The Masque of the Red Death Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Masque of the Red Death - Research Paper Example Prince Prospero was the only place that the prince and his nobility friends and guest would feel safe, since there was security against any external intrusion, even the intrusion of death. The inside of the castle’s wall was characterized by happiness, while the outside was characterized by sadness, pain and death. Inside Prince Prospero’s castle, there was â€Å"musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine† (Poe, 21). All these elements were brought together in order to keep the guests to the castle entertained and at peace, despite the menace that was ruling outside the walls of the castle. Nevertheless, even when the inside of the castle seemed to be safer than the outside world, Prince Prospero and his guests still lived in an illusion and in a world of unreal. The attempt to bring in musicians, beauty, games, wine and decorations into the castle was meant to create an environment where happiness can thrive (Hayes, 88). Nevertheless, as it turns out, happiness is far away from the prince and his guest, just as the safety from death is away from the rest of the poor people who are facing the red death outside of the walls of the castle. The red death had already killed half of the kingdom, and the scare it sent throughout the kingdom caused Prince Prospero decide to stay inside the castle until the plague will have completely gone away. The prince entered the castle and welded the doors shut, so that nobody would enter into the castle and bring in the plague (Slick, 24). This attempt symbolizes the extents to which man can ago in an attempt to escape death, by doing a nything that is possible to escape the chances of interacting with scenarios or events that can cause death. However, even when all measures against death have been taken, it is never enough to keep death away from man, since it will eventually find its way into man’s life, despite all the

