The Devils Knot and the West Memphis Three essays

The Devil's Knot and the West Memphis Three essays One would believe that justice is found in every law and in every courtroom, and judges and jurors are the perfect tools to demonstrate such fairness on every situation. However, not all people receive fair trials regardless of gender, race, ethnic background or religion as established by the American judicial system. For example, throughout decades millions of innocent people have been accused, arrested, tortured, put to trial, and persecuted for the practice of witchcraft and Satanism. In her book Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three, Mara Leveritt recounts the story of three eight year old boys that disappear on one night and are found dead on near by stream the following day. In her book she describes the atrocities done to this kids and gives an accurate account of all the things found in the scene and how three teenagers are accused of the crime. Although there was little evidence left at the crime scene, the investigators were able to find sufficient reasons to charge the defendants The inspectors and investigators negligence is one of the factors that leads them to form speculations. For example, in the exposition of the case investigator Gitchell decides to interrogate all of the families. When the Byers are called to testify, Ryan ,the brother of one of the victims, recounts the story of what happened that night. In his narration of the events he tells the police that when his family did not find Christopher, they went to search for him and on that evening he went to the woods with his friends to search for his brother, and when he returned home at midnight his father had sent him to bed. Furthermore, the police interviews Mark Byers ,Christopher's stepfather. In his interrogation he gives the same details that Ryan gave except for one thing: he told the police that when Ryan returned home they both went to search for Christopher. The officers obviously...

There are No Failed Books 3 Ways to Save a Trunk Novel - Freewrite Store

There are No Failed Books 3 Ways to Save a Trunk Novel - Freewrite Store Today’s guest post is by author Jeff Somers.  He has published nine novels, including the  Avery Cates Series  of noir-science fiction novels from Orbit Books, the darkly hilarious crime novel  Chum  from Tyrus Books, and most recently tales of blood magic and short cons in the  Ustari Cycle.       When Truman Capote died in 1984, he hadn’t published a major work since the absolute classic In Cold Blood in 1965. He’d produced material, yes; mainly short stories and some screenplays. Some of that work had been highly regarded, but nothing on the scale and ambition of In Cold Blood or Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Over the course of those two decades, Capote had transformed from a predominantly literary figure into a general celebrity, a man known for his parties, his circle of famous friends, his wit, and his television appearances more than his writing. But Capote hadn’t been idle. In fact, in January 1966 he signed a contract with Random House for a new novel, receiving a $25,000 advance (nearly $200,000 in 2017 money). The book proposal was ambitious: A modern reworking of Proust’s immense In Search of Lost Time. Capote worked on the book (titled Answered Prayers) for the next twenty years, occasionally publishing chapters from it, and renegotiating his contract twice (getting a further $750,000 in 1969 and a promise of $1 million if he ever finished the book in 1980, money he never saw). He once remarked about the book â€Å"either I'm going to kill  it, or it's going to kill me,† and history shows who won that struggle. The unfinished draft of the novel was published posthumously. There are many possible reasons why Capote couldn’t finish this novel. Maybe his celebrity was too enticing and he lost his drive to create. Or it might have been the reaction early chapters received: Much of the book was a thinly veiled depiction of his high society friends and their very embarrassing behavior, which cost him those friends- something that Capote reportedly took very hard. Or maybe it was just one of those books that all authors begin and then lug around with them for years, even decades- sometimes their whole lives. We call them Trunk Novels- novels that start off with so much promise, so much excitement, and then proceed to consume hundreds of thousands of words and huge tracts of time without ever coalescing into something resembling coherency. Every author has at least one. Most of us have several.       Too Good To Fail The problem with a Trunk Novel is there’s something there. A premise or an experiment, an energy, a challenge- something that brings you back to it again and again even though you can never get it to work. You revise, you scrap and start over, you recast it in different genres, you try to put it away and forget about it, but you can’t. And even if you are eventually able to put the book aside, should you? After all, you put a lot of good work into it. A lot of time, ideas, and solid writing. Instead of abandoning Trunk Novels, rethink them- here are three strategies for getting them out of your trunk and into publishable shape without losing any more of your sanity or precious time. Method 1: The Mashup If you’ve got more than one Trunk Novel cluttering up your hard drive with its imperfect sadness, one ambitious but potentially brilliant strategy is to combine them. This requires a certain amount of overlap in terms of genre and style, of course (though it doesn’t have to be a perfect match, as many genres combine wonderfully well- like romance and horror) and will probably need quite a bit of fix-up revision, but it can work. (Photo by  Erwan Hesry  on  Unsplash) The reason why it works is simple: Many Trunk Novels have great stuff in them- and it’s often complementary stuff. One novel I was working on for years had a solid plot, a good framework of events and motives, but it lacked interesting characters and lush description. A second book, separated from the first by several years, had a cast of characters I loved spending time with, but meandered through a plot that barely qualified. Taking the two and combining them resulted in a strong novel that popped off the page. I haven’t sold that novel yet, but my agent is enthusiastic. Method 2: Call It Sometimes you can get caught up in the supposed â€Å"rules† of professional writing. One of those rules concerns the marketability of a novel, and specifies that in order to have any chance your novel has to hit a certain word count (80,000 words is usually the quoted number, though you’ll hear variations on that). And thus, were a million Trunk Novels born because writers are reluctant to admit that what they’ve actually written is a novella or a short story. Writers sometimes desperately try to turn works into novels because they think novellas are impossible to sell, and short stories aren’t worth it in terms of money or attention. But novellas are actually easier to sell these days than in the past, thanks to digital platforms that don’t really care about word counts, and short stories have been having a Moment as increasing numbers of them are being adapted into film and television- see Arrival, The Grey, and Total Recall- leading many agents to reevaluate the wisdom of writers spending time and effort on shorter works. (Photo by  Simson Petrol  on  Unsplash) So, if you have a novel that’s been sitting in the Trunk for a while, consider whether the problem isn’t the story or the writing, but it’s girth. Is it a novella or short story that you’ve been trying to bulk up to novel size? Try cutting it mercilessly down and see what you have. You might be surprised. Method 3: The Inversion Another way to save a Trunk Novel from oblivion is to run a critical eye over your assumptions about the book. That initial moment of inspiration we experience is often powerful- one of the best things about being creative is that rush of energy when you have â€Å"the idea.† That power also burns certain things into your brain, like who the main or POV character should be, or the tone the story needs, or the precise pacing of the plot events. Over time, these turn into assumptions- no matter how often you attack the book unsuccessfully, you never think about changing the bedrock of that initial inspiration. You become blind to the possibilities offered by other characters who might be promoted or explored, other stylistic choices, or other third acts that go off in crazy directions. (Photo by  Dardan Mu  on  Unsplash) The secret sauce in this approach isn’t so much that you were wrong about everything from the beginning, but in the thrill of the unknown. By the time you’re ready to admit that a book is a Trunk Novel, there’s a very good chance you’ve been over each scene, every line of dialog, and every plot twist many, many times. It’s familiar, and familiarity breeds contempt and blindness. You can’t see it any more. Changing something fundamental about the book forces you into unknown territory, bringing back some of that electric buzz of discovery and revealing new ways forward. With a book stuck in Trunk Mode, that can jump-start the creative process and get you over the finish line. Not every novel can be saved, and writing a bad book is just part of being a writer- but if you’ve got a novel that just won’t go quietly into that dusty drawer, consider trying one of these techniques to rescue it once and for all. So, how many Trunk Novels are you hauling around with you? Have you ever managed to make one work? Let us know if you did, and if so, how you did it!    Jeff Somers (www.jeffreysomers.com) began writing by court order as an attempt to steer his creative impulses away from engineering genetic grotesqueries. He has published nine novels, including theAvery Cates Series of noir-science fiction novels from Orbit Books (www.avery-cates.com) and theUstari Cycleseries of urban fantasy novels. His short story â€Å"Ringing the Changes† was selected for inclusion inBest American Mystery Stories 2006,his story â€Å"Sift, Almost Invisible, Through† appeared in the anthologyCrimes by Moonlight edited by Charlaine Harris, and his story â€Å"Three Cups of Tea† appeared in the anthologyHanzai Japan. He also writes about books forBarnes and Noble andAbout.com and about the craft of writing forWriter’s Digest, which will publish his book on the craft of writingWriting Without Rules in 2018. He lives in Hoboken with his wife, The Duchess, and their cats. He considers pants to always be optional.

