The Apartment essays

The Apartment essays The Apartment What exactly does the word meaning indicate? The dictionary states meaning as an implication of a hidden or special significance. In Humanities, the meaning of a film indicates the content, the perception, of what took place in a film. The main meaning of a film depends of the interpretation of a person. There could be one meaning or five meanings, but it depends on the person. The meaning of The Apartment is not a love story, but more of a drama about a man, C.C. Baxter, on a subconscious quest to become more outspoken and stand-up for himself. Characters, film techniques, and music all come together to make The Apartments meaning Characters are very important to a film, without characters, there would not be drama, action nor dialogue. C.C. Baxter is the main character who, throughout the movie, learns how to stick up for himself. Mr. Sheldrake and the four executives bribe Baxter into using his apartment by threatening to fire him. He does not stand up for himself, and lets the executives push him around. Miss. Kubelick, the love of Baxters life, helps him realize he is a pushover and needs to change his life. She helps him on his quest to become a better man, more Film techniques say a lot about a film. Whether the film is sophisticated, dreary, funny, romantic or even scary, film techniques help set the mood. In The Apartment, the director chose to use mostly medium shots and fade-out shots. We can see from the medium close-up shots the facial expressions of Baxter when he lets the executives from work push him around. The fade- out shots happen when an important event occurs. For example, when Baxter waits to get into his apartment, it fades out and goes into a shot of what is happening inside the apartment. From watching inside the apartment to outside with Baxter, we get a feel that Baxter is no ...

To Kill a Mockingbird Overview

To Kill a Mockingbird Overview To Kill a Mockingbird is a searing portrayal of racial prejudice, justice, and innocence lost into a complex mixture of childish naivete and mature observation, while simultaneously being a sort of love letter to small town Southern life. The end result is a novel that is both a brilliant rendering of a specific time and place as well as a study in the meaning of justice, the loss of innocence, and the realization that a place can be both a beloved childhood memory and where you first realized there was evil in the world. Plot Summary Scout Finch lives with her father, a lawyer and widower by the name of Atticus, and her brother, a young boy named Jem. The first part of the To Kill a Mockingbird tells of one summer. Jem and Scout play, make new friends, and first come to know of a shadowy figure by the name of Boo Radley, who lives in a neighboring house and yet is never seen. A young black man named Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white woman. Atticus takes on the case, despite the vitriol this arouses in the largely white, racist townsfolk. When the time of the trial comes around, Atticus proves that the girl that Tom Robinson is accused of raping actually seduced him, and that the injuries to her face were caused by her father, angry that she had tried to sleep with a black man. The all-white jury nevertheless convicts Robinson and he is later killed by while trying to escape from jail. The girls father, who holds a grudge against Atticus because of some of the things he said in court, waylays Scout and Jem as they walk home one night. They are saved by the mysterious Boo, who disarms their attacker and kills him. Major Characters Scout Finch. Jean Louise ‛Scout’ Finch is the narrator and main character of the novel. Scout is a ‛tomboy’ who rejects traditional feminine roles and trappings. Scout initially believes that there is always a clear right and wrong in every situation; as Scout grows older, she begins to understand more about the world around her and begins to value reading and education more. Atticus Finch. Scout’s widower father is an attorney. Atticus is a bit of an iconoclast. He values education and indulges his children, trusting their judgment despite their young age. He is an intelligent, moral man who believes strongly in the rule of law and the necessity of blind justice. Jem Finch. Jeremy Atticus ‛Jem’ Finch is Scout’s older brother. He is protective of his status and often uses his superior age to force Scout to do things his way. He has a rich imagination and an energetic approach to life, but displays difficulty dealing with other people who do not rise to his standard. Boo Radley. A troubled recluse who lives next door to the Finches (but never leaves the house), Boo Radley is the subject of many rumors. Boo naturally fascinates the Finch children, and displays affection and kindness towards them, ultimately rescuing them from danger. Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson is a black man who supports his family by working as a field hand despite having a crippled left arm. He is charged with the rape of a white woman, and Atticus defends him. Major Themes Maturation. Scout and Jem are frequently confused about the motivations and reasoning of the adults around them. Lee explores the way that growing up and maturing into adults makes the world clearer while also less magical and more difficult, ultimately connecting racism with childish fears that adults ought not to experience. Prejudice. Lee explores the effects of prejudice of all kinds- racism, classism, and sexism. Lee makes it clear that racism is inextricably linked to economics, politics, and self-image. Sexism is explored in the novel through Scout and her constant battle to engage in behaviors she finds interesting instead of ‛appropriate’ behaviors for a girl. Justice and Morality. In the earlier parts of the novel Scout believes that morality and justice are the same thing. Tom Robinson’s trial and her observation of her father’s experiences teach her that there is often a stark difference between what is right and what is legal. Literary Style The novel utilizes subtly layered narration; it can be easy to forget that the story is actually being told by a grown-up, adult Jenna Louise and not the 6-year old Scout. Lee also restricts the point-of-view to Scout and what she directly observes, creating an air of mystery for the reader that mimics the childish sense of not quite understanding what all the adults are up to. About the Author Harper Lee was born in 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama. She published To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960 to instant acclaim, winning the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. She then worked with her friend Truman Capote on what would become Capote’s ‛nonfiction novel,’ In Cold Blood. Lee retreated from public life afterwards, granting few interviews and making almost no public appearances- and publishing almost no new material. She passed away in 2016 at the age of 89. Fast Facts Literature Study Guide Title: To Kill a MockingbirdAuthor: Harper LeePublisher: J.B. Lippincott Co.Year Published: 1960Genre: FictionType of Work: NovelOriginal language: EnglishThemes: Prejudice, justice, growing upCharacters: Scout Finch, Atticus Finch, Jem Finch, Tom Robinson, CalpurniaNotable adaptations: A 1962 film adaptation starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. Peck won a Best Actor Oscar for the role, and Harper Lee expressed satisfaction with the adaptation.Fun Fact: The ‛sequel’ novel Lee published in 2015 just a year before her death is actually first draft of To Kill a Mockingbird that was rejected by publishers. Lee took what were flashback scenes to Scout’s childhood and built on those to revise the novel into what became To Kill a Mockingbird.

