Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Free Essays on Gulivers Travels

In Gulliver's Travels, Swift and his character, Gulliver, have separate personalities. Swift does not express his views through Gulliver, but through the foreign societies and cultures that Gulliver sees (though is unable to put into critical perspective). 1. Gulliver remarks about the Lilliputians, Brobdingnagians, Laputans, Houyhnhnms and Yahoos in a straightforward way, reporting on the cultures, rather than analyzing them. Swift thus disguises his allusions to the political and philosophical thought of his time, allowing the reader, not Gulliver, to discover them. The book can be read as a simple adventure story and travelogue (as Gulliver intends), or as a complex satire on 18th century morals and thought (as Swift intends). In each land that Gulliver visits, there is a different ironic comparison to English/European politics and philosophy. Book I (Lilliput) is a rich satire of the English politics of Swift’s time. The small (but extremely immoral) Lilliputians represent the Whig party of England, whose vicious foreign policy and accusations of treason against members of the Tory party Swift despised. The small size of the Lilliputians is in inverse proportion to the amount of their corruption. Similarly, the Brobdingnagians find Gulliver’s culture to be too violent for the size of its people, and Gulliver’s pride in describing the English is offset by his puniness. Swift characterizes the giants of Book II to be imperfect but extremely moral, possibly the ideal for how a society could be in Swift’s (or our) time. In Book III, Swift satirizes the philosophical movements of rational thought that were popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. The overkill of geometry and other systems being used by the Laputans (to everyone’s disadvantage) ridicules the idea of overthinking something. The Laputans deal in the conceptual rather than in the sensible, resulting in ludicrous theories and ideas. The Houyhnhnms of Book I... Free Essays on Gulivers Travels Free Essays on Gulivers Travels In Gulliver's Travels, Swift and his character, Gulliver, have separate personalities. Swift does not express his views through Gulliver, but through the foreign societies and cultures that Gulliver sees (though is unable to put into critical perspective). 1. Gulliver remarks about the Lilliputians, Brobdingnagians, Laputans, Houyhnhnms and Yahoos in a straightforward way, reporting on the cultures, rather than analyzing them. Swift thus disguises his allusions to the political and philosophical thought of his time, allowing the reader, not Gulliver, to discover them. The book can be read as a simple adventure story and travelogue (as Gulliver intends), or as a complex satire on 18th century morals and thought (as Swift intends). In each land that Gulliver visits, there is a different ironic comparison to English/European politics and philosophy. Book I (Lilliput) is a rich satire of the English politics of Swift’s time. The small (but extremely immoral) Lilliputians represent the Whig party of England, whose vicious foreign policy and accusations of treason against members of the Tory party Swift despised. The small size of the Lilliputians is in inverse proportion to the amount of their corruption. Similarly, the Brobdingnagians find Gulliver’s culture to be too violent for the size of its people, and Gulliver’s pride in describing the English is offset by his puniness. Swift characterizes the giants of Book II to be imperfect but extremely moral, possibly the ideal for how a society could be in Swift’s (or our) time. In Book III, Swift satirizes the philosophical movements of rational thought that were popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. The overkill of geometry and other systems being used by the Laputans (to everyone’s disadvantage) ridicules the idea of overthinking something. The Laputans deal in the conceptual rather than in the sensible, resulting in ludicrous theories and ideas. The Houyhnhnms of Book I...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

21 Body Language Tips for the Workplace

21 Body Language Tips for the Workplace Body language can be an incredibly valuable tool to hone over the course of your career. But it can also backfire. We take in body cues at rates much faster than we process language. So be careful how you use yours! Here are some body language tips for the workplace you can utilize to maintain a professional image. 