3G Network Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

3G Network - Essay Example The world had come a long way from personal letters sealed by wax in an envelope. People now live where a conversation with a love one from continents away is done with just a touch of a button. We are in a time where messages can be sent across seas in a matter of seconds, not months. This is a world where information and news can be received by anyone in the convenience of their own homes. This is the privilege of living in this decade.But what's next The communication technologies at work today may be at its finest but there always are innovations up ahead. A few years ago, the GPRS services seemed like the future, but it is now perceived as slow, expensive and is too much of a hassle. That is why a new generation of mobile telephone communication system was developed, the 3G.3G technology is short for third generation mobile telephone communication system technology. This technology promises better, faster and more efficient data transfer through cellular phones. It boasts 2Megab ites per second data transfers which allow video calls, conferencing, mobile banking, map positioning services and internet access among others. With this transfer rate it is the task of the service providers to utilize it to the fullest by giving a variety of services for the subscribers. Along with the above mentioned 3G capable cell phones will still have conventional voice and messaging services.The institution responsible for standardizing 3G is the International Telecommunication Union or ITU. The standards for 3G are specifically known as the IMT-2000. This stands for International Mobile Telecommunications system finalized in the year 2000. After this establishment, the development of physical equipments may then proceed. In May of 2001, the first pre-commercial 3G network was launched in Japan branded FOMA. The company responsible for this is NTT DoCoMo. This same company then launched the first commercial 3G in Japan on October of the same year. Korea and Europe then followed. (Wikipedia) Mobile phones were originally just for voice data transmissions, much like its land line forefathers. This was considered the second generation or 2G. But with the increase in demand for better audio qualities and later on the demand for faster data transmissions, a better system is require, this lead to the development or 3G. The first step to this change was the switch from 2G to GPRS or General Packet Radio Service. With this change came the increase in data rates from 56kbps to 114kbps. This now will allow not just voice data but also short message service (SMS), Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) and wireless application protocol (WAP). Another change made was the per-megabite charging as oppose to the per-minute charging of 2G. Continuing, the GPRS service, otherwise known as 2.5G, was upgraded to 2.75G or Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution. By definition, EDGE falls under IMT-2000 and should be called 3G but it is more frequently referred to as 2.75G, but it is more like an improved GPRS than 3G. (Wikipedia) According to the ITU, the key characteristics of IMT-2000 are flexibility, affordability, compatibility with existing systems and modular design. It is said to be flexible because it can accommodate five possible radio interfaces based on three different technologies which are FDMA, TDMA and CDMA. This avoids the problem of supporting a wide range of different interfaces and technologies. It is also agreed to make it more affordable so as to encourage the adoption by consumers and operators. The existence of the present technologies will also not cease because 3G is also compatible with these. And finally, the 3G system should be easily expandable in order to allow growth. Specifications 3G may have all the bells and whistles to brag about but it is, for a fact, a cellular telephone system, and all cellular telephone systems function the same way. The basic concept of two-way mobile telephone is quite simple; however, mobile telephone systems involve intricate and rather complex