Marginalized Masculinity in the Snatch Movie Review

Marginalized Masculinity in the Snatch - Movie Review Example The film comprises two plots, which interweave throughout the movie. For instance, there are scenes of boxing matches that interweave with scenes of retrieving the diamond. Apart from characters who have varied tastes and traits, the audience is also introduced to many communities with different cultures; something that further causes more confusion when watching this film. The characters in the Snatch movie uniquely anticipate their survival mechanisms in London. Within these criminal activities, they undisclosed their home of origin. They broadly exercise the picture of a fat gateway driver, a rather vicious dog and a man-eating pig in their illegal boxing activity. In this film, the accent is purely penetrable English for both British and non-British audience. Perhaps, the adoption of pure English and the friendly nature of the marginalized characters in London would be a move towards acceptability by the London communities. In the spirit of this movie’s fair play, Guy adds a wanderer dialect in this moving picture. Living in London is not a bed of roses for these characters who are always trying to falsify everything they do in order to fit in the communities around them. A better life is seemingly fourth coming through the pretense of dialect. Whether you are an American, Jewish or Pikies, speaking in one gypsy dialect was the order of the d ay. This is done in the Snatch movie to reduce the level of curiosity by both the white and Anglo-Saxon Protestants on marginalized groups.

Compare film messages Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Compare film messages - Assignment Example This is actually contrary to the main goal why the unions were established, helping people gain their rights like safe working conditions and wages commensurate to their efforts. The boss of the dock, Johnny Friendly can be said to be the Moneybag, making profits at all costs. Johnny engages in serious acts of murder, hiring people selectively. The people are filed with much terror and cannot testify against Johnny in the court. However, this silence is broken when Terry unites the people against Johnny and their strength helps to root out these leaders, which illustrates how people with unity of strength cannot be derailed by any kind of obstacle. The â€Å"Front,† refers to a comedy drama and film concerning some of the Hollywood artists that had been blacklisted in the times of live television. During this time, some of the famous directors, artists and writers had been rendered unemployable after being accused of being in support of Communism (Kasdan 65). One New York City cashier in a famous restaurant in the 1950s, Howard Prince has a friend that works for a television, since this friend is blacklisted, he requests Howard to write his name as the producer of some of the TV scripts (Kasdan 56). Howard agrees since he knows he will be entitled to s percentage of the proceeds. The scripts are accepted since they have a person not blacklisted. Later Howard lands in trouble with the Committee that investigates the entire production and programming (Dickos 67). He is made to face the reality of this industry, but accepts it gracefully since he had made some proceeds out of it. In the â€Å"Double Indemnity† film, the authors and directors of this film have used a very dark tone, which features in both thematic and visually. It illustrates of a hero that is led the wrong direction through lust and greed as well as fame. The indemnity film has made a great use of the shadows, which portray