1. Don’t lean backLeaning back can signify that you’re bored or done with a conversation. If you want to convey interest, lean in slightly or at very least sit straight in your chair.2. Don’t cross your armsThis gesture can look defiant at worst, closed off at best. People will assume you’re disinterested or awkward. Neither assumption would do you any favors.3. Don’t avoid  eye contactIf you don’t look someone in the eye, they will assume you have something to hide. Don’t get a reputation for being shady or dishonest. Remember, in the business world: eye contact = honesty.4. Don’t stareIt is possible to make too mu ch eye contact. This can come off as strange or even aggressive. Try to strike a comfortable, easy-going balance. Try not to hold someone’s gaze for more than, say three seconds.5. Don’t clench your handsPeople who are stressed have a tendency to do this. The stress becomes visible to whomever you are talking to. Relax and hold your hands loosely at your side.6. Don’t hide your handsIt might be comfortable for you to put your hands behind your back, or to shove them in your pockets, but it can be seen as a signal that you might have something to hide.7. Don’t chopYou have something important to say, so you’re gesturing emphatically. Try to avoid chopping the air with your hands- it seems violent and dismissive to the person you are talking with.8. Don’t touch your faceThis is another one that is often misinterpreted as a sign of dishonesty. Best to avoid.9. Don’t nod too muchYou’re eager to convey your attention and your agreem ent, but you might end up freaking someone out. You might seem weak and submissive- or, on the flip side, indifferent.10. Don’t fidgetIt makes you look a little crazy and it can also raise the stress level of the person watching you do the fidgeting. You could also come across as bored or impatient.11. Don’t hunchYou’ll come off as depressed or lazy or too tired to function. Shoulders back, smile on your face! Project confidence with your body, not just your brain.12. Don’t tangle up in your chairIf you wrap your feet or legs around your chair legs, it’s the same as clenching your hands together. You’ll look a little ill at ease and put your fellow converser off.13. Don’t make yourself smallTry not to shrink. It will convey a lack of confidence. Try expanding where you might normally contract and see what effect this can have.14. Don’t go too bigTry not to gesture so wildly or be so expansive that you seem like you’re on stage. This can have the opposite effect you want. And it might frighten people.15. Don’t point your feet at weird anglesThis might seem like a small, weird thing, but if your feet are pointing the wrong way, some people will take note.16. Don’t pat yourselfEven if you find it comforting to pat your legs, your coworkers or boss won’t. They’ll just see you as very uncomfortable, and that will make them uncomfortable too.17. Don’t look at your watch (or phone!)Just don’t. It’s incredibly rude. Keep your attention on the conversation unless you absolutely have to check the time or an important phone call.18. Don’t touch people with your fingertipIf you’re at the stage with someone where it would be appropriate to build trust or ease by touching them briefly, do it with your whole hand, not your finger tip. You’re not E.T.19.  Don’t ignore cuesWhen in doubt, mimic your interlocutor’s body language. If they gesture, you can gesture. If they are standing straight on their feet and projecting confidence, do the same.20. Don’t invade the bubbleWhen in a work context, do not invade anyone’s personal space. Give them room.21. Don’t ignore where you areDo your research when visiting different parts of the world, or even different parts of the country. Customs differ everywhere you go–take the time to make sure you don’t accidentally do anything offensive.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Specialized Investment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Specialized Investment - Essay Example vidual with the opportunity to focus his money in the desired industry or sector, and spread his investments in the various companies in that industry or sector. The diversification of investments allows investors to reduce the risk of their respective investments. Another important advantage of mutual funds is liquidity. One can redeem mutual fund shares on any day at the funds net asset value per share. Another benefit is that an investor would not pay any commissions or other fees upon redemption of the mutual fund. It is only when an investor owns certain classes of shares that he may be required to pay a deferred sales charge if the shares were not held for a specified period of time. As a way to reduce the negative effects of short-term trading in mutual fund shares, mutual funds have implemented redemption fees if shares are held for less than a specified period of time. The deferred sales charges and redemption fees increase the cost associated with redemptions. (Braham, 2007) Mutual funds enable investors to avail of the services of a professional asset management. A mutual fund is managed by a professional manager, who initiates and leads investment decisions on behalf of the fund. The portfolio manager is assisted by competent analysts who conduct research on market conditions, industries and individual companies. Small investors would not be able to avail of the services of a professional fund manager outside of a mutual fund. A mutual fund is easy to manage as investors are continually purchasing and redeeming shares of the fund. Mutual funds offer intra-day pricing which helps investors get a good price for their shares at the end of the day. Before investing in a mutual fund, there are several caveats one must observe. First, determine how the fund impacts one’s tax bill.The law requires a mutual fund to make a capital gains distribution to shareholders if it sells a security for a profit that cant be offset by a loss. If one gets a capital