Language and vocabulary Essay Example for Free

Language and vocabulary Essay Language can be defined as a means of communication through spoken sounds, written symbols, or hand and body gestures. Subject to this simple definition language is neither human nor animal exclusive, meaning that all living creatures use some form of language to communicate. Humans have created the most advanced system of language. Human language has advanced to include listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing and visual representation. These components are known as the six language arts and while they are individual components they are as well interdependent. What you learn about one affects what and how you learn about the others. Listening is the foundation for speaking, reading and writing. Listening is how we interpret sounds that we hear and what those sounds mean. In the beginning listening is merely receptive. Our brain receives sounds and begins to catalog those sounds. Listening is both an auditory and a visual skill and begins at birth. Children of normal hearing begin by creating mimicking sounds those sounds then become words. Visual listening is often most specifically noted in young children with a hearing impairment and is referred to as sign language. Sign language is not just for the hearing impaired. Parents/caregivers use hand gestures to increase the meaning of a word or to add value or impact to a word. An example of this is seen when a mother shakes her head or finger at a child as she says â€Å"no†. In the classroom children will generally begin a regular routine of listening. Students learn by example and repetition. Teachers explain what is needed, demonstrate the desired task or skill, and repeat. Students will gain good listening skills as they learn their class routine, listen to stories and instruction. Students gain an understanding of the task, and interpret what they have heard. As an understanding has been obtained they evaluate for an appropriate response. Speaking or the act of making a meaningful word comes later than does listening. Speaking is commonly referred to as an expressive skill and must be learned. A child begins to form words somewhere between ten and eighteen months of age. The first word of a child is often momma or dada. The child repeats the sounds or utterances heard from the adults around him. Speech does not actually occur until the spoken word is deliberate and meant to communicate. By the time a child reaches  kindergarten he has likely gained a 2000 – 3000 word vocabulary. While this number may seem excessive Dr. Mary E. Dahlgren states that a beginning kindergartener should have a 6000 word vocabulary for optimum grade and class performance (Dahlgren, 2008). In the classroom a student’s vocabulary size was an effective predictor of reading comprehension. Children with a restricted or limited vocabulary also had declining comprehension scores in the third grade. The elementary teacher can promote speaking by allowing the student the opportunity to speak and by listening to the student completely. Discussing a recently read book, or open discussions are ways in which a teacher can aid a student’s speech development. Reading is the interpretation of written symbols and involves the visual perception of those symbols. Reading connects the meaning of symbols with the words that has been spoken or heard. Kindergarten students build reading skills as they progress from letter recognition to early phonics. They begin to learn the beginning and ending sounds of common or high frequency words. As their vocabulary increases students begin to use words in context. In the classroom reading should be encouraged, should be intentional, and should be fun. Students who learn to read well achieve more and enjoy the learning process more fully. Active readers make for active listeners and intentional speakers and this is when comprehension of the text is experienced. During early reading development children learn by lessons designed around phonemic awareness. Usually this can be seen as student interaction with rhyming games, sing-a-longs, and listening games. As these games become familiar the teacher will integrate visual aids such as letter cards, word flash cards, independent reading time, and writing assignments. All of these early reading techniques aid in the development of early reading skills. Writing like speaking is expressive. This is where the students begin to place their own thoughts into print. This is the most magical of all six language arts experiences. Writing incorporates prior knowledge of reading, speaking and listening. Children begin to exhibit early writing as they experiment with crayons, chalk, and markers. They make scribbles and later form letter-like forms as toddlers. As the child is building his early listening and reading skill they are as well building the early writing skills through pre-phonemic spelling and copying techniques. Some children utilize invented spelling and finally conventional spelling techniques. Writing as it evolves  over time allows for communication on a broad level through time and space that may not have been possible otherwise. In the classroom writing is a means to relay a lesson, message, or concept. Students should be encouraged to write or draw in the best way they know how to. Students should be comfortable making mistakes as this leads to new discoveries and personal satisfaction. Viewing is an important component of literacy and language development. Viewing is extremely broad and is not limited to children’s books. In fact viewing should be stated as any visual content including TV, print ads, multi-media, and even computer software. Students must learn how to comprehend and integrate visual knowledge in the same way that they must learn to comprehend written, spoken, heard and read information (Roe Ross, 2013). As students begin to build on their foundation skills in reading and writing, they are also beginning to use critical thinking skills. This is where children begin to understand that people view things differently. It is important that students learn how to gain important and relevant content from what they see. Students learn to comprehend the message, evaluate the message, and determine the validity of the message. This is an on-going process that follows from infancy through adulthood. Students in the classroom should be taught how to use specific comprehension strategies and to critically analyze the content in everything that they view. Visually Representing is a way of communicating through visual images. It was common practice for the art teacher to have us cut up a magazine and to create a collage of our favorite things. We never thought of this as visual representation, it was just art class. In fact while not always part of the language arts standards it has been used and in practice for many years. In the classroom we make dioramas, models, graphs and maps all of which are visual representations of an idea or concept. Visual representation requires a unique set of strategies such as organization, data collection, and audience identification in order to convey a message. It appears to be impossible at this point to separate the six components of language arts thus far; as one builds on the other, knowledge or insight is gained, it is clear we must have each in order to process the other. Works Cited Dahlgren, D. M. (2008). Oral Language and vocabulary development Kindergarten First Grade. Nashville: Reading First National Conference. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/programs/readingfirst/2008conferences/language.pdf Roe, B., Ross, E. (2013). The Language Arts. Education.com.