Sino-US relations Essay Example for Free

Sino-US relations Essay The improvement in Sino-US relations was the main factor promoting dà ©tente between Russia and America in the years 1969-75.’ How far do you agree with this view?  The Ping Pong diplomacy of 1971 begun a period of rapprochement in Sino-US relations. The ‘Chinese dimension’ to Cold War diplomacy threatened the USSR which feared a military alliance, and the Soviet Union moved to improve relations with the USA, thereby facilitating the process of dà ©tente. However, the fear of nuclear war, the escalating cost of the arms race coupled with the grim economic realities of the 1970s and the American withdraw from Vietnam and were also highly significant in promoting dà ©tente between Russia and America. The Soviet Union viewed the improvement in Sino-American relations as a threat to its national security, she was now confronted on two fronts and fearing military collusion, the Soviet Union sought improved relations with the USA. Soviet fears of the ‘yellow peril’ dated back to 19th Century and were reignited by the Sino-Soviet split of the 1960s. Climaxing in 1969 when the Peoples Liberation Army ambushed Soviet troops along the Usuri River, who suffered 59 casualties: this action was perceived by Russia as evidence that the Chinese had designs on its territory. Furthermore, following Kissinger’s secret visit to China in July 1971, the previously internationally isolated China, gained international recognition. She was admitted into the UN with a permanent seat on the Security Council in October that year. The result of this ‘triangular diplomacy’ for the Soviet Union was the relaxation of tensions with the USA through dà ©tente, the USSR believed this would offer the prospect of isolating China from the US and consequently decrease the threat of an coordinated attack. However, alternative factors also contributed to promoting dà ©tente between Russia and America in the years 1969-75. The fear of nuclear war and the escalating cost of the arms race pushed the Superpowers into pursuing better relations. By 1969 both sides had achieved relative nuclear parity in weapons and delivery systems, nuclear war would result in Mutually Assured Destruction. The extensive treaty systems both countries held in the third world, could result in small regional conflict developing into full scale nuclear war. Whilst the cost of maintaining this ‘balance of terror’ came at great economic cost, preventing much needed social reform. In the early 1970s the USA faced double digit inflation and widespread urban rioting in 1968. In contrast, the USSR had failed in its promise to deliver high-quality consumer products and faced falling GNP growth, from 5% in 1966-70 to 3.1% in 1971-75. These factors made it clear to the respective powers that improved relations were necessary to prevent nuclear war, agree on arms limitations and improve trade agreements: President Nixon and his NSC adviser Henry Kissinger’s successful policy of linkage meant the Soviet’s would recognise both superpowers had mutual interests in the Third World and opened up badly needed US technology and investment to the Soviet economy. Whilst the signing of arms limitation treaties of SALT 1 and the subsequent ABM treaty in 1972 was possibly the high point of US-Soviet co-operation engendered by Dà ©tente. Furthermore, the wider international situation of war in Vietnam and the situation in Europe precipitated improved Soviet-American relations. In the USA the war-weary public demanded withdraw from Vietnam which in 1968 had cost 16,889 American lives – pushing the administration of President Nixon to pursue better relations with Moscow; co-operation was vital to achieve a peace settlement with Hanoi. This being achieved through the policy of Linkage which recognised the Soviet sphere of influence. In return, the USSR would support American peace talks with the North Vietnamese. Furthermore, the uneasy territorial settlement of Europe created at Yalta in 1945, which had threatened possible US intervention in 1968 during the Czechoslovakian crisis meant US-Soviet co-operation was vital to ensure peace. The Helsinki Agreement of 1975 continued the policy of East-West dialogue over Europe begun by Willy Brandt’s successful policy of Ostpolitik during the late 1960s. The Soviet controlled Warsaw Pact gained official US recognition of the post-ww2 European borders, whilst the US largely unsuccessfully sought concessions over human rights issues from the USSR, which following the agreement were widely ignored. In conclusion, dà ©tente was the result of a variety of complex factors, driven by a war-weary United States counting the human and economic cost of militaristic confrontation of Communism in Vietnam. The United States under President Nixon recognised more could be achieved through peaceful diplomacy, whilst both Superpowers recognised that dà ©tente offered the opportunity to curtail spiralling defence spending and open up trade links between the nations. The improvement in Sino-US relations added an important Chinese dimension to Cold War diplomacy, but was not the main factor promoting dà ©tente between Russia and America in the years 1969-1975.

