, perhaps with salt (a powerful destructive agent used according to legend at least one other time by the Romans on Carthage). Agamemnons messenger placed Telemachus, Odysseus infant son, on the path of the plough. When Odysseus swerved to avoid killing him, he was recognized as sane. Achilles with blame for cowardice conveniently laid at the feet of his mother, Thetis was made to look like and live with the maidens. Odysseus tricked him with the lure of a peddlers bag of trinkets. All the other maidens reached for the ornaments, but Achilles grabbed the sword stuck in their midst. The Greek (Achaean) leaders met together at Aulis where they awaited Agamemnons command to set sail. When an inordinate amount of time had passed and the winds still remained unfavorable, Agamemnon sought the services of Calchas the seer. Calchas told him that Artemis was angry with Agamemnon perhaps because he had promised her his finest sheep as a sacrifice to the goddess, but when the time came to sacrifice a golden sheep, he had, instead, substituted an ordinary one and to appease her, Agamemnon must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia .... Upon the death of Iphigenia, the winds became favorable and the fleet set sail. Â   Trojan War FAQs [Summary: The head of the Greek forces was the proud king Agamemnon. He had killed his own daughter, Iphigenia, in order to appease the goddess Artemis (big sister of Apollo, and one of the children of Zeus and Leto), who was angry with Agamemnon and so, had stalled the Greek forces on the coast, at Aulis. In order to set sail for Troy they needed a favorable wind, but Artemis ensured the winds would fail to cooperate until Agamemnon had satisfied her by performing the required sacrifice of his own daughter. Once Artemis was satisfied, the Greeks set sail for Troy where to fight the Trojan War.] Agamemnon did not stay in the good graces of either of the children of Leto for long. He soon incurred the wrath of her son, Apollo. In revenge, Apollo the mouse god caused an outbreak of plague to lay the troops low. Agamemnon and Achilles had received the young women Chryseis and Briseis as prizes of war or war brides. Chryseis was the daughter of Chryses, who was a priest of Apollo. Chryses wanted his daughter back and even offered a ransom, but Agamemnon refused. Calchas the seer advised Agamemnon on the connection between his behavior toward the priest of Apollo and the plague that was decimating his army. Agamemnon had to return Chryseis to the priest of Apollo if he wanted the plague to end. After much Greek suffering, Agamemnon agreed to the recommendation of Calchas the seer, but only on condition that he take possession of the war prize of Achilles Briseis as a replacement. A minor point to think about: When Agamemnon had sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia, he hadnt required his fellow Greek aristocrats to give him a new daughter. No one could stop Agamemnon. Achilles was enraged. The honor of the leader of the Greeks, Agamemnon, had been assuaged, but what about the honor of the greatest of the Greek heroes Achilles? Following the dictates of his own conscience, Achilles could no longer cooperate, so he withdrew his troops (the Myrmidons) and sat on the sidelines. With the help of fickle gods, the Trojans began to inflict heavy personal damages on the Greeks, as Achilles and the Myrmidons sat on the sidelines. Patroclus, Achilles friend (or lover), persuaded Achilles that his Myrmidons would make the difference in the battle, so Achilles let Patroclus take his men as well as Achilles personal armor so that Patroclus would appear to be Achilles in the battlefield. It worked, but since Patroclus was not so great a warrior as Achilles, Prince Hector, the noble son of Trojan King Priam, struck Patroclus down. What even Patroclus words had failed to do, Hector accomplished. The death of Patroclus spurred Achilles into action and armed with a new shield forged by Hephaestus, the blacksmith of the gods (as a favor for Achilles sea goddess mother Thetis) Achilles went into battle. Achilles soon avenged himself. After killing Hector, he tied the body to the back of his war chariot, The grief-maddened Achilles then dragged Hectors corpse through the sand and dirt for days. In time, Achilles calmed down and returned the corpse of Hector to his grieving father. In a later battle, Achilles was killed by an arrow to the one part of his body Thetis had held when she had dipped the baby Achilles into the River Styx to confer immortality. With Achilles death, the Greeks lost their greatest fighter, but they still had their best weapon. [Summary: The greatest of the Greek heroes Achilles was dead. The 10-year Trojan War, which had begun when the Greeks set sail to retrieve Menelaus wife, Helen, form the Trojans, was at a stalemate.] Crafty Odysseus devised a plan that ultimately doomed the Trojans. Sending all the Greek ships away or into hiding, it appeared to the Trojans that the Greeks had given up. The Greeks left a parting gift in front of the walls of the city of Troy. it was a giant wooden horse which appeared to be an offering to Athena a peace offering. The jubilant Trojans dragged the monstrous, wheeled, wooden horse into their city to celebrate the end of the 10 years of fighting. Who Really Built the Trojan Horse?What Is the Trojan Horse? But beware of Greeks bearing gifts! Having won the war, the filicidal King Agamemnon went back to his wife for the reward he so richly deserved. Ajax, who had lost out to Odysseus in the contest for Achilles arms, went crazy and killed himself. Odysseus set out on the voyage (Homer, according to tradition, tells in The Odyssey, which is the sequel to The Iliad) that made him more famous than his help with Troy. And Aphrodites son, the Trojan hero Aeneas, set out from his burning homeland carrying his father on his shoulders on his way to Dido, in Carthage, and, finally, to the land that was to become Rome. Were Helen and Menelaus reconciled? According to Odysseus they were, but thats part of a future story.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Maltese Falcon Book Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Maltese Falcon Book - Essay Example It is a narrative published in the 1930s. Brigid O’Shaugnessy appoints Sam Spade to get an archaic falcon from the isle referred to as Malta. Spade works for Joel Cairo, and as he works for him, he looks for the bird as well as his partner’s murderer. He protects himself from police’s allegations, and his associate’s wife’s advances. In an ultimate showdown with all involved parties, Spade exposes the bird and the killer. This review aims at scrutinizing the predominant theme in the volume and how the author lucidly elucidates and describes the concept of people allowing avarice to control the actions in their life (Lombardi, p.2). This police volume depicts varied divergent components of the male as well as female characters. It explores the concepts of the detective genre and the divergent attributes of femininity as well as masculinity. It depicts topics of sexual desires and the avarice for money. The characters, as well as the visual motif in t he play, contribute to the creation of the plot and aids in developing a detective and sexual category oriented film. The duties of males and females are presented in divergent manners in, the Maltese Falcon, to present the unique purposes of manliness and womanliness between the characters. This volume is a subset of the strange genre. As depicted in the volume, the killings in the volume are incredibly inspired, the plots totally artificial, and the personalities pitifully two-dimensional, dummies and cardboard sexual partners, and paper Mache villains and policemen of superb and impractical gentility. This is a sensible obscurity fiction. In this volume, Hammett utilizes language, imagery as well as characterization to link the narrative close to realism. In addition, the author utilizes figurative lingo, insinuation, flashback, forewarning, as well as simile (Hammett, 57). The allusion in the narrative makes it fascinating. Forewarning permits the reader to forecast what will oc cur later in the volume. The simile presents the reader a clear picture of the characters in the volume. The crucial component to the advancement of the narrative is obscurity because it permits Spade to advance the divergence as well as the plot by attracting the reader into the narrative. It is a narrative written in a relaxed tone imbued with colloquialisms in an abrupt lucid style from a purposeful viewpoint. In this volume, Hammett has also utilized slang lingo that is distinct to a singular social affiliation; the underworld offenders, as well as the police. The narrative utilizes a play of astonishing oppositional attributes in some of its categorizations (Turner, p.23). As presented in the volume, Hammett rescues the obscurity genre by returning it to the real world. This is an astonishingly entertaining and well-presented volume. The Maltese Falcon presents a personal investigator who is motivated to disentangle the mystery encircling a black enamelled bird referred to as t he Maltese Falcon. Sam Spade, the significant protagonist of the narrative, is also depicted as the hard-boiled detective. Sam Spade is not a pleasant gentleman on the legal side. He is a character with an edge. The author describes him as a blond Satan. Spade is a concealed eye who can be as corrupt as the next gentleman but also holds to his own individual code of nobility. The intricacies of the narrative