Self: Plunging into the Other Side of the Mirror Essay -- Self Conscio

Self: Plunging into the Other Side of the Mirror Only in a mirror do we find ourselves. We cannot do it when we are apart, distanced, from who and what we are: we need to see our shapes, our selves, in the way we cannot see ourselves subjectively. But still, the glass plays with us, contorting and distorting, even if it is nothing more than a straightforward, honest reflection. It is our minds which are the true lenses. Why do we feel this compunction throughout the ages to look at our own reflections? It is inbred into us; it begins at such a tender age, this obsession with oneself. I never really took much notice of it while I was young, partly because I myself was never overly concerned with my appearance, and partly because my generation was not so image-conscious. However, as the years have passed, I have grown into an awareness of this larger societal issue, watching as more and more pre-teen girls doll themselves up in tight jeans, baby T-shirts and glitzy make-up. Like observing the gorillas in the mist, I watch as these girls preen and pluck, check themselves over and over in their compacts and handheld mirrors, readjust their clothes and redo their hair. It is, from a clinical viewpoint, disturbing. I doubt any of those girls remember the first time they ever saw their reflections in mirrors. If they even did, I further doubt that they would make anything of it, ponder its repercussions, question the greater impact of this first awakening. It is not an emotional, sexual, or intellectual awakening, no: it is a subtle and important transition from the world of the oblivious to the waking world of self-consciousness. As a very young child, I looked for myself in any reflective surface I could find. I would cra... ...ingle noticeable change. My roommates constantly voice their bewilderment at these frequent self-deprecations of mine. It is probably tiring for them to have to reassure me, time and again, but I have fed for too long on my own seeds of hatred and regret; now, like Persephone, I am drawn into that underworld, lost within its dark corners. I am me, I do realize that. But when I look at my other self, that frowning, miserable girl in the mirror, I cannot yet see what Walker saw in herself. However, I no longer look for myself in the mirror, not truly. Yes, it is a starting place, like the very last step to the top of the high dive. But I still have those five very long feet to walk before I can dive off into that most vast of mirrors, and I want to be able to enjoy that shimmering and sparkling last look at myself before I plunge, deeply and honestly, into my self.

Perspectives on Divorce

There are many parts of the brain that effect the way we live and act every single day. There is the frontal lobe which controls planning, organizing, coordinating and controls movements, reasoning and the overall thinking process. I have used my frontal lobe today when I decided to write this essay, and how I was going to set it up. There is the temporal lobe which controls hearing. I used this today when I listened to my Ipod in the halls. There is the cerebellum which controls balance, movement, and coordination. I used this today when I tried to dance during lunch (key word tried†¦.. ). There is also the occipital lobe which controls vision. I used this today when I read a book during English. The possibly most important part of the brain is the medulla, which controls vital functions. I used this today when I had to go from the first floor to the third floor, and I had to catch my breath. When people say â€Å"your eyes don't see, your nose doesn't smell, your tongue doesn't taste, your ears don't hear, and your skin doesn't touch; your brain does it all† they are saying although we associate all of those senses with their respective body part really we cant see, touch, taste and so on without our brain first processing it and telling our bodies what is going on. 2) The psychoanalytical perspective says someone may get a divorce because their parents had gotten a divorce, so that's what the have seen is normal. This perspective says that many behaviors are based on childhood experiences. If someone grew up with divorced parents, they would see that that is an acceptable way to live their life and not see a problem with it. Also, the psychoanalytical perspective looks at the impulses and desires of a person, someone might get a divorce because their ID tells them they want to have multiple partners, and not want to be in a committed relationship. The behavioristic perspective is based on rewards and punishments. Based on this theory someone may get a divorce because they might be punished by staying in of the relationship. Their parents may not be a fan of their spouse, and may threaten to cut them off communications and write them out of the will if they stay in the relationship. The person may find this a deal they cant turn down, so they would divorce their partner in order to stay in the good graces of their family. The biological perspective looks at the brain as the reason people make decisions. They would say that there is a chemical imbalance in the brain, therefore the person cannot stay happily in their marriage. They could also say that the person has depression, due to an imbalance of serotonin, and could not be happy with their spouse, so they would need to get treated, or continue perusing the divorce. The cognitive perspective believes that divorce would be based on the individuals unique thinking process. The person may have unclear thoughts on their spouse, and cannot figure out what they want in their marriage. The cognitive perspective would not blame any external forces, they would simply say their brain told them to, so they did. They might also say their brain does not make good judgment, and at the time of the marriage there was a lapse in judgment. The humanistic perspective would say the person needed personal growth, and was tied down in the marriage. The person would see themselves happier without being with their spouse. They would say that the person simply wanted to get a divorce, so they did, and wouldn't add much more to it than that. The sociocultural perspective would say that the divorce rate in America is 51%, so the person sees it culturally acceptable to get a divorce. They would say they have seen so many of their peers getting divorced, it seems normal. So they might not work to work out their problems, they just get a divorce because that's what over half of America is doing. Eclecticism is an approach that uses more than one theory to explain how or why something happens. This idea would be beneficial to describing human behavior because there are many contributing factors in peoples decision making. They might do something for multiple reasons, using divorce as an example, a person might have grown up in a divorced home, but they also might have a cheating spouse, and a chemical imbalance in the brain. Their reason for divorce can't simply be explained by the psychoanalytic, behavioristic, or biological perspective. But when you use all of the perspectives together you can get a clear understanding of why they got a divorce. Human behavior cannot be explained with only one perspective because there are many contributing factors to the decisions people make.