Civil Liberties of the Early Twentieth Century :: essays research papers

All throughout history civil liberties have been established, fought for, and abused. During the first quarter of the twentieth century, the civil liberties in the United States of America were tested. There were many events where the freedoms that our founding fathers had fought for Passive Voice (consider revising). Prejudice, fear, and racism all played a role during these events, during many of which they decided the outcome. Two events that demonstrate when the civil liberties in America were tested were during the trial of Sacco and Vanzettii and Schenek v. United States. Schenek v. United States was a trial in 1919 that reaffirmed the conviction of a man for circulating antidraft leaflets among members of the armed forces. This trial upheld the Espionage and Sedition Acts, which by many deemed unconstitutional. The Espionage Act of 1917 was a United States federal law, which made it a crime for a person to convey information with intent to interfere with the operation or success of the armed forces of the United States or to promote the success of its enemies. The Sedition Act forbade Americans to use "disloyal, profane, scurrilous, or abusive language" about the United States government, flag, or armed forces during war. The act also allowed the Postmaster General to deny mail delivery to dissenters of government policy during wartime. These two laws denied the freedom of speech that our sacred Bill of Rights was supposed to uphold. The antidraft flyers that Schenek passed out claimed to be freedom of speech so the government could not stop the cir culation of Schenek’s pamphlets. However, by passing out antidraft laws, Schenek had â€Å"the intent to interfere with the operation of success of the armed forces of the United States.† By doing this, he broke the law. He was sentenced to six months in prison for breaking an unconstitutional law. The government was trying to reduce the freedom of speech during a time of war so that the nation would be united as one. The opposition of some feared Woodrow Wilson and his cabinet so they took action by reducing some freedoms and imprisoning many people unconstitutionally. The scare of not being united under a time of war was the cause of the Espionage and Sedition acts. These acts immediately caused the unfair conviction of Schenek and put him in prison. Although he was utilizing his freedom of speech, the unfair laws passed through the government by Woodrow Wilson, Congress, and the Supreme Court forbade him his civil liberties.