Sayonara Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sayonara - Essay Example ary to their white costars, even though, later, the film would be hailed as an all-time silent film great and classic because of Anna May Wong’s portrayal of Shosho, a dancer discovered in the kitchen of a cabaret and who gets her big break on stage in the owner’s effort to keep is audiences coming in. The film gave top billing to the white actors over Wong, whose performance would be recognized as carrying the film to the top of the list of silent film greats. Nonetheless, the acting success of Wong or her co-actor, King Hou Chang, who played the role of Jim, Shosho’s onscreen boyfriend until the club owner, and white character, played by Jameson Thomas as Valentine Wilmot wins her away from Jim. In the film, Shosho falls in love with Wilmot, even though he is still interested in Mable, the star of the cabaret, played by Gilda Gray. Even though Jim is loyal to Shosho, loves her deeply, she is prepared to lose that for white man, which reduces Jim to being portrayed as a weak Asian man who gives in to his jealous impulses and drives Shosho even further away from him. Jim has to hide his relationship with Shosho, who, unbeknownst to Jim has already lost her virginity to Wilmot. Even though Jim is a respected businessman in his own neighborhood, in London’s East end where Wilmot owns the Piccadilly, Jim must pretend to be Shosho’s musical accompanist in her act. However, Wilmot is a clever man, and he makes sure that Jim finds out that he has already been intimate with Shosho when he sends Jim to his office and Jim finds a good luck figurine he had given to Shosho. Not only is Jim portrayed as less important and less clever than Wilmot, the physicality of the actor in relationship to that of his costar is dramatically emphasized t show that the Wilmot is taller, stronger, and, therefore, presumably, more virile than Jim. This is in keeping with the stereotypical imagery that surrounded the Asian film actor during the era, 1929, when this last

Development of Movements and Its Importance in the Life of a Child Essay Example for Free