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Agrarian Reform & Land Distribution in Brazil Essay

Agrarian Reform & Land Distribution in Brazil - Essay Example (CNN, 2007) This pitiful state in the agrarian sector in Brazil is responsible for the small peasant with big-sized family ending up with no land for tilling. This pathetic land holding pattern in Brazil has led to widespread resentment among the peasant class. This resentment has even taken the form of violence across the nation as the demand for land for mere survival has intensified. The distribution of land in Brazil is indeed uneven. Thorough decades, till date the agricultural development in Brazil is very much biased towards the big agricultural estate. This has benefited only a tiny section of the oligarchy that is associated with commercial and trade capital investment while leaving majority of the population out of its ambit. In the past two and a half decade, more than 30 million workers related to farming, including men and women, had to leave their land and a further 4.8 million peasant families can dream of holding own land. One of the most appalling results of this gross injustice is starvation—nearly 31.5 million people are being tormented from food shortage in Brazil, of which 50% live in the countryside. (FIAN International Secretariat, May 2000). Agricultural modernization process initiated in the country has only aggravated the situation—inequality in the distribution of land has widened which resulted into more exploitation of the agricultural laborers. In fact, majority of the agricultural laborers are denied their basic rights. The situation is so serious that in some areas of the country, slavery is an accepted practice. Along with this, the female workers are subjected to huge discrimination—they work twice as long as their male equal, and are paid less than the males. The modern agricultural system in Brazil is based on the intensive exploitation of scarce land and natural resources, along with the use of heavy machinery, chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Madness in the Tales of Poe and Hawthorne Essay Example for Free

Madness in the Tales of Poe and Hawthorne Essay With madness and confusion dominating short stories such as some of the tales written by Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne, the psychological states of their main characters are of the utmost importance. The meanings of the stories depend on whether the characters are truly insane, suffering from a physical ailment or merely intensely angry and hungry for revenge. Poe’s tales â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† both explore themes of madness and premature burials. However, while Roderick Usher seems to be suffering not only from a physical illness but also from insanity which may have stem from a â€Å"history of mental disorder† (Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher), Montresor seems to have been under the grip of intense hatred that have been caused by his victim’s previous insult on his person. It may be argued that Montresor is demented like Usher, but his well-planned crime contradicts the supposition of an unhinged mind. Meanwhile, the psychological troubles of Hawthorne’s characters in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† and â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† are apparently milder, but not subtler. People may regard Goodman Brown as a recluse and a snob and Minister Hooper as someone mourning over his or other people’s sins. Hawthorne explores isolation in both stories, highlighting the possible self-destruction that may result from intensely reclusive lives. Though the stories may vary and the level of mental disorder may differ, both Poe and Hawthorne present people with emotions that are overly sensitive and with mental faculties that are more distraught than most. Poe is fascinated by madness. His stories are sometimes even narrated by persons whose mental and emotional facilities are questionable. This results to a more interesting reading of each of the stories. The reader is left to wonder if he or she is able to extract the accurate account of the story or a deranged version of it. In â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† the narrator observes what goes on in his host, Roderick’s house. He â€Å"rejects evidence of the supernatural†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ He is predisposed to regard Roderick as mad and therefore to reject any explanation Roderick suggests† (Bailey 446). The narrator of the story depends on the accounts of his host, Roderick but he does not trust his friend’s sanity. This creates a tension that is experienced by both the narrator and the reader; this tension is the uncertainty of what is unfolding because it is through the guidance of such an unreliable source like an apparently mad Roderick. Montresor of â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† may not have the gaunt and unhealthy look of Roderick Usher but what he has done to his enemy, Fortunato, is exceedingly cruel. The deed may have seemed perfectly planned and efficient but someone who can avenge an insult received by murder must be somehow unhinged. The criminal’s mind is exaggerated as is evident in his narration: â€Å"THE thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge† (Poe, The Cask of Amontillado). My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so. I hastened to make an end of my labour. I forced the last stone into its position; I plastered it up. Against the new masonry I re-erected the old rampart of bones. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescat. (Poe, The Cask of Amontillado) Though Montresor displays some strong emotion over what he has done to Fortunato, he continues with the crime methodically. Moreover, this contradiction, along with uttering â€Å"Rest in Peace† to his victim seems to suggest that Montresor is indeed insane. In the two short stories, Poe illustrates insanity that has been passed through generations and then insanity that has been triggered simply by an insult. Nathaniel Hawthorne shows some concern about the fate of souls in his two stories â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil† and â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†. While Poe illustrates madness that has resulted from being either inherently insane or predisposed to mental illness, Hawthorne explores zealous religiosity that can result to madness. Minister Hooper’s strong sense of religiousness has driven him to an extreme means of discerning the pious from the hypocrite. â€Å"Why do you tremble at me alone? Tremble also at each other! Have men avoided me, and women shown no pity, and children screamed and fled, only for my black veil? † (Hawthorne, The Ministers Black Veil) The man has decided to put a black veil on his face. Not even his fiancee has been able to persuade him to take off the veil which in turn has given him a continuously mourning persona. Though he is mentally capable to continue his duties as minister, he does them with a somber aura which the veil produces for him. The insistence on constantly wearing the black veil displays obsessive behavior related to his faith despite the fact that he has not actually stated what his real reason for wearing the veil is. In â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, Hawthorne again tackles the effects of the perception of sin. Here, the main character is oppressed by what he thinks is the real knowledge of other people’s sins. What he is not aware of is that the Devil, which he has consorted with in the woods, has made him believe that every single person in his community is involved in atrocious deeds. â€Å"†¦elders of the church have whispered wanton words to the young maids of their households; how many a woman, eager for widows weeds, has given her husband a drink at bedtime and let him sleep his last sleep in her bosom; how beardless youths have made haste to inherit their fathers wealth; and how fair damsels†¦ have dug little graves in the garden, and bidden me, the sole guest to an infants funeral† (Hawthorne). Having believed the Devil’s lies, Goodman Brown is continually suspicious of his neighbors’ intentions. He even believes their good deeds to be merely pretentious displays of piety. Because of this behavior, Goodman Brown isolates himself from the rest of the community and dies a lonely death. Hawthorne explores the themes of isolation and zealous religiousness in his two short stories, expressing the dangers of the two themes. Both Poe and Hawthorne have effectively expressed the psychological terrain that their main characters are in. Through using a narrator that is either the character with the questionable mental state or one that distrusts that character, the stories become more mysterious and subject to individual interpretation while the intensity of emotions coming from the main characters are able to shine through. The two authors explore mental instability in different forms; Poe’s stories are about inherent, maybe even genetic tendencies to lose one’s mind while Hawthorne’s two tales are about isolation that has resulted from obsessive spirituality.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Communism Vs Democracy :: Communism Essays