Quinn’s Character in Paul Auster’s City of Glass

English 1 Simon Drury Group P 9/27/2012 Tuesday 3:10 Kathleen Samson Paul Auster has said that The New York Trilogy is centrally concerned with â€Å"the question of who is who and whether or not we are who we think we are. † Use this remark as a point of departure for a discussion of the character Quinn –his presentation in the novel and his experience – in City of Glass.In the City of Glass, Auster creates a sense of uncertainty around the identities of the different characters in the book. One does not really grasp who is who in the novel because of the complex and multiple layers of the story Austen creates. The City of Glass asks questions about identity and in this essay I will look at the protagonist (Quinn) and his search to understand himself and to discover his true identity which ultimately leads to his identity being changed with each new character role he takes on to forget his past self.Daniel Quinn is a complicated character and our knowledge of h im is limited because the narrator does not reveal much about him. Where he came from and who he was seem of little importance in the novel we are only told his age, that he was once married but his son and daughter are dead (a past which he seems to be running away from). He is writer of detective stories under the pseudonym of William Wilson (a name Quinn takes on to forget his past). William Wilson’s character mirrors Auster ‘s , the author, own life. Quinn creates his own character Max Work, a private eye narrator.In his stories the protagonist Max becomes very real and moves away from merely being a fictitious character, subsequently causing Quinn himself to take on some of the characteristics of Max, thinking and behaving in a similar manner to him. Eventually Quinn â€Å"stopped thinking on himself as real. †(Auster 10) So already Auster creates this sense of doubt about Quinn and his true identity and eventually Quinn is consumed by the persona of Max Wor k and â€Å"the more Quinn seemed to vanish, the more persistent works presence in that world became. (Auster 10). Quinn runs away from his ‘real’ life because he finds some form of attraction in the world of being a fictitious detective. Quinn finds the role of a detective appealing because it puts him in the role of an observer, analyzing the world much like a reader of a novel, and in essence he forgets himself and his reality by doing so. Max work is essentially an escape from Quinn’s life as a writer (William Wilson) and from his past life as the ‘real Quinn’.By becoming the character he created (Max work) Quinn embarks upon seeking the truth and reality, which in a way is what Quinn is trying to do in terms of discovering an identity. Quinn becomes so consumed in the life of Max Work and the idea of being a detective that when he receives a phone call intended for the private detective Paul Auster, he impersonates him and begins to focus on Pe ter Stillman. Peter is a young man who feels threatened by his father who had been let out of prison.So now Quinn, under the name of Paul Auster, places himself onto another story, another reality through which of he can further delve into the life a ‘real’ detective. Quinn at this point has already taken upon three identities, each of which has served its purpose and been forgotten. The question of who is who now begins to become raveled in layers and doubles so the reader and the character himself is unsure of whom the real protagonist of the story is. Quinn becomes obsessed with Stillman senior and his interest in the man deepens as every day passes, â€Å"he had lived Stillman’s life, walked at his place, seen what he had seen. Quinn becomes Stillman during the case in a way and so another character shift seems to be inevitable. Peter Stillman junior resembles Quinn’s deceased son (whose name was also Peter), Stillman junior had been locked up by his father for nine years in order to test whether ‘God’s language’ would resurface (that is the language uncorrupted by the world, it’s origin during the time of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. ) Roberta Rubenstein argues that Stillman junior is a representation of Quinn’s childhood, isolated from the world with a sense of loneliness.When the two men disappear I creates a sense of anxiety for Quinn, he longs to be ‘non-existent’ as well and eventually he morphs into a mad street walker, homeless and in the end crazy. Auster uses this dilapidation of Quinn to emphasis the conflict within the character and how his ‘self forgetfulness’ leads to his eventual downfall and leaves the question of who he is and who he is meant to be unanswered. Peter Stillman is a character used by Auster the author as a way to further explore the different identities in the book.Stillman junior, after having being isolated from the world has no c lear grasp on his own identity, much like Quinn. In a conversation with Quinn he says, â€Å"I am Peter Stillman. That is not my real name. My real name is Peter Rabbit. † Stillman junior is able to change his name to suit him much like Quinn has done throughout the book, and as seen in the quote Stillman loses the meaning of his name and loses his sense of identity. This quote shows how Auster is very obviously asking the question, who is who and are we who we think we are.Stillman sums it up by saying, â€Å"I cannot say who I will be tomorrow. Each day is new, and each day I can be born again. † The red notebook is the only thing in the book that keeps Quinn’s real name. He writes it in the book during the Stillman case for the first time in over five years and it is the only record or conception of himself that does not change. Quinn recognizes the importance of knowing who he is when he says, â€Å"most important of all: remember who I am supposed to be. à ¢â‚¬  And he later echoes the words of Peter Stillman Junior when he says, â€Å"all I can say is this: my name is Paul Auster.That is not my real name. † This shows that Quinn, like Stillman, is confused about his own identity. Because he is trying to be four people at once he loses the origin of his name and character, his true self. Therefore the question of who is who and whether or not we are who we think we are is not really answered in this book. Auster provides a multi layered and complex understanding of what identity is and how it is used. For Quinn, identity is used as a way of escape, perhaps from the past or from himself (the person he was and whom he grew tired of).Although Quinn is the same person but under different names or aliases, he takes on different identities and makes them a part of his life which eventually leaves no definite answer to who the ‘real’ Quinn is. Works cited Auster, Paul. City of Glass. London: Penguin, 1990 Rubenstein, Rob erta. Doubling, Intertextuality and the Postmodern Uncanny: Paul Auster’s New York Trilogy. LIT: Literature Interpretation Theory, 9 (1998): 245. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. 08. 04. 2006.