History of Modern Philosophy Essay

1- How, and with what success, does Hume deal with the apparent anomaly of the missing shade of blue? In A Treatise of Human Nature, Hume attempt to rid 18th century moral philosophy of what he considered to be meaningless and vacuous concepts underlying our theory of knowledge – be it metaphysical arguments or hypotheses seemingly formulated from the mere imagination of many philosophers. Influenced by the emerging trend of empiricism and naturalistic science – like Newton and Locke, which Hume owed much of his basic principles from – Hume presented the Treatise as an attempt to introduce experimental methods of reasoning into the area of moral philosophy. In the first book of the Treatise, entitled Of the Understanding, Hume devoted the first part – Of the Origin of our Ideas – for explaining the basis of his philosophical system that appeals on the similar empiricist approach as that of Locke’s. However, curiously, Hume had cited an explicit counter-argument – the problem of missing shade of blue – that could invalidate his whole philosophical system that is based on this central principle. Even more puzzling is Hume’s complacency with this problem, and although he considers the problem as singular and exceptional, he fully admitted to this counter example and did not try to resolve it. Yet, this case merits a deeper investigation, and it is this essay’s attempt to see whether his apparent complacency with the missing shade of blue would have any effect on the strength of his philosophical system, and other attempts to render this problem irrelevant. The problem of the missing shade of blue by Hume is as follows: suppose a man who is well acquainted with colours for thirty years and has seen all the colours in the set of possible colour spectrum, except for one particular shade of blue. Then, he is presented with a full spectrum of the shades of blue, from the darkest shade to the darkest, all except the one particular shade in which he has not yet encountered. It is then conceivable that this man would be able to produce this single missing shade of blue. The problem of this lies in the basis of the empiricist doctrine at which Hume is following, namely, that all ideas must be preceded by experience, yet, in this example, it is demonstrated that it is possible for an idea to precede sensation experience, as the man is able to produce the idea of the missing shade of blue without having first encountered it through his senses. At this point, I would like to elaborate more on Hume’s theory of mind and the origin of ideas as that would clarify why this example is so damaging to Hume’s system. As stated before, Hume’s project can be put into a general label of empiricism, which is a belief that all knowledge comes from experience. Much of his line of argument resembles that of Locke’s, another prominent empiricist. Hume even borrowed Locke’s key terminology to a certain extent, with terms like ideas and impressions. Locke believes that ideas are whatever the mind perceives in itself, or is in the immediate object of perception, thought, or understanding, as when one perceives, thinks, or understands, the ideas are before the mind. This limits all ideas to be originated from experience (perception), and also shows the connection between thought and perception and their interchangeable nature. The ideas can be divided into ideas of sensation (touch, smell, sight, etc.) and ideas of reflection (fear, happiness, sadness, etc.), which can then be separated further into simple and complex ideas, where complex ideas are derived from simple ones. Hume follows this line of argument with some modifications. He claims he ‘restores’ the term ideas to its original sense by classifying the objects the mind is perceiving as perceptions, not directly as ideas as Locke have used, and from perceptions he then distinguished them into impressions and ideas, where they differ in degree, as impressions are more vivid and forceful before the mind, such when sees a colour, and the ideas are more faint, such when one thinks of a colour after having the impressions of it. Hume then makes the distinction of simple and complex ideas, and by introspection, Hume demonstrates that one can think of any simple ideas and then find corresponding simple impressions that are exact copies of each other, and one can do this with any conceivable simple ideas. Complex ideas are different in that they are composites of simple ideas. And with this experiment in introspection, Hume then postulates his first thesis, â€Å"†¦ That all our simple ideas in their first appearance are deriv’d from simple impressions, which are correspondent to them, and which they exactly represent.† We may call this the Copy Principle, as it simply states that every simple idea is a copy of a corresponding impression. One of the most important components of this thesis is the fact that it’s a genetic one in that it shows the origin of ideas as following from impressions – as impressions to be the cause of ideas. Again, this is proved by the constant conjunction of simple impressions preceding simple ideas, which one can do to every simple idea one may have. Another support Hume gives is that of a man born defective of certain perceptive organs, hence, missing certain impressions (e.g. sight or sound), one would not have any ideas of those corresponded with the impressions, for it is evident that deaf people also have great trouble speaking. The genetic component is important in that they validate the empiricism doctrine on the reliance of experience. Anyhow, now we can see how the problem seems to defeat the purpose of this thesis. Moreover, a counter example, from a logical standpoint, one counter example is sufficient to turn an argument invalid. So why did Hume not deal with this problem? We may try to take it as Hume claimed the problem to be – a singular case where it is not worth investing time on. Being a singular case, one may have to take the argument in closer inspection. Hume states explicitly that the man in question may have enjoyed the sights for thirty years and perfectly well acquainted with all the possible colours except one, and that may be the attempt by him to restrict this to some specific scenario. It is implicitly embedded in the counter example that the subject of this example must be well acquainted with all the colours, such that one can make up colours in one’s mind, much like how only musicians of a certain skill level can sight read music. Thus, it appeals to some amount of ‘experience’ such that one may be bound to experience, habits, or personal background. Yet, when given further consideration, this seems to be invalid as well, as these restrictions do not seem to hold. As far as experience go, a child who does not know what ‘turquoise’ mean does not necessarily have an idea of the colour ‘turquoise’. So this case is certainly not an exceptional case and Hume had not dealt with it satisfactorily. Yet, Humean scholars have tried to find solutions for this problem and some even disregard it as a problem altogether. Firstly, the first objection to this counter argument is that there is no way to test whether the person in question does in fact have an idea of the missing shade of blue before seeing the missing shade or not. There is a great difference between being able to spot a missing spot in a complete spectrum of blue, and being able to produce an idea of the shade of blue without first encountering the impression of it. If ones sees a constant change in shade from, let’s say blue-0 where it is darkest to blue-255 where it is the lightest shade, then if there is one shade of blue missing, it would be quite noticeable as the mind notices the jump in gradual and constant change, but it does not follow that one could create an idea of that missing shade. To test this is also impossible, as if one is to reproduce colour, it still does not follow that he produces the idea since he would only be mixing the existing colours to brighter shades, and thus, after finishing mixing the colour, one then has the idea of the colour following the impression. All other ways of testing is equally futile because they all involve exposing the subject to the missing impression one way or another. Alternatively, if we look at the thesis again, and instead of taking it as a genetic form of the argument that Hume meant it to be, and instead, modifies it slightly to a more analytical empiricism form. Hume’s thesis on the theory of mind, upon closer inspection, can be taken as a form of meaning empiricism, in the sense that ideas to him are the same as different thoughts, which are different kinds of concepts, which is linked to when one understands something in a linguistic sense one is linking the word with the meaning, or the concepts associated to the word. Hence, if we think of the initial genetic content of the thesis, that impressions strictly precedes ideas, we may relax it slightly in favour of the analogy to meaning empiricism and forget its genetic form and instead formulate the following thesis: that all simple ideas must have corresponding conceivable and encounterable impressions. By doing this, we are no longer faced with the problem of the missing shade, since it is perfectly possible that the subject would be able to encounter this particular shade. Lastly, from a personal view, I see the problem of the missing shade of blue as not a problem at all, but Hume’s mistake lies in classifying colours as simple ideas. It is true that the impressions of light blue might very well be different than dark blue, so to speak, but to use Hume’s method, it is possible to separate using our imagination the components ‘light’ and ‘dark’ from ‘blue’. Thus, it is the impression of ‘blueness’ which is a simple impression, combined with the impression of ‘light’ and ‘absent of light’ that combine to give this multitude of shades of colours. Take this example, suppose some neutral shade of blue, let’s number it blue 124, were put somewhere with light, you will be able to see blue 124. However, let’s say for some reason, the room becomes lighter, certainly, the shade of blue 124 would have changed to some lighter shade of perhaps blue 200. If we vary the light in the room from darkest to lightest, it is then possible to observe from the darkest to the lightest shade of blue likewise. One may argue that the colour can be calibrated to some objective criteria, perhaps the ratio of pigments of colour blue of some sort, yet, that does not matter since all that matters to Hume is indeed only impression. Furthermore, using this example, we can also say that perhaps the subject of the experiment may have in fact encountered the particular shade of blue sometime before without acknowledging it. Conclusively, although Hume’s treatment of the missing shade of blue is very limited and very complacent, it is perhaps Hume’s own mistake for considering such example a ‘problem’, rather than the problem itself being a threat to his theory of origins of ideas.