Communism is an original system of society, quite different from Democracy in many ways. While total democracy is not widely spread, many forms of it are prosperous throughout the world today. One of the first and major differences between a Communist and Democratic government is their contrary economic systems. In a communist government, the community owns the major resources and means of production. The goal of such a system is to prevent any one person or group of people from becoming radically rich, while others are extremely poor. The system attempts to eliminate lower class by balancing the wealth between rich and poor, therefore giving everyone equal pay and ownership. Unfortunately, this results in an increased lower class. However, in a Democracy, free enterprising is permitted, and smiled upon. ? Here, free enterprising helps the economy to flourish. People can organize their own businesses and receive their own profits if it succeeds, or debts if it fails. In this system, the harder a person works, the more money they receive, allowing them to ‘make ends meet.’ The downside to democracy is that people can get a high paying job through education, but may work just as hard at a lower paying job and receive less money. As Winston Churchill once said, "The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries." Generally, Democracy’s seem be more successful economically. In a democracy, money is the most dominant incentive. On the contrary, in a communist government, a person can work a million times harder than the person sitting next to him, and receive equal pay. This results in no incentive on the part of the worker whatsoever. When there is nothing to achieve by working harder, people become slothful, which does little good for a country’s economy. In most attempts, past and present, communism has failed economically, whereas democracies have a commendable success rate. Communism is most widely taken up by Third World countries striving for national independence and sudden social change (Russia, Cuba, and Northern Korea). Forms of democracy however, are usually exercised by countries, which have a long-range goal to succeed, or improve economically (Britain, U.S.A.). Most widely first heard of through Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto, communism hasn’t been around nearly as long as democracy, which is first known to have existed in the city-states of ancient Greece and Rome.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Populism and the Jacksonian Democrats Essay

Question: In what ways were the late nineteenth-century Populists the heirs of the Jacksonian-Democrats with respect to overall objectives and specific proposals for reform? The Populists of the late nineteenth-century were in many aspects the heirs of the Jacksonian Democrats, carrying on the legacy and tradition left behind. The Populists were very similar to the Jacksonians in many of their overall objectives and specific reform proposals. During the Jacksonian Era from about 1828-1842, the Democrats set the standard to be carried on later by the Populists. The Jacksonian Democrats identified with the common man. They wanted all democrats to agree. In 1828, Andrew Jackson was elected president and he was later reelected in 1832. In the year of his reelection, Jackson established the spoils system to reform the government, removing some federal officeholders (â€Å"To the victor belong the spoils†) and made the right of elected officials to appoint their own followers to public office and established feature of American politics. Also in this year, Jackson vetoed the bill to recharter the Bank of the United States. This sets the tone for his, and the Democrats, ongoing battle with the Bank and its president, Nicholas Biddle, later to rise to climax when Jackson removed federal deposits from the Bank of the United States. A year later, in 1833, the nullification crisis erupted, pushing Jackson and his Democrats into another battle, this one with John Calhoun and nullification. Jackson insisted that nullification was treason and those implementing it were traitors. The nullification crisis was averted by compromise: the lowering of the tariff of 1828, the tariff of abominations, gradually be lowered. Jackson believed in a distinct, but simple theory of democracy, that it should offer â€Å"equal protection and equal benefits† to all its white male citizens and favor no region of class over another. This meant an assault on what he considered the citadels of the eastern aristocracy and an effort to extend opportunities to the rising classes of the west and south. It also meant a firm commitment to the continuing subjugation of African Americans and Indians, keeping these â€Å"dangerous† elements from the politic body to keep the white-male democracy they valued in preservation. Carrying on the Jacksonian legacy, the Populists were mostly farmers and industrial workers; they were the common man. They believed that wealth belonged to the working class, those who create the wealth, not the owners and a graduated income tax (as the income goes up, the tax rate goes up, so wealthier people pay more taxes than the poor). The Populists were champions of the workingman, pushing for better work conditions and a shorter workweek, as well as putting more money in the hands of the workers. One of the biggest reform proposals of the populists was bimetallism and free coinage of silver. Free coinage of silver would have increased the supply of money since silver was in easy circulation. An increase in the supply of money would generally lead to inflation unless the supply of goods and services by at least as much. As did many industrial workers fearing for their jobs, the Populists wanted to limit immigration. In carrying on the legacy left by