Development of Movements and Its Importance in the Life of a Child Essay The world of Man cannot be imagined without movement. Life is indicated by movement. In animal/bird/fish life we can realise that immobility is impossible. Even those classified as immovable (plant life) manifest their life by movement. The human kingdom isolates itself from other non-human living beings by their capacity to work which is possible only by directed movements. There is movement in every area of human work-personal care, care of the environment, social behaviour, intellectual work etc. When we consider the Child as part of the human family we need to consider the importance of movement in his Life and Development. Movement in the human body In the general development of the human being we can see the role of the brain, the senses and the muscles. Among these the muscles are the ones which execute the movements. These movements can be considered as voluntary when they are controlled by the brain. This control is made possible by the senses feeding the brain or intelligence with the right messages. When these capacities work in co-operation, the last stage remains with the muscles which make the movements. Movement thus becomes the last part that completes the cycle of thought says Dr. Montessori. This co-ordination creates the unique characteristic of Man namely WORK possible. Movement is a mode of human expression. Animals too express themselves by their movements. Dr. Montessori asks Can we ignore this fact in Man? Movement becomes a system of healthy relationship with Mans environment (establish, maintain and restore conditions). We see the importance of movement without which no expression is possible(sign language, body language, writing, etc). Mans aspiration at the highest level is that of spiritual perfection. Dr. Montessori asks Is that enough? Can Man be selfish? Does he not circulate his experiences and thereby express them? Movement should occupy the place of a servant of the whole life and the spiritual economy of the world. Mental life and development depends very heavily on sensesdevelopment of speech on hearing and observation and understanding depends on the sight. This co-ordination of the brain and the senses has to be made in the very beginning. Then and only then can there be any human expression. Dr. Montessori says Here is a very good reason why Nature keeps the human being very immobile during infancy; when the co-ordination starts Nature gives the human being the facility for locomotion. In a child we see movement/work as a manifestation of the development of the mind. While he acts on the direction of the intelligence there is an extension in the understanding. Scientific observation shows that intelligence is developed through movement; movement helps psychic development. Again Movement has a great contribution to offer in the conquest of language which is one of the most fundamental conquests to be made by the psyche of the child. When the child performs work it becomes a co-ordination of the brain, senses and muscles. In Man, the mechanism of grace is not evident at birth but has to be created by physical experiences working at the environment, done with co-ordination. None of this co-ordination is established at birth. But there is a wide possibility of movements. The variety of movements is immense-massive to minute (ballerinagymnast). Dr. Montessori calls it harmonised opposition. The child is endowed with the capacity or potentiality to co-ordinate these movements. Man has a great diversity in skill in action but must create it by will, subconsciously or voluntarily. The combination of the brain, the senses, and the muscles in collaboration with emotional and social development can lead one to what we term grace. The variety is created by the human being himself and therefore he can decide which ones to develop. But there is a price to pay. He has to work at it repeatedly to obtain that versatility. Because of this factor, the capacities vary from person to person. This individuality is very easily seen in the human beings. The muscles are too numerous for all to be exercised; but there is a certain number of exercises below which it is dangerous for psychical life to go on. The human being may also perish. We need to remember that, when a person trains on very large gross movements the mind also remains so. When he works on more refined movements the psychic capacity also becomes more refined. It has also been proved that the quality of possible movements of a person has a close relationship to the quality of mental capacities. Development of human movement Man shares the characteristics of mammals by having four limbs. Mammals develop all the four limbs simultaneously and according to the species the form and function vary. They are predetermined. Among the mammals Man is an example of developing the limbs two at a time. The form and the functions are different. Considering the development of the legs and feet we can see them from three different points of view. †¢ Biological Stand on two feet †¢ Physiological Balance and walk †¢ Anatomical Keeping whole feet on the ground The legs have a task of gaining and maintaining equilibrium. Biological guidance for the development of feet, to put the whole foot down in order to get the equilibrium is given by Nature. We can identify four steps in the process. SitRollStand with support (Stand without support) Walk with help (Walk without help) The logic of Nature seems to be to stand upright, walk and become steady and move to take part in the life around. This indeed is a great achievement of independence on the part of the human being but very predictable. Walking as a human conquest made by the child is proclaimed as not only an achievement made at the physical level but also as booster for the most necessary ingredient in human life and developmentself confidence and self reliance. This is recognised by the modern psychologists. It throws open varied scope for mental activities also. The other two limbs meaning the hands seem to have a different method of development. In the history of evolution we see a great landmark when the thumb starts acting against the fingers and not along the same direction as seen in earlier rungs of the ladder of evolution. Hands depend, for their development, not only on the psyche but also on the psychical life of different epoches in time in different racial groups. Intelligence of the child will reach a certain level without the use of the hand, but with it a still higher level is reached and the child who has used his hands invariably has a strong character. In the individuals development of hands we see the attempt in grasping and that grasping made as an intentional movement. †¢ 1st step Grasping prehension instinctive to conscious movements †¢ Six months Intentional movements †¢ 1st year Hands and feet exerting the maximum, Creating challenges, Imitation of characteristic movements, Making efforts to fit himself for life and independence There is nothing biological or physiological in this. Hands can perform an immense variety of movements. They are not predetermined but depend on the individual. Therefore there is every reason to believe that it has something to do with the development of the mind. Dr. Montessori would take it even to the soul or personality. The hand thus become instruments of learning and the variety in these movements depend on what activities they have opportunity to perform. Around the time the child is one-and-a-half years, the leg movement and the hand movement co-ordinate. For instance, carrying a heavy object. This is another milestone in development. Nature prompts the child to exert the maximum effort. Dr. Montessori talks at length of the study of history and ancient civilizations being made available to us only because of the work of hands which also reflects the mental height of those who created the masterpieces. Civilizationsartifacts, historical relics reveal that hands combined with the emotional lives reveal the quality of the lives of people. Hands seem to have followed the intelligence, the spirit and the emotions. Dr. Montessori says Childs intelligence can develop to certain level without the help of hands. But it raises to greater heights with hand work. The strength of character becomes conspicuously stronger. Dr. Montessori would exhort us about the misconception with regard to human movement, Educational theory thinks that people have to sit still for intellectual activity. Therefore educationists try to separate movement from thought. This even leads to alternating mental and physical activities in schools. Montessori refers to it as the coordinated work of the red and the white man as an intimate reciprocal relationship. The red man indicates the circulatory system and the white man refers to the neuro-muscular system. Maturation is a great factor in this development. The Senses gather knowledge for the intelligence and the intelligence together with the Will carries on the work with the help of the muscles. Separation of movement and thought is injurious to development. To consider strengthening the muscular capacity alone as a means of strengthening the physique can be detrimental. It would be like making a prince (muscular system) live like a slave to a shepherd(mere vegetative lifefor creating appetite or strengthening the lungs). It must become a contributory factor to mental development. Eventually it should lead to emotional and spiritual enrichment. Some thoughts about handedness: Handedness means predominant use of one hand. Two factors determine the handednessthe preference for one hand as compared to the other, the proficiency or skill with which the hand can be used. Studies of handedness has shown that at birth the child is ambidextrous Earlier it was believed that the child was born either right or left handed. It has been proved otherwise. During the first year of life the child uses both hands without any particular preference. In the second year usage of left and right is done shifting as the necessity occursfor instance the proximity or the angle in which an activity has to be performed. Between two-and-a-half and three-and-a-half years the child is ambidextrous using both hands with equal proficiency and frequency. The bilaterality is very marked at this stage. From the age of four to six years there is a preference to unilaterality or a predominant preference to using one or the other hand. Such preference can be observed in the speed, accuracy, strength and steadiness in the movements.