Free Essays on General Prologue-In Support Of The Monk

Today, when we hear the word â€Å"monk†, it often brings up the image of an old man wearing a brown robe with a shaved head. While this image is based on some level of fact, it is certainly not what the Monk in Chaucer’s Prologue to the Canterbury Tales is like. Instead, Chaucer presents a monk who goes against all stereotypes, ignoring traditions, engaging in hunting, and even indulging in materialistic goods. This portrayal leads many readers to conclude that the Monk is a man of bad character, because he is not true to his line of work. However, this conclusion seems to be arrived at far too quickly. Upon further investigation the Monk can be seen as a decent man who has found himself in the wrong profession. One reason that could be used to support the idea that the Monk is a man of poor character is his complete disregard for tradition. The narrator states, â€Å"This ilke Monk leet olde thinges pace,/And heeld after the newe world the space†(175-76)., showing that the Monk had little interest in things of tradition. The Monk even goes as far as to say, â€Å"lat Austin have his swink to him reserved†(188), showing complete disregard to the rules of the St. Augustine. This trait, however, is only frowned upon in professions, like monkshood, which rely heavily on tradition. Had the Monk chosen a different career his liberal thinking would more most certainly be tolerated. The opinion that the Monk is a man of poor character becomes weaker when compared to many other men of the church in the prologue. An example of this is the corrupt Pardoner, selling pardons for profit, and making â€Å"†¦the parson and the people his apes†(706). The Pardoner used his position to take advantage of people, a concept foreign to the thinking of the Monk. Thus this personality trait in the Monk leads to the conclusion not that he is a bad person and neglecting his true duties for profit (like the Pardoner), but simply that he is a man in the wr... Free Essays on General Prologue-In Support Of The Monk Free Essays on General Prologue-In Support Of The Monk Today, when we hear the word â€Å"monk†, it often brings up the image of an old man wearing a brown robe with a shaved head. While this image is based on some level of fact, it is certainly not what the Monk in Chaucer’s Prologue to the Canterbury Tales is like. Instead, Chaucer presents a monk who goes against all stereotypes, ignoring traditions, engaging in hunting, and even indulging in materialistic goods. This portrayal leads many readers to conclude that the Monk is a man of bad character, because he is not true to his line of work. However, this conclusion seems to be arrived at far too quickly. Upon further investigation the Monk can be seen as a decent man who has found himself in the wrong profession. One reason that could be used to support the idea that the Monk is a man of poor character is his complete disregard for tradition. The narrator states, â€Å"This ilke Monk leet olde thinges pace,/And heeld after the newe world the space†(175-76)., showing that the Monk had little interest in things of tradition. The Monk even goes as far as to say, â€Å"lat Austin have his swink to him reserved†(188), showing complete disregard to the rules of the St. Augustine. This trait, however, is only frowned upon in professions, like monkshood, which rely heavily on tradition. Had the Monk chosen a different career his liberal thinking would more most certainly be tolerated. The opinion that the Monk is a man of poor character becomes weaker when compared to many other men of the church in the prologue. An example of this is the corrupt Pardoner, selling pardons for profit, and making â€Å"†¦the parson and the people his apes†(706). The Pardoner used his position to take advantage of people, a concept foreign to the thinking of the Monk. Thus this personality trait in the Monk leads to the conclusion not that he is a bad person and neglecting his true duties for profit (like the Pardoner), but simply that he is a man in the wr...