the Jacksonian Democrats, the Populists exhibited many of the same ideas and proposals. The election of Andrew Jackson to the presidency in 1828 marked not only the triumph of a particular vision of government and democracy, it represented the emergence of a new political world. The Populists emergence in 1873 represented the emergence of a new political world as well. The Jacksonians may have represented and identified with the common man, but the Populists were the common man. During both eras, a main reform movement of each was to upset the eastern powers; Jackson was to defeat the stranglehold of the aristocratic east on the nation’s economic life; the Populists were set to defeat the stranglehold of the industrial east on the nation’s economic life. Both parties were champions of the common man, although it was the Populists championing themselves. The legacy and tradition left behind by the Jacksonian Democrats was aptly picked up by the Populists of the nineteenth-century.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

5 Common African American Stereotypes in TV and Film

5 Common African American Stereotypes in TV and Film African Americans may be scoring more substantial parts in film and television, but many continue to play roles that fuel stereotypes, such as thugs and maids. The prevalence of these parts reveals the importance of  #OscarsSoWhite and how African Americans continue to struggle for quality roles on both the small and big screens, despite having won  Academy Awards  in  acting, screenwriting,  music production and other categories. The Magical Negro Magical Negro characters have long played key roles in films and television programs. These characters tend to be African American men with special powers who make appearances solely to help white characters out of jams, seemingly unconcerned about their own lives. The late Michael Clarke Duncan famously played such a character in â€Å"The Green Mile.† Moviefone wrote of Duncan’s character, John Coffey, â€Å"He’s more an allegorical symbol than a person, his initials are J.C., he has miraculous healing powers, and he voluntarily submits to execution by the state as a way of doing penance for the sins of others. A ‘Magical Negro’ character is often the sign of lazy writing at best, or of patronizing cynicism at worst.† Magical Negroes are also problematic because they have no inner lives or desires of their own. Instead, they exist solely as a support system to the white characters, reinforcing the idea that African Americans aren’t as valuable or as human as their white counterparts. They don’t require unique storylines of their own because their lives simply don’t matter as much. In addition to Duncan, Morgan Freeman has played in some such roles, and Will Smith played a Magical Negro in â€Å"The Legend of Bagger Vance.† The Black Best Friend Black Best Friends typically don’t have special powers like Magical Negroes do, but they mainly function in films and television shows to guide white characters out of a crisis. Usually, female, the black best friend functions â€Å"to support the heroine, often with sass, attitude and a keen insight into relationships and life,† critic Greg Braxton noted in the  Los Angeles Times. Like Magical Negroes, black best friends appear not to have much going on in their own lives but turn up at exactly the right moment to coach white characters through life. In the film â€Å"The Devil Wears Prada,† for example, actress Tracie Thoms plays friend to star Anne Hathaway, reminding Hathaway’s character that she’s losing touch with her values. Also, actress Aisha Tyler played friend to Jennifer Love Hewitt on â€Å"The Ghost Whisperer,† and Lisa Nicole Carson played friend to Calista Flockhart on â€Å"Ally McBeal.† Television executive Rose Catherine Pinkney told the Times that there is a long tradition of black best friends in Hollywood. â€Å"Historically, people of color have had to play nurturing, rational caretakers of the white lead characters. And studios are just not willing to reverse that role.† The Thug There’s no shortage of black male actors playing drug dealers, pimps, con-artists and other forms of criminals in television shows and films such as â€Å"The Wire† and â€Å"Training Day.† The disproportionate amount of African Americans playing criminals in Hollywood fuels the racial stereotype that black men are dangerous and drawn to illicit activities. Often these films and television shows provide little social context for why more black men than others are likely to end up in the criminal justice system. They overlook how racial and economic injustice makes it more difficult for young black men to evade a prison term or how policies such as stop-and-frisk and racial profiling make black men targets of the authorities. They fail to ask whether black men are inherently more likely to be criminals than anyone else or if society plays a role in creating the cradle-to-prison pipeline for African American men. The Brash Woman Black women are routinely portrayed in television and film  as sassy, neck-rolling harpies  with major attitude problems. The popularity of reality television shows adds fuel to the fire of this stereotype. To ensure that programs such as â€Å"Basketball Wives† maintain plenty of drama, often the loudest and most aggressive black women are featured on these shows. Black women say these depictions have real-world consequences in their love lives and careers. When Bravo debuted the reality show â€Å"Married to Medicine† in 2013, black female physicians unsuccessfully petitioned the network to pull the plug on the program. â€Å"For the sake of integrity and character of black female physicians, we must ask that Bravo immediately remove and cancel ‘Married to Medicine’ from its channel, website, and any other media, the physicians demanded.  