Free Essays - The Need for Capital Punishment :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Essays - The Need for Capital Punishment      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Imagine yourself in a room, 12 feet long by 6 feet wide.   You're sitting on a metal bed bolted to the floor with a thin foam cushion.   The only other things in the room are a table and a chair, a sink and a toilet.   There is no window, only a small faint light on the ceiling.   You spend all of your time in this room, you have no choice.   This is your dining room, your den, your bedroom and your bathroom.   You are allowed to read and write letters in this room.   You cannot entertain guests in this room, you must go somewhere else for that, in a room with a mesh screen for you to sit behind, where you are constantly watched over.   Even though this is your bathroom, it has no shower stall or bathtub, but once a week you are allowed to leave this room to take a shower.   Your days are spent inside this room reading, thinking and worrying.   You aren't in any ordinary room, you're in a cell on death row.   A cell reserved for people who were sentenced to death for committing a crime.   Death could be by firing squad, lethel injection, the gas chamber or electric chair.   Chances are you've been in this room for many years and will be for many more.   Your lawyers have began the lenghthly appeal process.   Once all the appeals have failed, it soon is time, and you will be moved to a holding cell.   There you will be offered your final mean, of your choice.   Your last visitors arrive, first your lawyer, your family members and at last a preist who prays with you.   You take your final glance around the room, as you are lead to another room close by, the execution room. A few prison officials are present to witness your execution.   In a matter of moments it's over.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   You could have been Gary Gilmore, Ted Bundy or Charles Brooks, all famous serial killers.   Maybe you were the first women to die by lethel injection, Marcie Barfield, or the first women to die by the electric chair, Martha Place.   Whoever it was well deserved this punishment, in fact, some readily accepted it in comparison to spending the rest of their lives in a jail cell, but many people who did deserve the death penalty did not recieve it.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In August 1969, seven people died at the hands of a serial killer including eight month pregnant acress Sharon Tate.   This was the result of a

Overeating Essay

Coming out from my closed where I live, I saw a huge handsome young man of his late twenties staggering, very dirty and looking haggard. Yes! I guessed he must have smoked some quantities of marijuana herb or something else that made him look mad. Little did I know that the young man was indeed over fed with alcohol, no wonder he muttered when I passed him to buy some loaves of bread and I remembered he did smelled profusely. Such was my encounter with Chike-the over fed alcoholic man. It was not by mistake that Chika was born into the humble home of Late Mr. Okoko Ibe in Lagos Nigeria. He was born healthy and hearty up to his late twenties before he joined a group of gangsters who feed themselves with doses of alcohol and cause troubles within the neighborhoods. They have a common character of not saying no to drinks be it alcohol or the like each time it is offered to them. This habit was alleged to have resulted to Chike’s sudden madness. On Sunday the 25th of March 2007 Chike on his madness regalia set out to look for where he could beg for whisky and gin in a nearby market. I drew close to a shop keeper where I wanted to shop for breakfast bread, it was indeed a big scene as I look but saw that there were two young men fighting and exchanging foul words to one another. Though no one could actually say what really was between them but something tells me it is not well with both men. There seems to be loss of agreement over who takes larger part of what money they are to share. Gradually crowds began to drew attention and all concentration was at the point of scene and not even the noise of a flying helicopter could deter one from trying to hear nor vehicles passing could block ones view from capturing what comes next as these two men kept on dragging with gradually increase in their voices. !! Give me $1000 or else I tell the police!! Said one of them who looked mean and more able bodied. Just as this argument was lingering and crowd gradually coming closer to the scene, I saw Chike rushed the young men in the face of the tick crowd and snatched the money tithed in a nylon bag and zoomed off abandoned his place of abode, sandals and his dirty wrapper wrap of clothes. Nobody could actually say which direction he took to and what really motivated him to act in that manner. It was indeed amazed and amused. People were perplexed to explain what the state of Chike’s health had turned to. Initially I thought this was unconnected with his state of madness. At a distance Chike was seen trying to cross a huge long trailer carry cement products, as he did not want anyone to catch him ,he was knocked down and was crushed to death. Many People who witness this scene went home crying for the poor popular mad man.

What facts surprised you most in the essay?

