Free Essays on John Updikes Separating

There were many different aspects of John Updike’s â€Å"Separating† that I enjoyed. The focus on what a modern day family is like, the character development of Richard, and the reversal of male and female stereotypes to name a few. However, I decided to focus my paper on the three different conflicts Richard, the protagonist of the story, encounters. The first conflict is between Richard and his wife Joan. Their marriage has been falling apart and they don’t seem to even enjoy each other’s company anymore. The whole basis of the story is around this couple’s separation. It is never made clear the exact reason for the dissolution of the marriage. IT is hinted that Richard might have been having an affair. But, whatever the reason, it is made known that it is Richard’s decision to leave. After the blowout at the dinner table, where three out of the four children learn about the separation, Joan says that â€Å"it really wasn’t fair. It’s your idea, and you make it look as though I was kicking you out† (p 833). The second conflict is between Richard and his children. He is faced with the responsibility of telling his kids about his decision to leave. Him and his wife decide that its best to wait until school has ended and they were all home in one place. They had also decided to tell them one-by-one instead of in a large group because, as Joan puts it, â€Å"they’re each individuals, you know, not just some corporate obstacle to your freedom† (p 830). However, the plan falls apart when Richard starts crying uncontrollably during dinner. His younger son, John, asks his mother in the kitchen why his dad had been crying and she admits to the separation. The girls take the news fairly well and do not have any problems accepting it. John, on the other hand, makes a scene by eating a cigarette and lighting matches in his mother’s face. The oldest son Dickie was absent from dinner that night, so Richard was st... Free Essays on John Updike's Separating Free Essays on John Updike's Separating There were many different aspects of John Updike’s â€Å"Separating† that I enjoyed. The focus on what a modern day family is like, the character development of Richard, and the reversal of male and female stereotypes to name a few. However, I decided to focus my paper on the three different conflicts Richard, the protagonist of the story, encounters. The first conflict is between Richard and his wife Joan. Their marriage has been falling apart and they don’t seem to even enjoy each other’s company anymore. The whole basis of the story is around this couple’s separation. It is never made clear the exact reason for the dissolution of the marriage. IT is hinted that Richard might have been having an affair. But, whatever the reason, it is made known that it is Richard’s decision to leave. After the blowout at the dinner table, where three out of the four children learn about the separation, Joan says that â€Å"it really wasn’t fair. It’s your idea, and you make it look as though I was kicking you out† (p 833). The second conflict is between Richard and his children. He is faced with the responsibility of telling his kids about his decision to leave. Him and his wife decide that its best to wait until school has ended and they were all home in one place. They had also decided to tell them one-by-one instead of in a large group because, as Joan puts it, â€Å"they’re each individuals, you know, not just some corporate obstacle to your freedom† (p 830). However, the plan falls apart when Richard starts crying uncontrollably during dinner. His younger son, John, asks his mother in the kitchen why his dad had been crying and she admits to the separation. The girls take the news fairly well and do not have any problems accepting it. John, on the other hand, makes a scene by eating a cigarette and lighting matches in his mother’s face. The oldest son Dickie was absent from dinner that night, so Richard was st...