Black female physicians only compose 1 percent of the American workforce of physicians. Due to our small numbers, the depiction of black female doctors in media, on any scale, highly affects the public’s view of the character of all future and current African American female doctors.† The show ultimately aired and black women continue to complain that depictions of African American womanhood in the media fail to live up to reality. The Domestic Because blacks were forced into servitude for hundreds of years in the United States, it’s no surprise that one of the earliest stereotypes about African Americans to emerge in television and film is that of the domestic worker or mammy. Television shows and movies such as â€Å"Beulah† and â€Å"Gone With The Wind† capitalized on the mammy stereotype in the early 20th century. But more recently, movies such as â€Å"Driving Miss Daisy† and â€Å"The Help† featured African Americans as domestics as well. While Latinos are arguably the group most likely to be typecast as domestic workers nowadays, the controversy over the portrayal of black domestics in Hollywood hasn’t gone away. The 2011 film â€Å"The Help† faced intense criticism because the black maids helped catapult the white protagonist to a new stage in life while their lives remained static. Like the Magical Negro and the Black Best Friend, black domestics in film function mostly to nurture and guide white characters.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Story Structure Three Models For Your Book

Story Structure Three Models For Your Book Story Structure: Three Models for Your Book Nothing makes the challenging task of writing a novel feel more attainable than adopting a story structure to help you plot out your narrative.While using a pre-existing blueprint might make authors worry they’ll end up with a formulaic, predictable story, you’ll find that most of your favorite books can be grouped into various narrative structures that writers have been using for decades.In this post, we’ll cover three story structures you can use to bring your own novel idea to fruition. Three narrative structures you can use to bring your own novel idea to fruition. What is narrative structure?Narrative structure is composed of two things: story and plot. Whereas the  plot  is a chain of events that dictate a book,  the  story  refers to the underlying factors that drive the dramatic action. Story, then, would encapsulate the protagonists,  key conflicts, and setting of the book. Meanwhile, plot would indicate the connected plot points that make up the narrative at hand.The importance of narrative structure is in its name. If a story didn't have structure, then it would be a formless blot without a clear beginning, middle, and end. It's story structure that lends definition and comprehensibility to a narrative - which is paramount to holding a reader's attention throughout a story. We covered three popular narrative structures in our series on story structure. To explore those particular story structures further, simply head below:the Three-Act Story Structurethe Hero’s Journey (otherwise known as Joseph Campbell's Monomyth)Dan Harmon’s Story Circle A slightly less detailed adaptation of The Hero’s Journey, the Seven-Point Story Structure focuses specifically on the highs and lows of a narrative arc. The Seven-Point Story Structure is made up of:The HookPlot Point 1Pinch Point 1MidpointPinch Point 2Plot Point 2ResolutionAccording to the  Seven-Point Story Structure-creator, author Dan Wells, writers are encouraged to start at the end, with the resolution. You should have an idea of what the final state for your protagonist/plot will look like. Once you’ve got that determined, go back to the starting point - the hook - and have your protagonist/plot begin in a state that contrasts the final one. From there, fill in the rest of the five plot points to flesh out how the protagonist/plot gets from that first state to the final one.Let’s elaborate on this narrative structure using Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as example.The HookThe start of the seven-point narrative structure is meant to dr aw readers in by explaining the protagonist’s current situation. Their state of being at the beginning of the novel should be in direct contrast to what it will be at the end of the novel.Example: The novel starts out with Harry living a neglected life in the cupboard under the