Some of the facts that I’ve found surprising to read are as follows:It is devastating to note that fast food has become so ingrained in the American lifestyle that they are spending more money on hamburgers than any other thing.It has become more like a routine and is much embedded into their daily lives that, one quarter of the U. S population ends up consuming fast food for their meals.The fast food industry has not only transformed the diet but subsequently the culture, economy, workforce and the society at large.McDonald’s contributes a major share in the provision of jobs.It is responsible for 90% of the country’s new jobs.It has more retail outlets than any other merchant in the U. S.McDonald's is now the nation's largest purchaser of beef, pork, and potatoes. It is the second-largest purchaser of chicken in the U. S.The golden arches are now more widely recognized than the Christian cross.QUESTION 2 In paragraph 4 what parallels does he draw between the growth of fast food industry and fundamental changes in American society? Answer: The writers make an attempt to highlight the reasons for changes in workforce demographics during the early 70’s and their after effect on the American society.Owing to the decline of wages, starting from the mid 70’s, the American economy experienced profound changes that had a direct impact on the overall economy, society and consequently the typical American household. During this period more and more women had to come out of their homes in order to meet their household expenses. As a result, in order to meet the demands of the fast-paced life, the traditional home cooking gave way to fast food culture. The shift from domestic cooking to fast-food restaurant meals is one of the factors responsible for the rapid growth of fast-food industry.QUESTION 3What does he have to say about standardization, uniformity, conformity at the one hand, and non-conformist entrepreneurs on the other?Answer: The fast food business has a very dominating influence on the American culture, business and economy. Some big names as like McDonald’s have gained tremendous control over the market share and have made and devastating impact on the food processing systems in the United States that has actually created a system of standardization for the rest to follow. The basic systems have become the operating systems of the fast food industry.The concept of uniformity is well taken by many all around the world. The customer’s confidence is based on the premise that they will get the same quality, no matter where they are in the world. The feeling of reassurance from the customer’s side underlies the trust that they have in the company, and this is one the key areas that these companies never compromise on. The concept of conformance is one of the core key success factors that have enabled McDonald’s and other to expand globally with winning returns. It is one the fundamental secret to their success.They have very intelligently blended co nformity with innovation and creativity. The industry is on the verge of constant innovation and comes up with new ideas every now and then. They thrive to conform to the standards set by them and instill the franchise owner to abide by them. The non-conformists have no place to stand if they plan to venture into such conformist driven enterprises. They consider conformance is their basic principle of success, no matter where they operate in the world.QUESTION 4What final facts does he conclude with? How do they lend a dramatic end to his conclusion?Answer: In the end, the writer turns a critical eye and discusses the pros and cons, the positives and negatives that this massively grown industry has brought with it. He makes an attempt to draw a very critical analysis starting from the inception of the fast food industry, how it progressed through the decades and its effects on the American culture, society, and economy. It is indeed very interesting to see that the progress of this industry has defied all odds.It was founded by people who were self-made and had no formal education in business. And yet, they were the ones who took all the risks and came up with innovative ideas all the way. Although this sector holds the crown of being the largest private employer and has been providing lots of jobs, but the wages offered are very low with no benefits attached. The workers move from one job to another with no skill enhancement. Very few are fortunate enough to make to the top. Majority of the workers remain within the low wage category throughout their lives with very bleak chances of progression.Moreover, the working conditions for low waged workers are also not favourable and can be lethal at times. In order to attain maximum profit, the fast food corporations have gained much control over the production side of various food items in the United States. They have taken over the place of the family-run farms. Hence, despite the positive and negative aspects, it is noteworthy to mention that these corporate giants have taken a great degree of control on the American economy and society. They have now become part of the structure and are a major contributor in the industrialization of the American system.

SAT Score

What's a Good 8th Grade ACT / SAT Score SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The SAT / ACT is a good predictor of future college potential. During 8th grade these tests are looming ahead, but how do you know what's a good SAT / ACT score for someone at this grade level? Here, Dr. Fred Zhang does a novel analysis on two data sets to find what is considered a good score for middle school students. How Do We Determine a Good SAT/ACT Score for 8th Graders? The ACT / SAT is primarily used as ahigh schooltest forcollegeadmissions, and most students who take these exams are in 11th or 12th grade. This means a few things. The SAT is normed at 500 points, while the ACT is normed around a 20. Norms are enforced average scores for the normal high school student taking it - usually in 11th or 12th grade. If you're in these grades, check out these links for a good ACT score anda good SAT score. If you use atable for high school students to examine a student in 8th grade, your results will be completely wrong. You need to use a guide like this, that is specifically crafted for 8th graders. Also, remember that the content on the ACT / SAT is at the high school level, and it includesgeometry and other topics usually taught only in or near 11th grade. Therefore, performing badly on these tests in 8th grade should not be taken as a lack of ability- sometimes it's just a result of not having learned the content yet. How We Found the Data Few students younger than 11th graders (relatively speaking) take the SAT or ACT, so finding out how to gauge a good or bad score is not as easy as looking at a table of percentiles from the test makers. Instead, we used two unique data sets: the Duke TIP program data set, and the John Hopkins CTY data set. In regards to the new SAT (introduced in March 2016), we came up with these estimates based on data from the old version of the SAT, but we expect them to stay pretty accurate for the current version of the exam. These are groups of very talented 7th graders who took the SAT / ACT, so we can't just take the average and distribution of these data sets. Instead, we used a statistical technique called quantile matching / maximum likelihood to infer the distribution of all 7th graders. Then, we used linear interpolation to determine good scores for 8th graders. Results: Distribution of 8th Grade ACT / SAT Scores The average SAT / ACT score of an 8th grade student is lower than that of a high school student. In fact, we find that the scores on the SAT are a full 450 points lower per section, while the scores on the ACT are about 7 points lower. Therefore, the SAT score of the median 8th grader is about a 350 per section, and the ACT score of the median 8th grader is about a 13. A standard deviation in the SAT is around 100 points per section, and is around a 6 on the ACT. This means that the scores translate as follows: Interpretation Percentile ACT Score SAT Score Below Average 25% 7 250 Average 50% 13 350 Above Average 75% 19 450 Excellent 95% 26 550 What this data shows us is that, if you score about a 13 on the ACT or a 350 on each section of the SAT (or a 700 with both sections combined), you're getting about the average score for an 8th grader. If you score around a 7 on the ACT or a 250for each SAT section, then about three-quarters of other 8th graders would have a higher score than you. What's a Good SAT / ACT Score for an 8th Grader? From the table above, we can conclude that a good SAT / ACT score for 8th graders, which beats three-quarters of similar students in the U.S., is a 19 on the ACT and a 900(over bothsections) on the SAT. Keep in mind that,as I warned above, the SAT / ACT is not intended to evaluate students before their college admissions timeline, so don't despair if your score is lower than this. You can always boost it later on by learning the content and studying more. How Can 8th Graders Prepare for the SAT / ACT? Now that you know what a good standardized test score for an 8th grader is, how can youmeet your ideal score? We have a lot of guides to help you understand the SAT and ACT. First, you will want to decide if you should start preparing for the SAT or ACT in 8th grade.Practice tests are very important for standardized test prep as well, and we have manyfree and official SAT practice tests and ACT practice tests. You mightalso be interested in preparing forstandardizedtests that students typically take before the SAT and ACT. We have complete guides to both the new PSAT and the ACT Aspire tests. Use these resources and you'll be well on your way to getting a greatscore the next time you take the SAT or ACT! What's Next? Planning on taking the SAT or ACT in the coming years as well? Learn what a good SAT/ACT score is for 9th graders and 10th graders. Taking the PSAT or PreACT?Then you'll need some high-quality study resources. Check out our collections ofPSAT practice testsandPreACT practice teststo get started. When should you start prepping for the SAT?Our expert guide gives you four key tipsto help you figure out the best time to begin studying. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT and ACT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160+ points or your ACT score by 4+ points. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Do Colleges Look at Middle School Grades