Including Terrorist Organizations and Individuals

Including Terrorist Organizations and Individuals The Specially Designated Nationals list is  a group of organizations and individuals who are restricted from doing business with the United States, American companies or general  Americans. This includes terrorist organizations, individual terrorists and state sponsors of terrorism (such as Iran, and North Korea). The list of specially designated nationals is maintained by the U.S. Department of The Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Available for the Public The SDN List is publicly available on the U.S Department of The Treasury website along with a Blocked Persons List (SDN) and Human Readable List. These lists are published by the OFAC on behalf of enforcement efforts and they may be viewed in data format, by OFAC sanction and are available in additional sorting options. For example, the SDN List has been sorted by sanction program and country.  Full lists along with an archive of changes made to the most recently updated SDN list is available through the OFAC. Program Codes, Tags, and Definitions While sorting through OFAC lists,  there are various program tags listed along with their definition as guidance for readers and researchers. These program tags, also known as codes, give a brief definition as to why the person or entity has been blocked, designated or identified regarding the sanction.  The program tag [BPI-PA], for example, notes in the definition that it is Blocked Pending Investigation according to the Patriot Act. Another program code for [FSE-SY] says, Foreign Sanctions Evaders Executive Order 13608 - Syria. The list of program tags and their definitions goes on including links to their reference as a resource. Frequently Asked Questions There are  hundreds  of questions asked and answered on the official OFAC website regarding The SDN List. Some interesting facts about The SDN List follow: Changes to previous SDN Lists are available both in real time and prior years on the OFAC website, all the way back to 1994.  The OFAC maintains several of their sanctions list files on an FTP server which can be accessed online. When it is down, there is a support hotline that may be reached.Weak aliases, known as AKAs, is a generic alias that can create a big amount of fake hits when specific names are generated on a screening system through a computer. Thus, they are included on The SDN List for identifier information but are distinguished as weak due to the many false hits that are received. Protecting Yourself If there is false information on your credit report, the OFAC recommends contacting the credit report company involved. It is your right as a consumer to ask to get rid of any inaccurate information. Additionally, every year the OFAC takes off hundreds of people from The SDN List when they are consistent with the law and have a good change in behavior. Individuals may file a petition to be removed from the OFAC list which then undergoes an official and rigorous review. The petition can be written by hand and mailed to OFAC or it can be emailed, however it may not be requested by phone.