The First Men to Climb Mount Everest

The First Men to Climb Mount Everest After years of dreaming about it and seven weeks of climbing, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Tenzing Norgay reached the top of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, at 11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953. They were the first people to ever reach the summit of Mount Everest. Earlier Attempts to Climb Mt. Everest Mount Everest had long been considered unclimbable by some and the ultimate climbing challenge by others. Soaring in height to 29,035 feet (8,850 m), the famous mountain is located in the Himalayas, along the border of Nepal and Tibet, China. Before Hillary and Tenzing successfully reached the summit, two other expeditions got close. Most famous of these was the 1924 climb of George Leigh Mallory and Andrew Sandy Irvine. They climbed Mount Everest at a time when the aid of compressed air was still new and controversial. The pair of climbers was last seen still going strong at the Second Step (about 28,140 - 28,300 ft). Many people still wonder if Mallory and Irvine might have been the first to make it to the top of Mount Everest. However, since the two men did not make it back down the mountain alive, perhaps well never know for sure. The Dangers of Climbing the Highest Mountain in the World Mallory and Irvine certainly were not the last to die upon the mountain. Climbing Mount Everest is extremely dangerous. Besides the freezing weather (which puts climbers at risk for extreme frostbite) and the obvious potential for long falls from cliffs and into deep crevasses, climbers of Mount Everest suffer from the effects of the extreme high altitude, often called mountain sickness. The high altitude prevents the human body from getting enough oxygen to the brain, causing hypoxia. Any climber who climbs above 8,000 feet could get mountain sickness and the higher they climb, the more severe the symptoms may become. Most climbers of Mount Everest at least suffer from headaches, cloudiness of thought, lack of sleep, loss of appetite, and fatigue. And some, if not acclimated correctly, could show the more acute signs of altitude sickness, which includes dementia, trouble walking, lack of physical coordination, delusions, and coma. To prevent the acute symptoms of altitude sickness, climbers of Mount Everest spend a lot of their time slowly acclimating their bodies to the increasingly high altitudes. This is why it can take climbers many weeks to climb Mt. Everest. Food and Supplies In addition to humans, not many creatures or plants can live in high altitudes either. For this reason, food sources for climbers of Mt. Everest are relatively nonexistent. So, in preparation for their climb, climbers and their teams must plan, purchase, and then carry all of their food and supplies with them up the mountain. Most teams hire Sherpas to help carry their supplies up the mountain. (The Sherpa are a previously nomadic people who live near Mt. Everest and who have the unusual ability of being able to quickly physically adapt to higher altitudes.) Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Go Up the Mountain Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were part of the British Everest Expedition, 1953, led by Colonel John Hunt. Hunt had selected a team of people who were experienced climbers from all around the British Empire. Among the eleven chosen climbers, Edmund Hillary was selected as a climber from New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, though born a Sherpa, was recruited from his home in India. Also along for the trip was a filmmaker to document their progress and a writer for The Times, both were there in the hopes of documenting a successful climb to the summit. Very importantly, a physiologist rounded out the team. After months of planning and organizing, the expedition began to climb. On their way up, the team established nine camps, some of which are still used by climbers today. Out of all the climbers on the expedition, only four would get a chance to make an attempt to reach the summit. Hunt, the team leader, selected two teams of climbers. The first team consisted of Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans and the second team consisted of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. The first team left on May 26, 1953 to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. Although the two men made it up to about 300 feet shy of the summit, the highest any human had yet reached, they were forced to turn back after bad weather set in as well as a fall and problems with their oxygen tanks. Reaching the Top of Mount Everest At 4 a.m. on May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay awoke in camp nine and readied themselves for their climb. Hillary discovered that his boots had frozen and thus spent two hours defrosting them. The two men left camp at 6:30 a.m. During their climb, they came upon one particularly difficult rock face, but Hillary found a way to climb it. (The rock face is now called Hillarys Step.) At 11:30 a.m., Hillary and Tenzing reached the summit of Mount Everest. Hillary reached out to shake Tenzings hand, but Tenzing gave him a hug in return. The two men enjoyed only 15 minutes at the top of the world because of their low air supply. They spent their time taking photographs, taking in the view, placing a food offering (Tenzing), and looking for any sign that the missing climbers from 1924 had been there before them (they didnt find any). When their 15 minutes were up, Hillary and Tenzing began making their way back down the mountain. It is reported that when Hillary saw his friend and co-New Zealand climber George Lowe (also part of the expedition), Hillary said, Well, George, weve knocked the bastard off! News of the successful climb quickly made it around the world. Both Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became heroes.

Masafi Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Masafi Marketing Plan - Essay Example Masafi product management team has effective designed the logo keeping in the view of mineral water. It effectively simplifies the quality of a product. The mineral water is 100% germ free and effectively tested in laboratory. Usage of hot-fill technology enables to maintain strength of various flavours in the mineral water. Attractive packaging of a product increases the product popularity and identity. Mineral water bottles of each flavour have a particular coloured cap which has created the benchmark within the industry. Constant introduction of several products is a good product extension strategy, but it is recommended that the R & D team and the product management need to monitor the quality factors of every product. In an addition Masafi should desperately target the global market is they had always implemented unique marketing strategies in their business practices. Resources and Recommendation Product strategy consists of planning and execution. These two are key resources f or product strategy. The planning and execution of product strategy takes place in a complex competitive market. Masafi has implanted these resources in the strategy effectively. They have effectively planned and execute the product diversification strategy. It is highly recommended that the product strategy process must be assessable. Moreover they should involve all the stakeholders in this strategy process and should have definable checkpoints. Product Life Cycle (PLC) Product life cycle is an important tool in order to determine the life cycle of a newly developed product. Masafi offers Natural Mineral water, Potato chips, Basmati rice, Fruit juice and Facial tissues. These products have a short life cycle. As day by day the market place...The organization is looking to dominate the global market place by extending their product line. The pure and natural water from the down wells and mountains in Ras AL Khaima is the biggest competitive advantage of the company. The organizatio n has settled the price of every product at a premium price against the high quality of products. The organization is known for its effective CSR activities across UAE. Brand extension and constantly developing new products has some drawbacks too. It is difficult for the organizations to deliver a large order within the deadline without effective logistic and supply chain structure. Masafi uses traditional distribution strategy. In starting years the organization had to face several environmental regulation issues. Masafi used to pack their product in poly ethylene packages. The environment rules and regulations have affected the brand image of their organization. Finally extensive research and introduction of PET packaging has overcome the poly ethylene packaging issues. Now-a-days Masafi is organizing several CSR activities in order to achieve huge reputation in the business field.