Do Colleges Look at Middle School Grades SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Should you be worried about a low grade you got in middle school hurting your future college applications? Do middle school grades count for college?With college admissions getting more competitive and students preparing for college earlier and earlier, many people wonder if colleges look at the middle school grades of applicants. Will that C you got in 6th grade math hold you back from getting into your dream school? In this guide, we explain if colleges look at middle school grades, which grades colleges are most interested in, and everything you can do as a middle school student to prepare for the college application process. Do Colleges Look at Middle School Grades? Your middle school grades will not be part of your college application.No college, even a highly-competitive one, is going to be looking at what grades you got in middle school. There are several reasons for this. The main one is that, when you apply to college, your middle school grades will have occurred too long ago to give colleges an accurate idea of the student you are now. If colleges see that you got a D in science when you were 12 years old, that really doesn’t give them any insight into the type of student you are at 17 or 18 when you’re applying to schools. You’ve had years to improve your study habits and master new material, so penalizing you for something that happened years ago would be unfair. Middle school grades simply happened too long ago to be very useful. Additionally, middle school grades are often more subjective than high school grades. One middle school may have a very different grading scale compared to a different school, while some middle school teachers may give everyone A’s while others are much more strict. Things like this can happen in high school too, but it’s more prevalent in middle school, which makes it harder for colleges to compare grades of students who went to different middle schools. Colleges also have plenty of better information to figure out what kind of student you are that they don't need your middle school grades. Colleges ask for a lot of materials when you apply, including your high school transcript, standardized test scores, the extracurriculars you were in, personal statements, and letters of recommendation.This is enough for them to get a good idea of who you are and what type of student you are. Middle school grades wouldn't add any useful information. Which Grades Do Colleges Look At? Which Year of School Is Most Important for College Applications? Colleges won't be looking at your middle school grades, but they will be very interested in all the grades you got in high school. When you apply to colleges, you’ll submit a transcript that includes the grades you got the first three years of high school, and many schools also require you to submit your senior grades once you get them. Colleges will look at every grade you got in high school, so ideally you want your entire high school transcript to be strong.However, there are some grades that are more important to colleges than other grades. Generally colleges care most about the grades you got junior year. These grades are the most important because, when you apply in the fall of your senior year, they’re the most recent grades the college has access to, so they give them the best idea of your current abilities. If you got a few low grades your freshman year but turned around and got high grades the rest of your high school career, colleges will see that maybe you struggled a bit in the beginning, but then you overcame those issues and were able to maintain a high GPA afterward. That gives them confidence you’re on track to be a successful college student. On the other hand, if you began high school with a strong GPA but have gradually gotten lower grades, especially in your junior year, colleges may be more concerned that you’re struggling as classes get more difficult, you’re losing motivation, or both.Having high grades your junior year will give colleges confidence that you can succeed as a student that their school. How important are your grades from other years of high school? Senior year grades are probably the next most important, although some colleges make admissions decisions before your senior grades are out. However, many colleges will ask for your senior grades even after they’ve accepted you, so don’t fall prey to senioritis and start coasting your final year of high school. Sophomore grades are most important after that, then freshman grades. What Can You Do in Middle School to Prepare for College? Even though colleges don’t look at your middle school grades, there's still plenty you can do in middle school to prepare for college. It’s not required to start thinking about college in middle school, but if you’re really motivated, there are several things you can do as a middle schooler to put you in the best spot when it comes time to apply to college. Here are three things to focus on. #1: Get the Best Grades You Can in Your Classes Even though colleges won’t be looking at your middle school grades, you still want to get the best grades you can during those years. Having strong middle school grades increases the chances of you being placed into advanced classes as a high school freshman, which colleges will see. Additionally, by working hard in middle school, you’ll acquire good study and testing habits that you can continue to use in high school, making it easier for you to get high grades in your high school classes.You don’t want to enter high school without knowing how to properly read a chapter in a textbook or study for a big test. Learn these things in middle school so you’ll be as prepared as possible for your high school classes and can start your freshman year off strong. #2: Think About Which Subjects You Enjoy Most You absolutely don’t need to know what you’re going to major in as a middle schooler (most high school students have no idea what they’re going to major in!), but it can definitely be helpful to start thinking about what your favorite subjects are and which of them you’d like to continue taking. If you know that you enjoy, say, math and science classes more than English and social studies classes, once you get to high school you can begin aiming to take more advanced classes in math and science to show colleges that you’re