Friday, November 1, 2019

Case study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 8

Case study - Assignment Example There is also the possibility that the individual in question may be incapable of performing his or her responsibilities for one reason or another (Shaer 45). In such a case, the manager has to fire the incompetent employee because he or she refuses to take advantage of existing opportunities to increase his efforts on the job. When an employee chooses inaction, he or she makes a conscious choice to refuse to work (Shaer 44). He or she then has to be held responsible for this choice; and not the company. Another reason why it is easier to fire an incompetent employee than fix one is because it is both expensive for the company, and difficult to change long –held negative habits. Some individuals simply do not understand the importance of being responsible because they were coddled their whole lives (Shaer 48). Changing their personal habits, in such a case, would need much more than ordinary counseling- it would require deeper therapy. To be effective, a performance plan has to identify the main criteria required to attain job success, while also having clear benchmarks that managers can use to perform evaluations of employee performance (Shaer 41). Under-performing employees may rationalize their performance by claiming dissatisfaction with their current positions (Shaer 47). This causes them to act out like a spoiled child who ruins something, or tips something over in order to demonstrate his or her frustration. Under-performing employees may also have a secret desire to collect unemployment insurance; and so will set about sabotaging his or her own performance in order to be fired (Shaer 48). Another way in which under-performing employees seek to rationalize their performance is by coping inaction by refusing to take the advice that is offered to them about the best way to improve their performance (Shaer 48). Those who do this who do this are usually people who have never had any real demands made of their time or intellect. They