Self Evaluation Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Self Evaluation - Personal Statement Example Even a person with no knowledge of health care and no sensitivity to diversity could understand the topic. The sentence from Page 4, "But healthcare is more than just medical equipment, hospitals, and adequate insurance. Healthcare is a competent staff that can relate to the patients and effectively care for them within the context of their own needs and desires", relates a focused thought that can get someone to start thinking differently about our health care system. It could be read by anyone and have the opportunity to inform them or change their mind. This has become a very important part or writing to me. 2.) My weakest essay was "The Literacy Behind Patient Care". The paper opens with a weak line telling the reader what the paper is about. It should have grabbed their attention and made them curious. Many of the sentences are not well constructed. This also holds true for the paragraphs that ramble and jump from idea to idea. Overall, the paper is difficult to read and its intentions are not clear. The essay spends too much time showing specific examples and does not clearly show the results of the examples or why they are important. 3.) To improve "The Literacy Behind Patient Care" I would first determine what I wanted the reader to take away from the essay. I wanted to demonstrate why patient literacy was important, not what it was. I would write a thesis that stated the patient literacy was important because it impacts a patient's well-being. I would then write an outline that explained all the ways that a patient can suffer from improper care. I would then construct each paragraph in the outline before starting to write. I would also spend more time revising the draft. I would have some other people, not necessarily students, read the paper and ask for their reaction. 4.) My revising and editing skills have greatly improved during this class. At the beginning I did not understand the necessity of revising a paper. I didn't even know what to look for when revising. Now, I can look at each paragraph as an independent topic, and how it relates to the paragraphs around it. I can look at the paragraph and see if it flows from opening to closing and is supported by evidence and facts. I also look at each sentence to see if it is grammatically correct and easy to read. These skills were unknown and overwhelming at the beginning of the course, but I now see they are steps in the writing process. Revising and editing each paragraph and each sentence has made the task less of an obstacle. Knowing the key points of transition and relevance has been important to improving my writing skills. I now revise and edit in pieces, rather than the entire paper at once. 5.) My writing was improved most by my concept of the writing process. In the beginning papers, I thought a person could just write their thoughts and that would be the end of the task. I now understand that I can write freely in a draft and go back and edit it. I don't feel pressured to get it exactly right the first time. The drafting and revising process has had a great impact on improving my papers. Also, the feedback and advice from other people has helped me. I am no longer shy about showing my essays and asking for an honest opinion. Making small changes in the language or correcting structural errors have made my papers more clear and easier to read. The writing center has also helped me to develop the technique and

Summery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Summery - Essay Example This impetus was followed by a series of strategies with aggravated the situation of Timex, to wit: diversification into electronics manufacturing, subcontracting, employment of Peter Hall as the manager, cost reduction through lay-offs and wage reductions. The ultimate result was the closure of the Dundee plant in August of 1993 after an industrial dispute that lasted eight months. In analyzing the case of Timex, the authors averred that the â€Å"failure to take into account the wider context that relates the present to the past and to situate the conflict in the emergent and interrelated nature of business decisions and human resources policies† The relevant lessons that Martin & Dowling emphasized in this article are as follows: International firms should adapt and adjust to the culture and organizational competencies of the host country. There is a need to evaluate the qualifications of managers who will lead and operate international firms. As required, training and development programs should be undertaken for managers (as well as the rest of the personnel) to be assigned in international organizations. Multinational corporations should have broader efforts to internationalize their organizations in terms of encompassing cultural diversity, environmental scanning, and open mindedness in accepting lessons from each