stairs of his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon’s home.Plot Point 1Whether it’s a person, an idea, an inciting incident, or something else - there should be a "Call to Adventure" that sets the narrative and character development in motion.Example: Hagrid arrives to tell Harry that he’s a wizard. With Hagrid, Harry escapes the Dursley’s and head off to Diagon Alley to prepare for his new life as a wizard-in-training.Pinch Point 1Things can’t be all sunshine and roses for your protagonist. Something should go wrong here that applies pressure on the main character, forcing them to step up and solve the problem.Example: A troll is found in Hogwarts on Halloween. Harry and Ro n go to find Hermione who is unaware of the troll. They end up luring it into and locking the troll in the girl’s bathroom - without realizing that’s exactly where Hermione is. Together, they take down the troll.MidpointA more apt name for this part might be â€Å"Turning Point† - as it doesn’t technically need to fall in the middle. But it does need to include the main character changing from a passive force to an active force in the novel. Whatever the narrative’s main conflict is, the protagonist decides to start meeting it head-on here.Example: Harry, Ron, and Hermione learn about the Philosopher’s Stone, and realize it’s being kept guard in Hogwarts. They also learn that Voldemort is after the stone and decide they must find it before he does.Pinch Point 2Not again! The second pinch point involves another hit to the protagonist - things go even more awry than they did during the first pinch point. Also called the â€Å"Dark N ight of the Soul,† this might involve the passing of a mentor, the failure of a plan, the reveal of a traitor, etc.Example: The trio journey through the magical protections set in place to protect the stone. Harry loses Ron and Hermione on the way, leaving him to confront Voldemort on his own.Plot Point 2Phew! After the calamity the protagonist undergoes in the Pinch Point 2, they learn that they’ve actually had the key to solving the conflict the whole time.Example: At the height of the story’s primary conflict, Harry looks in the Mirror of Erised. Because his intentions for finding the stone are pure, the stone appears in his pocket and he learns that if Voldemort touches Harry, it will harm the dark wizard and not himself.ResolutionThe story’s primary conflict is resolved - and the character goes through the final bit of development necessary to transform them from who they were at the start of the novel.Example: Armed with the discoveries the Mirror o f Erised gave to Harry, he defeats Voldemort. The seven-point narrative structure is all about the highs and lows of the narrative arc. We've said it before and we'll say it again: story structures aren't an exact science and you should feel welcome to stray from the path they present. They're simply there to help you find your narrative's footing - a blueprint for the world you're about to start building.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Utilitarianism Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Utilitarianism - Coursework Example ood would mean the opposite of minimizing suffering as that would be disregarding intensive research conducted by Stuart Mill and myriad philosophers. â€Å"Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness (pleasure)† (Mill, 2005, P. 5). Promoting happiness; thus, pleasure, entails maximizing good deeds to a greater population while minimizing suffering in the same population. In the least terms, both the primary and secondary objectives are directly proportional to each other. It is impossible to do good without minimizing suffering. In fact, minimizing suffering among the greater population can be termed as maximizing good to the same population; hence, increased happiness and reduced pain. Utilitarianism lies in the complete spirit of the ethics of utility. â€Å"Do as you would be done by, and to love your neighbor as yourself† (Mill, 2005, P. 12). In the generic perspective, individual actions towards others ought to depict how others should act if they were to reciprocate on similar lines. Generating happiness entails both maximizing good to the greatest population and minimizing suffering in the same population. Humanity ought to be governed by love. If love for others measured similar to love towards self, everyone would generate happiness and reduce suffering. The two objectives of the doctrine cannot be analyzed separately rather co-jointly through a complex interplay of beliefs and ethical considerations. The interplay is evident from the activities conducted by members of the Unites States Congress. Both members of the Senate and the House of Representatives are elected to end suffering in the community in both the political, economic, and social spheres in addition to establishing bills and implementing laws to generate the greatest good for the greatest number. Such members are governed by ethics, with the doctrine of utilitarianism forming a significant proportion of their obligations. As stated earlier, minimizing suffering is