An Analysis of William Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream Essay

Renaissance humanists believed that if you want to build a moral society, you must begin with the facts of human nature. Basically, this means that their beliefs are rooted on what can be seen, touched, and heard. Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream crossed the boundaries of humanism and Shakespeare actually put in the play elements which humanists believe did not exist. For humanists, â€Å"Nature itself constitutes the sum total of reality, that matter and not mind is the foundation-stuff of the universe, and that supernatural entities simply do not exist.† (Lamont 145). This follows naturally that people then were with little, if at all, imaginative, and creative tendency. They were not keen to elements in literature such as fairies, or other supernatural beings; elements which are present in Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In the century preceding Shakespeare, â€Å"humanist† plays were often considered dull and moralistic, as they were often in didactic form. Also, another attitude of Humanism towards the universe â€Å"like its judgment as to the nature and destiny of man, is grounded on solid scientific fact.† (Lamont 145). They believed that man was the cream of the crop of God’s creation, and that the earth and everything that revolves around it are the center of the universe. Again, it’s not difficult to imagine that consequently, this philosophy not only affects the scientific aspect of the era, but also the culture, including literature and other arts. People also took a belief in the interconnectedness of things, for example a physician administering a medicine according to the position of the planets. But A Midsummer Night’s Dream, written sometime in the late 1500s seemed to have crossed boundaries. First of all, there are supernatural elements in the play which sort of went against the Humanist philosophy about supernatural entities not existing. Actually, the play is nothing short of magical. Not only do the mortals in the play associated with fairies, but the plot is manipulated by Puck, a hobgoblin. Bottom, on the other hand symbolizes a culture that survived from the Middle Ages until the Elizabethan times wherein â€Å"reign donkeys dressed up as bishops or dogs with Hosts in their teeth would appear in court masques.† (Bloom 73).   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Spirits and fairies cannot be represented, they cannot even be painted,   Ã¢â‚¬â€they can only be believed.† (Bloom 87). Apparently, this is not in line with Humanist philosophy, and this is what Shakespeare’s play brought people to believe also after the play’s publication. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is â€Å"Shakespeare’s first period of experiment with comic form.† (Bloom 7). Compared to his tragedies, this comedy not only was a trailblazer for rediscovery of classical literature, it also â€Å"knits together a number of different historical times and places, literary traditions, character types, and modes of thought.† (Bloom 7). Humanists also believed that â€Å"whatever he does man is a living unity of body and personality, an inter-functioning oneness of mental, emotional and physical qualities.† (Lamont 274). Apparently, in the play, when Puck put the magical love juice in the eyes of Demetrius, Lysander, and Titania, this premise is not evident anymore, as they were not in their â€Å"right minds† when pursuing different love interests. However, while Shakespeare challenged Humanism through his play, he also showed his influences through the characters, the plot and the sub-plot. Italian Renaissance was an event which influenced Shakespeare in a lot of his works, but Italian Renaissance differs slightly from the English Renaissance, aside from the fact that it preceded the English Renaissance. Italian Renaissance was centered more on visual arts but sonnets also bloomed through Petrarch and Boccaccio. By the time Italian Renaissance was coming to an end and English Renaissance was blooming, writers were then rediscovering the classical literatures from the Italian Renaissance and picked up the sonnets. Shakespeare apparently was one of those writers. Shakespeare’s influences with regard to some elements in the play come from Italian artists like the poet Ovid and the author Apulieus, which show Shakespeare’s rediscovery of the classical literature coming from the Italian Renaissance. For example, the story of Pyramus and Thisbe is told in Ovid’s Metamorphoses and the transformation of Bottom into an ass is descended from Apuleius’ The Golden Ass. Elements such as these show how vast Shakespeare’s influences are, and how experimental the play has become compared to his previous tragedies in terms of the characters and the plot.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I can say that through Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream, people looked at themselves differently, and appreciated more the beauty of the arts. Before Shakespeare, people seemed stuck-up and were conformed to being moralized by their literature. While it was necessary at that time, change is really inevitable. And through Shakespeare’s experimentation in the said comedy, different discoveries and rediscoveries enabled people to try out new things. Throughout the Renaissance, there was a significant change in the way people looked at the interconnectedness of things. Writers and thinkers questioned the connections, while retaining a sense of their beauty as symbols. A major change which this era experienced is that people interpreted the correspondences of things from literal to symbolic, and appreciated more the beauty of the symbols. Works Cited: Bloom, Harold, ed. William Shakespeare’s a Midsummer Night’s Dream. New York: Chelsea House, 1987 Lamont, Corliss. Humanism as a Philosophy. New York: Philosophical Library, 1949. â€Å"A Midsummer Night’s Dream.† Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Identify the Ash