Abridging Cultural Differences in Learning Essay Example for Free

Abridging Cultural Differences in Learning Essay The world is not only composed of different races that come from different countries but also comprised of innumerable cultures unique from each other. Races from all around the world are greatly diverse. The diversity includes differences in practices, traditions and other cultural manifestations. Culture is one of the distinguishable characteristics of a group of people living in society. Culture is embedded in the community and is illustrated in various forms. In fact, even architectural design depicts culture of people in a particular place. Culture shapes and reshapes a persons individuality. It is influenced by various factors including socio-political, sociological, religion, and historical. Culture continually conform and mold to provide the ever-changing needs of the people in the society. The difference in cultural identity of the people could be attributed to the inherent beliefs, traditions and practices they adhere or grew up with. It is also due to the geographical locations of where we live because culture should match or fit to the geographical and topographical characteristics of the place. For these characteristics greatly affects some aspects of the culture. Learning Styles Learning plays a big role in the lives of people for it is essential in acquiring knowledge that is utilized in understanding things. Learning is an inherent human ability that is honed by factors that affects this particular human process like parenting, formal schooling, experience etc. The process of learning is never-ending, as people reach old age they still acquire new things like information and knowledge they will be able to utilize in some way. Learning has biological and sociological aspects or dimensions. These aspects affect learning either in a positive or negative way. Students may have different processes in taking in information and different ways of learning. Teaching strategies and methods also vary among teachers. Whenever teacher-student education style methods and preference are the same, learning is more likely successful. When there is an existing discrepancy in the learning style preferred by both students and teachers, the students tend to get bored and become inattentive to the lessons (Felder). Every individual have their preferred way of learning things. They are often unaware of this particular preference, they are just aware that they learn more of things that way. People tend to learn more using certain activities and methods than others (Melkman Trotman, 2005). The learning style preferences determine how people learn and the comfortable way in which they were able to learn more. These preferences exert influence learning efficacy (Melkman Trotman, 2005). Some of the biological aspects of learning are sound and light (Shalaway Beech, 1998), some people could not digest the things they should learn in the presence of loud noise and dim light, while there are some people who understand more of the lesson under that certain circumstances. The perception of an individual also affects the learning process of an individual. State of mental health is also another aspect that affects the learning process in which we determine if a person could easily learn the things being taught to them. This is where we could separate fast, average and slow learners. Developmental and sociological aspects that affect the cognitive processes include motivation (Shalaway Beech, 1998), in which some persons need to be motivated in order to digest what is being taught. Being in the in-group also one of the factors that is mostly seen in the school setting where students are more eager to go to school when they are not ostracized by the cliques or social groups. In most classroom settings, noise is not tolerated. Teachers react negatively whenever students squirm or wriggle in their seats, whenever they tap their desks with their pencils or whenever they show restlessness. However, studies prove that some children need such activities for then to able to concentrate, think and learn (Shalaway Beech, 1998). Research shows that when the learning preference of the children, either their biological or sociological aspect, there is a notable increase in achievement and behavioral response. Teachers also have individualized learning styles that affect their way of teaching. When the learning styles of the teacher and students happen to be the same, the more the students will learn (Shalaway Beech, 1998). Various sources discussed many types of learning style preferences. The three main learning style preferences are the auditory, visual and kinesthetic. The auditory learning style explains that some students learn more using their sense of hearing. They tend to get oral instructions easily. The visual learning style, on the other hand, explains how some students tend to learn more using their sense of sight. They are the students who frantically take down notes and copy down keywords from visual aids in class. The kinesthetic learning style explains why some students opt to learn on their own. They tend to learn more through experience and discovery (Learning Styles, 2005). Cultural Differences and Learning Culture and learning are two inseparable things (Moore and Anderson, 2003). The innate cultural identity of a person tends to affect their learning capabilities through influencing their learning styles. Researches find out that cultural groups tend to have unique learning styles that are different from other ethnic groups. But there is also a contrasting finding that members of the family tend to have different learning styles. Instructors and learning facilitators should be aware of three important things. 1. There are existing universally accepted learning principles, 2. Culture greatly influences the learning styles of individuals, 3. Every person has their distinguishable learning style preferences that affect their potential achievement and acquired knowledge (Moore Anderson, 2003). Culture could be held responsible in the developed learning style of an individual. Culture determines the preferences and values a person holds. United States is a multiracial and multicultural society in which the normal classroom is composed of people coming from the different ethnic groups (Shalaway Beech, 1998). Oftentimes, we are having a difficult time understanding people who have dissimilar taste and preference, because we know that there is no commonality or common ground that that two person could talk about. We tend to be biased in some way. Cultural differences are persons strengths, knowing the cultural background of the student will greatly help us to facilitate and induce classroom learning (Shalaway Beech, 1998). The knowledge in the cultural diversity and how it influences the learning process is very important especially to the course designers because there is an inevitable possibility that a group of individuals have different learning styles preferences (Moore Anderson, 2003). The negative implication of the culturally diverse classroom setting is composed of individuals with various learning style preferences. The instructor or learning facilitator have no control over the heterogeneous mixture of learning styles for it is difficult to develop a mixture of training methods and teaching strategies for all the students to learn in class. Conclusion Learning is among the fundamental human process very essential in life. The process of learning occurs in every setting and outside the confines of school and we are unaware that it happens. Culture is the embedded characteristic deeply rooted in society. It somehow defines the social identity of a person. Culture shapes individuality and influences the different aspects of a person, including tastes and preferences. Variety is the spice of life. The global society is composed of different races and cultures. Cultural differences are reflected in learning style preferences. The negative implication of cultural diversity in a classroom and having too many learning styles is that the teachers do not know what teaching methods they should used in order the students to learn the subject. Knowledge in this particular matter is very important especially to learning facilitators and course designers to develop a comprehensive and efficient teaching method to be utilized in classrooms in which ever student’s learning style is utilized. In this way we will be able to abridge cultural differences in learning. References Felder, R. Learning Styles. Resources in Science and Engineering Education. Retrieved June 25, 2008 from http://www4. ncsu. edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Learning_Styles. html. Learning Styles. (2005). Student Development Services. University of Western Ohio. Retrieved June 25, 2008 from http://www. sdc. uwo. ca/learning/index. html? styles. Melkman, A. Trotman, J. (2005). Training International Managers: Designing, Deploying and Delivering Effective Training for Multi-Cultural Groups. England: Gower Publishing Ltd. Moore, M. G. Anderson, W. G. (2003). Handbook of Distance Education. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Shalaway, L. Beech, L. (1998). Learning to Teach: Not Just for Beginners: The Essential Guide for All Teachers. New York: Teaching Resources/ Scholastic Professional Books.