skilled in them. It’s totally fine to change your mind about which classes you plan on taking in high school, but by starting to think about it in middle school, you can be better prepared when it comes time to choose classes in high school. #3: Participate in Different Extracurricular Activities Your middle school grades may not be part of your college application, but extracurriculars you participate in during this time might be! If you’ve been taking piano lessons since you were in 2nd grade or been volunteering at a nursing home since you were 13, you can include that on your college applications as long as you continued those activities through at least part of high school. This means your middle school extracurriculars can show colleges your commitment to an activity, and participating in an extracurricular in middle school can help you get a leadership position in that activity as a high school student. If colleges see that you’ve stuck with an activity since middle school, it’ll show them you’re passionate about it and can really dedicate yourself to an activity.Similarly, obtaining a leadership position in an extracurricular also shows you’re passionate about it and that you have leadership skills (a big plus to colleges). As with tip #2, it’s completely fine to change extracurriculars between middle school and college, but if you’re looking for a way to strengthen your future college applications, sticking with at least one can help. Conclusion: Do Middle School Grades Count for College? Do colleges look at middle school grades? No, your middle school grades occurred too long ago to really give colleges an accurate idea of your current academic abilities. Colleges have many other pieces of information that are much more useful for figuring out which applicants to accept, so they don’t use middle school grades. Which grades do colleges look at? Your high school grades will be very important for your college application, particularly your junior year grades since these give colleges the best idea of what kind of student you are now. Even though your middle school grades won’t be used in the college application process, you can still begin preparing for college applications in middle school by getting high grades (to prepare you for the best high school classes), thinking about which classes you want to continue with in high school and beyond, and participating in extracurriculars you’re interested in and want to continue with in high school. What's Next? Trying to decide where to go to high school? Learn how to compare high schools using SAT or ACT scores. Thinking ahead to your high school grades?Learn the average high school GPA so you know what to aim for. Beginning your college search?Check out our guide on how to choose the best college for you. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Poetry analysis - Alfred Tennyson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Poetry analysis - Alfred Tennyson - Essay Example Not only did he later write verses on dramatic fiction, but also on the current political issues. For instance, his poem, The Change of the Light Brigade, gives a description of the catastrophic battle of the Crimean War while at the same time praising the bravery of British soldiers involved (Tennyson, 2000: 302). The Change of the Light Brigade is a poem that consists of six stanzas, which vary in length from between six and twelve lines. Like all other poets Alfred Tennyson employs prosodic features, repetition, different sound patterns, and various figures of speech in his attempt to communicate the meaning. For instance, use of figurative language and imagery creates an exhilaration tone, while at the same time honoring the admirable qualities of the Light Brigade. Critics have argued that Tennyson is not only a literary poet, but also a poet of the people, plumbing into the depths of his giving voice to the consciousness of the nation (Tennyson, 2000: 302). Throughout most of h is poems, Tennyson shows a deep commitment to the reformation of the society and an interest in its development. The poem narrates the story of a brigade made up of 600 soldiers, who for half a league have rode on horseback to the valley of death. This was under a command to take charge of some enemy forces that had seized them for some time. Even though all the soldiers were convinced that the commander had made a mistake, not one of them was distressed in charging forward. They rode courageously towards the valley of death. At the end of the war, only a few soldiers made it back. The world was surprised at the courage of the soldiers. Each line in the poem is in dimeter. This means that there are two stressed syllables in each line. In addition to this, each stressed syllable is comes before two unstressed syllables. This makes the rhythm of the poem dactylic. Employing a falling rhythm in the poem is appropriate for the demoralizing fall of the British brigade. This is one of the features the poet uses in communicating the message. The rhyme scheme, on the other hand, varies from a stanza to the next. He employs the same rhyme and in some occasions, a similar final word for most consecutive lines. Moreover, the poem employs anaphora. This is the repetition of the same word at the start of a variety of consecutive lines. This method has been employed to create a sense of remorseless assault. For instance, the repetition of the word cannon implies the manner in which the soldiers meet flying shells at all turns (Tennyson, 2004: 27). Repetition has been employed immensely throughout the poem for the sole purpose of creating emphasis. For instance, the repetition of the phrase half a league in the first and the second lines of the first stanza emphasize the long distance that the soldiers had to travel. Tennyson employs the third person point of view in making the descriptions within the poem. He most probably employs the male gender because on the 19th century gender biases, which held that women should not appear on battlefields. Strength and determination are the central themes of the entire poem. The soldiers face a lot of danger but show admirable qualities, which are honored. In communicating this message, Tonnyson employs personification, metaphors, and imagery. As far as imagery in the poem is concerned, critics have argued that more is meant by the author than just what is met by the eye. For instance, the