Identify the Ash An ash tree commonly refers to trees of the genus Fraxinus (from Latin ash tree) in the olive family Oleaceae. The ashes are usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. Identification of ash during the spring/early summer growing season is straight forward. Their leaves are opposite (rarely in whorls of three)  and mostly pinnately compound but can be simple in a few species. The seeds, popularly known as keys or helicopter seeds, are a type of fruit known as a samara. The genus Fraxinus contains 45-65 species worldwide. The Common North American Ash Species Green and white ash trees are the two most common ash species and their range covers most of the Eastern United States and Canada. Other significant ash trees to cover significant ranges are black ash, Carolina ash, and blue  ash. green ashwhite ash Unfortunately, both green ash and white ash populations are being decimated by the  emerald ash borer  or EAB. Discovered in 2002 near Detroit, MIichigan, the boring beetle has spread through much of the northern ash range and threatens billions of ash trees. Dormant Identification Ash has shield-shaped leaf scars (at the point where the leaf breaks away from the twig). The tree has tall, pointed buds above the leaf scars. There are no stipules on ash trees so no stipulate scars. The tree in winter has pitchfork-like looking limb tips and there could be long and narrow clustered winged seed or samaras. Ash has continuous bundle scars inside leaf scar looks like smiley face. Important: A leaf scar is the major botanical feature when keying a green or white ash. The white ash will have a U-shaped leaf scar with the bud inside the dip; the green ash will have a D-shaped leaf scar with the bud sitting atop the scar. Leaves: opposite  , pinnately compound , without teeth.Bark: gray and furrowed.Fruit: a single winged key hanging in clusters. The Most Common North American Hardwood List ash  - Genus Fraxinus  beech  - Genus Fagus  basswood  - Genus Tilia  birch  - Genus  Betula  black cherry  Ã‚  - Genus  Prunus  black walnut/butternut  - Genus Juglans  cottonwood  Ã‚  - Genus  Populus  elm  Ã‚  - Genus  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Ulmus  hackberry  Ã‚  - Genus   Celtis  hickory  Ã‚  - Genus   Carya  holly  Ã‚  - Genus   IIex  locust  - Genus Robinia and Gleditsia  magnolia  Ã‚  - Genus   Magnolia  maple  - Genus Acer  oak  - Genus Quercus  poplar  Ã‚  - Genus  Populus  red alder  Ã‚  - Genus   Alnus  royal paulownia  Ã‚  - Genus  Paulownia  sassafras  Ã‚  - Genus   Sassafras  sweetgum  - Genus Liquidambar  sycamore  Ã‚  - Genus   Platanus  tupelo  Ã‚  - Genus   Nyssa  willow  Ã‚  - Genus   Salix  yellow-poplar  - Genus  Liriodendron