Analysis of a Corpus of Poetry :: Poems Writing Essays

Analysis of a Corpus of Poetry A corpus of 1000 lines of poetry (ten 100 line samples from ten different authors) is analyzed by a computerized connectionist model of poetic meter. The analysis finds that poets utilize measurably distinct patterns of stress and suggests that these patterns might "fingerprint" individual writers. In addition, the analysis shows that the variations of metrical patterns are in accord with the prevailing verse aesthetics of the period in which poets are writing. Introduction In English poetry, the single most compelling discriminator of that genre--that which defines a poem as a poem--has traditionally been its meter. Meter defines the length of the line, and thus the distinctive look of a poem on the page, and it sets, for the hearer of a poem, the telling regularity of a rhythm. Whether this rhythm also carries the burden of some of a poem's meaning or whether it is used only for a conventional aesthetic effect that invites the reader to take pleasure in its regularity or variations, meter is one of the central attributes of the genre of poetry. While the meter of a poem may or may not be strongly attended to by the poem's audience, or its critics, metrics has always been a matter of substantial concern for poets (see Addison [1994]). At each point in a line of poetry one factor in the decision favoring one word or syntactic pattern over another has been the metrical impact of that choice. Moreover, the limits of choice are not merely defined by a correctness rule such as the following: All stressed positions must have stressed syllables and no unstressed positions may have a stressed syllable. Metrical variations, resulting in what Halle and Keyser (1971), and others, have termed "metrical complexity" or "tension," are allowable and, in fact, produce much of the interest in a poem's rhythm. Traugott (1989), for example, speaking of Auden's poetry, notes that "a complex metrical design can . . . be identified that complements and enriches the multifarious verbal icons functioning at other levels of the langua ge" (294). In fact, poetic rhythm may only work when it destroys that very sense of design that it invokes; the extreme position is taken by Shklovsky (1917), who says, "the problem is not one of complicating the rhythm, but of disordering of the rhythm" (p.