When to Use Already and Yet in English for ESL Students

When to Use Already and Yet in English for ESL Students The words  already  and  yet  are common words in English that generally refer to an event that has or has not happened before another event in the past or present: She hasnt finished her assignment yet. - The event has not been completed up to the present moment in time.Jennifer had already eaten by the time he arrived. -  The event occurred before another event took place. Already and Yet -Present Perfect Both already and yet refer to  activities that have or havent occurred before the present moment in time. In bother cases, the adverb  recently  could be substituted with the same meaning: I have already finished my lunch. Ive recently finished my lunch.Have you seen Tom yet? Have you seen Tom recently?They havent visited Rome yet. They havent visited Rome recently. Already - Referring To a Past Event Already is used to indicate that something that happened before the moment of speaking. However, it refers to something that affects the present moment in time. Lets take a look at a few examples: I have already finished the report. This sentence could be used to express the idea that I finished the report and it is ready to read now. She has already seen that film. This sentence might express that the woman saw the film in the past, so she has no desire in the present moment to see the film. They have already eaten. This sentence would probably be used to state that they are no longer hungry. The key to using already is to remember that an action that has happened in the past - often in the recent past - affects the present moment or a decision about the present moment in time. Therefore, already  and  yet  are  used with the present perfect tense. Already - Sentence Placement Already is placed between the auxiliary verb have  and the participle form of the verb. It is used in the positive form and should not be used in the negative: Subject have / has already past participle objects I have already seen that film.Mary has already been to Seattle. NOT!! I have seen already that film. Already is generally not used in the question form. However, when expressing surprise in a rhetorical question it is sometimes used in informal conversations and added to the end of the sentence: Have you eaten already?!Have you finished already?! Yet - Asking Questions Yet is used to check whether something has occurred up to the present moment: Have you seen that film yet?Has Tim done his homework yet? Yet  is generally used to ask about something closer to the present moment. Yet is often used when someone expects something to have occurred before the moment of speaking: Have you finished that report yet? - In this case, a colleague expects the report to be finished soon. Yet - Question Placement Yet is always placed at the end of a question. Notice that yet is not used with question words as questions with yet are yes/no questions: Have subject past participle objects yet ? Have you finished that report yet?Has she bought a new car yet? Yet - Negative Form Yet is also used in the negative to express that something that is expected has not yet happened. In this case, yet is placed at the end of the sentence. Subject have not / has not past participle objects yet She hasnt finished the report yet.Doug and Tom havent telephoned yet. Already - With the Past Perfect Already can also be used with the past perfect to express that something had happened before something else: She had already eaten when he arrived.Jackson had already done his homework when he was asked for help. Already - With the Future Perfect Already is also used with the future perfect to express that something will have been completed before something else occurs: She will have already finished the paperwork before the meeting.Frank will have already prepared the report by the time the boss asks for it. Yet - Coordinating Conjunction Finally,  yet  can also be used as a coordinating conjunction with the same meaning as  but  to connect two simple sentences into one. Place  yet  after a comma to introduce a dependent clause: Theyd like to go to that new restaurant, yet they cant get a reservation.Hed already bought tickets to the play, yet he wasnt able to attend the performance.

Teacher CollaborationCommunication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Teacher CollaborationCommunication - Essay Example Study group, formal as well as informal seminars and trainings, faculty presentation in conferences are some of the activities that promote teacher collaboration. It serves as venue for teachers to support each other's strengths, discuss their weaknesses, sharing of pool of ideas, strategies and materials. Teacher collaboration result in enhancing collegial relationship that breaks the isolation, burn out, and job dissatisfaction. Instead, teachers attain high level of professional fulfillment, enthusiasm at work and job satisfaction. Teachers become more equipped in the classroom, able to reconcile differences of colleagues and students and able to settle occasional conflicts effectively. Since there is collaboration, complex tasks are managed better, new ideas emerge, thus improve schools' curriculum and instruction. Although not uniformly good, teachers who have spent time to work with others have noticed significant improvements in their students' academic performance, attitudes and behavior, and attitude. Since teachers are living examples of collaborative behavior for their students, be it in extracurricular activities or in academic endeavors, students may be influenced by them.